Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-18
CHAPTER XIII-Continued.

rainbow. The minister's wife said she
was SO sorry. The poor things at the
almshouse had worked SO hard.
You wait a minute says Van. Tn
get rid of it,,
He took out his vest pocket memo
randum book and tore about ten pages
into little squares. Then he made num-
bers on these squares with pencil. Half
of these he put into his hat. and the next
l knew he was standing on a chair. wav-
ing the bedquilt with one hand and the
hat with tOther.
Ladies and gentlemen lie shouts.
Here is positively the last chance TO Sc
cure this NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
made by the deserving poor to cover the
restless rich. Competition has been SO
strong that no one person has been able
to buy it, The only solution would be u
syndicate. and the almshouse is opposed
to trusts. Therefore am authorized to
then he bent down and whispered. Mr.
Morton. kindly give me whatever small
change you have left
The minister looked puzzled. but he
handed up a half dollar Van Brunt
reaches into the hat and takes out one
Of the folded slips of paper
Here you are. sir. says he. Treasure
that as you would your life. Now. then,
ladies and gentlemen. this is a rattle. The
minister starts it. Tickets are anything
you please. provided it's enough. Come
early and avoid the rush.
church people. The members of the sew
ing circle looked at each other with the
most Mortified kind of faces. The parson.
Mr.. Morton, run forward.
Just minute. Mr.. Van Brunt, IL you
please" he sings out.
But Van waved him away. The sum-
mer folks come after them tickets like a
whirlwind, laughing and shouting and
passing up dollar bills. Twa'n't hardly
any time afore the hat was empty and
Io -i,'c i.,..I -of hot nf
money Then he fills up the hat with
more pieces of paper.
These are duplicates of the numbers
sold" says he. THE drawing will now
take place. Here. Bill.'
He grabs a little shaver by the coat col
lar and lifts him up to the chair. Old
lady Patterson, the deacon's wife. set up
scream
Stop she yells. MY child shall
not
1T takes but a moment. madam says
Van. waving to her. calm and easy.
Now. Julius Caesar. please take one of
those numbers from the hat.
The boy Redeemed up and grinned and
looked foolish. but he stuck a ireckled
paw in and took out piece of paper.
Number fourteen" shouts Van Brunt
Number fourteen secures the-the tap
estry. Who's the lucky one"
Everybody unfolded their papers. but
there didn't see to be any fourteen.
Hartley had three. but he want in it.
Number fourteen. Van calls. Who
is fourteen? Mr.. Morton, you began this.
Where is your ticket"
The minister looked dreadfully troubled
Really, he stammered, ''l-l-it was d
Here's yours. Mr.. Morton" says lit
tie girl. You dropped it OH the ground.
The parson looked pretty sick He
reached for it, but Van got 1t first.
Number fourteen it u.s." he says. Our
esteemed friend. the Rev. Mr.. Norton
secures the prize. That's as it should be.
Three cheers for Mr.. Morton"
The summer folks give the cheers, but
the church folk looked pretty average
wild. / thought
l forget how much was III Van Brunt's
pocket. That bedquilt fetched in enough
money to pretty nigh buy the poorhouse
itself.
The Twins felt good. They figgered
that they'd made hit at that lawn
fete."
Great success. my rattle idea. wasn't it.
skipper" says Van Brunt, on the way
home.
1 didn't answer right off. Eureka spoke
well" she says. sit sold the bedquilt
but ! wouldn't wonder if ii made the new
minister lose his job. You see. twas
gambling. and that church is dreadful
down gambling. Mrs. Patterson told
me that she should have her husband cal
a parish meeting right off. l guess you
won't be invited to no more sales this
year.
And we want. Poor Morton had an
awful time explaining, and the only way
he could get out of it was to lay 1t heavy
on the Twins. He had to preach SER
mon giving gambling fits, and all around
and wicked the Heavenlies was. We
want fit for decent folk to associate
with.
But 1 amt been able to learn. even yet.
that the bedquilt money was returned to
t he ticket buyers.
Van got a long letter from Agnes Page
a little later saying that she had heard
of him as "disturbing influence" and
that she was shocked and grieved. He
Thought twas great joke and didn't
glad of the whole business. He didn't
want nobody else to be milking his own
pet cows.
Me and Eureka was glad. too. in a
disgrace with his girl would help Hart
ley's side along. And in few days an
other idea begun to develop that. when 1
found ii out seemed to me likely to help
him more.
Eureka told me. that she'd seen a dress
pattern at the church sale that she
wanted awful. I asked her why she
didn't buy it. and she said twas two
dollars and a half, and she couldn't af-
ford it. Hartley heard her say it, and
he loafed out into the kitchen and begun
to ask questions, pumping her. sort of
quiet. to find out what she done with her
money. After she'd gone home he says
to me
Skipper. that girl is robbng herself to
support that old ioafer. her father
'"rhat's right" says 1. Its my opin-
ion that she amt never told him that
she amt getting that extry two dollars
week. 1 guess she pays every cent
into the house.
Its a shamev says he Cant we
| make the old vagabond earn his own liv-
ing?"
"When you do" 1 says, TN believe
! that blacks the blonde shade of white
| Making Washy Sparrow work would be
as big miracle as the loaves and fishes"
look into the matter" he says. SOL. l
apology for house they live In. Don't
ask Eureka. We must keep it a secret
! from her or she'll interfere. And we may
| as we'll not tell Van, either. He's so
| careless that he might give it away
'All right. says l. Tn ask Scudder
| He knows most all of everybody's bust
| ness, and Hubby Ann knows the rest
So when Nate come, after breakfast
| next morning. l asked him.
What do you want to know for?" says
| he. suspicious. usual
"Oh. nothing. Just curious. that's all
'"rhey amt going to move out, are
| they?" He seemed mighty interested
mo. no. says l. 'Where'd they move
to? Think they're going to Washington
| to visit the President or the diploma tic
| corpse?'
We'll" he says. you needn't get mad.
| 7 didn't Ipnuy hut tbay MIGHT b1,