Evening star., 1924-09-21


could not speak much English beyond
Yes" No" Hungry" He could
gesture, however. He appeared to
be trying by pantomime TO convey the
idea that he had been forcibly seized
in his native land. had been pressed
into service aboard a ship, had eScap-
ed at port had fed on train, and
had dropped. or been dropped, at
Crosby Corners. Farm hands were
scarce. and if Il man had two hands
and at least one good eye, farmers
aid not d-lve into his past or his
pedic gree; they put him to work. II
was thus that the small. scared man
in the velvet trousers entered the
employ Of Ben Crosby, richest farmer
in that region
Il found the little rascal" Ben
Crosby told his wife, "squealing like
a pig in a hornets nest, with Con-
stable Petit marching him along by
the ear Constable | says, what
is that and where did you get it? He
says TO me: I dunno what it is. Ben,
but it looks foreign. I found II down
by the railroad tracks trying to eat
a raw potato. 1 says to the constable,
He may he gypsy or he may be a
Hindu, and he looks as il he suspect
cd you OF being a cannibal. But
says. he seems wiry and he didn't
get that lovely tobacco brown finish
of his 'orking in an office. Now |
need N1rds worse than ducks need
ponds. So turn him over to me and
Ill give him a job Petit turned
him over 20 me, and there he is out
at the }1'np washing the dirtieSt pair
Of hands | ever did see. I'll send him
to the back door. Hannah; you give
him a lining Of ham and eggs and
pie and then send him down to me
IL he in the twenty-acre lot"
PRESENTLY there came faint knock
on the back door of the Crosby house
Mrs. Crosby opened the door. and saw
small man standing there. He
bowed deeply. Such bow had never
before been executed in Crosby Cor
ners except in the moving pictures.
Il was . sweeping. courtly thing, that
how, in which the small man swept
off his wide fc.t hat and busted the
pteps with il. Then he smiled: ii
Mas d humble. inEratiating smile. He
looked toward the stove. where the
sizzling ham was sending its aroma
hcavcnward, and sighed.
Mrs Crosby pointed to chair at
the kitchen table. and he, with an
other bow. took il, and presently he
was eating hunsrily and freely. Mrs.
Crosby glanced into the dining room.
where. above the mantel. hung Gran
pa Crosbys Civil War sword. a long,
assured her. AS she studied the man
she decided that. if anything. he was
afraid of her. His hair. she observed,
was biue-black and long. but arrang-
ed in way that suggested that he
was a bit of a dandy.
The strangers trousers surprised
her greatly; they were of black vel
vet. really painfully tight, except at
the bottom of each leg, where they
lared out like bells. He had no
belt, but instead a scarlet sash. His
shirt, when new and clean. must have
been remarkable garment. His
boots were of patent leather and ex-
cessively pointed.
When he had eaten a very great
deal he arose, bowed. smiled beati-
fically, and made gestures of graft
tude. Mrs. Crosby pointed in the di-
rection Of the twenty acre lot, and
he understood Sne saw him pick
ing his way down the path; he was
the first man she had ever seen whose
Gait at one and the same time in
Guided a mince and a swagger.
= x 4
WHEN BEN CROSBY came in to
w his late supper that evening he
announced: 81 was wrong about that
new little fellow. He doesn't seem
10 have done farm work. He's will
ing enough, but hc handles a hay
fork as dainty as if it was a tooth
pick. And, say, he certainly is the
most scary human being l ever set
eyes on. You should have seen him
when the tractor came into the field
with the mowing-machine He gave
yelp and jumped on the stone wall.
Pete High, who was driving, said,
! guess it amt only his skin that's
yellow I hope Pete isn't right. I
hate a coward
Don't you let Pete High pick on
him." admonished Mrs Crosby. Per
haps the man never saw moving
machine before. I remember how
scared I was when I saw the first
automobile come roaring and snort
ing along the road. And so were you,
Ben Crosby"
We'll, didn't let on 7 was" re-
piled her husband, harpooning a po-
tato.
NO, you old hypocrite. maybe you
for tree"
He laughed. and was on the point
of sending a potato to it's final rest
ing-place, when they both heard a
cry-a high. terrified cry that came
through the dusk. He started up.
That's not Janey?" he asked.
NO; she's still in town taking her
music lesson"
Who is it, them" he asked quick
ly.
They heard the patter of running
feet on the path outside: they heard
the sound of feet landing after a
leap to the porch; they heard some
one banging frantically on the front
door. Ben Crosby called out:
What's the NATTER"
flood of words in a strange
tongue answered him.
It's Velvet Pants" he exclaimed
and flung open the door. The small
man. breathleSS, tumbled in.
q What in the name of thundera
tion?" demanded Ben Crosby. The
small man pointed through the open
door with Quivering fingers.
Il don't see anything out there but
the evening" said Ben Crosby.
( Ice" cried the man, very agitat-
; ed. "Ice.'
What do want ice for?" asked Ber
!. Crosby
The man made eloquent gestures
first he pointed at his own face. ther
he pointed outside; his index finger
4 stabbed at the gloom once, twice, q
: uuzen quick times.
''Ice,ice! ice! ice! ice," he said.
= why. Ben, he means eyes," ex-
claimed Mrs. Crosby
eyes? What eyes, Hannah?
don't see any eyes. There's nothing
out there but lightning-bugs."
One of the circling fireflies few
near the open door. The small mar
saw it coming. and made an earnes,
attempt to climb into the grandfather:
clock that stood in the corner Of the
azli.
Zen Crosby threw back his head
and laughed.
why. cats! IL the the little Gus
amt afraid of lightning bugs he
said "Hey Velvet Pants look here