Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-08

the little roadster here Saturday after
noon.
We'll. you say it. sister, says l.
throwin' out the gear.
And then this frizzly haired young
female with the large rollin' eyes
comes trippin' out of the telegraph
Office wavin' yellow envelope.
would you mind. ieavin' this fol
that Mister Hunt, down on the Point?'
she asks.
mo. 1 wouldn't mind" says 1. I'D
do anything. to help the Western
Union save another nickel for its poor
stockholders. Messengers STRUCK
again. have they?''
"Uh-huh!" says she, shiftin' her
gum dexterous. They can make
more caddyin'. It's sump'n fierce,
gettin' boys"
Hadn't tried telephoning- this out
had you?" / suggests.
'Ah, the Hunts amt got phone
any more" says she Not for months
and 1 thought maybe you'd be goin
right by
you're a grand little thinker
Mabel" says I. "Only couple OF
miles out Of my way. but so long as
Say. you're some kidder. ,aintcher?'
says Mabel. Thanks awf'ly, though
There's my call" And with that she
flips me the message and toddlee bach
on her heels into the office.
That's small town stun for you
Ell? Where you know the telegraph
agent by her first name. But then
hurt on the-Sound for near a year
and she's easy to get acquainted with
Folksy young party. Very. dom
know, though. but what she's better
than some of the male specimens the
W. U. sent here before the, war.
remember the last one was a pimple-
faced prune who always acted bored
to death when you handed in mes.
sage and generally conversed with e
cigarette dangIin' from one corner OF
his mouth.
AS for Mabel. she's just as inter
ested in everything that comes ol
goes as if she was in the family
Sometimes more SO. And she's al
ways on the job Course. as she
mentions frequent. she don't hafta
do this" No. There's young movie
director in town who's only waiting
to get hold of the right feature foi
her to star in. after which it will be
her for the Fort Lee studios. and
then maybe on to Jacksonville OF
Pasadena So we ought to appre-
ciate Mabel while she's with US.
hope VIC do.
Anyway. 1 don't mind subbin' in as
boy now and then 'Spe-
cially WREN it comes to- luggir' out a
wire to Beverley Hunt rather a
decent old scout, Beverley. md I'd
caught. sight of him these last
few weeks.
Not that I'm hintin how me and
was old college chuIns, OF
like that. I don't quite
class with Beverley. They're reg'lar
people, the Hunts; old family. dist,n-
of thing. l. understand they used to
own most of the Point at one time,
from the Sound clear up TO the los
ton post road: and 1 believe the Lodges,
which was once just their country place,
has been in the family for three or
four generations.
But they've never put on any great
amount of, side. for all that Not
with me, anyway. Why. I've served
on committees with Beverley. when
he was commodore of the yacht club
and owned his OWL. 70-footer; and
Mrs. Hunt always used to send Sadie
and. me invites to all, the big social
affairs they used to pull Off in theil
flush days.
No. they amt been roIlin' quite sc
free these last few years. Something
went. wrong with their income durin
the war. L never heard exactly where
their investments got pinched- or how,
but you know that while lot OF
poor folks got newly rich. more or
poor. or near to it. And expect the
Hunts are in. the last class
Comes kind of tough on some OF
'em, too. Why, it wasn't so long ago
that Beverley used to be drivir' around
in a sporty French car, exhibitin' his
horses at all the swell shows. spendin'
his winters on the Riviera and other
wise actin like a plute in good
standin'. And there was always an
imposin' lookin' English butler at The
Lodges, besides French maids and
Scotch gardeners, and so on
But here awhile back they begun
easin' off l heard they'd let go of
their house in town and had moved
out here permanent. Then l missed
the butler and some of the maids.
Beverley, turned in his old. Limousine
for cheap tourin' car. Next he re-
signed from the club and sold his
yacht and horses.
the suburbs that's the easiest thing
they do. And there wasn't much
doubt but that the Hunts. was run
min close to- the wind. For a time,
anyway. They'd. quit havin' parties OF
goin out anywhere. Beverley even
goin' over to Agawamis to
play golf. which used to be his regular
Never a whine out of him.. though
I'd meet him he'd ALWAYS
give me the cheerful Hi. Shorty
same as he did in the old days when
he'd whizz by. me in his big car.
Course, was lookin' for him to come
I
thought, when he'd be on his feet
again. Bound to. with. all them
wealthy uncles and cousins and so
on. Why, Twombley-Crane is a
brother in law Of his, and they say
he made millions durin' the war.
Sd I takes 1t that the Hunts money
is tied up somehow. and that they're
just layin' low and takin' things easy
until the dividends start coming in
Anyhow. wasn't dom any
fretttn' on their account.
And when I whiris in through the
stone gates Of The Ledges-I was won
derin' if I'd find Beverley around or
port or some where for the week END.
did notice that the big lawn, that
used to be kept SO green and. close
cut. had been allowed to grow up
until there's quite crop Of hay on
it. Also the hedges looked untrfm :
med and ragged and the usual beds
Of flowers sported mostly ragweed
and burdock There was grass comin nj
up even through the blue stone drfv e
up to the porte cochere.
And when I walked up the Uttered
front steps and pushed the button l
got no response. Nor when I ham,
rnered away on. the Old brass door
knocker. But I could hear sounds
out back somewhere, as though some
of the help was chopin wood. and
as had that telegram to leave /
wanders around toward the service
wing.
Honest, first off there ! didn't rec
ogntxe who it was in the old ridin'
breechess and the khaki shirt that was
sWinsfY an AK so industrfousfy on
a fallen hirrff tree. And then