Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-12
Drawings by F. Vaux Wilson

oily! says she. II 50 shoooii ioise'
OH says l. Great scheme! What was it :"
Just as though l should be asking if knew!'
says she, and she stares hard at the finger
Try turnn 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 S
the first finger; that means it begins with A.
Is it apples Or
"Attison!" shouts Sadie. Their wire was out of
order when called them up yesterday and haven't
Shorty and tell them to have little Mallory here by
seven O'Clock, when we light up the tree.
HUH" says ! Cant you send end .,. .o,-o
YOU ten minutes
Catch me workin out any more clues!' grun-
bles, gettin my coat on.
MOT that minds the walk What objects to is
this making afternoon call on folks that d
got through tryin to be chummy with almost be-
fore l began. Course. Twin each other,
always passed nod the time OF day when we met;
but that's as far as it had ever gone I'd made up
my mind soon after they moved out here that the
Attsons want exactly our kind; and | expect, If
you asked them, they'd said the same of us. You
know how it is bill of particulars ever framed up,
only just of stand-of on both sides.
All | had against him that he always wore
baby blue neckties and yellow chamois gloves That
and his stiff kneed way of walkin would have made
hold out for conviction 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 tryn
to hide how soft they are by lookln solemn and
actin pompous.
If l hadn't heard he second vice president of
a big bonding company, and that Mrs. Allison had
more or less dough of her own, Id thought their
Twin in that swell stucco cottage with the tile roof
just part of his bluff; but, SO far as cash and
family connections went, there was no denyn they
was the real things, her being of the Rye Neck
Spinners. Course, old man Spinner went batty on
the spook business, SO they say and would have left
most of his pile to some freak slate wr1tln medium
if they hadn't bust up the will; but the fam ly was
still in the dinner dance crowd just the same :,
All Sadie would ever say about EN- was that Mrs
Allison was rather cute lookin She's one of these
far-skinned ash blondes with lot OF wheat colored
hair dark eyes, and well pumped out figure that
looks stylish in any old costume she happens to
but never twice alike. One day Mrs. Allison 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 our side OF the fence
VIHEN it comes to maxim kid roundup of the
!" neighborhood, though, we don't play any ia
road wearin my best good-wil-to-al grin, and pre-
pares to request the privilege of havin' young Mr.
Mallory Allison assist on Santa Claus reception
committee And the first jolt gets is when scared
lookin' maid opens the door few inches and an
nounces that Mrs. Allison amt to home.
How about Mr.. Allison, 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, thatll be all
rlght. m only one oi lhe nelSnools, yo. hio".
I'll just shout up the stairs at him, and with that
pushes in.
But-but" stammers the maid -" don't think
he-that is Well he's in there! You see for
Yourself.
All right" says I. and then lets out a real
CHEEKY hail Hello Allison! All by your lonesome
eh?"
It's gettin kind of late in the afternoon, and the
room sort of dark but there's little blaze in the
fireplace and in front of it. sunk down in an easy
chair can make out Allison Before he can come
back with the frosty greetings I'm there with the
hearty follow-up.
Excuse me for breakin through without sendin'
in a card on the tray, says |; but Mrs. McCabe
sent me around to say how