New-York tribune., 1909-12-12
Drawings by F. Vaux Wilson


says she, and she stareS hard the finger.
Try turnIn around three times with Your eyes
shut and then what it aims at, says L.
No, says she. " 1t was something something
Fine says L. You're getting along fast. 1t 5
on the first finger so that means 1t begins with \.
Is 1t apples or
.Attison!" shouts Sadie. Their wire was out of
order when called them up yesterday, and haven
thought of it since. You must run right over,
Shorty and tell them to have little Mallory here by
seven o'clock. when we light up the tree
HUH" says |. Cant you send
No L can't, says Sadie. And it won't take
you ten minutes.
Catch me wOrkin out any more clues | grum-
bes gettin my coat on.
MOT that m nds the walk. What l objects to is
~ this making an afternoon call on folks that Id
got through tryin TO be chummy with almost be
fore | began. Course. Ivin' near each other We
always passed nod or the time OF day when we met
but that's as far it had ever gone. Id made up
my mind soon after they moved out here that the
AttSOnS want exactly our kind; and | expect if
you'd asked them, they'd said the same of us You
know how it is bill of partiC lars ever framed uD
only Just a case of Stand-Oh on both sides.
All L had against him that he always wore
baby blue neCktieS and yellow ChamOiS gloves. That
and his stitt-kneed way of walkin would have made
me hold out tor convection IN the first degree if Id
ever been called jury against him. He's one of
these big kind of pie faced ducks that seems irwin
to hide how soft they are by lOOkin' solemn and
actin pompOus.
If | hadn't heard he was second vice president of
a big bonding company, and that Mrs. Attison had
more or less dough of her own. I'd thought their
hvln that swell StuCCO cottage with the tile roof
was Just part of his bluff but so far as cash and
family connections went there was no denvin they
was the real things, her being of the Rye Neck
opinners. Course, old man Spinner went battv on
the spoOk business, they say, and would have left
most OF his pile to some freak slate writin' medium
II they hadn't bust up the will; but the family was
still IN the dinner dance crowd Just the same
All Sadie would ever say about EN- was that Mrs
AttsOn rather cute lOOkn She's one of these
fairskinned ash blondes, with lot of wheat colored
hair, dark eyes. and well pumped out figure that
looks stylish in any old costume she haDpens 10
throw Sadie finds her pleasant enough at times.
but never twice alike. One day Mrs. AttiSon would
gush all over her, and the next she'd hand her the
chilly stare, line of business which don't work up
any enthusiasm on our side of the fence
WHEN it comes to maxim kid roundup of the
neighborhOod, though, we don't play any ia
vorltes. 30 turns up my collar and hikes down the
road wearin my best gOod-wll-to-all grin and pre-
Pares to request the privilege of havin' young Mr.
Mallory AttiSOn assist a Santa Claus reception
committee And the first jolt gets is when a scared
lookn maid opens the door a few inches and an
nOunces that Mrs. AttiSon amt To home
" How about Mr. Attson, them" says l. on a
chance.
Yes, she says he's in, but she don't think he's
seem anybody.
Shawn, is he" says l. ''or shakin' down the
furnace, or something like that? Oh. thatH be all
right m only one of the neghbors YOU know
pushes in.
But-bu stammers the maid don't think
he-that is Well. he's in therel You can see for
yourself"
"An right" says l. and then lets out 4 real
CHEEKY hail. Hello, Attisonl All by your lonesome
eh ?" N'
Its gettin kind of late in the afternoon and the
room Is sort OF dark; but there's little blaze in the
fireplace, and in front of it, sunk down i'm an eaSv
chair, can make out AttiSon. Before ne can come
back with the frosty greetings I'm there with the
hearty fOllOw-up.
Excuse me- for hraaI-;r 81