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

tossed shape was that which Noble
would most infa1ibly recognize any
where in the world and under any
conditions. In spite of the dusk and
the riot of the storm. Noble knew
that none other than Mr.. AtWater
lsplashed before him.
Excitement took quick possession
of him. He hastily reviewed posi-
bilities, and dismissed a project for
selling upon a fallen branch and run
ming forward to walk. beside Mr. At
water and hold the branch over his
generated head. All the branches
were too wet; and on second thought
think the tableau odd and, decline to
be thus sheltered. And yet some
thing had to be done to save Julia's
father from pneumonia; surely there
was some simple. practical. dashing
thing that ordinary people couldn't
think of. but that Noble could.
! Suddenly he saw will-o'-the-wisp
opportunity dancing before him, and
he paused not one instant to consider.
but acted. He had just reached
Icrossing, and down the cross street,
walking away from Noble, was the
dim figure of a man carrying an UNI
brella. 1t was just perceptible that
he was a fat man, struggling with
iseeming feebleneSs in the wind and
making poor progress. Mr. Atwater.
knowing up Juias street. was out of
isight from the cross street where
struggled the fat man.
! Noble ran swiftly down the cross
istreet, jerked the umbrella from the
fat mans graspi ran back, W.T..
ihoarse sounds dying out behind him
in the storm and dark; turned the
corner; sped after Mr.. Atwater; over
took him and thrust the umbrella
upon him; and then, not pausing the
ishortest instant for thanks or even
recognition. sped onward, proud and
joyous, into the stormy dusk, leaving
his beneficiary far behind him.
* X X
TN his young enthusiasm he had in
deed done something for Mr.. At
water. In fact, Mobiles kindness had
done as much for Mr.. Atwater as
Julias gentleness had done for Noble,
but how much both Julia and Noble
had done was not revealed in full
until the next evening.
| 1t was a warm and moonshiny night
of air unusually dry. and yet Miss
Florence Atwater sneezed frequently
! as she sat upon the side porch at
the house of her great-aunt Harriet
! and her great-uncle Joseph. Florence
it got to her head was process
| involved in the mysterious ways OF
! colds, since F'lorence'S was easily
to be connected with her cousin Her
| berts remark that he wouldn't never
| be caught takin' his death o cold
sittin' on the damp grass in the night
air just to listen to lot o tooty-
| tooty. 1t appeared from Florence's
! narrative to those interested listen
: ers, Aunt Harriet and Uncle Joseph,
that she had been sitting. on the grass
| in the night air when both air and
grass were extraordinarily damp. In
/ brief, she had been at her post soon
after the storm cleared on the pre-
ceding evening, but she had heard no
tooty-tooty; her overhearings were OF
! sterner stuff.
! We'll, what did Julia say then?"
Aunt Harriet asked eagerly.
| "She said shed go up and lock her
self in her room and stuff cushions
over her ears if grandpa didn't quit
! maxim such fuss"
And what did he say
I He made more rumpus than ever,
said Florence. "He went on and on:
and told the whole thing over and
over again: he seemed like he couldn
it his voice got higher and higher
till it was all kind of squealy. He
said he had his raincoat on and he
didn't want an umbrella anyhow, and
hadn't ever carried one a single time
| in fourteen years! And ne TOOK on
L
that about how you bet he knew
who it was. He said he'd know Noble
Dill in the dark by his terrible Gig
arctic smell if nothin' else, and. any
way. it wasn't too dark SOS ne
ders. and anyway he saw his face
And he said Noble didn't hand him
the umbrella: he stuck it all down
over him like he was somep'm on
fire he wanted to put out. or some.
he
of it and throw it away this ole fat
man that it belonged to and was
chasin' Noble, he hit grandpa from
behind. or somep-m. and they potn
fell down and just had to SIT there
i fussin' against each. other. and then
after a while they got up and grandpa
saw it was somebody he knew ana
told him for heavens sake why didn't
he take his ole umbrella ana go on
home; and so he did, because II was
. raining Just awful, and | guess ne
probably had to give up-he couldn't
outtalk grandpa.
mo" said Uncle Joe. He couldnt I,
! whoever he was. But what happened
about Noble Dill?"
Florence paused to accumuia.e anu
conclude sneeze. then responded
pleasantly: He said he was goln TO
| kill him. He said he often and often
wanted to. and now he was. Thats
the reason / guess Aunt julia wrote
that note this !, mor nina Harriet in
! ouired. you haven't told us of that.
| IT was over there before noon.
said Florence, land Aunt Julia gave
me a quarter and said she'd "rrte d
note for me to take to Noble Dllis
and give it to him. She kind of Slip
ped it to me, because grandpa came
in there. kind of pokin' around. while
she was just finishin' writin' it. She
didn't put any envelop on 1T even
and she. never said single thing to
me about it's bein' private or my not
readin' it if 1 wanted to. or anything.
"Of course you didn't" said Aunt
Harriet. You didn't, did you, Flor
ence?"
ence protested, surprised. III WASH
even in an envelope
Mr.. Joseph Atwater coughed
hardly think we ought TO ask WHAT
the note said. even if Florence was
indiscreet enough to read it,
so, either. 1t didn't say anything
important anyhow, probably
..It began. Dear Noble" said Flor
ence promptly. "Dear Noble; that's
the way it began. 1t said how grand
pa was just all upset to THINK NED
Noble didn't have another one sfor
himself like that, and grandpa was
SO embarrassed to think he'd let No
BILE do so much for him, and every
thing. he Just didn't know what to
d dn." and IL proba'ly it would be tactful
if he wouldn't come to the house
till grandpa got over being so en-
barrassed, because he was so pc
culiar. and all this and that: and felt
40 awkward about being embarrassed
and everything. She said not to
come. anyway. till next week; she'd
let him know"