Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-26
By Sewe11 Ford
Drawings by F. Vaux Wilson

Drawings by F. Vaux Wilson
rs it the white lights or the sea air off the East
River, or only the fact that they're SO far from
home, that affects strangers in New Y ork! All
know is that each to be taken diff rent and
there amt much use fgurin' on form or past per-
formances.
Now look at the way it works out in the case of
Judge Beauregard Mosher. He amt one of the kind
me on the street. Not hm He's an uncle of Mrs.
Purdy-Pells, the Judge is, and | gets to know him
regular and proper at their town house, where I've
dropped around after dinner to pick up Sadie on my
way home A swell lookin, dgnifed old gent, Judge
Mosher is he does hail from out in the break
fast food and furniture belt. Eth? Why, Michigan,
We'd never heard Mrs. Purdy-Pe mention him
until week ago, and then he's sprung on us
sudden. The first bulletin is that he's going to stop
a few days in town his way home from South
America.
South America, eh?" says /; What's he been
judgin' down there, bull fghts?"
''The ideal" says Sadie. !" He has been in the
diplomatic service, Consul something, in Brazil
or Peru
You mean Peruna," says I. How'd he come to
lose his job?'
Sadie looks panied and disgusted He didn't
lose it, says she. He resigned account of large
business interests which needed his attention"
Are you quc.in' that from some newspaper"
says L. or just maxim it up as you go along?'
My first guess was right; for Sadie shows me the
It for myself.
"Huhl" says l. 4 didn't know Mrs. Purdy-
Pels folks came from Michigan ! thought they
tuckans, only Judge Mosher happened to move.
VIELL, it didn't come out then, but it did LATER
w that he quit Kentucky when he quite
young man. also that he crossed the line going north
just ahead of the sheriff Not that it was anything
serious. He'd only been little quicker with his gun
than the other young gent, that's all But the pune
ture healed up and the indictment was quashed; so
really there was no reason why ne shouldn't have
come back He didn't though. He got himself set
n
tsin law and rasin a set of bluegrass whskers.
Near as l could make out, Beauregard come
mighty near being crossed off the family slate not
account of the measy little shootin scrape, but
for other ways in which he disgraced himself, run
min for office the Republican ticket, gettin into
the habit of takin' water in his whisky, and fnly
for marryin' Kalamazoo girl who's actually taught
school for Twin. Who could expect the Breathitt
County Moshers to stand for such COINS that7
His law business couldn't have brought in SO
many fat fees or he wouldn't have snapped up this
third rate Consul job down in some jumpin off place.
1t was while he was dom the diplomat act that the
large business interests developed which only
meant when you got the details, that farm
acreage, owned by Mrs. Mosher, had been doomed
by new trolley line and was bein' sold off by the
foot front. She was gettin' returns in large wads
though with values goin' up every day; SO the
Judge chucks his consulship, blots South America
from the map, and they both takes the first fruit
steamer for little old New York.
l cant say whether or not this rise in Michigan
real estate made any diff to the Purdy Pells
but it's about then that Uncle Beauregard is dug up
and put back on the family register member in
good standing. When he sends up word that him
and Mrs Mosher are at the Waldorf the Purdy-Pells
don't even shudder. Course there was some debate
to whether Mrs. Mosher really ought to be let in
but as there didn't seem to be any way of dodgin
her they had to take chance.
I KNEW the minute / spotted Uncle Beauregard
that he was the real thing in old Bourbon Them
white decorations on his upper lip and chin would
have won him free pass into any Broadway trottin
horse drama, before they heard him get off that
.Ged, subj remark of his: Livin' in Michigan and
South America hadn't rubbed off them tags.