Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-26

holy that I'm that kid-I'm Sam Burns.
What proof do you want? Do you remem-
Der old Ed Haywood used to keep the drug
store right across from the pOStOffice,-the
guy that never washed his windows! | do.
And Miss Hunter, that taught the sixth
grade school when we went there,-a little
woman with washed-out gray eyes and a
broken front tooth? And that pretty little
girl, Sarah somebody-wait minute, III
get it or bust -Sarah-Sarah-Sar Scott,
you used to be so sweet on? Did you marry
her, Mark? And old LATE Perkins, who used
to be on hand whenever there was any re-
pairs being made anywhere, -rheumatism
and cane and high squeaky voice that he
used to exercise giving orders about things
that wasn't any of his business? Why,
Mark, | remember EN- all! Good Lord,
Man. says Sam, do you want any more
proof?
"But this country blockhead just looked
Sam up and down, and remarks judicious,
It's certainly wonderful how you know all
these things. Wonderful! But you can't
fool me, he says, you can't fool Mark Den
nen.'"
|AFAX paused in his narrative for a mo-
AvA ment The sound of voices came up
of the Mayor, doomed loudly and angrily.
In an evident desire to drown it, Max went
on with spirit:
well, Gentlemen, it got to be point of
honor, as you might say, for Sam to con-
vince that guy. He told me he never
wanted anything so much in his life as for
Mark Dennen to give in 1t was hot after
noon, and he'd come aboard that boat for a
rest; but he peeled off his collar and started
in He gave Mark Dennen the number of
bricks in the Methodist Church, as reported
in The Readsboro Citizen at the time it
was built He told him the name of the
Eiece Marks sister recited at the school en-
tertainment in the spring of 1890. He
bounded on all four sides the lot where the
circuses played when they came to Reads
boro He named every citizen of the town.
living or dead, that ever got to be known
outside his own family, and he brought chill
dren into the world and married them and
read the funeral service over them. And still
that bonehead from the woods sat there, his
mouth open, and says, It's beyond me how
you know all that You New Workers are
slicker then l give We credit for. But you
can fool me. You amt Sam Burns. Why,
went to school with him.
"They was drawing near COney now
went on Max, "and Sans face was purple
and ne was dripping WIN perSp1ratlOn, ana
rafting off Readsboro happenings at the
rate of ten second but that Mark Dennen
he sat there and wouldn't bulge from his
high horse. So they came up to the pier,
Sam almost weeping real tears and pleading
like his heart would break Mark, don't
you remember that time we threw little Bill
Barnaby into the swimming hole, and he
couldn't swim a stroke and nearly drowned
on u.s.? and still getting the stony face from
his old pal.
@And on the pier this Dennen held out his
hand to Sam, who was physical wreck and
a broken man by this time, and says, You
sure are cute, Mister I'll have great times
telling this in Readsboro Once you met
one too smart for We, Ell? Much obliged for
your company, anyhow And he went away
and left Sam leaning against the railing, with
no faith in human nature no more. 1 hope
somebody got to him, says Sam to me, and
got to him good! He's the kind that if you
work right you can sell stock in company
for starting roof gardens on the tops of the
pyramids in Egypt. I'd trimmed him my
SELF says Sam to me; but | hadn't the
heart"
Max finished, and again from below came
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