Evening star., 1924-10-12

newspaper
I'VE had a lovely meeting-Mrs.
Wcunicott was there, and Mrs. Beal,
and Mrs. Edwin Pillcreak, and Mrs.
James. and Ada, and both the jamie
! sons, and the vicar made two lovely
speeches.
"Oh. that was nice" said Mr.. Meads.
trying to read.
Il should think you'd want your
supper"
I'm ready when you are, my love-"
Mr.. Meads drew his chair up to the
table and carved rapidly. Then he
rang a little tinkly hand-bell and
the new maid appeared.
GO into the shop, my dear" he
said, "and get me pot of picked
| walnuts."
The maid went, and Mrs. Meads
''Um-being bit extravagant to-
night, John"
THE laborer is worthy of his hire
quoted Mr.. Meads sententiously. BE
sides we had good day today
done a lot of business Pass the
Stout
I'm glad to hear it," replied Mrs.
| Meade. RS about time things began
to improve. Mrs. Wonuicott was wearin'
her biscuit -colored taffeta. She
looked smart. oh, and Mrs. Mount
head was there. too. No end of a
swell she looked"
Mr.. Meads' eyes lighted with a
definite interest. Mrs. Mounthead
was the wife of James Mounthead,
hostelry, "The Die Is Cast" When
his long days work was over Mr..
Meads would not infrequently pop
into "The Die Is Cast" He swallowed
half a glass of stout at a gulp.
''Oh, SO she's got into it, too. has
| she?" he said.
Yes. she's really quite pleasant.
She told me that her husband has
just bought Bolders farm over at
there who's marrying Kate Steyning.
BY the way. we haven't heard from
Charlie for nearly three weeks"
Mr.. Meads sighed. Everybody in
| the neighborhood knew that their son
Charlie was up in London, and not
doing himself or anybody else any
good And Ede must need talk
| about old Mounthead's son-a promis-
ing, industrious fellow. Oh! and SO
James had bought him Bolder's farm.
had he? Just bought it in the way
that he, Sam Meads, might buy d
gramophone. or an umbrella. Psaugh.
81 don't want no TART he said, OH
observing Edie begin to carve it.
NO tart" she exclaimed. why,
what's wrong?"
''Oh. I don't konw." he replied.
Working too hard. I'll go out for a
stroll after supper.
An hour later he was leaning
| against the bar of The Die Is Cast"
| mixing gin and water, and listening
to Mr.. MountheadS discourse on dogs.
Other cron!es drifted in. They were
| all friends of both Mr.. Meads and
Mr.. Afounthead. Mrs. Mounthead
seldom appeared in the bar. but there
was a potman and a barfnaid; and
| somewhere in the rear a cook, two
housemaids, a scullerymaid, boy for
knives and boots, and hostler. Mr.
Mounthead also had his own farm
we'll stocked with pigs, cattle, and
money in a sleepy, leisurely way, he
dropped casually that he was engag-
ing an overseer at 400 year to take
his sons place.
"He doesn't know what work is,
| either suddenly occurred to Mr..
| Meads. Mr.. Mounthead only served in
| the shop as a kind of social relaXa-
tion II he, Sam Meads. didn't serve
III his shop himself all day from early
| morning till late evening, goodness
| knows what would happen to the
business Besides-the pettiness of it
all. People running up little accounts
it was always hard TO collect But
here-oh, the snappy quick profit
Everybody paying on the nail. served
in q second, and what a profit. Walk
ing home, little dejcctedly. he
struck the road with his stick and
muttered:
"Drat that man.
MEs. JAMES MouNrHEAD leaned
AV1 back luxuriously in the easy
II ~,t<
fly up the stairs and opened the door.
"A nightcap, Queenie?" he wheezed
Mrs. Mounthead smiled brightly. Il
think 1 will tonight, Jim
| He went to cabinet and poured
out two mixed drinks. He handed
his wife one and, raising the other
to his lips, said:
We'll, here's to the boy
Here's to James the Second" she
replied. and drank deeply. Her eyes
| sparkled. 4 little drink easily af-
| fected Mrs. Mounthead. She became
| garrulous.
Il had q good time at the Welfare,
| though some of the old cats didl.' t
! like me, I know. Ha- ha, ha; what
do 7 care? We could buy the whole
lot up if we wanted to, except per-
haps the Wonnicotts. You should
have seen cid Mrs. Meads. Looked
| like a waSherwoman on a. Sunday.
| The vicar called me madam and said
| he 'oped / often come. / gave a fiver
to the fund. Ha. ha, ha; 1 didn't tell
'eu that ] made it backing Ringcross
for the Nunhead stakes yesterday!
! They'd have died.
During this verbal explosion James
Mounthead thought to himself: "Um.
It's pity Queenie gives herself away
! sometimes" He wanted to talk about
| their success, but he didn't want to
/ boast about wealth in quite that way.
His father had been a small landed
proprietor and stock breeder
man of stern, unrelentirG principles.
| From his father he, James Mount
| head, had inherited a kind Of rever-
| ence for the ordered development OF
land and cattle an innate respect for
the sanctity of tradition. caste. prop
| erty and fair dealing. His wife was
| the daughter of a publican at Pond
hurst AS girl she had served in
the bar. When she had a little to
! drink she was apt to display her
worst side. James sighed
Did Mrs. Wonnicott say anything
| about her husband:'' he asked, to
change the subject.
You bet she did. Tried to put it
| across us-when l told her about us