Evening star., 1918-05-19
Proxy

NE morning in June when the
n " air was beginning to become
II ~ heavy with the peculiar New
~ York combination of heat.
gasoline smoke, odor of street sweep
ings and hot asphalt, Grandma Bunker
spoke to her husband Jabez on a mat
ter that was of no great Importance.
"Jabez." she said. as Mr.. Bunker
was drawing on his shoes, 'ff you
amt got no special bunco business on
hand this morning. 1 wisht you would
stop in to Mr. Budlington's photygraft
place and fetch home my Photographs.
why. course I will. ma said Mr..
Bunker Immediately. "Bunco or no
bunco. you know right well anything
you want 1 should do is the most
important thing in the world
Mr.. Bunker meant this. No more
loving and honest couple ever lived
than Mr.. and Mrs. Bunker, and if Mr..
Bunker had come to New York from
Oroduna. Iowa, to take up the career
of confidence man and bunco steerer
he never let his business interfere
with his love for his wife. 1t had
only been after Mrs. Bunker had as
sured herself that bunco steering was
neat and honest business and had
given her full approval that Mr.. Bun
ker had taken it up.
We'll, Jabez, said Mrs. Bunker. IF
you've got any bunco work on hand.
don't wish you should neglect it for
those photygrafts. dare say Mr..
Burlington will remember to fetch
them home tonight. ! Just thought
Id like to send one to Cousin Sally
1ef n her her
birthday"
1t may be explained here that Mr..
and Mrs. Bunker had for some time
been living at Mrs. Winners select
more that she had known them, Mrs.
WINNER had grown to love the dear
old coupie-as, in fact. every one loved
them. On their side. Mr.. and Mrs.
Bunker loved every one in the board
ing house. including MIR. Burlington
and his bride. Mr.. Burlington was
young man. He called himself an ar
tist because he was able to point
camera at a person and take picture
that was sufficiently out of focus to
look fuzzy. One of these photographs.
done on paper that looked like the
under side of hat box and mounted
on a brown sheet with edges torn
instead of cut. was a Burlington art
photograph. One of these cost twenty
five dollars. This was robbery, but 1t
was dlSO art
Even before his marriage. Mr.. Bud
1ington had lived at Mrs. Winners
boarding house. and he brought his
bride-now Mrs. Roxana Burlington
TO the boarding house. Mrs. Budling-
ton may be described in one word
peach. Mr.. Burlington. being an ar
fist. looked like thirty cents along
side of his wife. and even when she
was not present ne seldom looked like
more than a plugged half dollar.
IT began somewhere near his upper
lip and slanted sharply back under
his collar. His chin had never been
worth while. but when he became an
artist and ceased making good photo
graphs at five dollars a dozen in order
dollars each, he began growing a
beard. This beard turned out to be
poor crop. 1t was sparse and kinky
and the color of a newspaper that
has been rained on and then dried
in the sun. Above this was a mouth
with row of prominent upper teeth.
Mr.. Burlington was the sort of man
of which you say: IF he only would
not be so good natured."
He wore a loose black bow tie and,
In his studio, a brown velvet jacket.
Like many another. Mr.. Budlington's
studio was more awesome before en-
tering than after entering. 1t was on
9th avenue, and the street entrance
was also the entrance to seventy-six
Offices These off1ces-or the concerns
that occupied them-contented them
selves with one, line on a directory
posted beside the elevator. but Mr..
Burlington had an entire show case
This show case was extremely elegant
and had cost Mr.. Burlington nearly
every cent he had in the world 1t
stood upright on a carved mahogany
base. and the superb French plate
glass was etched with the one word
"Budlington" in Mr.. Budlington's au-
tographic style. Inside the show case
were the art portraits. The whole ef-
feet of the show case was az if 1t
said: Here is a business as elegant
and superb as Tiffany's."
The moment you stepped inside the
little entry the elegance slumped
frightfuily. II was very old build
Ing with very old elevator. The