Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-10

| know the difference? ! said. And she
says: I don't care one way or the
I other she says. She, said she just as
ssoon a lightning bug made his light
with sulphur as with phosphorus; ii
| didn't make any difference to her, she
! says, and they could go ahead and
make their light any way they want
ed; she wouldn't interfere! That
shows what Aunt Julia knows. l
guess! I had whole hatful of EN-,
and she told me not to take 'em into
their house, because grandpa hates in
seeks as much as he does animals
and violets, and she said they never
owned a microscope or magnifylng
glass in their lives: and wouldn't let
me hunt for one. ALI in the world she
knows is how to sit around on the
front porch and say :'Oh. you don't
mean that" to somebody like George
Plum. or Newland Sanders, or that
ole widower Ridgely."
"When?" Noble asked impulsfvely.
when did she say that"
"Oh, I d. know" said Herbert. Il
expect she probably says it to some
body or other about every evening
! there is"
I FLORENCE says So" Herbert inform
/ ed him carelessly. Florence goes
over to grandpa's after dark and sits
on the ground up against the porch
and listens"
| NOBLE uTSI IOOkeu StdTticu' tuCh
uneasily reminiscent. Il don't be-
/ lieve Florence ought to do that" he
| said gravely.
Il wouldn't do it"' Herbert was
emphatic.
That's hats, right, Herbert. I'm glad
mo, sir" the manly boy declared:
"You wouldn't never catch me takin'
| my death O. cold sittin' on the damp
grass in the night air just to listen to
a lot O. tooty-tooty about I've named
a star for YOU and all such. You
Noble partly concealed sudden
anguish. ''Who?'' he interrupted. who
did she say that to-"
"She didn't. They say it to her, and
she says: oh, you don't mean that!
and Of course then they go on and
say some more. Florence Gays
He checked himself "Oh. I forgot!
| I promised Florence l wouldn't tell
! anything about all this"
ITS safe" Noble assured him
quickly Its absolutely safe with
me. I won't speak of it to anybody.
Herbert Who was it told he'd named
! a star for herr"
ut was the way some ole poem be-
gan. Newland Sanders wrote 1t.
Florence found it under Aunt Julia's
| sofa cushions and read it all through,
but ! wouldn't wade through all that
| tooty-tooty for million dollars, and
| 1 told her to put it back before Aunt
Julia noticed. Well. about every day
| he writes her fresh one and then
| in the evening he stays later than
the other callers. and reads EN- TO
| her-and you ought to hear grandpa
| when he gets to talkin' about it,!
He's perfectly right" said Noble:
Perfectly, What does he say when
| he talks about it, Herbert"
'Oh. he says all this and that; and
| then he kind of mutters around, and
! you can't tell just what all the words
are exactly, soft he can deny it II
any o. the family accuses him OF
! swearing or anything" And Herbert
added casually: HE was kind or go
| ing on like that about you, night De-
| fore last"
"About me. Why. what could he
| say about me%
i "Oh. all this and that"
! "But what did he find to say"
! Well, he heard her tellin' you no"
! you oughtn't to smoke so many Gig
arettes and all about how it was
J KILN you. and you sayin' you guessed
it wouldn't matter if you did die. and
| Aunt Julia sayin': oh. you don't mean
that and all this and such and 30 on,
you know. He can hear anything on the
porch pretty good from the l1b'ary:
| and Florence told me about that. be-
| sides because she was sittin' In tne
| grass and all. She told Great-uncle
| Joe and Aunt Hattie about it. too"
my heavens" Noble gasped. as Tor
| the first time he realized to what
trumpeting publicity that seemingly
flushed and moonlit bower, sacred to
Julia, had been given over. He gulped,
flushed, repeated my heavens" twice.
and then was able to add, with Fee
BILE imitation of lightness: Il suppose
your grandfather understood 1t was
just n sort of joke, didn't he?"
NO" said Herbert. and continued
in friendly way. for he was fiattered
by Mobiles interest in his remarks,
and began to feel liking for him.
NO. He said Aunt Julia only talked
like that because she couldn't think
of anything else to say. and 1t was
| wearin' him out. He said all the good
1t did was to make you smoke more
| to make her think how reckless you
were: but the worst part of II was,
he'd be the only one to suffer, be-
cause it blows all through the house
and he's got to sit in it. He said he
just could stand the smell of some
kinds of cigarettes. but II yon burned
| any more O yours on his porch he
was goin' to ask your father to raise
your salary for collectin' real estate
| rents, so't you'd feel able to buy some
real tobacco or corn silk anyway.
| He
But the flushed listener felt that he
had heard as much as he was called
upon to bear; and he interrupted. il.
\ voice almost, out Of control, to say