Evening star., 1925-02-15

his "iIe nau recovered the paper,
and was reading with burning eyes
washington" A basilisk glare
shot across the table and turned the
long boy to stone-all except his
mouth, which opened feebly. Wash
ington! Is this true?"
Washy closed his mouth, then let it
slowly open again.
"My dear" Mr.. McCalrs voice was
alarmed. What it is? What is the
matter? Is anything wrong?'
Wrong" Read for yourself"'
x x X
Mr.. MCCALL was completely mysti-
A'A fed. Where, Mr.. Mccall asked
himself, did Washington come in?
He looked at the paper, and received
immediate enlightenment. Headlines
met his eye.
GOOD STUFF IN THIS BOY
ABOUT A TON OF 1T
Son of Cora Bates Mccall, Famous Food
Reform Lecturer, Wins Pie Eating
Championship of West Side
There followed a lyrical outburst. So
uplifted had the reporter evidently felt
by the importance of his news that he
had been unable to confine himself to
prose.
MY children, II you fail to shine or
triumph in your special line; If, let us
say, your hopes are bent on some day
being President, and folks ignore your
proper worth and say you've not a
chance on earth, cheer up, for, in these
stirring days, fame may be won in many
ways. Consider. when your spirits fall
the case of Washington Mccall.
'iHiS mother (nee Miss Cora Bates)
is one who frequently crates upon the
proper kind of food which every menu
should include. With eloquence the
world she weans from chops and steaks
and pork and beans. Such horrid things
she'd like to crush and make US live on
milk and mush. But. oh, the thing that
makes her sigh is when she sees us
eating pie! eve heard her lecture last
July upon "The Nations Menace
Pie.'') Alas, the hit 1t made was small
with Master Washington Mccall,
For yesterday we took a trip to see
the great eating championship,
where men with bulging cheeks and eyes
consume vast quantities of pies. A
fashionable West Side crowd beheid the
champion, Spike O'Dowd, endeavor to
defend his throne against an upstart
Blake's Unknown. He wasn't an I'm
known at all. He was young Washing
ton Mccall.
THE champion was a willing lad. His
was a genuine fighting soul. He'd lots
streak did he evince; he tackled apple
pie and mince. This was the motto on
his shield: 'O'Dowds may burst. They
never yield His eyes began to start
and roll. He eased his belt another
hole. Poor fellow. With a single
glance, one saw that he had not a
chance. A python would have had to
crawl and own defeat from young Nc
Call.
His features overcast with shame,
O'Dowd, who'd faltered once or twice,
declined to eat another slice. He tot
tered off, and kindly men rallied round
with oxygen. But Washy, Cora Batess
son, seemed disappointed it was done.
He somehow made those present feel
he'd barely started on his meal We
asked him, Aren't you feeling bad?'
Me" said the lion hearted lad. Lead
me'-he started for the street-'where
l can get a bite to eat On, what a les
son does 1t teach to all Of us, that
splendid speech. How better can the
curtain fall on Master Washington
McCall?"
MR.. MCCALL read this epic through;
AVA then he looked at his son. If such
a thing had not been so impossible,
one would have said that his gaze had
in it something of respect, of admira-
ton, even of reverence.
But how did they find out your
name?" he asked, at length.
Mrs. Mccall exclaimed impatiently.
Is that all you have to say"
NO, no, my dear; Of course not
But the point struck me as curious"
"Wretched boy" cried Mrs. Mccall
Were you insane enough to reveal
your name?"
Washington wriggled uneasily.
"Hullo- ullo- What no? What
ho?"
Archie was standing in the door
way. beaming ingratiatingly on the
family.
The apparition of an entire stranger
served to divert the lightning of Mrs.
McCalrs gaze from the unfortunate
Washy. Archie. catching it between
the eyes. blinked and held on to the
wall He began to regret that he
had yielded to Lucille's entreaty that
he should look in on the McCalls and
use the magnetism of his person
ality upon them in the hope Of in
ducing them to settle the lawsuit
Il think" said Mrs. Mccall icily,
that you must have mistaken your
room"
Archie rallied his shaken forces.
on, no, rather not. Better intro
duce myself-what? My names Mof-
fam, you know. I'm old Brewster's
SON. in law, and all that sort of rot.
if you know what I mean" He
gulped and continued: "I've come
about this jolly old lawsuit, don't you
know"
Mr. Mccall seemed about to speak,
but his wife anticipated him.
Mr.. Brewster's attorneys are in
communication with ours. We do not
wish to discuss the matter"
Archie resumed his discourse.
NO. But l say, you know! I'll tell
you what happened. I hate to totter
in where I'm not wanted and all that,
but my wife made such a point of it.
She begged me to look you up and
see whether we couldn't do some
thing about settling the jolly old
thing. How about it?" He broke off.
Great Scott, l say-what?"
So engrossed had he been in his