Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1925-06-18


the look Of the professional gambler o
the day The wide sloucb nat. the now
ing mOustache the glittering eye, tn
too-brIght boots. the gay CiaVat, nj
were missing In Simeon Peake's make
no True, he did sport . singularlJ
dear white diamond pin In his shirt
front and his hat he wore just Q little
On one side. But then. these both were
IN the male mode and quite COMMONLY
seen For the rest he seemed . mild
and suaVe man, slim, a tTifie difiident
epesicinE seldsm AID t4,ettH with New
nndand- dFaWl by w4t4cb, had come
honestly enough Vermont Peake that
he Wss.
Chicago was his meat. II was boom
hg prosperous He pisyes Is good
heck and bad. but ne managed some
how to see to It that there vas always
the money to pay for the Flster school
bag. Selma was happy. She knew only
ssch young peOpie-glris-aS she met
81 Miss listers school.
Her chum was Julie Hempei, daugh-
tcl Of August Hempei. the Clark street
butcher. You probably now own some
Hempci stock. if you're lucky; and eat
Hempcl bacon and HempeI hams cured
In the hickory, for in Chicago the dis
tance from butcher Of 1895 to packer
Of 1890 was only fiVe-year leap.
Belng so much alone developed In
her a gift for the make-beieve. In a
comfortable, well-dressed way she was
a sort Of mixture Of Dick Swlvellers
MarchlOness and Sarah Crewe. Even
la her childhood she extracted from
life the double enjoyment that comes
usually only to the creative mind.
'Now I'm doing this. Now I'm doing
that" she told herself while she was
doing It. Looking On while she par
bcipated. Perhaps her tt,eater- going
had something to- do with this. At an
age when most little girls were not
shy uAheard but practically unseen,
sise occupied O. grOw4-uP seat at tho
play. her rapt face. with It's dark seri-
0sls eyes. glowing In a sort OF luminous
psEIor az she sat proudly next her
father.
In this way Selma. half-hldden In
the depths of an orchestra seat, wrtg-
gied In ecstatlc anticipation when the
curtain assembled on the grotesque
rows Of Haverlys mInstreis. She wit
messed that startling innovation. "A Jew
ist, play, called SAINT Of POsen." She
ssw Fannie Davenport In "Pique." Sim
con even took her to performance OF
that shocking and delightful form OF
new entertainment. the Extravaganza.
The thing 1 like about plays and
books In that anything can happen.
Anything You never know" Selma
said
mo different from ufe," Simeon
Peake assured her You've no idea
the things that happen to you IL you
Just relax and take them as they
come"
OuriOusly enough Simeon Peake said
this not through ignorance. but de-
lIberately and with reason. In his way
and day he was very modern father.
Il want you to see all kinds" he would
say to her. 81 want you to realize that
this whole thing is Just a grand ad-
ventuqe A fine show. The trick 10 to
play in It and look at 1t at the same
time"
what whole thlnsf"
Living. All mixed up. The more
kinds OF people you see. aud the more
things you do, and the more things
that happen to you. the richer you are.
Mven If they're not pleasant things.
That's living. Remember. no matter
what happens, good or bad. it's Just SO
much"-he used the gamblers term,
unc0nsclously-'jus SO much velvet"
But Selma. somehow understood.
"You mean that anything's better than
being Aunt Sarah and Aunt Abbie."
"Well-yes. There are only two
kinds of people In the world that really
count. One kinds wheat and the other
kinds emeralds."
Fanny Davenport's an emerald"
said Selma. quickly, and rather sur
prised to find herself saying 1t.
eyes. That's It."
"Aud-and Julie HempeI's father
he's wheat"
by golly, Sele!" shouted Simeon
Peake. you're u shrewd little tyke T.
Julie Hempel and Selma Peaks. both
dashed products Of Miss listers
school, were of an age-nineteen. Sc
Ina. on this September day, had been
spreading the afternoon with Julie, and
tow, adjusting her hat preparatory to
leaving, she clapped her hands over
her ears to shut out the sounds OF
Sulie's importunings that she stay ia
supper. Certainly the prospect of the
usual Monday evening meal In Mrs
EebbItt's boarding house did not pre-
nent sufficient excuse for Selina's re
fusaI. Indeed, the HempeI supper a:
sketched dish for dish by the urgent
Julie brought little greedy groans from
Selma.
ats prairie chickens-three of then
that q farmer west of town brought
Father. Mother fixes them with stuff
ing. and there's currant jeii. Dreamed
onions and baked tomatoes. And fol-
dessert. apple roll"
Selma snapped the elastic holding
her kligh-crOwned hat under her CHG
non Of hair In the back She uttered a
dnaI and quavering groan. ION Mon
r'zi.tS--me-h have cold mutton and
tie in the Rochelle New Era. the
stice OF the Peace advertised for