Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-07


waiting, long and low and
masterful with shining nickel
wings beside the motometer.
Miguel was filed with pride in the
wings, with longing for the motometer,
with responsibility and with water
melon.
He lifted in the suit cases. There
was A large, unopened box of dog bis
cult on the front seat He shook the
box gently and pOked it With a mySti-
fed Mexican thumb. But at the slam
of a far-off screen door he sprang from
the running board and stood aside.
serenely surveying the tops of remote
eucalypts.
Martin Barbery was coming down
the drive. looking at his watch. Al
ways, thought Miguel. he punches the
clock. Always the strip maps, the
worried look. And plenty of money.
Miguel shook his head admiringly. So
tall so business lille-like a telegraph
pole.
THE suit cases are in cried
Miguel. And the box. he, too, is in.
1t is maybe for dog?'
1T is, maybe. for a dog"
Your dog. Mr.. Barbery?'
"!iy uncle's.'
IAN uncle? An old man." sighed
Miguel. HE is dead, maybe. In
heaven?"
NO. no." said Martin, startled.
Not dead-only in San Francisco"
All" sighed Miguel, saddered by
departure. You so up San Francisco
Way-not far: not Vancouver? Not
Portland? No trip? No fine place?
No bandits? No forest fires? In the
North. caramba. the mountains are
burning"
Once on the highway. before the
south-boun traffic. ahead of the
husses from San Diego, Martin settled
back. He even tiShed in pocket and
drew out Uncle Benny's telegram.
"One cocker spaniel, Gyp the Blood, y
ran Uncle BennyS telegram. Shipped
Chicago Los Angeles P. S. station.
Bring north. Benjamin Barbery."
Martin frowned. This was his
fathers brother. the keen and crafty
Uncle Benny. lured from Chicago and
points East by the promise of sun
shine perpetual-Uncle Benny at the
last minute distressing Los Angeles.
changing his mind and his tickets
But the dog had already been sent.
Now. Martin had never met Uncle
Benny. but he had heard rumOrS-the
thunder of Uncle Bennys rolling mil
lions upon the Eastern horizon: the
price of Uncle Benny's town car; the
price of Uncle BennTs teeth. lie
would have trouble with Uncle Benny.
He had already had some trouble, but
he would have much more. He had
already offended Uncle Benny.
Martin reviewed the matter judi
cially Uncle Benny owned friends
and the friends owned q daughter who
had been troublesome enough to come
West for August. Martin. eXhorted
by long distance To show her the Bar
berry ranch. had smoked his pipe and
frowned at the wall. Girls had no
place on the BarberY ranch, especially
girls with n name like hers-"Clele."
"Clele'--it was a Curiodsly clinging
name: name belonging to little
marquse with high -hacled. clicking
slippers. It was frivolous. feminine,
French; hard to remember, hard to
forget Clelie-like a small chateau
by an emerald lake, but not in the
least like the Barbery ranch.
Clelie had driven in one August
Sunday. She had pointed TO the royal
palms wrapped in quiet: she had rung
the bell; had pounded. in fact, like the
parcel post. while Martin above
smoked and freWned at the wall. Mig
uel sent smiling blithely upstairs,
went smiling. hurriedly, downstairs.
with the uneasy news that the boss
was in Portland. She had gone away.
He was meeting the morning traffic
out of l.. y. when he decided omi-
nously that he WAS glad she had gone
away But Uncle Benny would be
difficult
THE baggagemaster was sitting
with his chewing gum upon
trunk.
You have a dog here" Martin
began.
..The dog. Bill" shouted the bag
Eagenaster over his shoulder.
The pup in the trunk?' queried
Bill from the shadows.
Martin, amused sat down on Il
weighing machine And then Bill ap-
peared out of the void with beauti-
full trunk-a green trunk with green
lid and a paddock The typewriter
combination of the paddock swung in
green leather folder above the mi
tials &c. T. b 1t was a wonderful
trunk, and they knew it-even Bill
knew it. He opened the paddock and
raised the lid And there before them
sat Gyp the Blood.
Now, Gyp the Blood was small and
warm and eager. A cobweb hung
from his little gray chin. He gazed
up earnestly at Martin, decided after
Rll that the world was good, though a
little too big, and consigned himself
to fate and California. He folded his
ruffled paws prayerfully across his
ruffled chest. EXpectantly. he pre-
scented his stomach to the universe.
And the three men knelt and scra tched
his trusting stomach. For, as usual
all the world smiled-with Gyp the
Blood.
There are trucks on the coast route.
There are tourists and towns. oCea ms
end airplanes. Through tunnels YOU
see queer hills and strange mountains
There is mile where the road be-
comes a wooden trestle along the
roast. with a train roaring steep on