Evening star., 1922-04-23

in as many days.
That" says !. 'is one of my most
trifling worries"
Huh" says Inez.
Il get you." says I. Indicating
general discomfort. But that's as far
as I can follow you. AS for me, no
home that ever had a latchkey to
was ever quito like this. Stop. look
and listen. Inez, and then tell me II
I'm wrong"
OF course, she couldn't stop. for she
count teetering back and forth in a
rocking chair as progress of a certain
kind. But she could look, and as a
matter of fact she did seem to be
staring over the veranda rail into a
tall hibiscus bush that was fairly
ablaze with scarlet blooms whose
bell shaped mouths were as big as
saucers. And IL she was listening she
could have heard concert well
worth buying ticket to, for on the very
top Of tho bush a gray-breasted
mocking bird, his little black head
thrown back and his throat swelling
out. was going through his whole
repertoire of trilis and runs and yo-
dies. and putting his back and shoul-
ders into every note.
x X
pUT birds singing among flowers,
a summery morning that was just
about as perfect as they come. and
such small details OF well-being don't
count with Inez. She takes all that
for granted. or overlooks it entirely
and wants to know what's going to
be done to amuse her that day.
why we don't go somewhere. eh?
she demands.
ALLOW mo to point out. Inez," says
I, that your Uncle Nels is giving
this party. It's some party, too.
Taking three people from New York
to Florida and paying all the bills for
nearly month isn't any hard boiled
excursion. And SO long as he seems
to be getting fun out of IL should
think We might keep from grinding
our teeth"
"Him!" says Inez. "All Uncle Nels
does is fish. ish. fish, and sit around
with that Hank Snively and chin.
chin, chin"
True" I admits. "'But as yet
there's been no constitutional amend
ment passed prescribing exactly what
people must do when they como to
Florida on a winter vacation. The
reformers may get around to that
later on. when they've finished telling
US what we must eat and drink and
wear. For the present, however,
folks enjoy themselves down here IN
their own peculiar way. Tho niblick
nuts and mashie maniacs seem to
como entirely for golf. When We
were up at that plute Joint last week
didn't you see all those old boys
swarming out over the links, tearing
up tho turf. swatting balls out of
sand pits, and groaning like lost
souls?"
''Foolish" says Inez, with a sneer
Of bitter scorn.
'It may have looked so to u.s." says
I. "but they appeared to be enjoying
every swat. And I was told that they
do that from morning to night, day
after day, while their fat wives sit
around on the verandas gossiping or
playing bridge. In this place the
major sports seem to be rogue and
checkers. with horseshoe pitching a
fair third, but some of these old birds
from Iowa and Indiana and Missouri
take their exercise by holding down
the sidewalk benches and telling each
other where they came from. how
long they mean to stay, and how lit
tie the trip is costing them. So why
shouldn't Uncle Nels and his Petos-
key friend while away the time in their
own peculiar way?"
what they talk about so much.
them?" insists Inez.
ucAY, you are getting curious.
- Inez," says I. 'But il you want
mo to give q guess I'll say that most
likely they're exchanging the story
Of their lives in serial FORM, Hank
is probably relating how he moved
from Skowhegan. Me-, to Michigan at
the tender age OF three. accompanied
by his parents: bow he quit school at
fourteen to take a job in a lumber
mill and later was taken on as as
sistant in tho furniture and under
taking establishment of old Nose
Downey, row he married Maggie
Downey and got to be boss Of q busi-
ness that he only gave up when his
little. daughter Millis started going
around with the most prominent bar
ber on Main street. And probably
Uncle Nels is feeding Hank install
ment doses Of his career as a herring
| fisherman in Sweden and a lumber
tack in Minnesota, while in between
times they discuss Hanks rheuma-
tism cure, how old pelican lives to
be and whether or not the ice has
started to break up in the straits Of
Mackinao"
ines doesn't let me get away will,
any such amateur guesswork. She
shakes her head. They're up to
something. them two" says sha "Mr.
Snively comes up to see Uncle Nels
carly this morning. before breakfast.
He looked excited, too"
Maybe he'd heard of q school of
kingfish running in the bay" ! sug-
gests
But it wasn't an hour afterward
| that 1 noticed these two old sboys
standing right in tire middle OF tho
street debating something quite earn
! eat. Automobiles honked at them.
even Erased their heels. but they
never moved. Seemed to be Hank
Snively who was most eloquent, and
he appeared to be urging Uncle Nels
to do something or other