Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-19
By LOLA SCOTT.
Copyright.

IL, v.
the gran ma you've been staying with is
just dead is she. and you're going to your
pa! he must be rum One," he re-
marked. soto voice.
| Yes. yes. that's it," eagerly assented
Private Bill; she's just dead. she's Just
dead"
The man came out with the tray. OH
which were a sandwich. two picked eggs,
a plate of beans and fat piece of pie.
He pulled out a chair at one of the tables.
He motioned Private Bill into 1t and set
the tray before him. Flight that he
said laconically.
He seized the pie boldly. cuddled it in
both hands and buried his face in it's
depths. Outside, the captain, watching
with open mouthed envy. murmured. NOR
titled. to the aid de camp: He don't
know no more how to act in a cafe than
a hawg,
How'd you get this far-are you a
railroad bum or did you ride shank
ponies?' queried the man.
Nav. we didn't ride no pony. She's a
horse.''
The man laughed. Then: "a horse!-
and 'we'-who's we?''
| Men the aid-de-camp'
The which,"
The aid-de-camp."
| whats it?'
One O. the other fellows"
with you? Where're they?'
'Out there in the alley" ingenuously.
Then ingratiattngly. Say. If I call EN-,
will you give them somethin to eat. too?"
The man was staring again: Are you
| telling the truth or stringin me?" he
asked sternly. He moved to the door.
Outside the captain, catching snatches of
the conversation OWNED his intention.
Four legs shot down the passageway be-
fore he could accustom his eyes to the
darkness. He came back. He regarded
Private Bill suspiciously. II guess you're
a case for the cop" he said. John" he
instructed some one in back rooln
keep an eye on. this young sprout here:
I'll be back in a minute Picking up his
hat. he stepped out
Private Bills blood CONCEALED. If only
he could get out to the fellows! They
would lick him, but that was ecstasy
compared to the Cooler 1t was not far
to the door. John had not yet come in!
He arose stealthily casting look of in
finite pathos at what remained Of the
beans-then. with sudden idea, snatched
up The two picked eggs. Slipping to his
knees. he scuttled out on all tours Once
out he few down the passageway. Kids"
he painted. "kids. rum" But he soon per-
were there. He sped wildly on. AS he
emerged from between the buildings an
inquiring freckled nose thrust cautiously
out from the interior of a barrel. 1t was
the captain.
Come on. come on Private Bill i'm
plored. They're a-comin'-the cop! He's
goin' to throw me in! He'll pull all of us!
Come on Come on.
creek half mile from town. on the other
side from where Belle and William So
! journed.
When it seemed that they were safe.
Private BILL ere hearts were slowed down
and breaths could be regained to form re-
vilements. automatically presented his
fellows with the two picked eggs. crushed,
smeary, but ambrosially tempting to two
famished youngsters.
| II visit / could a-saved you some of the
pie" he regretted. touchingly: but he
was lookin' n I had to eat it,
this. they only shifted. However. they
accepted the eggs with sullen, though
alacr1tous. condescension - and chastised
him not
silence and the dark. They were afraid
to talk With superstitious dread they
stared dumbly out into the awful black
| loneliness.
But nature asserted itself. and before
long head began nid-nodding against
| the captains shoulder. Private Bill was
cherubically sleeping the sleep Of the full
stomached. Strangely enough. the cap
tain laid him very gently down on the
grass. Then. Lets lay down, too" he
whispered to the aid-de-camp There
/ amt nowhere to co.
| 1t was a restless night. The wind had
risen and the sky clouded. Two pairs Of
wide-open eyes watched the clouds drift
| Two pairs of wide-open ears strained to
| the uncanny night sounds. Two small
| hearts quivered with strange new emo
| tons and two busy little minds struggled
with the old enigmas of life and death
| and destiny.
The captains thoughts kept returning
to his mother. There was a terrible fear
at his heart that she might be dead He
| remembered that when Tom Saunders
ran off she said that it would kill her
| if it were a boy Of hers. He had known
she would be scared. but he had never
thought about it in the dark before. And
after all. fathers did lots of nice things
for boys-there was that real wat-h he
| had gotten last Christmas, and he went
| to all the shows.
Midnight passed. Bill slept. The aid
| as "Shanghai"- silent and unstirring
A panic of terror seized the captain at
| the loneliness.
"Shang." he breathed sepulchrally.
"Wha-at?" came sepulchrally back.
"You asleep"
mo: are you?'
NO: say. don't the wind make funny
noises in the jack oaks?"
The cottonwood bOVe them stirred its
| stiff, yelloWing leaves weirdly, shudder-
| ingly-like the rattle of dead mems bones!
The cold ran down the captains spine
| After covering silence:
Say Shang?"
"Uh-huh?"
do you think he'll really skin him?'
Your mule? IL don't know. He was
awful mad
Another silence: then. "Ain't there lot
| of stars in the world?"
| Instantly. if in response. long, fiery
streak shot across the middle sky into the
blue darkness beyond. The captains heart
cramped. Every time one fell somebody
| was dead! His mother!
Family "Shang?'
"Uh-huh?'
do you s'pose your mother'll be awful
It was some time before the aid de
camp answered.
Yes" quaveringly.
'Do-do you s'pose it would make her
sick?"
II 'xpect''
Suddenly the captain turned over on his
face. A convulsive whimper aoated up
from the grass.
.I-wisht-we-hadn't
The aid de camp made no reply. He.
too, turned over on his face. An arm
| reached shyly out and rested on his
shoulder. Lets 60 back a voice
sobbed. The captain, the bold. the in
domit able. had been the first to capitufate.
The night grew calmer. The wind died
down and the clouds drifted away Under
the cottonwood hot drops trickled into the
| .yIA