Evening star., 1912-11-10


to stoop for handhold the topmos stem. He stood
there swayng with every passing breeze like drunken
buebrd on wheat stem, preserving his preCarlous bal
with the painfully nervous effort OF amateur
acrobat.
The dogs mad!' he managed to express. why
doesn't somebody shoot it2"
Nobody has gun, and besides is my dog" stated
Alice, who had her for not proptating the
young in the blue suit. She glanced again make
that she revealing little ankle as possible.
Fortunately the tiny hole the other side from
him. Her slippers neat.
"Yes, poor dear Alice has been burdened with
unwelcome pet explained Mother. who wished the
young to have good impression of Alice at all
times She had resolved to ignore her short red petit
coat like lady of long lineage and high breeding, in
spite of her bourgeois cheeks.
The young turned to her with polite comment
his lips-and for the first time had good view of the
territory of red of which he had been conscious. He
nearly lost control of his gravitation in the attempt to
control his gravity Mother Boggs seemed to spread
SO much more in that startling device.
What vicious looking gft!7 he strugglngly
marked, referring to the dog.
Il bought him for twelve dollars from common
street peddler announced Alice with glance of wicked
triumph at her mother. She was tired of being pro-
claimed SO sweet to this particular suitor. Il don't
know his name.
"Alice!7 warned Mother, squirming uneasily in the
apple tree She had given that red petticoat another
downward tug and felt herself almost slipping; She's
spoiled child, Mr.. Meredith" and she smiled from
him to Alice with all a mothers fondness
"How charmngly unconventional laughed young
Meredith and favored Alice, the beech with
much to grace in that gaantry and swayed abruptly
forward toward those teroclous toam-flecked jaws.
"Dann. he howled, clutch1ng frantlcally at his
cedar top he bent himself backward like an angular
jumping jack at the top of its stick
Alice applauded. In that moment she almost liked
him. Mother was shocked; but the portly man in the
maple tree laughed
a didn't know you could cuss Roly, he was rude
enough to comment.
Hes been away long enough to learn, chided Alice,
unable to resist coquetry even with man she did not
like.
at has seemed an age!" responded Roland Meredith
ferventy carefully balancing himself before casting her
another 1oveit glance. II arrived the train,
and of l straight out here to pay my
spects.
in the apple tree settling herself for the courteses of
formal call.
A DRIED-UP little old man. with face SO puckered
that it looked like yellow prune, stepped spryly
back to the orchard, and naturally astounded
hear chorus of voices from above advising him to
climb tree.
II do not quite understand" he said removing his
new straw hat and bowling politely.
He had started to address the most eye-compellng
point of interest," but, finding what that bright of
color meant in detail he turned hastily toward Mr..
Meredith stopped, in supreme discomfort, his sway
ing perch 1t was tribute to his habtual desire to
please all people and give ofense to that he
passed this unusual spectacle without the trace of
an undiplomatic of huor, and turned to the vi
sion in pink that graced the lower branches OF the beech
tree. He considered it quite safe to smile pleasantly
into the bright eyes of Miss Alice, and doing
with extra flourish of his straw hat when the vision
in pink addressed him.
@Jump!" she shrieked, the dog, which had taken
sly but swift detour round through the underbrush
suddenly darted from behind SNOWFALL bush.
The little old man, still pleasantly willing to oblige,
and beginning to suspect that there might be meaning
behind all this madness, jumped sidewise about four
feet with the startling suddenness of jack in the box
The dog coming with all the momentum of his forty
pounds of meat and thousand pounds of steam shot
past him, and stopped abruptly that he tore up the
turf like secondbase slide and ended by turning heels
over head Before he could return the little old
had yielded to the opportunities of the formal afternoon
party and had climbed tree. The one he selected