Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1920-03-27

thelr own; you went to your
favOrite corner drug store
smiled at the clerk and nodded to the
telephone with which every drug store
was equipped, then the clerk would
say. Help yourself" and you helped
yourself, gratis, to the use of the tele-
phone. Not only that, but. If you lived
near a really obliging drug store, the
clerk would receive messages for you
and send them by a chance messenger
to your house.
In that way 1t happened that good
zeal OF neighborly conversation, over
and above what went on around the
store, was held in the drug store. And
sometimes one overheard what was
uot at all interesting to hear, and
sometimes what was.
julius Candy overheard something
that interested him very deeply, one
day while he was waiting at the coun-
ter for the clerk to rllmmage out and
open a new case of cigars. Julius did
not know the lady by name. though
her face was familiar enough. She
went to the telephone and asked for
a certain number which julius knew.
it may be said, intimately. After that
he overheard the lady say: rs that
you Maud?'
julius often rang up that number
himself and talked to one Maud.
What he made out afterward was
Il want you to tell me about Easton.
Yes? Yes? Now, you're quite sure?
IL is an engagement, then? So glad.
Goodby."
And when the drug clerk had got
out those new cigars and julius had
sampled one, he did not like the flavor
nearly as well as he expected to. He
bought few of the cigars, so as not
to disappoint his friend the clerk, and
then, as he walked home he meditated
bitterly on two things-the sureness
of his insight and the fickleness of
woman
II knew it all along" he said to him
self Il was a blamed fool to let my
self be taken in by a transparent ttirt
like that. Didn't Billy Herbert give
me a plain hint? And didn't Mrs.
CapSton tell me-Or as good as tell,
me-she had seen Maud Andrews 20
through all that more than once be-
fore? Never mind. A fool must learn
by experience. It's Easton's turn to
learn now. Wonder how long it will
be before he gets his lesson?"
The Easton mentioned in this solilo-
guy was strapping youth just from
college. Most people in the settlement
liked him, Maud Andrews among them,
but julius did not, chiefly because
Maud did-too much, julius thought.
1t was dusk as Julius strolled home
from the drug store. meditating bitter
ly. A large dog met him on the side
walk and stopped as if expecting to be
noticed, but julius passed on until,
few PAGES farther, he was stopped by
the salutation, "Hi, Candy, what are
you dreaming abOut?"
1t was the voice of the dogs owner
-Easton.
"Hello!" said Julius. "Oh, wasn't
dreaming at all. Ha, ha! Congratu-
late you, Easton."
"Oh, so you've heard. Ell? Well, l
thought I'd pull it off, you know"
swell, 1 must be getting home,' said
Julius, anxious to end the interview
A few days later he met Maud An
drews, who asked him why she had
seen nothing of him since the week
before.
ooh, nothing" lie said. 81 only
thought"
"What?" said Mand.
Thought you might not be partic-
ularly anxious to SEE me just now"
THAT was Il funny thought for you
to have" she remarked. "What made
you think lt?'
"Oh, don't you know? he said
mo, l don't"
"Then I don't think there is any par
ticular reason why I should enlighten
you"
They parted, and Maud bit her lip
calling julius Canby In her heart "a
hOrrid wretch" and vowing she
didn't care if she never saw him again.
julius did some more solilcquizing;
and it went something like thu: "Of
all the outrageous little fiirts, this girl
is easily the most outrageous! She
actually thinks she's going to draw me
back with her little thread and her lit