Evening star., 1921-12-11

weird. I don't know that I've ever
seen two human beings in just that
pose. Cows. sometimes. You know
how they'll stand in the pasture. head
to head. not even flicking an ear or
batting an eyer. Well, that was
Uncle Nels. and this underground
chum OF his. couldn't guess how
long It had kept up or how much
! longer It was going to last But I
meant TO watch the show to the finish.
Surely, they must say something
sooner or later that would give me a
line on what this was all about.
Anyway. I had found out where
| Uncle Nels got his coating Of ashes.
! Evidently his friend there could not
spend the entire afternoon sitting on
his box. AT intervals he must have
| been obliged to get UP and shovel
ashes from the fireboxes. Judging
from the appearance Of Uncle Nels'
clothes and the fact that half Of the
cans were full. he'd not been neg
| lecting his job. This was one Of his
| rest periods. And he chose to spend
| it starting at Uncle Nels. But why?
Just as 1 had given up for the third
| time Uncle Nels seemed to rouse UP.
He fished out his watch with a -four
ish. squinted at 1t. and hunched his
| shoulders.
HUH he remarked.
F.; 4 = 4 +
THEN he got up, went through the
1 motions of brushing ashes from
| the front Of his coat, stuck the cigar
! rakish in one corner Of his mouth.
and started to shuttle out. The other
man didn't move. Didn't as much as
shift his gaze.
did, however. I slipped back Of
the open door and let Uncle Nels go
/, by without seeing me. When he was
safely down the corridor. I stepped
| boldly into the furnace room. But
had to walk directly up to the man
on the box before he would notice me.
And at that he didn't seem a bit sur
prised. He simply stared at me. dull
and stupid.
who's your friend that Just left?"
asked.
"Hey?" says he.
"Your friend?" I repeats.
"Him?" says he. HE no friend to
me. 1 no friend to him."
But you were sitting here to-
gether." I protests, ''as chummy as
] two old pals
ssvobt,s IN ororu1s l1noLfpr onf hi
pipe ashes on the concrete floor. mo
friend"
"Aren't you a Svenga, toor' I asks.
He mods sullen.
! What name?' goes on.
| "Me?" says he. "Lindgren."
II guessed as much" says I. Neil
Lindgren. aren't your"
How you know that?' he demands.
"Oh. from something Uncle Nels let
drop" says I. 'Then you don't love
| each other any better than you used
to, eh?"
yah" says he. Love him! Say.
you know what I do some tam with
| that one-that NelsT
NO" says I. "WhatT'
For q second his gnarled. knobby
old hands punched together, his slack
jaw stiffened. and a dull glow came
into his watery eyes. Then the glow
| fickered out and his hands dropped
+, limp at his side.
| Never you mind" says he. IL
Tn old man-sick."
/ 'Yes." says I. you look like a good
deal Of q wreck. I must be going,
though. SO long. Pleasant dreams"
And when l got back upstairs /
found Uncle Nels camped in his ia
vorite chair. gazing at nothing
at all, but with that grim smile
| playing around his mouth corners. I
] thought he ought to be warned.
though. and did no beating about
the bush in doing it.
"Sse here, Uncle Nels," says I, ''you
want to look out for that old pirate,
Neil Lindgren."
Hey" says he, turning on me
startled.
"oh, I've found where you spend
your afternoons" says I. "And Til
+, say it's dangerous indoor pastime.
Some day Neil is going to swing on
you with an ash shovel"
"Hmp says untle Nels. THAT one?
Huh! Once he could. maybe. But he
amt strong any more. And me-rm
tough. He knows. He don't dare"
! "An the same. I wouldn't trust
him." says I. "You should have seen
how murderous he looked when I
spoke Of you. Besides, I shouldn't
think you two would be so much COM
pany for each other, so what's the
sense Of your running the risk? And
\ what can you find to talk about 80
long?"
'Talk?' says Uncle Nels. I'VE don't
talk"
''wha-a-at!" says I. you don't
mean that you two sit and stare at
each other every afternoon without
swappinE . word7"
| Uncle Nels admits that to be the
| general program.
/ But how long has this been going
/ onr' I asked. when did you first
discover that this old enemy Of yours
/ was in the buildingr
'Two weeks ago." says Uncle Nels.
'I see him standin' by ash litter one
morning. / know him right OF. He