Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-26

| aging TO keep going DV thinking COW
grateful they we're. It's easy to be
moral. and say that you don't want
gratitude, that you're working for the
cause. but
Now, what would this be l have?"
hadn't heard Will come in, and his
voice made me Jump. He was always
springing those mind-reading questions
at me; but this was certainly at the
wrong time.
Il don't know what you have, and /
don't give a darn!" l snapped.
OF course. Will didn't know that I
was miserable with cold. and had
just had taste of human ingratitude,
or he would never have said, as he
did, GROSSLY, Well II Id known you
weren't going to take any interest In
the stunt, I'd have got somebody else
to help me. you can bet your bottom
dollar on that"
He walked away. Suddenly, the mad
feeling all went away. / just felt blue
and hurt
Just then the doorbell rang and I
had to let in the Elincourts. Howard
and Rosie came right afterward, and
we all sat down at the table
1t is nervous strain at best, enter
tanning new minister My cold was
so bad that l couldn't tell whether
/ i
nervous watch on America. but. aside
from looking comical--which. of course.
she couldn't be kept from doing--she
didn't seem to do anything very wrong.
| The food looked all right. and l could
only hope 1t tasted all right. too.
! In one way, l soon saw my carefully
| planned dinner was almost a total loss.
DR.. Elincourt was the kind of man
who doesn't know what he's eating.
He started talking, to us about the mis-
sionary In China. and he might have
been in China with the missionary, for
all he knew what he was eating. The
stuffed chops were a triumph: but he'd
moved on to India by the time they
| came, and / might just as we'll have
| given him Clipped b2ef-you could feed
that man sawdust and he'd never
know the difference
| BY the end of that course, my cold
was getting worse so fast that the
room seemed about 90, and l forgot to
| look whether America stacked the
| plates or not. l did come to. though,
! when she brought in the salad. I'd
| told her just how to make 1t, but l
hadn't stood right over her while she
was doing 1t. To my horror, saw
| that she hadn't taken the tinfoil off
/ the cheese, just sliced right down
through 1t. DR. Elincourts piece was
corner. and almost completely COW
cred with tinfoil.
| was so mortified didn't know what
| to do. Mother had always told me
that nothing was worse than to apol-
| ogize for anything on your table--but
Mother had never served tinfoil! felt
that really required explanation.
%&
/ LOOKED nervously at Mrs. Elm
court. She was scraping the cheese
out with her fork, delicately, and pre-
tending, like the lady she Is, that there
wasn't anything funny about serving 1t
that way
opened my lips to apologize, but DR..
| Elincourt was holding the floor, and /
couldn't get In a word
glanced at him, and suddenly my
blood ran cold. There. before my very
| eyes. that man was eating the tinfoil.
oh. DIR. Elincourt!" / Rasped in
shocked protest.
| But he just smiled genial smile. and
| finished the last corner II thered
been a dolly on the plate. he'd have
eaten that, too.
l looked at Mrs. Elincourt In horri-
led reproach. Everybody left everything
Tor me to do 1t did seem as though
she might have taken little RESPONSE
biiity. and stopped him herself Would
it XIII himP 1t seemed TO me l had
heard OF metal poisoning Had / been
murderer at my own table?
My head was throbbing so that the
| candle-light seemed to blur bright, and
then go almost dark. Peoples voices
seemed miles away. The room must be
30. and yet the next minute / couldn't
seem to keep from shivering
Suddenly, there came the clang of the
fire engine Everybody rose and rushed
to the window. 1t went banging right
past our house. Howard and DR.. Elm
court hurried out to the porch, Will
dashed to the telephone
It's the Busy Bee" he reported, and
the Masonic Building
TIL" Masonic Building" gasped
/ pulled myself up and started for the
door.
Going to the FREE" win asked.
I've got to-" said The Masonic
Building can't burn-~its where the
bazaar's to be---day after tomorrow"
Well. for the love of Pete" said VIII,
stopping TO help Mrs. Elincourt down
the steps, what do you think you've
got to do about it? Go down and put
1t out YOURSELF" !
I was halfway to the street before
Wits words filtered into my mind.
stopped short~-that FIRE engine was
going To put out the fire. didnt
have to! If the Masonic Hall burned
down and they couldn't have the ba-
zaar at all, / couldn't help it,
couldn't do anything about 1t. SO I
didn't have to. didn't have TO go
another step.
The street light fiared suddenly In
my face~~I put one foot ahead OF the
other, and II felt as IL does when you
a a TAD 81 1Dsp ala
you're walking In the dark. viii
turned and looked sharply at me.
Dot" he said you're Sickt'
l JUS slid down into the dark step
OF and didn't even try To answer
was at The very end Of my rope,
=
IWHEN woke up. the sun was stream
W ing into my bedroom. II must be
terribly late Hadn't the alarm gone
of? What about the babies? Breakfast
! started 10 spring up. and then ] saw
Ella Crowninshield In the corner of
the room.
You Just lie still" she said you've
got the grip"
THE what?" I asked
The grip"
I lay still for few minutes while
the heavenly, unbelievable relief OF 1t
swept over me
After a Bit Did the Masonic Hall
burn down." | asked
ITO the ground" said Ella.
] shut my eyes, and went back to
sleep
! After a while. Doctor Horne came.
and said really did have the grip. |
was 10 stay right In bed Ella ex-
planned that Mother had taken Jack.
and Mother Horton would keep Jill.
Ella was going to keep house for will
and take care of me. Her husband
/ would let her do that, she said, though
| she wasn't working out any more be-
cause VIII and | had been So nice To
them. win had arranged everything
Never shall | forget those next three
/ hen NaIllf do nalsI,In aafhn ihliAlE nI1.E-