Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-03
/VV YELL" says I, twistin' my
neck to glance around at
n II this strange party who
has drifted into the front

He's chunky, nedVySE punt ihiuoie-
aged gent. with a -square face and a set
of movie villain eSebrcws--you know,
the jutty kind that look like they'd
been touched up with shoe blackin'. But
he glances around Ehld enough; almost
timid. in fact.
Excuse me-" says he.
Sure" says I. AStrayed in lool<in' for
somebody else did your
NO" SAYS he. THAT is. not exactly
This-this is physical culture studlo'
isn't it,
ITS the physical culture studio:
corrects "Only one of its kind on Man
haitian Island. I ought to know because
j started it. There's my name OH 'ne
door
.Ah, yes" says he. readin' the let
term prof. McCabe. Mines Tidbaii'
Theodore Tidball''
Easy name to remember. too, says
n "Tidball Sounds like some KIND OF
game you could play on the parior
table"
ITS a Welsh name" says Tidball
''You see. my people settled in Vermont
years ago: up among the slate quarrleS
Wherever you find mines or quarries you
may be sure of finding Nelshmen, too. =
That's So" says ]. You don't always
stick to EN-. though, do YOU? Nothing
like that on 42d street, eh?"
on, L III sui III Tic Sldtt
says he. THAT is, l was until recently.
and perhaps very soon | shall be back IN
1t again. too. lit depends. In fact.
I am looking for an office now. You
\fer-you use the back room here. do
your" And he mods towards the gym.
Rather" says l. That's where we
do our work, my assistant and me.
That's him over by the rear window.
lowerin' the awnin'. Not that we mind
the sun, but our reglars want more
lns- fI.x-' Or
themselves all gathered up. and them
windows in the net block amt mucn
moren 40 feet away.
You don't say says Tidbail: so
close as that eh" Would-would you
mind my taking : look? ?"
swiftly, Show Mr. Tidball around
With that 1 settles my heels on the
roll top desk and turns once more
to the sportih' page. He didn't seem
like an important caller. this squatty
built Vermont Welshman, and my
guess was that he wouldn't be so in
terestin'. Scootin' around for cheap
Office Well, what of it? Why didn't
he go to some agency?
So it must have been five or ten
minutes later and I'd nearly forgot
ten he was sill in there. when Swiftly
Joe startles he by appearin' sudden
at my elbow and whisperin' husky
over my shoulder:
Say, Shorty, who's your nutty
friend?'
En-" says 1, gawpin' as>him.
odd TidbitS," says Swiftly. THE
one with the bumper crop of eyebrows.
Is he a private sleuth, or what?'
''Tidball. Swiftly" says 1. Hes in
the slate business"
asks Swiftly.
mo, no." says l. He's a Welsh
man. What's he doing that looks
nutty?"
why. first off he gets me to lift
starts pipin' OF 81 the windows in the he
next block. Now he's up on a step
ladder starin' his eyes out and / can't
get a word from him. Come take "a
look"
sSure enough, when I've stepped
into the gym. / finds him just as
Swiftly has described and he's so busy
stretchin' his neck that he don't no
tice we until 1 walks over and shakes
the ladder.
'Hey, what's the big idea, Tiddy?"
says 1. "Playin' hi-spy. are you?'
"Eh?" says he. tearin' his eyes loose
for second. "Oh, excuse me. Pro-
fessor. I-er-just moment more,
and back he turns for another stare.
Now / don't expect I'm any more
curious than the next one, but these
&aotions of Tidball's sure got me in
terested.
.Ah, don't be a hog" says T. eff
! it's as thrillin as all that why not
share it! Look out. I'm coming up"
But say, when I'd squeezed in be-
side him 1 couldn't see a thing worth
looking at. "Where?" 1 demands.
''The one directly across he whispers,
''but the next floor above. See? There
she is-Muriel. All, that is, Miss Was
den.''
you don't mean the young lady typist
with all the hennaplus couture and the
gold sx1ectacles 2" 7 asks
She doesn't use henna on it," protests
Tidball. cts perfectly natural. that
shade. Wonderful hair, isn't it?''
couldn't deny it. And. come to take
a second look, he was perfectly right.
No henna ever bottled could produce
red tint like that. It's sort of a pink
red. If you get me; sort of a cross be-
tween bonfire and sunset. There's
about peck of it, should judge, and
she has it done up SO that it runs from
her forehead to high peak, giving her
kind of a topheavy look. Outside of
that and the dead white complexion,
she's just an ordinary looking young
woman. In fact, almost homely. if you
size up her features critical About the
mouth especially. -Muriel sure did have
a generous cut mouth.
well, what about her." says l.
''Oh. nothing much" says Tidball,
still starin'.
"But you seem to know her pretty
well" l suggests. Even her front
name. Muriei. Ell? Going TO exchange
wigwag signals with her2"F
"Oh. no. says he. Not at ALL III
wouldn't think of doing such a thing
But he'll be in very soon. Any minute
now. And l want to watch and see if
! he-Ah-h-h! Here he comes now. the
sneaking snake in the gross. Gr-r-r-r!''
And TidbaI grinds his teeth.
Meaning, / suppose, says ]. "the
poddy little party with the bald head
and the DOB eyeSo"
"Yes-s-s-s." Kisses TidbaT That's
him. the ugly little toad. See that
silly smirk he gets on as he says
Good morning to her? Isn't that dis
s.usting? And now he's leaning over
her chair. I wonder what he's saying
now? Something mushy. I'll bet. The
sappy. treacherous, lying wretch
Say, who is this dear friend o.
:. yours that you're handn' out the back
handed compliments to SO free?" asks.
'Magnus." says he. My ex-part-
ner. There, He's still talking to her.
If could only hear what he's saying,
II only COULD"
some, I'll say says T. Specially
with all that traffic roar coming in
from Broadway. Whoever il is he's
gettin' off, though. it seems to be
maxim more or less of a hit with
Muriel. See that coy smile she's turn
in loose on him.
"'Gr-r-r." says Tidball.
"Ah come" says /. You'll be biz
ing the window casing. next thing
you know. And if you'll excuse my
mentionin' il. were about to use the
gym for something else besides a lis
TENN post. Guess you'll have to climb
down and leave Nuriel to her fate"
He does il reluctant, but once he's
back in the front Office he seems to
come to a bit and realize that he's