Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-01-19

:. tSssn. los, '
told them he was bringing along an
ether man: me-, that a
"D'you think I'm wanted, barging
into a strange crowd like this" I said,
rather doubtfully. 81 haven't spent
an evening out anywhere for donkey's
years, either"
Time you started again then, Old
Horse. Dash it AL. you shall have
one bright spot" Slim told me. after
this TIL let you struggle along for
yourself. but this'll be the thin end of
the wedge-" %,
And I was reminded of how Doctor
Weatherby had said after giving me
thai bit of q telling oft the night be-
fore. whenever you've the chance,
lad, get about and meet fresh people.
Most people may. be bores. but some
of them are bound to be interesting
or to introduce you to interesting
friends, or. to have plenty of young
people belonging to them, or some
OF meeting girls. Lots of girls; the
kind who'd be your sisters chums, if
you had sisters"
He'd wound up THE home Of a
young fellow just growing UP ought
to be kept full Of other young faces,
and frocils. and dance-music, and fun.
That's the principle Ia meant to bring
my fellow up on. Boys want the odd
drink Let them have the odd drink
home"
l remembered this as l dived into
Sunday evening with Slim Grantham.
Sims a bit vague in some ways.
When I asked him where we were
going he said, "Oh the Dug-Out!
often give them a look-in. Sundays.
Son generally gets up from camp
week-ends and brings along half the
wing with him and Lou usually, has
a couple of girls around" and left me
to make what L could of that.
We got out at Baker Street and
walked up a wide empty street be-
tween big old-fashioned houses THAT
I suppose were let off in flats. and
presently Slim ran up some stebs,
pressed a bell and then raped twice
with his cane at a door.
After a bit it was opened by a big
r. A. +. cadet with a very young,
pink face, who took a whacking cigar
out Of his mouth and sang out in
a deep voice. "Hullo. Slim"
"Hullo. Son." says Slim. This
chap I've brought along"
"Hullo. Jack" says this f1ight-ca-
det to me in a casually jolly sort OF
way, without bothering to explain
that Slim had already told him nv
name over the phone, come on in"
We followed him down rather a
dark passage, with doors on each side,
to another door right at the end that
stood just ajar. Bright freight came
through the crack OF it. and tobacco
smoke, and a rumble Of voices and a
woman's laugh, very merry.
The flight-cadet started to push the
door open very gingerly-"it's that
Chesterfield with the end gone again."
ne explained, and evidently something
was being propped up and something
else wheeled aside before we could
make u way in .tssES .4
I wondered what I was coming to.
I wasn't looking forward to anything
much-but I must say I hardly reck-
o1ed for the very unusual sort of par
ty 1t was going to turn out. PARTY"
was hardly yer the word for the
show; and yet I saw at once that 1t
was going to be a good deal better
fun than lots of formal expensive does
with everything Just. So.
To begin with the little bright warm
room we got into vas fuller. than any
thing I've ever been in barring some
of those troop-trains at the beginning
How on earth they'd managed to cram
into it that big Chesterfield with the
let-down end. some chairs, a writing
table with drawers. "a brass fender.
and a dinner-table, already laid Is
more than can tell you. To say
nothing of the gang Of people that
was collected there. looming through
the smoke-haze and yapping and
saughing nineteen to the dozen! Dare
say they seemed twice the number
they really were, just because l hadn't
set eyes on any Of them before. There
was a bunch of frocks. yellow. grey
and pink. And several fellows in
khaki that made me feel as If I'd
somehow got back into "a" Flight
again. what with the talk about n
gines and every man III he push call
ing every other q George" no
matter what his real name was! As
for the hostess OF this lot, she was 4
bit of a surprise: a little merry-faced
lady In a short black silk skirt show
Ing ankles that honestly weren't any
thicker than the other girls wrists,
and looking not a dav over twenty
nine and vet being called NUNS" by
that hefty r. A r.. cadet (tSonY1
er fellows AMI girls rallied her by her
net name. LOU" She wore one OF
these extraordinarily thin mauve
hlouses funny how girls don't all die
OF coldD andNa pearl NECKLACE. and
.t%uruuotse earrings as blue az own
laughing ewes. noticed those be-
cause I think blue; is the only color
frr eyes: the rest I snnt.ced hacause
she sort OF took me under her wing
at once and put me next to her at
table and let ms help hAr carve Inc
ham /