Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-28

ike me TO tell you story before yosl go
| to bed?"
A Bible story
Why yes" DR.. Lavender admitted a
little taken saback -. =
mo. sir said David -. ~
You don't want Bible story ~;
The little boy shook his head
David. said DR.. Lavendar. chucklng,
| Il think I like YOU
David made no response: his face was
as blank as an Indians. He sat down
on stool by the fire. and once he sighed
Danny had shifted him. slowly. and
turned away with bored look; 1t was
up and wandered about the room. his
! hands gripPed lin front of him.. his lips
shut tight: Dr. I.ayenfiar watched him
out >of the tall OF his eye. but neither of
on a chair and looked fxedly at picture
that hung between the windows.
That is Bible picture" DIR. Lavendar
observed. - -. et.,.>, = +,
who" said David, rs the gentleman,
DR.. Lavender blew his nose before an
swering. Then he said that that was
meant to be our Savior when He was be-
ing baptized. up in the sky DR. Law
endar added. us His Heavenly Father"
There was silence until David asked,
gently. us it good photograph of Cod"
DR.. I,avendar puffed three times at his
pipe: then he said, IF you think the
picture looks like a kind father, then it is.
And, David. 1 know some stories that are
| not Bible stories. Shall I tell you one?'
IF you want to. sir" David said. DR..
Lavender began his tale rather doubt
| fully, but David fixed such interested
| eyes upon his face that he was fattered
| into charging upon his theme. The child
| listened breathlessly. his fascinated eyes
| travelling once or twice to the clock, then
| back to the kind old face.
you were afraid bedtime would inter-
rupt us?' said DIR. Lavendar, when the
| great boy for stories, aren't your"
you've talked seven minutes" said
David. thoughtfully. land you've not
| moved your upper jaw once"
DR.. Lavender gasped; then he said,
meekly. Did you like the story?''
David made no reply.
II think" said DIR. Lavendar, 'IH
| have another pipe"
He gave up trying to make converse
ton; instead. he watched the clock. Mary
8, and as the clock began to strike, DR..
Lavendar, with some eagerness. opened
his lips to say good highland CLOSED
| them. Guess he'd rather run his own
rig" he thought. But to his relief at the
last stroke David got up.
ITS my bedtime, SIR
so 1t is! Well, it will be mine after a
while. Good night. my boy" DR.. Law
endar blinked nervously. Young persons
were generally kissed. Il should not
and the two shook hands gravely.
Left alone. he felt so fatigued he had
to have, that other pipe. Before he had
finished it his senior warden looked in at
the study door.
Come in, Samuel" said DR.. Lavendar
Samuel, I feel as if had driven ten
miles on a corduroy road.''
Mr.. Wright looked blank; sometimes he
| found it hard to follow DR.. Lavendan
Sam, young persons are very exciting"
Some of them are, can vouch for
that" his caller assured him, grimly.
Come. come! They are good for US. 4"
said DR.. Lavendar. II wish you'd take a
pipe. Sam: it would cheer you up
II never smoke. SIR said Samuel re-
provingly.
well you miss a lot of comfort in life
I've seen good many troubles go UP in
smoke
Mr. Wright sat down heavily and
sighed.
Sam been giving you something to
think about?" DR.. Lavendar asked, cheer
fully.
He always gives me something to
think about. He Is beyond my compre-
not understand him. What do you think
he has done now"
Nothing wicked"
81 don't know how you look at it,
Samuel said. but from my point Of view,
buying prints with other peoples money
present matter, however, is just imbe-
cilty. 1 told him one day last week to
write to a man in Troy, N. Y, about a
bill of exchange. Well. he wrote. Oh,
the man. inclosing my young gentleman's
epistle. with line added"-Mr. Wright
fumbled in his breast pocket to find the
document-"here it is: Above remarks
about ships not understood by our house.
Will you look at that, sir, for the remarks
about ships'?"
DR.. Lavender took the sheet stamped
Bank of Pennsylvania" and hunted for
his spectacles. When he settled them on
his nose he turned the letter over. and
read in young Sans sprawling hand:
WAS this the face that launched thousand
ships.
And burnt the topless towers Of Ilium:"
Whats this? I don't understand" Of
Certainly you do not: no sensible per-
son would. l showed it to my young gen
| tleman and requested an explanation.
| Oh he said. when you told me to write
to Troy 1t made me think of those lines
He added that not wishing to forget them
| ne wrote them down on a sheet of paper,
and that probably he used the other side
of the sheet for the Troy letter-'by mis-
| take Mistake, SIR ! said. a sufficient
number of mistakes will send me out of
business
Samuel" said DR.. Lavender. thought
fully, do you recall whose face it was
that launched the thousand ships on
| Troy?"
Samuel shook his head.
"Helen's." said Dr. Lavendar.
The senior warden frowned, then sud-
denly understood "Oh, yes. I know all
about that. Another evidence of his
follyi"
I've no doubt you feel like spanking
him. DR.. Lavender said sympathetically,
but he stopped short. Sam Wright
| was crimson.
II! Spank him? Il" He got up, open
ing and shutting his hands. his face very
red. The old minister looked at him in
CONSERVATION.
| Sam! what on earth is the matter with
you? Can't a man have his joker"
Mr. Wright sat down. He put his hand
to his mouth as though to hid. some
trembling betrayal; his very ears were
purple
DR.. Lavendar apologzed profusely. Il
was only in fun. I'm sure you know
that l meant no disrespect to the boy.
only wanted to cheer you up"
II understand. sir 1t is of no conse-
quence. II had something else on my
mind. It is of no consequence The
color faded. and his face fell into its
usual bleak lines, but his mouth twitched.
A minute afterward he began to speak
with ponderous dignity This love-mak-
ing business Is. of course. most mortify-
ing to me; and also, no doubt, annoying
to Mrs. Richie. To begin with, she is
eleven years older than he--he told his
mother So He added jf YOU please, that