Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1912-11-28
A cHANTIclER HAT
What Happened After NevIn
CRANKY Ran Into Something
Sharp.
sy GRACE MokINsrRY.

lou WOulOu nave luOuBnJ JndS ehc
top Of Maizie Moores pretty head was
the place for a fighting cock, with
sharp beak and warlike tail feathers,
to rest, but the chanttcler hat nestled
down in most charming and becom-
ing manner upon her blond braids.
AS matter of fact, anything seemed
to be beeoming to Maizie, she was 80
DELIGHTFULLY."- fresh and wholesome
looking. Nevin CRANKY thought 20,
most decidedly. But the worst Of It
was, 10 wasn't alone In this opinion,
for he hadn't called many timos at the
house before Observing that Bert
AinswoFth, also a frequent caIler,
theughk he SANE thing. Bert and
Nevtn boerdsd at ths Sanns plaea, bit
they I'D never bean particularly
frieRaiy, and now II looAed a. II thsT
were IN a fair way 10 hate each Othr.
HaA<ts was kindness itssh 10 both
Of them She accepted Nev1n's bousa
of Huyssr's and Berts Waists with
equally gracious smiles, and FsvfA
encouraged himself in the befisf that
at least they were neck and neck In
the raae. But one gloomy evening he
discovered, to his dismay, that he had
fallen behind. The whole family were
in the library, and the inevitable Bert
also, when the subject of health came
up.
You don't seem to be such a good
advertisement for your boarding
place, CRANKY, as Bert is" said Mr..
Moore, half jokingly You need to
devote more attention to the matter
of health fancy. Drink glass of
milk every night, and take more ex-
ercise in the fresh air."
Nevin fancied that Maizie was COM
pairing him with Bert, and he had to
! acknowledge that the latter had all
the advantage. Not only was Bert
the picture of health, but he was so
sure of himself, so self-assertive, that
he inspired admiration and confidence.
whereas Nevin had always been Of
the pale, thin, quiet type. Nevin went
home that night resolved that he
would not go to the Moore's again I'M
til things were different.
Well, how could he alter his appear
ance? He was little Inclined to in
digestion, but had no serious i'll
health, so he hardly felt like consult
ing doctor. Let's see-to begin
with, he could f1etcherize. Then, he
remembered how much he had read
about the danger of eating raw or in
sufficiently cooked food-Mrs. Haw-
kins, his landlady, was not as particu-
lar as she might be. And malt
: tonic might build him up, too. And
he wouldn't forget Mr. Moores advice
about exercise.
/, He told Mrs. Hawkins that he
would like to exchange his rooms for
one of her little apartments with a
kitchenette, since he was about to be-
gin certain line of diet, and expect
ed to prepare many of his meals him
self. And he started In with all the
earnestness Of man who has a seri-
Gus mission in life.
He decided not to seek a new posi-
ton until his health was fully re
stored. He didn't realize that Mrs.
Hawkins was growing suspicious, nor
did he dream that, when she saw the
row of malt-tonic bottles outside his
door, she inferred that he had been
discharged because he had taken to
drink. But, through Mrs. Hawkins,
Bert Ainsworth must have gotten the
idea, and through Bert, the Moores;
for the next time that Nevin CRANKY
called upon Maizie. the atmosphere
felt like a refrigerator
! This did not tend to improve his
health. He grew paler and more
spirtiless as the days went on. Final
ly, one misty evening. he started out
for a lonely walk, scarcely noticing
where he was going. And the first
thing he knew, he had run into some
thing sharp-something that caused
Inn to give cry of pain. and put his
hand to his forehead He felt blood
flowing down over his face, he dimly
realized that his left eye was hurt,
but before he tainted he distinctly
heard Maizie Moore's frightened ex.
,clamation: "Oh. how horrible that
the beak on my chanticler hat should
have done this!"
Nevin was taken at once to the
hospital. The conscience-stricken
Maize was most attentive, in the way
of calls, and inquiries. and delicacies.
But she had heard so many stories
about the strange life that CRANKY
had been leading for some months
that her interest hardly went beyond
pity, and deep regret that she had
caused the accident. And. besides
she had almost decided to follow her
fathers advice. and accept Bert Aims
worth. It was surprising how proud
and prosperous-looking Bert had be.
come: her mother strongly suspected
that some long-lost uncle had left him
fortune.
Maizie was thinking along this line
one day. when she stopped In a res.
taurant near the hospital to drink a