Evening star., 1941-05-04
II Short Story Complete in This Issue

irritation.
Mr.. Jeptha Croy, her lawyer, supplied the
first rasp. He held his anky arms aloft rolled
his watery blue eyes heavenward, and SOL
emnly proclaimed the fact that never, in his
thirty years of legal practice, had he encoun-
tered such mental asininity.
"A radio fire extinguisher! Abbie Tupper,
have you gone mad? Lord knows I've incor
porated some cockeyed inventions for you in
my time. Electrical toothbrushes! Mahog
any concessions in Honduras! But this -
He shook his bald head resgnedly - Its
new Upper top in - in wishful thinking
Mrs. Tupper mopped her broad face. 1T
isn't anything of the kind she asserted
calmly Il admit that the thing isn't proven
yet, being still in the working model stage.
But radio intrigues me. Besides who are you
to click your false teeth at me and say it
won't work? Radio waves carry our voices,
control ships, run planes, don't they! We
know blanket will smother small blaze.
Why can't a radio wave smother big one?'
Don't bother putting a selling talk on
me- Mrs. Abbie Tupper. I'm not going to
put any money into it," The lawyer brushed
away the ashes which had trickled down his
vest from the stoge clamped between his
thin bloodless lips. Sorry
His client reached over the chair in which
she was tightly wedged and retrieved her
retiCule, the size of small overnight case,
from the carpet. The effort flooded her face
with an alarming purple. Don't worry, Jep,"
she painted as she struggled upward. II
wouldn't take you in on this thing if you got
down on your creaking joints. I've got enough
trouble on my calendar for today. I've got to
see my dentist and sure as hell and high
water he's going to tell me have an liberated
tooth. And after that I've promised to drop
in on Gloria and my daughter never gets
hot and bothered about me dropping in un
less she has something on her mind
Il think Mrs. Hartley is young matron
of whom any mother would be proud" said
Mr.. Croy Il notice her name in the society
columns very often, always in connection
with really representative people and worth
while things. l noticed one item this morn
ing, as a matter of fact About some painter
that -"
Spare me the Details Mrs. Upper
DeRSeO nlIll. Inc VtlVtI IlDUOl WHICH, cIlCu-
cled her broad neck twitched convulsvely.
And don't, by inference, look down your
nose at me. can remember when it wasn't
blue, y'know." She leaned forward. Re
member that time" she leered, when that
chorus girl sued you for breach of promise?
Those letters you wrote ="
You old banshee! If it wasn't for ="
That's better, Jep.' Mrs Tupper strug-
gled to her feet. Dammit, why can't some
body make chair for something larger than
a high school freshman's chassis? There
ought to be a fortune in it. And by the way,
Jep, speaking of fortunes your mind can
rest easy. No widow or orphan is going to
be wheedled into putting money into the
Beedley Radio Fire Control. I'm going to
raise enough of what it takes to perfect the
working model, but it's going to come from
people smart enough to know what they're
doing"
She grinned.
Then you'll never get it," said Mr. Croy.,
MRs. ABBIE TUPPER eyed the fragile cup,
which her daughter had just handed her, with
visible hesitation. Il hate to look a gift
horse in the mouth" she observed throatily,
but just had an liberated tooth pulled and
before that spent an hour with Jeptha
Croy."
why of course, darling! Why didn't you
tell me-" Her daughters eyes were large with