New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-01-16


/ brave array Of sandwiches, fruit
and cake. Merrily they munched
and swung their feet like children,
while the Spanking curied her pink
toes and crowed oyer her bottle. 1t
was James Junior who broke up the
party, He had been regarding the
Little Gray Man with increasing ia
vor.. Now he spoke.
do you have any pollywogs?" he
inquired.
The man shook his head.
mot with me-" he said, "but
know where they can be found"
James Junior pressed closer.
"Take mel" he inquired. The
little Gray Man looked at Bans
questioningly.
want to go? There's pond not
far back on the road"
"Miller's pond" she nodded. "It's
the pollywog headquarters and what
started this craze. But" she added
thoughtfully, "it's a pretty long
walk for the Spanking"
give a machine at the gate" he
assured her.
"All right" she nodded; and Ave
minutes later, properly clothed,
hated and stockinged, she was at
the front gate, pausing with one
hand on the mail box.
"Ill just look"-- she began; but
the Little Gray Man picked her up
gayly and swung her to the seat
beside Jim=Jams and the Spanking.
mo MALL" he assured her falsely;
"I'm sure there's none!" They
swung gayly down the road.
It was a glorious day, and the
pond, with it's tangle of messy
banks, lay still and blue, cool in
the shade. For an hour they poked
about it's base, gathering unwilling
victims in glass preserving jars and
gaining coating of slithering mud.
It was 8 o'clock. before the gray
roadster drew up by the gate, and
Babs, springing to the ground, took
from the red mail box a letter. For
an instant she stared at its con-
tents, while the Little Gray Man
regarded her guiltily; then she sank
in a little heap by the gate, rock
ing back and forth.
"Oh!" she said, and, "Ohl Oil
Ohw
whats the matter?" he inquired
over the Spankling's black curls.
"You've done It'll" she said.
"Done what?"
"You've got me In for it now!
Being so interesting that / never
even looked into the mail box"
She rose to her feet and shook the
letter under his nose. "That's from
James Senior telling me that he's
coming home tonight and that the
governor is coming to dinnerl'
The man seemed unimpressed.
"Well, he's only man, after ALL"
"But l haven't a thing in the
pantry to eat-I was planning on
mush and milk all around; the house
needs cleaning; the babies are dirty,
and ohv' she walled, "why will
I be so utterly, impossibly irrespon-
sible!"
'sTreat him the way you did the
tramp" he advised. "He'd probably
enjoy it,"
But she shook her head.
1.-The whole thing is up to me-"
she told him. "I've got to make a
good impression; and if fail James
Senior, when it means so much to
him Oh, l can't fail.
AS she spoke she was jerking off
her hat, and an instant later her
voice came from the porch, whence
she had fed, shedding her sweater
on the way.
Bring in the babies," she was or
dering; "you're party to this per-
formanee, and now she was un-
locking the door, and swung it back
with bang--"and now you've got
to pitch in and help outv'
1T WAS half an hour later that the
Little Gray Man came to coher-
ent thought. He was at the moment
out in the front lawn with a broom,
sweeping the rugs. From within
came the sound Of rapid swishing
and at the open window the figure of
Babs passed and repassed, her slen-
der body swaying with the energy
OF her strokes. For an instant the
Little Gray Man paused and leaned
up against convenient tree, laugh
ing weakly, then, as her eye fell
upon him, he went back to his task.
1T was not until the last hit of fur
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