Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-04-17


when the afternoon local achieved 1t:
daily miracle. Before it had come t
a full stop, Ann swung of with care
hss grace that revealed to her father
and such of the world as was a
lArge-comprising the station agent
and two anything but disinterested by
standers--that in New York the fe
male of the intelligentsia still rolled lts
stockings.
To the station agent she granted
smile and a nod. TO her father she pre-
sented a presumably filal kiss on the
tip of his nose. David Minot took her
suit case.
Hot in New York;" he asked.
<-E replied that it was hotter than
.l,cs women never referred to In ms
youth. hut he merely remarked that he
had suspected as much.
You look a bit wilted.' he added.
Anu grfmaced eXpressiVely.
"T"S been working like n fiend, she
fn+offne1 him. Van ran over TO Eu-
cope. and l had TO carry the magazine
an A.y shoulders.
Ann was associate editor of Dawn,
a Magazine Of Tomorrow" an ultra
radical publication. When anybody
Uas inept enough to tell her he had
never heard of Dawn. Ann was apt to
answer that she would have assumed
rs much ..
ITS one of those magazines, Eddie,
AIMS father had just informed the
station agent, that are published by
people whose brows are so high that
even their feet are in the clouds. 1t S
edited by young chap named Van
Fieck. who can see truths that es-
caped Solomon and Socrates"
Now. the associate editor OF Dawn
y =, znR
1t tool, them to the house in which 1--WE
generations OF Minots had been born.
I'm bring your suit case up IN a
minute, he said.
Il can carry it myself. L want a
swim, anyway"
AS he puttered around his car he
. saw her emerge from the house. ready
for her swim. The sun was on her
bright hair. bobbed in new way, SHIN
Sled. he supposed. AS for her cos
tune, he, in his own words, no longer
SHE'D when he saw her so,
II quite agree with you" he had as
aured Kitty Marston, his housekeeper,
who, after reminding him that she had
known him all her life and guessed she
had the right to speak her mind, had
done so on the subject of Anne gen.
orally and AIMS bathing costume par
ticularly. ;,
It's this way, Hitty," he had
soothed her AIMS too old to be
SPANKED, and she's not old enough as
yet to be reasoned with
She's old enough to know better.
II remember" he had reminisced, "a
chan named Charley Emmons, who
lived around here when / was boy.
He was counted pretty wild. When
girl YOU may remember. too. went
buggy riding with him. her mother had
conniptions.
She was right, too Kitty had IN
ferrupted. II can see that now.
YES. but you couldn't see 1t then,
IIitty, though your mother said you
were old enough to know better. You
were young, and young folks have to
learn by experience. You can't tell
Ahem anything, because 1t never
proves anything to them except that
you are an old fogy."
Kitty served Ann and her father
their supper. Ann did most OF the
talking, slyly prodded by her father.
After supper he took his pipe from the
mantel.
Guess I'll go over to the mill for
SPELL he said.
g 80
gT~HE mill was very old. Electricity
had replaced the old mill wheel,
mt the latter remained in place.
Wtle porch was perched over it. There
it was David Minot's habit TO sit and
smoke after supper, whenever the
weather permitted.
Evenings such as this filed him
with a sense of peace. The waters OF
Long Pond Brook. flowing almost
noiselessly below him, were no less
peaceful than his life had been, in the
main. The slow slap of the idle wheel
was music to him. The call of the city
had never held an allure for him. The
best friend of his youth, Billy Dighton,
had discussed that with him on this
same porch more than 80 years ago.
the week after Billy's mother had died.
There is nothing to hold me now,
Billy had said. New York for me,
Dave!'
Going to sell the old place. Billy"
mo. One of these days, when I've
made my pile, I'll come back again.
What for?"
"Oh, to enjoy myself, fish and hunt
Even so long ago AIMS father had
had that philosophic twist of mind
Mat the gathering years were to
deepen and mellow.
Make a, million, and then come back
to enjoy yourselfp' he had comment.
ed. IF that's what you want, why not
stay here? You don't need million tc
fish and hunt"'
Last night the old Dighton place,
lang since modernized with pergolas,
dormers and baths. had been dark. To.
night it was brilliantly lighted.
= Guess Billy is back" unused AIMS
father. He grinned. I'm have to
spring some of AIMS latest on him."
He heard footsteps behind him.
Turning, he saw his old friend.
Thought you had arrived, he said.
siChair there for YOU"
The other sank into the chair.
"W'bew" he grunted. I'm glad 70
Rst here; it's been hot in New York.
Judged az much from what Ann
said, when she arrived this afternoon"
replied David dryly.
BILLY lighted a cigar. Then he set,
tied back in his chair, lifting his feet
% the rail.
Has Bob been around here" he de-
randed.
lie referred. AIMS father knew. to
his son.
Bob? Haven't seen han yet"
Dave, what in time has bitten
young folks nowadays, anyway"
asked Billy.
Something bitten Bob"
Bitten him. ! should say some
thing had. Most foolish talk l ever
heard. Nothing suits him."
AIMS the same way. Shes getting
discouraged about men like you. And
me, too. We're stumbling blocks, with
our outworn notions"
The slow drawl broke off abruptly.
From below, where a path led along
the brook to a foot bridge across the
dam, AIMS incisive voice came up to
them.
The trouble with you" she was
saying, lis that you are of piece with
your father. You're a born conserVa-
tive, and you get more so every year"
ThGy both guessed who her COM
panion was; Bob Dighton. arriving
with his father had sirnllad over 10