Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-10-26

For in such cases I'm apt to be the
one that's handiest. and you know
what that means. It's a matter Of
Torchy being joshed into tacklin any
old proposition that may be batted
up. with Mr.. Robert standin' by ready
to spring the grim
Take this little go Of his with the
Hallam Beans-excuse me. the F. Hal
lam Beans. Doesn't that sound arty?
Well. that's what they were, this pair
Nothing but. I forget where it was
they drifted in from. but Of course
they couldn't have found each other
anywhere but in Greenwich village.
And in course of time they mated up
there. 1t was logical. almost the
brilliant thing to do. Instead Of ow-
ing rent for two skylight studios they
pyramided on one; besides. after that
each one could borrow the makin's
on the other when the cigarettes ran
out. and IL there came pea-green mo-
ments when they doubted whether
they were real geniuses or not one
could always buck up the other.
If they had stuck to the village I
expect we'd never heard anything
about them. but it seems along early
last spring F.. Hallam had a stroke Of
student from Mobile who was up for
the summer and was dyin' to get
right into the arty atmosphere. Also
she had $500 that her grip wasn't any
too tight on, and before she knew 1t
F.. Hallam had sublet the loft to her
until September Is. payable in ad-
vance. Two days later the Beans,
with more'n half of the loot left, were
out on Long Island prospectin' around
in our locality and talking vague
about taking furnished bungalow.
They were shown some neat ones, too,
runnin' from eight to fifteen hundred
for three months. but none of 'em
seemed to be just right. But when
they discovered this partly tumble
down shack out on a back lane be-
yond Mr.. Robert Ellinses' big place
they went wild over it. Years ago
some guy who thought he was goin'
to get rich runnin' a SQUAD farm had
put it up. but he'd quit the game and
the property had been bought up by
Muller. our profteerin' provision deal
er. And Muller didn't do a thing but
soak 'em $50 a month rent for the
shack. that has all the conveniences
of COW shed in it.
But the Beans rented some second
hand furniture. bought some oil lamps
and two-burner kerosene stove. and
settled down as happy and contented
as II they'd leased marble villa at
Newport. From then on you'd be
where. sQuattin' in . field or along
the back roads with their easels and
paint brusheA daubin' away industri-
ouA
You might know 1t would be either
Mrs. Robert or Wee who would pick
'em up and ind out the whole story.
Az . matter Of fact, 1t was both, for
they were drivin' out after ferns or
something when they saw the Beans
perched on . stone wall tryin' to un-
button . can Of sardines with q pal.
letts knife and not having much sue
cesA You know the kind Of people
who either lose the key to a sardine
can or break of the tab and then
gaze at 1t helpless? That was them
to the life.
And when Mrs Robert fnds how
they're Twin chiefly on dry groceries
and condensed milk. SOS to have more
to blow in on dinky little tubes Of
Chinese white and Prussian blue and
canvas. OF course she has to get busy
shippin' 'em little tribes like dozen
fresh eggs. a mess Of green peas and
a pint OF cream now and then. She
follows that up by havin' 'em come
over for = dinner frequent. Wee has
to do her share. too. chippin' in q
roast chicken or cherry pie or pan
OF doughnuts. So between the two
the HAllam Beans were doin' fairly
we'll. Hallam. he comes back gener-
ous~by wishin' on each Of 'em one of
his masterpieces. The thing he gives
us Wee hangs up over the Twin
room mantelpiece, right while he's
there.
isn't that perfectly stunning,
Torchy?" she demands