Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-20

into her cupped hands. She stroked
its soft fur.
Its hungry" Ned said. You ought
TO take it home and give 1t some milk "
II don't believe 1t belongs to any
one," said Jane, holding her cupped
hands to her face. Il believe It's a
stray kitten. I'm going to keep it,"
That's no stray cat, Jane" Ned
said. Not a cat like that. Look at
it-that's a pedigreed cat. Look at the
ribbon around its neck.
II don't care" Jane said, I'm going
to keep it anyway. It's a lost kitten,
and If you don't take it, some dog Will
kill it, poor little thing! Hadn't l bet
ter keep it, Ned?'
We'll Fido likes it, Ned said IT'S
a nice cat. Kitty want some MILK
"Miau." said Jane very softly.
Hear him purr." Ned said. "An
right, keep him. What are you going
to call him."
Il think I'll call him Alexander"
Jane said. II had cat named Alex
ander. back in Iddlesborough, Ohio,
long before father and mother died"
After that Fido and Alexander were
great friends.
X X x *
Ava suffered from repressed emotions
and acute indigestion, but she was a
good woman for all that, and she IN
sisted that as her present, she be al
lowed to give the wedding, so the invi
tations went out reading: Mrs. Nathan
Vince Hale requests your presence at
the" and the ceremony was to be
in the back parlor
The wedding presents began arriv-
ing as soon as the invitations were
mailed. and nearly every time Ned
and Jane returned from their work
or from hunting the apartment there
were more pickle-forks. Some we'd
dings run to one thing and some to
another but this one ran to pickle
forks. The pickle-forks were a source
of much merriment: everything that
looked even remotely like a pickle
fork became One-marshmallOw
forks, fish-forks and dinnerforkS-
and for convenience and joy Ned
called all the presents that had a deep
and unfathomable purpose, as so
many wedding presents have, pickle
forks
The truth is that the presents were
not much. Wilson, Dickett and Com
pany sent a small case of plated table
silver. That topped the list until
Branch and Glare, Ned's employers.
sent another small case of plated
table-silver exactly like it. But if you
have ever seen one of the arrays or
gifts that have to have detectives
standing around. James gifts would
have looked rather pitifully paltry.
They ran, in general, to the 9S-cent
variety. But that made no difference
to Jane-she loved them all. Ned. of
course, had to make fun of some or
them. There was an affair of ash.
stained to resemble walnut, that was
a straight, high post with square pegs
at the top and four silly little legs at
the bottom. 1t was to hang things on,
but If you hung a cap on one Of the
pegs without hanging a cap of equal
weight on the opposite peg, the thing
fell right over fiat on the floor. There
was a photogravure picture that Ned
Immediately entitled "Diaphanoos
Bobbling at the Brook" 1t looked as
much like that as like anything and
was pretty terrible, especially the
frame. There was one sofa pillow
that looked like the worst stage of a
fire in an egg packery.
The evening before the wedding
night Ned came home from work and
ran up the stairs, taking three steps
at a Jump. He called, Here, Fido!
Here, Fido," as soon as he entered,
and he heard James Maui in an
swer She had her arms around him
in an instant and kissed him tremend-
ously.
Ned. Nedw she cried. ITS some.
thing acknowledgements
full. What do you think I've got? You
can't guess"
"a pickle-fork," he guessed.
Look" She held a slip of paper
so close to his eyes that he had to
bend his head back to see it.
"Oh, s2addie! Oh, sonny! Oh, boy"
Ned exclaimed.
"One - thousand - dollars" cried
Jane. ITS a check from Aunt Jane
she was here. didn't see her; hadn't
come in, but she saw Mrs. Hale and
she gave it to her. She said she felt
she must bring it herself, because 1t
would seem so cold and everything
just to send it and"
II didn't know you had an Aunt
Jane" Ned said.
IT haven't" Jane said. "At least.
not hardly. I mean. she isn't real
aunt-not quite. Mothers sister mar
ried Mr.. Elfus and mothers sister
died, Ned, and Mr.. Elfus married Aunt
Jane
mo, she wasn't anybody. I mean
not until. She was from Detroit. But,
you see, I was named for her. She
was visiting in Iddlesborough when /
was born, and she really was sort of
aunt. She was Mr.. Elfus' wife in
place of the wife who was my aunt
well, anyway"
Anyway" said Ned, shes dear
old thing"
NO" said Jane hesitantly. mo, she