Evening star., 1921-12-25

AAUI "
a faint scufi1e, the horrid sound Of q
person-strangling!'
"Strangling?" giggled Flame. "Oh,
'girlish glee!' Miss Flora is "a dog.
I neglected to state that this is q dog
party that I'm having"
Dogs" WINGED the Lay Reader
will they bite?"
"only If you don't trust them." con-
fded Flame.
But it's so hard to trust dog
that will bite you il you don't trust
him." frowned the Lay Reader.
1t was Flames turn now to vince
hate dogs" she cried out abruptly.
"0H. don't hate them," lied the Lay
Reader like a gentleman. 81
tell you I like dogs-good dogs!
assure you I'm very-oh. very much
in this dog party Of yours
If could be of any possible assist
ance?" he implored.
Maybe you could be. There is a
problem" admitted Flame. give
problems, to be perfectly accurate.
Four dogs, and a cat"
"And a cat?" echoed the Lay Reader
quite idiotically.
"The table is set." affirmed Flame.
"But I don't know how to get the
dogs into their chairs! They run
around so! They yelp! They jump!
They haven't had a mouthful to eat,
you see, since last night this time!
And when they once see the turkey
Tm-Tm afraid they'll stampede it!'
Turkey" quizzed the Lay Reader,
who had dined that day on corned
beef.
"Oh, of course, mush was what they
were intended to have" admitted
Flame. piles and piles of mush!
Extra piles and piles Of mush. be-
cause 1t was Christmas day! But
don't you think mush does seem bit
dull?' she questioned appealingly.
'lOr CNT1SIHldS udy oIls uiu lAAiln
a turkey would taste SO good!'
'It certainly would" conceded the
Lay Reader.
$50, if you'd help me-" wheedled
Flame, at would be well worth stay
ing blindfolded for. Otherwise" mur-
INJURED Flame with faint gesture to-
ward the door.
"I will help you" said the Lay
Reader.
'Where is your hand?" fumbled
Flame.
Here" attested the Lay Reader.
Lead us to the dogs" commanded
Flame.
Bertrand Laurello. who, for the
cause he served. wouldn't have hesi-
tated an instant probably to be torn
by Hindu lions, saw no conceivable
reason at the moment for being eaten
by dogs at a purely social function
"This-this mush that you speak
off" he questioned. with the dogs
as-as nervous as you say Don't
you think that perhaps little mush
served first, a good deal Of mush,
would say, served first, might act as
a-as a sort of anesthesia?"
Lead us to the-mush," said
Flame.
The door knob turned in his hand
and the cheerful kitchen lamplight
glitter of tinse1, flare of red ribbons
SAVIOR of foods, smote sharply on him.
"oh, say. how jolly!" cried the Lay
Reader.
Get the mush," said Flame. 'It's
there on the table by the window
Please set all four dishes on the fiool
each dish in separate corner. And
then open the parlor door. or maybe
I'd better" conceded Flame. LEAD
me to It."
ff-sniff-snort" the red setter
sucked at the crack in the door.
"woof! woof! Woof" roared the
big wolfhound.
ISLAM! Bang! Slash" slapped the
Dalmatian's crisp weight.
cyl! vi! vi" sang the bulldog
"Hush! Hush, dogs" implored
Flame. "This is fathers Lay Reader!
"Your-Lay Reader" contradlcteo
the young man gallantly.
In another instant four shapes with
teeth in them came hurtling through
With a single sniff at the Lay Read
er's heels. a prod of paws in his stom'
ach, the onslaught swerved-and
passed. Guzzlingly from four separate
corners Of the room issued sounds o1
Joy and fulhllment.
Flame turned her back to the Lay
Reader, and lifted the bandage. Buls'
ing mush, the four dogs lay at rest
"O-h," crooned Flame. "How
sweet! Now, Mr.. Laurello," she sug'
gested blithely, eff you'll get the
Bibles"
"Bibles?" stiffened the Lay Reader
''Bibles? Why, really, Miss Flame.
couldn't countenance any sort o1
mock service. Even just for-fol
quaintness - even for Christmat
quaintness"
4 \ Il 4
uDIBLEs? All I want them for Ii
u to plump up the chairs. The
seats, you see, are too low for the
dogs. Oh. I suppose dictionaries
would do" reluctantly. "Only diction'
aries are always scarcer."
obediently the Lay Reader bum
chemistries on Sermons and Ancient