Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-07

who's been run over by truck
now?' I asks putting a cigar beside
Jasons lunch plate and lighting my own. It's
kind of a waste Of Havana's best to slip Jason
one of my perfectos, his taste running to Pink
Emus, six for a quarter here, never heard Of in
London, but one has to make his gestures,
hasn't one? Oh, yes, quite.
Worse than being run over by truck"
says Jason, lighting my cigar crooked, this lad
has hitched himself to the juggernaut.
Slough the symbolism" remarks. land talk
in words Of 10 SyllableS or less. What's hap
pened and who tor whom to, If that's
better?"
Ray Rand has got married" says George.
"BanM and Bismillah," applaudS its about
time"
THAT'S Just how your essentially bourgeois
and babbitty brain would react to this disas-
trous news" replies Jason, but say it's ca
lamity Here's lad just beginning to get his
feet on the ladder Of artistic endeavor-just at
the start of a big future an etcher; and he
has to load himself up with wife. Meaning
that he'll have to go back to commercial work
to boil the pot, and"
Yeah Amt it awful, Mabel" says. In
stead of being free soul, aloof apart, untram-
melled by the ties of necessity, responsibility
and whatnot, he's in the army now, trudging
along under a pack. Sweating, pufhng getting
footsore and weary, tasting the lot Of common
humanity instead Of soaring to the empyrean
or the welkin or whatever it Is free souls soar
to. Terrible"
well, it is terrible" Jason insists. Making
o plough-horse Of Pegasus, a pack-mule out Of
Man o. War, a."
"a watch dog out of a curly volf," says.
"Or house-cat out of Mehitabel. can think
Of just as many figures Of speech as you can.
And they wouldn't mean anything except that
you're all wet
"He travels the fastest who travels alone"
Jason quotes.
" JASON" says, and I'm serious. which I
~ can be If there's reason for it. which amt
often. have you any body to support beside
YOURSELF"
NO. thank heaven" says Jason, my mother
has her own income and dad left me enough to
plug along with"
you've Travelled alone then" I says. "And
Jason-how far have you got? Not how fast
have you gone, but how far have you got?"
''You know, Horace" Jason comes back, Il
love you. But at times you're q pestiferous,
interfering, proSelytng nuisance with q mes
sianic complex trying to make the world over
in your own go-getter image. God forbid
Admitted" I says, for the sake Of saving
controversy. But Jason-how far have you
got, travelling alone?"
oh" says Jason, mot very far, maybe,
but for all you know as far Is I've wanted
to CO."
And as far rs you ought TO get, Jason?"
keeps on.
That's my business" Jason answers.
well, yes and no." says. THE world owes
everybody . nving-n he can collect it. That's
his business. And everybody owes the world
for the living he collects And that's every
body's business Null that over IN whatever you
null with"
What are you driving at, anyhow" says
Jason.
don't answer him, directly.
"And while you're mulling," proceeds,
''mull over how many free souls you know that
amount to a whoop in Dante's Inferno. And
after that null around the park benches and
the blind baggage and learn about how free
souls get by the police.
1--WE got q lot of respect for your brain,
Jason. And you've got lot Of Judgment too.
But you've neglected your nulling something
scandalous. So I'm leaving you-not being
free SOUL can feel my letters tugging me back
TO my Office cage-with this bit Of uncaned-for
advice-mull, Jason, null hard. He mulls the
sOundest who mulls alone"
I'M called away on a business trip and don't
] see Jason for nearly two weeks. When we
do meet again at the Idlers Club the first thing
] says is: