Evening star., 1914-12-20
Continued from page s

the kitchen piles the naughty waitress with
the mustard-tinted hair, and a dumpy,
frowzy one that | hadn't noticed before.
The naughty one glares at Gerald scornful,
almost as if he'd been customer.
"Why-why, Brother dear!' begins Eve
lyn, still hoidin open the novel she'd been
readin'. what is the matter?'
I'm through, that's ALL" he announces
crisp.
"You-you are what?' asks his sister.
Through" says Gerald loud and snappy.
"1'm going to quit all this-now too. I'm
going to close up, going out of business.
Understand? So get those women out Of
here at once!"
"But-but, Gerald, gasps Evelyn, "they
you see they are"
Il don't care whether they've finished or
not" says he. at doesn't matter. They
needn't pay. But clear 'em out Right
away!"
She had big, dark eyes, Sister Evelyn.
She was thinner than Gerald and few
years older, l should guess. Anyway, her
hair showed more gray streaks She had a
soft, easy voice and gentle ways. She didn't
faint, or throw any emotional fit. She just
looks at Gerald mildly rcproachful and re-
marks:
"Vcry well, Brother DEAR and then glides
down the aisle to the two heavyweight food
destroyers.
We couldn't hear just what she told EN-;
but it must have been convincin They
gathers up their wraps and shoppin' bags
and sails out, sputterin' peevish-
"Here Celial' commands Gerald, turnin'
to the waitress. you and Bertha pull.down
those front shades-tight, mind you Then
turn on the dome and side lights all of en-
We sat watchn' the proceedin's, Steele
and me, with Our mouths open, not KNOWN
whether to go or stay. Evelyn stands starin'
at him too. In minute, though, he whirls
on her.
"You needn't think I've gone crazy,
Evelyn he says. Il was never more sane.
But something has happened. I've just had
a windfall. You'd never guess. From old
Gordon; you remember, the beast who
4Yes, know says Evelyn. 4Mr. Steele
has been talking to me about it.
HAS, eh?' says Gerald. well, trust
it wasn't you who gave him that idea about
keeping me in this fool business for the rest
of my life. Ugh Talking sappy to an end
less stream of silly women, palnling off on
them such useless junk as this Look at it!
Egyptian scarabs, made in Connecticut;
Ceylonese coral, from North Attleboro,
Mass; Bohemian glassware, from Sands
burg, Pa; Indian baskets woven by the
Papago tribe meaning Rutherford, n. ]!
Dali! TOi HedIly IWelNe Yeas We Dccli uo-
ing this. And you're to blame for it, you
and Irene and Georgiana. You got me into
it when could find nothing else to do, and
then somehow l couldn't seem to get out.
Lying and smirking and dickering day after
-sickening! But I'm through. And
just as relief to my feelings I'm going to
finish off lot of this rubbish before l go.
Watch"
With that he picks a teapot from our
table, balances it careful in one hand, and
sends it bang at shelf full of blue and yellow
pitchers.
Crashl Smash! Tinkle-t tinkle!
1t was good shot. He got three or four
of 'em at one clip.
Next he reaches for the sugar bowl and
chucks that More crash. More tinkle-
tnkle. This time it was sort of side
wipin blow, and full halfdozen fancy
cream jugs bit the DUST
"Good eye!" says l, chucklin'. :.
Even ]. Bayard has to grin.
AS for Sister Evelyn, she says never a
word, but braces herself against table and
grips her hands together, like she was pre-
parin' to have a tooth out. The dumpy
waitress clutches the naughty one around
the waist and breathes wheezy.
"Vases!" says Gerald, scowlin' at shelf.