Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-17
A NOVEL.


didn't come back with a dozen peep and
ringnecks. Then the way he crowed over
! me and Martin was scandaloue TIL a
| week later. Hartley himself went gun.
ming with Nate and fetched home fifteen
bigger and better than his chum's. And
after this. OF course. twas nothing but
what a great hunter Scudder was. and
| rubbing 1t into me.
| was mighty interested in the Ozone Is
| landers by this time. The picnic boats
| from the Old Home House generally
| sailed close by our point. to give the pas
sengers chance to look our outfit over
Sometimes the boats stopped. and Their
| the Twins would take an observation
from an upstairs window. and. II the,
liked the looks Of the crowd. would come
down and keep what they called "oper
| house" open house" always meant
| more work for Eureka and me. Lucky
for us. twas pretty seldom that the
| Heavenlies liked their callers looks wei
| enough to open up.
The Baptist minister and his wife came
| over to call. There was going to be 6
| lawn fete and SALE at the church
| pretty soon. and the idea was to get the
| Twins to donate" something. Van Brun
was full Of his high jinks that day. ane
he took that poor parson and his wife ir
| tow.
First he carted EN- out to the henyard
He paraded up and down in front Of the
coops. pointing out the scraggly Ply
mouth Rocks as il they was some kind
OF freaks. like ostriches. He said the,
ate bag OF corn day and laid one
egg a week, so he flggered that every ege
was worth five dollars or so. What die
the parson think of donation Of half &
dozen of them eggs?
mot to eat. you understand" says
Van: "but as rarities. as curiosities.'
The minister was a young Teller. MOI
| long out OF college. and pretty straight
laced. But he had some fun In him.
IF I might suggest" he says. Il thinl
one Of the hens themselves would b
more acceptable and profitable. Among
our summer people there Is great de
mand for antiques Now one Of thos'
| hens-'
| That tickled Van. He told Hartley af
terward that the minister was a trump
He donated liberal-not with eggs mo-
poultry neither-and promised that III
and Hartley would attend the sale.
And they did. And SO did Eureka ant
me. The lawn fete was held in the meet
ing-house front yard. and twas all rigget
| up fine with flags and tissue paper ant
bunting. There was a grab bag and ;
! don't know what all. All the sunme
| folk was there. and most OF the tow
women and girls. and the prices charged
for things would have been highway rob
berry II it hadn't been a church that wa
The Heavenlies bought and bought AM
bought They bought everything-th
foolishest things. Van bought three pal
Of embroidered suspenders and a Gro
cheted tidy and a pin cushion, and Mar
tin got a worsted afghan and a hand
painted sofa pillow. 50 fresh that tn
paint come of on your hands when vol
touched 1t. And 'twa'n't any quiet col
| ored paint neither. And when you rub
bed of one layer there was another un
| derneath. Luretta Daniels daughter hai
painted It: she was taking lessons. an,
her ma said that she'd painted that pill
| low over much as a dozen times. becaus
the colors want blending right or tn
| subject didn't suit her. Twas 50 stif
| with paint on top that 'twould have BEEF
like ramming your head into a fence t
lay on 1t.
Gro be continued tomorrow)