Evening star., 1923-08-11
THE OWL TAXI
BY Herbert Footner

BY Herbert Footner
Copyright BY George Fl. Doran Company

and I can depend on her absolutely.
Fortunately II happens to be the custom
in our family that each ones room is
his castle. We lock our doors when
we retire. and no one thinks Of dis
turbing another except in case of neces-
sity Well. when everybody is safe in
bed | shall dress myself in some of
Nina's clothes-since my former dis
guise seemed to shock you SO terribly,
and Nina will let me out by the service
entrance. There is a separate servants
stairway and elevator in this building.
And she will let me in again when /
come home. Let the driver be waiting
for me in oath street say at IL, for we
go to bed early. Don't you come your
self. the risk is too great. 1 particu
larry forbid you to come. Arrange
suitable place for us to meet. and we
will decide what must be done.
SILLY the reason I stay where l am
is very simple / have no other place
to go. Mamma is the only friend have
in America barring yourself. l am not
at all prudish, but I couldn't very we'll
well, could i?
They are playing D'Apres Midi dun
Raun now.
Your rejected friend.
AMY"
CHAPTER x.
AMY's STORY.
confde in Bessie Bickle. That good
soul looked interested. but dubious.
will she have her boys pants on?"
she demanded.
NO." said Greg. smiling.
That's all right, then. Mind. I'm
not saying I blame her; IL she can
get away with 1t, all right. But I
wouldn't have the face myself to talk
to girl with boys pants on; 1
wouldn't know where to look. You
can have my parlor to sit in."
You must come in. too" said Greg.
II want you to know her. She needs
a woman friend
But you said she was tight-toned
lady. What would she want with the
likes of rne?'
Well, 1 don't know, IL it comes to
that; you're pretty high-toned your
GO along with you"
Bessie's parlor was the front room
over the grocery store. The room was
the secret pride of her heart, though,
poor soul, she had little enough occa-
sion to use II. So carefully was 1t
kept that IL looked as spick and span
haps twenty-five years before. There
was Brussels carpet on. the floor
with a design of punches of red roses
on green ground, and there was a
green plush "parlor suit In the
center of the room stood marble
topped table with wonderfully curly
legs, and upon 1t there was a plush
album and two piles OF gift books"
placed criss-cross. On the mantel-
piece was an imitation onyx clock
f1anked by superb pair of near
bronze Vikings with batt1e-axes
which you could take out OF their
hands II you wished.
Over the mantel hung a crayon por-
late Mr.. Bickle, fresh from the bar
ber's. He occupied the place Of honor
presumably because he was the more
recent. He was faced from across the
room by Mr.. Daniel Creavy. his prede-
esssor; ,s Mr.. creayy was sross-eyed. and
realist, had disdained to modify his
squint by a jot. There were several
other pictures colored and represent
ing sentimental situations, entitled
Parted" The Tiff" and THE Green
AS the time drew near when Hicky
might be supposed to return with his
passenger. Greg and Bessie waited in
the parlor. Bessie. in a stiff. rustling
black taffeta. was magnificent and
adopted a manner to match and sat
in awful silence, with her hands in
her lap, while Greg fdgeted He
found himself endlessiy computing
the number OF yards that had gone
to make that voluminous costume
The word had gone round the yard
below that Greg's friend. the little
South American princess Gas reported
by Hickey was coming that night.
and one by one they all found some
excuse. for dropping in on the chance
of seeing her-Bull Tandy, Blossom,
Ginger McAfee. Only Pa Simmons
was missing.
They heard the machine-gun when
she first turned the corner from Hous-
ton street. and Greg sprang down the
stairs. Hickey had been instructed
to bring his passenger to the front
door, of course. Bessie waited in