Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-16

J6CJ-IOG d CIduCc. TOT Blu . SOilc COHl-
plicated old girl, take it from me- First
off, there's that stick-around disposition
of hers. Now, l expect that just nat
urally grew on her, same as my pink
thatch did on me. She can't help it;
and what's the use blamin' her for it?
So, when / drop in for my reg'lar
Wednesday and Sunday night calls, the
main object of the expedition being to
swap little friendly chatter with Wee,
and find Auntie planted prominent and
permanent in the sittin' room, why, |
just grins and makes the best of it.
A patient and consistent sitter-out,
Auntie is. And you know that face of
hers amt exactly the chirky sort. Don't
encourage you to get chummy, or tip her
the confidential wink, or chuck her under
the chin. Nothing like that-no.
Not reg'la battle-ax, you understand.
For all that, she amt such a bad-lookin'
old dame, when you get her in a dim light.
Though the expression she generally fa-
vors me with, while it amt SO near assault
and battery as it used to be, wouldn't take
the place of two Jumps in cup of tea
But you kind of get used to that acetic
acid stuff after while; and, since I'm
announced by a regular name now,-
"Meestir Beel-lard" is Helma's best stab
at Ballard, and Auntie KNOWN that I
got perfectly good uncle behind me, be-
sides bein' private sec. myself why, she
don't mean more'n half of it.
Besides, even with her sittin' right
there in the room, there's lot dom that
she amt in on. Trust Wee. Say, she
can drum out classical stuff on the piano
% Of
all the while, just loud enough for me to
catch and no more, without battn' an
eye. Say, I'm gettin' quite musical
educatic1 \, just helpin' to stall off Auntie
that way. And you should see the cute
schemes Wee puts over-settin' a framed
photo SO it throws the light in the old
girls eyes, or shiftin' our chairs SO she
has to stretch her neck to keep track of us.
Makes an evenin' call quite an exctin'
game; and when we work in few minutes
of hand-holdin', or l get away with a
hasty clinch, why, that scores for our
side. So, for a personally conducted
affair, it amt so poor. I'm missin' no
dates, l notice. And tuck this away: if
it was case of Wee and whole squad of
aunts or an uninterrupted ,two-some with
one of these nobody-home dolls, I'd pick
Wee and the gallery. Uh-huh! I'm just
that good to myself.
A LII was goin' along smooth and merry
too, until one Wednesday night dis
covers another lid ahead of mine on the
hall table. It's a glossy silk tile, with a
pair of gray castor gloves folded neat
alongside. Seem which l reaches past
Helma for the silver card-tray.
"Huh!" says under my breath, "Now,
who the giddy gallowampuses is Clyde
Creighton" ,1>s III.
"Vair nice gentlemans, Meester Cree
tom whispers Helma
IL know says L. @you're judgin' by
the hat"
She springs that silly grin of hers, as
usual No matter what l say, it gets
open-faced motions out, of Helma. But
really wasn't feelin' SO humorous. Who
ever he was, this Creighton guy had come
the wrong evenin'. Course. / judged it
must be Wee he's calm on, and I wasn't
strong for a three-handed session just
then. There, was something special l
wanted to talk over with Wee this par-