Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-22

liz. There was always something sordid
III YOU, and I'm panied to find that you re
getting worse"
Virgins had. before now. occasionally
taken this attitude toward ME. and it was
always with a view to obscuring some
real issue between us. He requires pa
tience; 1t is mistake to attempt to
crowd him: but give him rope and he
will twist his own halter.
We spared further without result [
had suggested a topic that had clearly
some painful association for my friend.
He drank his coffee gloomily, and lighted
"A cigar much blackcr than the one
knew to be his favorite In the Hare and
Tortoise humidor. He excused himself
ishortly, and l had glimpse of him
letters. fact in Itself disquietinE. for
Virgins never wrote letters. and 1t was
he who had favored making the Hare and
Tortoise writing room into u den for pipe
smokers The epstolary habit lie main
tanned, was one that should be discour-
Jagged.
/ was mOodily turning over the evening
newspapers when Jewett turned up. Jew
EFT always knows everything. shall not
call him a gossip, but he comes as near
deserving the name as a man dares who
lectures on the renaissance before clubs
and boarding schools. Jewett knows his
Botticelli. but his knowledge of his CO.
Itennporaries Is equally exact. He drop
ped the ball into the green of my inn
mediate interest with neat approach
shot.
TOO bad about old Wiggy," he remark
ed. with his prelIlding sigh.
What's the matter with Virgins"
demanded.
"Ah! He hasn't told you? Thought he
told YOU everything"
| This was meant for a stinger and felt
the bite of it.
You do me too much honor Virgins
is not man to throw around his conf
dences."
And 1 rather fancy that his love af-
fairs in particular are locked in his
| BOSOM
Jewett was master of the art of sug-
gestion; he took an unnecessarily long
time to light cigar. SO that his words
might sink deep into my consciousness.
| Saw her once last spring Got a sight
draft from the Bank of Eros. Followed
her across the multitudinOus sea. Bang!'
| But Wfggy hasn't been abroad. Wiggy
He's all tanned from the sun, just as he
is every fall i persisted.
Wrote You from out there, did he?
Sent you picture postals showing him
are? Kept in touch with YOU all the
time. did he? / tell you his fine color is
due to Switzerland. not Dakota"
| 'Wiggins isn't Il letter writer, nor the
sort of person who wants to paper your
house with picture postals. His not writ
ing doesn't mean that he wasn't on his
ranch.' j replied, annoyed by Jewett's
manner.
Never dropped you before, though. I
wager he chirruped.. Il tell you he saw
Miss Cecilia HOLSTER at the Asolando
tea shOp-just a glimpse; but almost i'm
mediately he went abroad in pursuit of
her. The chevalier-that's her Aunt Oc-
tavia-was along and another niece. My
sister saw the bunch of them in Geneva,
where the chevalier was breaking records.
whole troop of suitors followed them
everywhere. My sister knows the girl
Cecilia-and she's known Wiggy all her
| life. She's just home and told me about
! it last night. She thinks the chevalier
has some absurd scheme for marrying of
the girl. It's all very queer, our Wiggy
being mixed up in it
Don't be absurd, Jewett. There's moth
ing UNUSUAL In a man being In love; that's
one fashion that doesn't change much.
| 1 venture to say that Virgins will prove
a formidable sutton. Virgins is gentle
man: and the girl would be lucky to, get
him. -EIss.:s ..i-.<i-s
'seuite right MY dear Ames; but alas!
there are others. The composition Is en-
couraged by the aunt. the veteran cheva-
Her My sister says the chevalier seems
TO favor the suit of a Nebraska philosopher
who rejoices in the melodious name OF
Dick
Jewett was playing me for all his story
was worth and enjoying himself i'm
mensely.
For heavens sake go on!''
Nice girl this Cecilia. You know the
Eiollisters-oodles of money in the fam
lily. The chevalier's father scored big in
baby buggies-responsible for the modern
sleep-inducing perambulators: sold out TO
trust. The father of Virgins in
amorata had started in to be a marine
painter. \ founder Of this club, come to
think of it, but dropped out long ago. You
have heard of him-Bassford HOLSTER.
Funny thing his having to give up art.
Great gifts for the marine. but never
could overcome tendency to seasickness.
Honest! Every time he painted a wave
couldn't help him. Next tried his hand
at the big gulches downtown. There was
chance there to hit off the metropolitan
skyline and become immortal by doing it
i first; but a new trouble developed. Do
! ing the high buildings made him dizzy!
Honest! He was good. too. and would
hare made place. but he had to cut it
out. He was SO torn up over his two
failures that lie blew in his share Of the
!perambulator money i'm riotous living.
Lost lis wife into the bargain, and has
settled down to peaceful lite up in
Westchester county in one Of these cute
build for You II YOU pay dollar down
for a picture of an acre lot"
And the Gaughter?''
We'll, Bassford Hollister has two
daughters. It's the older one that has
stolen Virgins heart away. She's Ce-
ella, you know. Very literary and that
sort of thing. and pushed tea and cookies
at the Asclando when that idiocy was
opened. Virgins saw her there last
spring. Miss Hollister, the aunt-whom
I'm fond of calling the chevaiier- picked
up her nieces about that time and hauled
| them off TO Europe, and Virgins scam
pered after them. don't know what they
did 10 Wiggy, but YOU see how he acts
l rather imagine that the chevaiier didn't
lsmile on his suit. She's holx- terror
THAT woman, with an international repu-
tation for doing weird and most unac-
Icountable things. She draws Il sort of
royalty OH all the baby buggics in crea..
ton; il amounts to birth tax, in con-
ltraventiOn Of the free guarantees of the
CONSTITUTION. The people will rise against
it some day.
Shes plausible enough. b Il she's the
past mistress Of Interior motive She got
Fortner. the mural painter UP to q place
ishe used to have at Newport q few years
lago. Ostensibly to do frieZ. or some
thing. and she made him teach her to
fire gun. You know Fortner with his
artistic ideals! And he didn't know any
more about guns than flea. 1t was
droll. decidedly droll. But she kept hil,l
there q month-wouldnt let him of the
reservation but she paid him his fee Just
the same. though he never painted a
stroke. When he got back to town he
yyo IL N,