Evening star., 1919-08-24

Mutt Joint. Yes. that may listen
odd. but it's fact just the same I
never see one without thinkin' of the
other. You know how you'll work up
combinations like that; only with you
maybe 1t might be petunias and the
victory arch or picked pigs feet and
Niagara Falls. With me it's marigolds
and the Chateau Mutt. Get that French
accent of mine-Nu- u-wee-through the
nose? Swell, eh?
Shall feed 1t to you about the
marigolds first? Yes. I expect that's
the way 1t ought to come Not that
they're my fav'rite flower. Not at all.
Personally / don't care for the per-
fume. Between you and me l think
they're about as fragrant as a. cake of
hotel soap. But 1t was marigolds
was huntin' for all over the Grand
Central station and for three blocks
north and south. Poor place to find
'em, too. Don't try it.
What started me out lookin' for
Fem was Miss Martha Smith. No, a per-
feet stranger to me. Anyway, she
was at the time. That's another odd
thing about this. Now most people
could hang around the Grand Central
waiting rooms for days, I suppose,
without gettin' chummy with any
body. But not me. don't know
whether it's my fatal gift of ingrow-
In beauty, or what, but they seem
to come tome like was a piece of
human fly paper. Sure thing. No mat
ter what they want-a pint of nice
milk for baby's bottle, or the dope
on how to find cousin in Bayonne
they drift my way.
Let's see. I must have been stallin'
around while Mrs. McCabe finished
some shoppin'; or was doin' a trick
Tor Pinckney by meetin' the twins
ana gettin' their trunks rechecked?
forget exactly, for 1t was maybe
eight or ten months ago. Anyway.
somebody was late and I'd canned
down opposite the newsstand and WINS
"aoih through the sportin' pages of
couple of home extras when
gradually got the idea that the partv
In the next seat was sizin' me up
sort OF careful and thorough.
fou know how you can sense such
thing without turnin' your eyes.
you Kind Of feel the loak. So after
IL had gone on a couple of minutes
moro takes a casual glimpse over
the top Of the paper. It's nobody to
get nervous about Just a plump.
motherly lookin', gray haired lady.
dressed neat and modest in black.
with one hand grippin' shoppin' bag
and the other clutchin' a silyer-han-
died umbrella. So 1 wasn't being
/vamped or anything.
But out Of the corner of my eye
could see her fldgetin' around, 'spe-
cially when a train was announced.
and 1 could guess she had something
In her mind. But, then, people in
railroad waitin' rooms generally do;
so I dives deeper than ever into the
paper. and was chucklin' over what
some cub sportin' writer thought he
was tellin' the world about Mr.. Demp-
sey's condition, when all of a sudden
gets poke In the ribs, and I
looks up to see this plump party
nudgin me with the umbrella handle.
Pardon me. young man." says she,
but was that the train from Chicago
that just came in?"
Couldn't say, ma'am," says /.
There's the information desk, over
to the left"
"Yes. I know" says she. 'I've asked
them three times. and they say 1t is
two hours and twenty minutes late"
well. II they stick to 1t like that"
says !. maybe 1t is. 1 couldn't give
a guess, even."
II suppose not" says she. But
somehow-well, you looked as though
you might know"
Thanks" says l. mot many are
fooled that way. Must be one of my
bright-lookin' days."
She smiles kind Of friendly, and for
q second the worried look fades out
Of her tired, blue eyes. It's easy to
guess she's good old soul-one Of
the patient. gentle sort. Not SO very
old. either. for in spite of the gray
hair she has fresh color In her
cheeks and there aren't many lines
under her eyes. From the Boston
shoppin' bag. and the big cameo pin
that fastens her high-necked shirt
waist at the throat, and few other
items. I Judge she's from somewhere
up in the baked bean belt.