Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-14
ADDY, dear: You will probably
be scratching your head and
wondering IL you ought to

VIC SSidtCHluS your Heau anu
- wondering If you ought to
send for me by the next train
by the time you get in the middle of
this letter. But don't. please! / am
quite sane and in my right mind and
everything / am going to narrate to
you is true. Honest Injun! Cross
my heart and hope to die! think
1t would be stingy of me to keep it
from you, although l have not dared
mention it to the girls or any one
else / know. So just read on and
enjoy it to the finis, for it Is really
very unusual, Dad.
I was dressed yesterday in my new
lavender linen coat-dress and was
dilly-dallying over my coffee instead
of pouring 1t down at one gulp, as
should have been doing. when Bon
ME called me to the phone. 1t was
Jacks voice. excited. as he Is always
in cases of emergency. He shouted
through the receiver that one of his
best pals and a girl friend with
Il machine were in the city and they
wanted me to take the day off and
go with them to Mount Vernon. l
had to exceed the speed limit in
thinking, for had used all my an
nual leave, because I kept expecting
to go home any time. l had not
touched any of my sick leave, 80
just for once thought that ! would
take day off of that, and told Jack
would go.
sat there then and waited for him
to appear. About the time that my
1 conscience was beginning to chastise
me about using my sick leave the
phone tinkled. Jack called to tell
me that the machine had turned out
to be in Alexandria and that. since
he had to drive 1t. I had better take
the 10 o'clock trolley and they would
be waiting for me at one OF the sta
tions along the road. I hurried down
and had plenty of time to get my
ticket and boarded one OF those vir'
ginia cars. But at not one station
did I see q familiar face. and let
4 the cars carry me on. -.
May is the ideal month for visiting
Mount Vernon, or for going out any
where in the country. The green
meadows spread out from the car
window. fragrant with the perfume
OF, spring flowers. Their atmosphere
of contentment. which the city never
$haa, seemed to reach inside and en-
4 velop me, too. was really glad that
III was alone; 1t was very reluctantly
that I stepped off the car although.
AS 1 expected, there was no one there
Ito meet me. could not imagine what
the trouble was, but knew that they
Ewould come on as soon az they could,
tso, without worry, l went inside to
$hunt q pleasant spot to wait for them.
If the country had passed through
Twas lovely. that wonderful old es-
ftate of the father of our country was
Bsuperlatively SO. since, for once, no
boisterous sightseer marred its per-
Erection. All around me extended VS.
Etas of cool green lawns glistening
with the dews; at my left the waters
of the Potomac were still asleep in
1.-THE, morning shadows. Stepping
aroand the little house with it's pots
$of plants made to be carried on In
1.-THE protecting curve Of soma tourists
farm, I was greeted by Martha Wash
flower garden. as splashed
with color as an artists palette.
oriental peoples haunted their bar
baric gorgeousness. yellow column
bines nodded to foxgloves of rainbow
Etints, sentinel hollyhocks stood on
guard with military erectness. and