Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-07
AVrNG a fric,M like Pinckney
has its drawbacks, after all.
Not that I'm knockin' him.

MOI that I'm knOCkin' him,
understand. And expect
most folks would be more or less
chesty about having him on their list,
even as q noddin' acquaintance, un-
less 1t was some of these parlor
bolsheviks who go around grouchin'
about the idle rich. And speaking of
that class. while you might find some
that are richer, I don't know where
you'd dig up specimen that was
idler than Lionel Pinckney Ogden
Bruce.
But I must say ne does 1t we'll. You
know, SO many of these young plutes
who've been brought up on a six
figure income seem to get so bored
with themselves and everybody else
that you almost feel sorry for 'em.
You see 'em yawnin' in the club WIN
dows. mopin' around at their country
places or rollin' by in their limousines
lookin' peeved or moody, and you
wonder why they amt happier.
But Pinckney amt that kind. He
don't drag around tryin' to And some
new way of KILN time. Not him. His
program of events is always full up:
Ut "iiot y ~ Oil uOoul hC SOuiuhS tCA
you If he tried, which he wouldn't.
Anyway, work has no place on 1t. Alb
solutely. I taxed him with it once.
Honest now, Pinckney." says I,
"can you remember ever havin' done
anything useful in your life?"
Lets see," says he, rubin his chin
with the crook end of his walking
stick thoughtful. Wouldn't you count
being best man at some twenty-odd
weddings?'
Ruled out" says /. You may think
that's your steady job, but it amt;
it's just habit. One more guess"
WELL" says he. II don't know that
I can recall-Oh, say, though! Surely
1 can. Didn't invent a new cocktail
once? Why, the fellows still talk
about"
Disqualified" says I. Resides,
you'd better forget that you ever had
criminal instincts like that. In year
or two more a confession Of that sort
would send you to Jail"
you mean" says Pinckney ''that
cocktail mixing will be regarded as
compromising q felony? Oh, say.
Shorty but that's rather good, you
know"
you're welcome to the serial
rights" says l.
And it's always more or less like
that when Pinckney strays into the
physical culture studio here--just one
bright little thing after another. AS
far as that goes it's cheerin' and
chirky But the next thing you know
he's let you In for some fool stunt or
other that may turn out all right or
may not.
For he's q born kidder. Pinckney.
Life amt no vale Of wseps for him.
It's q joke. and he's bound to have 1t
so, no matter what happens. Even
when his wtfe's aunt Julia appears
unexpectedly from Northfield. Mass.
and camps down for a two weeks
visit. From all I've heard about her.
too. that's some acid test. Mrs. Bruce
admits 1t herself.
Seems Aunt Julia is about as popu-
lar with her relatives as an ex-grand
duke would be at an Emma Goldman
testimonial meeting. She's the family
regulator. Aunt Julia Is; volunteer
committee of one who has been rum
MIN a mail order advice factory for
years. te1lin' her folks what they
ought to do and what they oughtn't.
specially the last. And gather that
gettin' letter from Aunt Julia 10
aboNt as pleasin' an experience as
waking UP on the sleepin' porch after
q Geld rain has been drivin' in on you
for half an hour or 30.
So you can guess why she's the only
one Of her family left in Northheld.
Lives In q fine old house up there. I
understand. and hardly ever leaves
the place except for her annual trip
to Boston. where she takes In the
spring flower show and lays in a
stock OF seeds and bulbs for her gar
den. But she's an active ola dame
From her house on top Of one Of them
big hills she has her sharp eyes on
most Of the world, not forgettin'
heather In foreign lands.
Next to regulatin' her family and
growth prize chrysanthemums that's
her big side ine-reformin' tho
heather. Being such a free con-
tributor to the missionary fund she
has her say as to just how the re-
formin' shall be done. too. SO even
In far-off China and on midas coral
strand she manages to mix in. What
chance, then. does Pinckney stand Of