Evening star., 1921-03-20
HOME GROWN


each other a good time. Proxies is the
Grand Mogul Of Miami on the Miami
Birdie. and the Heap Big Chief of the
Southwest Order Of the Well Fed Bison. >
Quit callin' me names. Gilly."
He says Miami on the Miami's got
the picture postcards and that the only
and original hayseeds are grown be-
tween the Battery and the Bronx Get
together. you two. and lemme referee
the game"
Miss Fink smiled, dangled her
black earrings against her white
neck. showed the gleam of her teeth
behind her lips and raised her mar
row shoulders. with the open-work
blouse showing the mystery OF PINK
ribbon through it.
How do do, Mr.. Proxies" What I'm
trying to get at is this: If you're III
the things you say you are. what
amt YOU
Mr.. Proxies extended a large. warm
hand: his sand -colored mustache re-
treated a bit to reveal the damaging
gold evidence of small town den
tistry.
II amt noticed you around here
before, Miss Fink"
Hes stringing You. Queenle. FOR
all he knows you might have been at
the door to welcome him when he
came last week. He's got about as
much interest in skirts as l have in
Miami on the Miami
IF this young lady had been
around here. I'd have seen her all
right
You can't jolly her. Prokes-she
comes from the town where they
hand 1t out like trading stamps. rms
handsome young man to my right,
Queenie. is as afraid OF sklrts as 1
am of having to spend another sum :
mer west of Jersey.
Don't you believe it. Miss FINK.
A fellow like me. when he gets to be
fair. fat and nearly forty. knows 1t
time to take the flower out OIL ms
buttonhole.'
Not if it's bachelor button,
quoth Mr.. Gilly. slapsticking repartee
a mercileSs whack.
IF l though l stood show next
to my slick young friend here. maybe
Id shake the road dust of Miami out
of my eyes, answer a hair restoring
advertisement, climb into a narrow
shouldered in-at-the-waist coat and
twirl q flexible bamboo cane down
Broadway myself"
Miss Fink glanced at Mr. Prokes
with the inward sweetness of a Fra
Lippo Lippi virgin.
Say, maybe you're right about the
original hay meadows laying between
34th and 42d streets, but, honest, MT
Prokes-honest. what is Miami,
breakfast food or a disease
Mr.. GilIy cIapped his hand on ms
pol:shed thatch of black hair and
leaned across the counter with his ell
bows planted on the register oook.
That's right. go to it:
Miami. Miss Fink. amt one OF the
breakfast foods that helped make the
Broadway electric signs famous: II
ain't even an expensive disease like
appendicitis or motoritis; it's q burg
Miss Fink, that amt even got DOT
after it on the map
Thanks"
"a burg with grass growing oe.
tween the bricks and story-ano,a nan
cottages with pointy roofs IKE the
toy houses they. manufacture In the
Cisalpian Alps -. ,.,
"Gowann, old man, don't let her
scare yon on. ,,a;rs
eyes. and a main street with chairs
tilted under every awning anu
street car system that would give
Gilly here a laughing Mt that "oulo
make him q pet case for the meoicai
journals" ,, -.
"Hear-hear.." cried Mr.. Gilly, his
mouth turned upward in a crescent.
II know know. My chum, Maisie
Smyth, came from a town calleo
Reedsburg. Every time she passes
the horse car down on Sd avenue she
gets an our town look in her eyes
that means a letter home to her step
mother and a mother-of-pearl teetn-
ing ring with silver bells for her
sister-in-law's kid"
"For a girl with big-town look
in her eyes and the metal of the Dig
town in her voice. you got some aw'
f full nice small-t0wn wsys sn asss' you
Now: he's kidd'n' aasn't he
Mr. GilIy?"
"say, I didn't know II was in him
II can tell you some more about
yourself. Mr.. Proxies"
"Good."2
There amt an our town on the
man without a swimmin hole ano
an oldest inhabitant who once shook
hands with Abraham Lincoln.
"Some clever little girl; amt she
Prokes?"
every back porch in our town
is used for the two and sole purposes
of supportin' wistaria vines and
coolin' the famous pies that mother
used to .make-no vaudeville rurai
sketch is complete without ane co.-
ton.back satin finish wistaria vine or
the napier mache tree stump, center
left"
Miss Fink. the
That's right; keep it dark"
- the rivers rapid clear down as
far as Hamilton, but the 7. M. Z. A.
put a swell tank up in their rooms on
High street-ten-foot concrete basin
and water any temperature on the
thermometer"
saOh YOU Miami"
"Come out on the lake with me,
Miss Fink, and I'll paddle you out
toward the moon and tell you some
more about our town..
"Migawd! What q nights work I've
done" cried Mr.. Gilly. Charley Proxies
padding a goil out to the moon" ;.
"Oh. Mr.. Proxies. amt you kind
Here I was ready to go upstairs. read
the time table and cry into my Pill
low"
"Come on, sister"
Forked lightning flashed from hel
eyes.
"Belieye me" said Mr.. Gilly. "if J
wasn't on night duty. Miss Birdie. I'd
beat him to It,"
You stay at home and wafer ths
goldfish. Gilly: they need IT. Gimme
Fink
They smiled and parried and the
silk fringe on the scarf caught on hi:
sleeve button. and they must untanglt
IL with more smiles and parrying.
Good night. Gilly."
Good night. Mr.. Gilly."
Don't upset and muss up the lake
you two"
Laughter
Then through the lobby with littl
jumps like grace notes in their walk
and the screen door OF the verand;
slammed behind them. Next dow
wooden stairs with their light fee
touching each alternate step: a brie
stretch Of gravel walk. gloomy witt
arching cedars. and finally befor
them the diamond beach in the dia