Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-25
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
By Sewell Ford. =

| that has happened to me for ever so
many years. / am SO glad thought
| of doing it. Just think! I am of by
ing strange people. all kinds OF peo-
| pie. THAI Is. I will II keep on. You.
! for example. or course. you seem quite
| respectable. but-er-"
yes" says I. there's no tellin'"
Not that l mind q Bit" says she.
| But please. just who are you?"
well" says I, my friends call me
Shorty McCabe. 1 run physical cui-
ture studio on 42d street Maybe you've
heard of me-"
NO" says she. I'm afraid I
THAT'S discouragin'." says 1. But
| think back. l used to be lightweight
champion.
How interestins!" says she "of
Il has to grin at that She sure is an
Innocent old girl WELL" says l. the
sportin' writer's usually call it the
squared circle. Prise ring. you know"
You don't mean" she asks saspy'
that you are "a prize fighter
.'Uh-huh." says l. THAT is, l was"
| For a second or SO she gazes at me
curious. Then she puts her chin down
and INDUCES in a queer little giggle..
Dear suz!" says she. Il wonder what
| IStSE WOuiu say IL lie kUoW ludl. JUDI
| wonder
Who's Peter?" says 1.
MY son-in-law." says she. 'If he
could only see me now. and know that
was sitting beside an ex-pugilist"
Think it would jar him some, eh?"
says |. What is he. a parson?"
mot exactly" says she. .,But he is
quite religious-trustee of the church,
teaches a young mems Bible class, and
all that. He is always being shocked
at something or other. Why, even
| shock him at times"
"Ah, come! says ]. You? Say, he
| must be easy shocked
He is a wonderfully proper person,
my son-in-law." says she. Il suppose
might as well admit. too, that 1t Is
| Peter l am running away from. AL
though Julia is getting to be almost as
bad. l mean of course, almost as good.
Julia is my daughter. We were so con-
genial once, before Peter taught her
| that life is such duh. serious business.
You don't understand. OF course. No
Peters home. And 1 have lived there
| for more than five years. And now
well. now l am running away. Absurd.
"oh, l don't know" says !; I've
seen homes I'd want to duck livin' in
of a tight wad. Ell? Most of these re-
! ligious guys are. Pinches the pennies,
don't he? Lays by so much a month,
no matter how much the family has to
skimp?"
She smiles and shakes her head. 1--WE
a good mind to tell you just who Peter
is," says she.
Shoot" says l. FIJI try to stand it."
Then she leans over and whispers
the name, Say. she handed me jolt.
all right.
."eSet--not Peter X. jr.. the super
plute!" says J.
she mods. And then it was my turn
to stare. It's q wonder 1 didn't take
of my hat and bump my head on the
floor. For she's mentioned one of the
four names that any good citizen of
these United States knows as well as
he does his own, and most OF EN-
would recognize 1t II you spelled 1t out
with the same number of dollar signs
instead of letters.
Excuse me-" says I. but that's
some home to run away from. The
Forest Hills one, over on the Hudson,
Ell! Two hundred acres or SO. amt
it?'
More than three" says she. THAT
is why 1t is SO dreadfully dull and
lonesome there. Oh. of course there
are plenty of people in sight. But they
are all dependents-seFvants, garden
ers. farm iaborers and guards. How
tired I did get from seeing those lazy
guards constantly loafing about. You
can't go anywhere around the estate
without running across them. With
their guns, too, you know, I call them
Peters army. which always makes him
frown. You see he likes to pretend
that they aren't around at all. and II
he is forced to admit that they are
he will insist that they are not really
needed, when he knows that not one
of the family would dare to step out
if they were not there. Why. he even
has four detectives who live in the
house-his private body guard. And
still Peter Is fond of telling how sim
ply he lives. Simply. Win all those
buffers and maids and two nurses for
each of the children, 1t is like living
in big hotel that is under martial
r."
Pm beginnin' to get the idea" says