Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-01-14

are in q trance. I got stung a dollar
for a drive OF two blocks in a fiivver
taxi. and after I'd registered in this
Ruge Ritz the glossy-haired room
clerk eased it to me that he was
charging me six per day for No. 15,
with bath--at the other end of the
hall.
what is II. the presidential suffer"
asked. How. about meals?"
"a la carte. in the Colonial grill"
says he.
No. They always have one eye
open. at least. But as G. Hanson was
aue to settle the expense bill went
20 the limit. And my first move. at
the dinner that evening. was to buy
the head waitress. Not that I want
ed extra service or am fussy about
table by the window. but in a joint
like this a head waitress is apt to
be permanent institution. More
than likely she's a niece or a second
cousin of the landlord, has been born
and brought up there and knows
everybody in town. Anyway, Mrs. /
Tooter did.
first ten minutes. Mrs. Tooter wasn't
that kind. Hardly. She knew she
was just as good as I was and made
sure that I knew It, too. So she never
hatted an eye when slipped her that
ffve-spot, but just palmed IL casual,
handed me over naughty TO a frizzed-
haired assistant and sailed off with
her chin in the air. majestic. high
chested. wide-hipped female. Mrs.
Tooter. with a streak of gray In her
black hair and q cold. gray look in
her black eyes. AS went out
though. I followed up the five with
one OF my best twisty smiles and
Mrs. Tooter almost smiled back.
Before breakfast was over next
morning 1 had melted the frost. I
had told her how bully the poached
eggs and bacon were. that the coffee
was the best I'd ever tasted and ask
ed about the canary singing in a
sunny corner of the dining room. 1t
was her canary. She had two more
in her room. one that could do tricks.
Yes, she'd be glad to have me see
zinny, IL l was going to be there
long enough. Oh. was I? Well. that
was different. There'd be a better
table vacant at luncheon and a good
waitress for me. Yes. certainly she
would get me dollars worth OF
flowers. 1t was so nice to have
guests who appreciated things.
A LII of which led up to a real long
"A chat about Badbury and the
people who lived there. Sever
al chats. in fact: usually as ] was
stringing out a late meal in an al
most empty dining room. Yes. she
admitted II was quite a nice, lively
little town for it's size. There was a
shoe factory, with twenty girls I'm
the stitching room: a tile and drain
works. out at the North end; a spool
mill. that wasn't running now. but
might start up again in the spring;
and the Allen tannery.
mot the Ira Allen tannery?" 7
asked. why. that must be the Mr..
Allen I met in New York not long
ago. They said he owned a tannery
somewhere up in Connecticut"
says Mrs. Tooter. Look, There he
goes down Main street now. Is that
the one you metz"
There was no mistaking the trick
derby, even If he had changed his
Sunday overcoat for somewhat
weather beaten old ulster with a fur
collar. He was driving an antique
touring car. one of the high strung.
brass-bound kind of about the 1912
model. and as he crouched behind the
big steering wheel he looked shorter
and more insignificant than ever. Sit
| ting very straight beside him was a
middle-aged woman who wore an old
fashioned sealskin cape with quite an
air of elegance. At least. she was
holding her ne chin we'll up, and
her thin, aristocratic nose naturally
had a similar elevation. As Mr.. Allen
had pulled into the curb almost across
front of the Badbury Savings Bank,
had a good look at her.
Mrs. Ira Allen. l SUPPOSE" says /.
Mrs Tooter nodded with a careless
toss of her head. I thought.
Must have been rather a sumner
when she was younger" I suggested.
Carrie was" admits Mrs Tooter.
Carrie, eh?" says 1. Then YOU
know her quite well?"
ct did," corrects Mrs. Tooter. I'VE
went to school together. went to the
same dances and parties, and worked
at the same bench in the tannery fin
oh
known herr"
And the way she put in that have
known" was more or less illumi-
mating,
"ohw says I. "Then she married
Ira Allen. and you-"
st married Jim Tooter, who was
helping his uncle run the Putnam
House here" says she, with bitter
touch in her voice.
at see," says I. And what happen
ed to"
"Jim was captain of Company b
when the Spanish American war
broke out" she explained. I'VE had
been married less than a year when
he started out to free Cuba. He got
as far as that camp near Jackson
willie, Fla. where so many of the boys
died OF typhoid. Jim was one. so
that is why I'm here and Carrie is
we'll, she's Mrs. Ira Allen"
! " y y
r ATER on got more details. Mean
IL while, though. I had been out
and looked over the Allen plant and
the Allen home. At one end of the
town was the tannery. a solid old
stone building with rambling wooden
additions. The date cut in the key