Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-20

F'loyd was 4 weeks old ana she
/ was walking downtown for the
| first time with her friend Mrs
Crewell. when a window full of green
things with attractive placards caught
her eve. 1t was across the street
Henry street. always so crowded at
that time of day But she insisted on
going over, and Mrs Crewell who did
not love plants, reluctantly accom-
panied her..
Palms Minnie exclaimed. Il low"
them. I'm going to have one; that is,
if they are not very expensive
They went in and Minnie picked out
n small palm delicately fronded and
exotic looking. She paid for it out OF
her thin purse-~having baby was eX-
pensive--and she reCkoned that she
would have to do bit more economic
ing than usual to make up for the
outlay.
F'loyd lay in his crib asleep under
the watchful eyes of Grandma Talbot.
He blinkcd bluely at his mother as
she held the palm before him
1T is yours darling" she coocd.
ut will grow up with you and when
you're young man it will be fine
spreading tree
Grandma Talbot smiled as she al.
ways did at her young daughter-in'
laws whims. All she said was;
You oughtn't to have carried that
from downtown"
The palm grew very slowly and
Floyd grew rapidly. Within six
months he was pulling off his stock
ings and trying to get his toe in his
mouth. In six years he had grown
too big for the fiat and the Talbots
took house for him. The palm went,
too. 1t was a beautiful thing by this
time.
Ten years more passed. Floyd was
in his last year of high school and the
palm filled the bay window. Don Tai
bot grumbed about the thing.
Takes up all the room there is in
the house" he said. Il hate the thing
myself, If get near it it grabs at me
with its claws. | don't see what you
like about it. Min"
at is beautiful. Don and--I love it,.
Just think. 1t is as old nearly as our
boy, and almost as high"
IT'S crowding us out of house and
home. 1t will he going through the
roof next" Don said. Cant you saw
off some of those leaves?"
Minnie looked shocked
why. Don! You don't know a
thing about palms." she said. Ma
ture gets rid of the old leaves grad
ually. To wound it would be to kill it,
and l believe" she added with shake
in her voice. that If anything hap
pens to it / couldn 't---stand it,"
Women" said Don. "are queer
creatures"
Old Mrs. Talbot considered the palm
In like unfriendliness.
What do YOU keep it for, Minnie?"
clN tr,l- 4 L., In
house. And it looks as if there were
no end to its growing"
Floyd expressed himself one night
when he was having a party.
Cant you get rid of this old thing?"
he said. "Shove it out somewhere? 1t
takes up a third of the space"
Minnie's lips settled firmly together.
THE PALM" she said gently, has a
right to the room it occupies. We will
let it stay where it is
Floyd looked at his mother vexedly
Il don't see what there is about the
old thing that you like. l wish-it
would freeze" he said.
Tears came to Minnie's ewes. The
palm made things very unpleasant for
her sometimes, but she loved it so
much that she would not give it up.
There came an anxious week when
she had to go to take care of Mother
Talbot. The weather had turned: a
cold wave was rampant. Don and
Floyd were left alone with the palm
and they hated it. Suppose they let
the fire get down or opened a window,
The palm would freeze, as they had
often wished It would.
She returned unhappily. Don and
Floyd had not yet come in, the one
from the days business, the other
from school. She dreaded TO look into
her little parlor;; dreaded to see what
might be there-the delicate palm with
all it's graceful leaves black and droop-
ing. Her throat frightened as she
pushed back the curtains. The draft