Evening star., 1923-12-16

! lOC MCSI ANDERSTANI
SAID, 9
them just as they like being treated
! That SOP he said seriously.
Oh millions. Have you ever beel
to London?"
| The porter had not had this advan
tage.
| You ought to ask the station-mas s
| ter to let you go one day. It's a mos
| wonderful place, you know. My deal
! Aunt Victoria says the city of Londor
Is the hubbub of the empire"
That so?" said the porter.
The little girl nodded in vigorous
! confirmation. And it is noisyr
She now. by glance toward the
| exits and a gesture of her shoulders
quite clearly instructed the porter
that his duties must now be at
tended
He swung up her satchel in one
horny fist and, again obeying a ges-
ture, extended the other toward her.
She took 1t and gave the explana ton
she seemed. to think necessary. You
see. I'm only eight" she said, "and
in railroad stations 1 always hold
my dear mammals hand"
Amt your mamma come with you
then% inquired the porter.
Her reply caused him to look sharp
ly down at her, trotting by his side.
"Oh. no. You see, my dear mamma
is dead"
THE brinl Of her hat permitted the
porter to see only the lower part
! OF her face. he caught a quick pro-
trusion and withdrawal of her lips.
"Ah. dear, DEAR the porter said.
She's with Cod said the little
girl, and most forlornly sighed.
That so?" said the porter.
He felt ,immediately-he was a man
| Of rather delicate perceptions. (for a
porter)-that this was an inept re-
| mark. but he had been rather taken
aback, and ii had been jerked out of
him on the rebound Gas he might
have explained it). To cover il, and
to get we'll away from it, he said. in
a changed and hearty voice: And
where might you be making to now,
missy"'
I'm going to my dear Uncle
Henry"
THAT so?' said the porter And
what might your uncle's name be,
missy?"
The little girl replied. My dear
Uncle Henry is Henry Bassett, Es-
quire, the Old Court House, near
Penny Green, Tidborough."
The porter whistled. He felt daZed,
and in silence he led the way into
the station yard. He hailed a ham
som cab and swung up her satchel. !.
Wherever don't you think this
fares bound for?"
"Old Bassett's." said the porter to
the driver.
The driver jerked up his. head.
mot on your life she amt" He had
a very deep. suspicious voice and a
very small. bsery and suspicious eye.
mot on your life" d.
ASK Of. her. then" affirmed the
porter. The little, girl was standing
by the horse head, her hands clasped
in ecstatic admiration. Calls i'm
her dear Uncle Henry
Not on your life she don'tw
The porter nodded impressively.
right there on the platform. There
was they" said the porter-"there
was they waiting for this year strike
breaker, and there's the strike
breaker as has come and" He
broke off. for tho little girl was ap-
preaching him, her fingers in her
purse.
Thank you, porter" she addressed
him. That's very nice. Here is
threepence for you. Just lift me up
to the step. will you? And in case,
porter, any of the four-wheelers are
annoyed 1 took a hanson. just tell
them, please, it's because I like to
watch the horse" She caught tho
drivers small and suspicious. eye as
toundingly regarding her over the
roof; but with the air of one doing
the correct thing she ignored his eye
and gave her instruction to the por-
ter. "Tn tell the man where to 60
from inside"
I've told him, missy" said tho
porter.
She was working herself on to the
seat. She said.. reprovingly, "But
still will, if you don't mind. My dear
mamma always tells him from the
inside when he looks through the
little hole in the top"
That so?" said the porter and
stepped back and stared upon the
driver with eyes that asked, Did you
everT'
A yellow. eye !; gased. lambently
down upon the little girl through the
roof-trap. She addressed 1t. "If you
please, am going to, my dear Unole
Henry; to Henry Basset, Esquire, the
OLD Courthouse. near, Penny Green,
Tfdborough. What's your horses
narne"
The driver gazed first upon his
horse, then upon the porter. and then
inside his hat, as though with some
expectation of finding, the horses
name there written. The only name
by which he ever called his horse
was BLAST yer'-"Get. up, blast yer.
Now them. blast yer. Whoa, blast
yer"
-He~Eaa~h however. A-upAn~ of -HA-