Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-31
WHEN is A CUT-UP?

"%tH WIitlc ShetCnih Out. ANY way ~
got me kind of interested. I might say
1t gave me a new slant on the well
known human race.
First off we'd planned on only lunch
con stop at this Pine Tree Lodge. Don
they think up some fancy names ior
them summer hotels. though? Only none
of 'em is hotels any more. No. That
old stuff They're either inns or lodges
or manors. l expect it looks better on
the letter heads and gives 'em their only
excuse for soaking you transient rates
that would make Plutoria room clerk
blush.
must admit. though. that this Pine
Tree Lodge joint wasn't so Dad hiho
Of a cute hundred room establishments
facin' a little lake Struggled in between
the hills. And out in front is whale
: of a big pine tree, a regla old ne pine,
that waves its branches thirty Feet or
more above the third-stOry dormers
Had quite a cheerful lobby, too. with
ballroom openin' Off one side. Also the
eats were fairly good. and the jazz or
chestra was as lively and noisy as any
collection of banjo thumpers and saXo-
phone blowers you'd find along broao-
way.
That wasn't why we stretched it into
an overnight stop. though. No. Partly
it was the steady drizzle that set in
while we was havin' our lunch, ana
partly it was meetin' up with the Oggie
Blairs. You know it was along towards
the end Of the season, just after Labor
day, when these places thin out so sud
den. So. just as our party OF four as
sembles to advance on the head waiter,
and we're glancin' around the almost
empty dinin' room. Pinckney registers
joy.
"oh. I say. Shorty" says he See
Tho we have with us. The Oggie
hairs, A bit of luck. what?
Some might call it that" says l.
Personally I shouldn't get thrilled
bver meetin' Oggie anywhere. But
So it's a stand-off. Chiefly We
Il over the way we talk the Ian
age. I understand he thinks use
ne kind of dialect that he calls
ID e of his is to ask Pinekney to
tn hslate some of my remarks. Now
TN tell you how Oggie talks it: he
usS a Ham. Mabie imitation of a
Col lev square imitation of Lord Dun
SAM givin' a lecture and chewin' a
marlhmallow at the same time. He
tells1 about having bean thea-uh
lawsA season, y'know" and things like
Theh there's Oggie's method Of
SiZ1n up 1OlkS. Inc oHeS VIM eous
either have lots of money and read
the Atlantic Monthly. or else they
read the Atlantic and haven't much.
AS for the others. they're only useful
in swellin' the census reports On.
maybe, they're needed to work in
factories and run trains. and clerk
in stores and so on. But. OF course.
they're socially impossible. Oggie is
always insistin' on that point.
And yet in his way l expect ogg1e
Blair Is more or less entertainin ne
has a line of chat that's kind OF
bright and snappy. specially when
he's among parties that it'll! pay to
be nice to. For the Blairs amt such
plutes themselves: They're the KIND
who've had it left to .em and have
some day IL the will reads right.
Meanwhile they're scrubbin' along the
best they can with only two maids
and a closed coupe that Oggie picked
up at bargain two seasons back.
So maybe you can guess that Oggie
10 Just as glad to see Pinckney as
Piciney. is to see him. and then some.
sOh, I say. old chap. but this Is
perfectly rippin,; r ykno""M a hs s ssd
should do. stranded here in this beast :
ly little hole, But now@Say can't
we Join forces? What about big
table for all Of u.s." 1 say. my man."
and he snaps his fingers at the heao
we'll. you know how 1t is. Inside OF
ten minutes we're a merry little
group, with Oggie the life OF the
party. as usual He's teliin' what
Ing up at somebody's place in the
SSice enough people," he explains.
~Oh, really! The sort one gets friendly
with on board ship. And they'd enter
of hnFna
in washington. But why they should
insist on asking us up to this Camp
Namaukeg place 1 cawn't for the lie OF
me understand. Utterly crude, y'know--
no shower in the bawthroom. no soH,
no billiards. But the most bitter blow
Of all was having to assemble at $3.50
for a company breakfast. Fawncy! A
lot Of fried things. when all ever take
is tea and toast and marmalade. And
it's SO CHASTITY. getting up at tnat hour
and rriddle cakes, too! But We did it;
..Must have been narrowing" says
piuckney. "Now you know how the
early Christian martyrs felt. Oggie. HOW
noble Of you not to perish on the break
last table, perhaps with your fork
spearing a sausage and second helping
Of pancakes clutched in your otner
hand" GER
your little wife down after rolls and
coffee and made her tell them you'd been
III ut night Eth, jerry"
oh, yes. when them two get to kiddin
each other they're almost rough about
it. I expect they pulled some good COM
edy lines, too. I'll admit that the bulk
Of il got past me, but the ladies' giggied
more or less, and Oggie fairly roared at
some of his own jabs. and altogether
suppose our table was more or less noisy.
other guests being SO quiet. Couldn't
have been more'n a couple of dozen be-
sides our party. most OF EN- KIND OF
oldish couples who was tendin' strictly
to the job of wadin' through the menu
We got to lookin' around and framin'
'ena up and remarkin' what odd types
they were. Specially one pair that had
been showed over into dark corner at
a little table against the wall. Course.
there was plenty of places on the lake
but it's plain the head waiter had
shunted these two over there on purpose.
figurin' that he wouldn't get tip out OF
'em anyway.
The female half Of the sketch is a
dumpy old girl who's dressed kind Of
dowdy and old-fashioned. while the man
is a heavy-set. short-legged gent with
his hair cut round in the back and jutty
black eyebrows. l couldn't see his face
very we'll as he keeps it near his plate.
ffeS just eating SdSili a "Otu-
':Sociable couple, eh?" comments
Oggie wholly occupied with the proc
ess of mastication."
poor old things" says Mrs. Oggie.
probably they're unused to eating in
public Now. I'll wager il he could take
his coat off and tuck his napkin under
his chin he'd feel much more at home -
Suppose you suggest to him." says
Pinckney. that we are perfectly willing
to waive the conventions"
'<Where do they come from. such per-