Evening star., 1936-08-30
All Girls Are Poison
INSTALLMENT 1.

~ colts characteristic and
none too musical voice, reached Jed
Walcott in his favorite retreat under
the back porch. He WINGED. Why did
his mother have to send that awful
name of Gerald echoing over the en-
tire neighborhood? Why couldn't she
call him Jed, as everybody else did?
Jed scrambled out of his nook on
hands and knees, and hurried around
the house, hoping to cut off a repeti-
ton Of the call. yeah, Mom," he
cried, here I am"
His mother was standing just in
side the front door. Jed paused at
the bottom of the porch steps.
What Is 1t, Mom?" he inquired.
"And say. Nom, when you holler like
that, can't you please holler Jed in
stead of Gerald?"
Mrs. Walcott gasped. "Holler!" she
repeated. Il wasn't hollering. Gerald.
And you know I won't use that dis
gusting nickname. 1t sounds positively
tough"
Yeah" said Jed gloomily. That's
why like it."
IT called you because a big package
just came for you" Mrs. Walcott said,
refusing to discuss the matter Of nick
names further. Il can't imagine what
1t is"
For me?" Jed bounded up the
steps, yanked open the screen door,
and paused with an exclamation as
he saw the long, nat package resting
on q chair In the hall. Then he uttered
q yell Of delight.
It's from Dick! It's the lacrosse
stick he promised to send me. Oh
boy. oh boy!"
MRS. WALCOTT murmured some
comment not at all fiattering to
Dick Walcott, Jed's cousin, or to his
ideas Of sending such things as lacrosse
sticks where they weren't wanted.
Then she departed toward the rear Of
the house, while Jed frantically tore
the paper away from the package.
Dick Walsott was pretty much Jed's
idol. He played on his college lacrosse
team, as well as on the foot ball
team, and was. in Jeds words. plenty
tough" This opinion had been formed
as Jed had watched Dick participate in
q lacrosse game. He hadn't under
stood the sport very well at that time,
but it seemed to him that it was a
combination of hockey, cross country
running, and assault and battery.
But Dick had swung his stick as
savagely as any Of the other players
and had finished the game with no
broken limbs. From then on Jed had
new respect for Dick Anybody
who could play that game was plenty
tough, all right!
A ND now Dick had finally made
good on his promise, and sent
him q lacrosse stick! Jed jerked
aside the last bit OF paper wrapping
and pulled out the gift. Admiringly
he ran his hand along the smooth,
curved wood and the rawhfde net
ting. Then his eye fell on something
else in the package.
Hot Aggity!" he exclaimed. "He
sent me a ball. too!'
Jed pulled out the hard rubber ball
! and dashed to the back yard. There
he proceeded to cradle the ball in the
stick as he had seen the college play
ers do. He discovered that there was
quite trick to it, but finally he was
able to toss the ball for short dis
tances.
Guess III show the gang, now that
I have this lacrosse stick" he said to
himself happily. Nobody else around
here probably ever even touched one,
let alone owned one"
Then suddenly Jed paused and his
face took on pleased and rather
dreamy expression. This particular
expression was q sure sign that he
was thinking about Caroline Twill,
who lived just down the street. And
it was very private expression, which
Jed permitted to visit his face only
when he was safely alone.
Wait until Caroline sees me with
my lacrosse stick" he murmured to
himself. And I guess I'll show Har-
old Ganger. He hasn't any lacrosse
stick, and he couldn't play this game
If he had a dozen sticks. Not q sissy
like him!"
THERE was a certain amount of
bitterness in Jed's thoughts of
Harold Granger. Harold was q rather
all ~ hi