Evening star., 1923-08-26
SHE PAUSED, GAZING FIxEDLY OUT OF THE WINDOW

week. Lu." he said, seating himself
Where on earth you been?"
Argument before the federal court
in Springfield." Lucius answered.
What did you want to see me about
Mortimore?"
Mortimer removed his hat. Heard
about Henry Ledyard YETI" he in
quired.
NO"
Well. sir, he went up there" said
Mortimer. He only went oncet"
What was the trouble?"
Mr.. Fole cast his eyes high aloft
Maud and BILL" he said
What did they do?"
Henry was settin' in the parlor
talkin' to their mother and, the way
heard it. all of a sudden they heard
somep'n go Pop outside in the hall
and when they come to look 1t was
that new. stiff, high h-crowned straw
hat he went and ordered from New
York and had shipped out here by
express Them two children have
just about got this town buffaioed,
Lu"
oh. only breaking a straw hat"
said Lucius. II don't see how
that's"
THE two Of 'em come uptown"
Mortimer interrupted firmly. They
come uptown and thew went into E.
J. Fuller's store and Ed says they
come mighty near drivin' him crazy.
walkin' up and down blind him
singin' 'Gran'mammy Tipsytoe.' Then
they went on over to Milo Carter's
and they had a dollar and forty cents
with 'em that they'd went and got
out of their little bank. They ct
seven big ice-cream sodies apiece and
got sick right in the store. And that
amt half of it,"
What's the other half?" Lucius
asked gravely.
Well. you heard about Bore, of
course"
mo, haven't"
y ~ **
\ rubbed his head II
1f1 reckon that might be So" he
admitted. Il guess you must of left
town by the time it leaked out"
by the time what leaked out?"
We'll. you remember how he start
ed off. that day." Mortimer began, ito
git her to go out buggy-ridin' in his
phaeton with ole General?"
Yes"
Well, sir, he turned up at the
hardware store about two hours later
nd hn
and so they just set around and
talked, instead of ridin' But Bore
never went back there, and amt
goin' to, you bet, any more than what
Henry Ladyard is! There amt hard
ly q man in town but what Maud and
Bits got buffaloed. Lu."
Mr.. Allen occupied himself with
the sharpening of a pencil What
did they do to Thompson" he asked
casually.
Well. sir. after he went up there
and wasn't no sign Of him on the
Square fer awhile. I walked around
there the back way by Copes' alley,
and just as I was turnin' in one end
the alley, by Glory! here come P.
Borodino Thompson leadin' ole Cen
eral and the phaeton in at the other
end. and walkin' as fur away from
him as he could and yet still lead
him.
Well, sir, pore ole General-honest,
he looked more like a slaughter
house than he did like a horse, Lu!
What Is the matter, Bore1 I says,
and you never hear a man take on
the way he done.
Seems Maud and Bill had painted
ole General red while Bore was in
the house fixin' to take their mother
out on this here buggy-ride. And,
we'll, sir. to hear him take on, you'd
of thought ! was responsible for the
whole business! Says it might as
well be all over town, now he'd ran
into me! But kind o. soothed him
down, and last I fixed 1t UP with him
to give me credit for little in
surance my wife's been wantin' to
take out on her stepmother. IL I'd put
General and the phaeton In George
Coles empty barn, there in the alley,
until after dark, and not say nothin'
to George or anybody about 1t. and
then drive him over to Bore's and
unhitch him and wash him of with
turpentine that night.
"WeIl. sir. II I've told Bore Thomp-
SON once I've told him hundred
times. what's the use his actin the
fool about It! What earthly goods
it goin' to do says, to 60 around
mad I says. and ahusin' the very
ones / says, that done the most to
help you out? The boys are bound
to have their joke I says to him.
and IL IL hadn't been you. why. like
- not they might Of been riggin'