Evening star., 1917-10-28

UN lock perfec'ly-,'
- " DO II" 1 cuts in. We'll
feel as foolish as a puppy that's
stepped on a sheet of sticky fly paper
I'm goin' to take 'em Off"
NO. no. Please says Wee.
You've guessed it. The khaki stuff
Uh-huh, Whole outfit-tight pants. leg
gins sway-back coat, seams and all
Yep. The boss put it over. just like he
said he would.
was tellin' you of that sleuthin
stunt at the Wonder Motors. where
put Old Hickory wise TO all the bunk
games they was runnin in on the War
Department. Well. what does Mr.. Ellins
do after he's had that bunch of crooks
on the carpet, but slip the word Il
some one in Washington OF how Id
saved the country: and the next thing
i knew. here comes long envelope
with no stamp on II, and | find I've
been wished into the Reg'l lar Army
first lieutenant on special detail from
the ordnance department. Some husky
little drag the boss has. Eh, what?
But you don't think I'm goin' to the
office like this, do you?' | asks Wee.
She does. Insists that Mr.. Ellins viii
expect il.
Besides" says she. sit is in the Army
regulations that you must If you don t
well. I'm not sure whether it is trea-
son or mutiny"
"HaI-lup," says J. Il surrender"
So l starts for town lookin' as war
like as II I'd just come from a front
trench, and feelin' like y masquerader
who'd lost his way to the ballroom.
For the first few stations thought the
whole car was gawpin' at me, and | ex-
pect my neck and ears was most as
pink as my hair. But when l worked
up courage enough to peek over the
top OF my mornin' paper l discovers |
amt creatiu' any sensation at all In
fact. there's five other Khaki outfits
sprinkled in among the plain clothes
patriots of the liberty bond and gar
den-truck variety. and nobo1lys even
slancin' my way casual Which gets
me bit sore.
Huh" thinks l. "Old stuff ALREADY.
oh? And only last June perfect
strangers would have patted me on the
back Oh very well,'
So 1t was little soothin'. when I
strikes the Corrugated buildin' to get
the friendly Josh from the cigar
counter man. the car starter and the
elevator boy. Even fair haired Vim
cent. on the gate a the general Offices.
salute.
Very well done. Vinny." saws /
only next time execute the gum shift
little snapper and don't toe in so
much.
As for old Hickory. he leans back in
his mahogany swing chair. extracts
the cigar from his face thouehtful
and proceeds to give me the thorough
np-and-down. It's n genial. fatherIv
sort of inspection and he ends il with
a satisfied grunt
GOOD morning. lieutenant" says he
see you have-er-got EN- on. And
allow me to mention. rather a good nt
SIR" >
I gasps. Sired by Old Hickerv, Do
you wonder | got fussed% But he only
chuckleS easy. waves me to take a
chair. and goes on with:
What's the word from the Syracuse
sectoro''
At that I gets my breath back.
Fairly good deal UP there sir" saws
J. They're workin in a carload or so
or wormy ash for the shovel handles
and some of the steel runs below test.
but most Of their stuff grades well
III have my notes typed off right
away.
Good" says he You tackle gun
limoers next. up at Amesbury. Massa-
chusetts"
'-That1l be fine" says I. when find
out what they are
You see what private-seccine on a
special detail can stack You UP against.
What do YOU guess | was disguised as
up in that shovel factry? Well the
best ! could get was Job cartfn'
ashes away from the furnace All I
mad to do was help load little iron
cars and couple of wide-shouldered
Lfthuanians pushed 'em out on the
narrow-Fuage track and emptied 'em
from the top of the dump trestle So.