The Yale expositor., 1908-10-30


All. He commenced to tell about so
ciety and pink teas-I guess twas
pink; might have been sky-blue
though-and races and opera parties
and stocks, and strenuous life" and
the land knows what. IL seemed to
simmer down finally to that book THE
Natural Life" Seems there was
kind of craze around New York and
the cities, stirred up by that book, to
get clear of luxury and comfort and
| good times and so on, and get TO
living like poor folks. Living the
Natural Life" the valet called it.
"So?" says /, thinking of how |
had to scratch to keep body and soul
together. I've been right in style all
my days and didn't know it. Hum!
going cranberrying and fishing and
claiming and taking gangs of summer
folks out on seasick parties is the
] proper thing, hey? And your boss and
his chum want to live simpler"
Yes, he said they wanted to live
real simple.
We'll" says l, ''if Hubby Ann Scud-
der cooks for EN- that's the way
they'll live"
He went on with another rigmarole
about how the Heavenlies had lived in
New York. Cutting out everything
about himself and that British lord
which was twothirds of the yarn
there was some stuff about a girl
named Page that interested me. Seems
oh In iafU
Had money and good looks and fine
| clothes-all the strenuous nuisances.
And she was engaged to Hartley once,
| but they had a row or something and
broke it Off And now she was EN-.
gagged to Van Brunt.
But, see here" l says, puzzled. IF
she's engaged to Van why amt he to
home counting her instead of dissipat'
ing on baked beans and thin feather
beds over to Scudder's? Why amt he
to home in New York getting ready
to be married?"
Well, the marriage, so James said,
was to be arranged later. Near as
could find out Van and this Agnes
Page had mighty little to do with the
marrying. Twas their folks that was
fixing that up. Agnes herself had
| gone to Europe with her ma. When
she was to home she was great on
charity. She done settlement work,
| whatever that Is, and her one idea in
life was to feed ice cream to children
that hankered for fishballs and brown
bread. This want exactly the way
Lord James give it out, but twas
about the sense of 1t.
"Yes, yes" says /. But how does
Hartley like cumming around with
the Teller that's going to marry his old
girl?"
1t appeared that that was all right.
Hartley and Van was chums; loved
each other like brothers-or better.
Little thing like a girl or two didn't
count. Hartley was kind of used up
and blue and down on his luck and
suffering from the Natural Life dis
ease: he wanted to cut for simplicity
and Nature. So Van, havin' touch
of the Natural himself, come along to
keep him company.
"But this Page girl?" says l. How
does she feel on the Natural Life ques.
tion?"
"Oh, she believes in il too" says
his lordship. only she's more inter
ested in er charity and 'elping the
poor and heducating EN-" says he.
fetched a long breath. We'll, Mr..
Opper-Hopper, l mean" / says,
"you can say what you want to, but I'll
still hang on to my first notion. ]
think the whole crew is stark. raving
crazy"
I'd noticed that he hadn't been pull
ing at my cigar much-a good five
cent Bluebell cigar twas, too. Now he
put IL down, kind of like twas loaded.
my good feller," he says. Would
you mind if l tried one Of me own
weeds? Ave one yourself says he.
took the cigar he handed me. 1t
was one of Van Brunt's particular
brand.
"Humph!" thinks /, your bosses
NAV be simpletons for the love of 1t,
Brother James, but not you. No, stree!
You're in It for the value OF the man
ifest."
In another half hour or so the
Heavenly Twins showed up alongside
And then 'twould have done you good
TO see that Wallets back get timber.
He bowed and scraped and Stirred"
till you couldn't rest. They spoke to
i him like he was dog and he skipped
around with his tail between his legs
like he was one--a yellow one, at
that.
When we'd passed the point out
comes that everlasting book and the
Twins got at 1t.
wan" says Martin Hartley, setting
up and taking notice; the Natural
Life for mine. l envy the lucky devils
who've had IL all their lives"
'Twa'n't none of my affairs, but l
showed my oar in here-couldn
help 1t.
you fellers amt getting the real
article-not yet" says /. There's a
hotel over back of the village where
the boarders GO. the ginuine simple
| life-no frills included" | SAYS.