OCR Text |
Show Lonely Invalid Was Rewarded ' The Weekly Short Story By DOROTHY DOUGLAS TOE little row of cottages that lay out Mount Vernon way might have been picked up from some old English lane and transplanted trans-planted to American soil, so closely did they resemble those artistic bits one gets from overseas by way of post cards. Jack Da overs and Ted Everly were living In one for the summer because Jack had had an accident to bis foot and needed country air by way of speeding his recuperation. recupera-tion. Ted was ministering to hts chum during the hours before dashing dash-ing for bis train to business and following his return In the evening. Through the day Jack was a fairly lonely invalid, relying on his own limited resources for amusement In the next garden, separated by a glorious hedge, lived Irma West-lake West-lake with other members of tho Westlake family, Intent on enjoying enjoy-ing their summer holiday. And last, but not least, there dwelt the hens that laid the golden eggs, not In their own coop, where any well-trained ben should deposit her eggs, but anywhere they happened hap-pened to be Inclined. The hens belonged be-longed to Dan vers and Everly, having hav-ing come with the cottage they bad rented. The first intimation that Irma had that there were bens In the neighborhood was when she caught sight of one busily engaged In procuring pro-curing a fresh salad for her breakfast break-fast In Irma's lettuce bed. An Irate Irma flew down the garden gar-den path and a disturbed hen squeezed swiftly through the hedge Into her own domain. Irma re- other, Irma decided It would be better bet-ter to cook the eggs before returning return-ing them. She had a wonderful way of beating them up with milk and butter and putting them In the nicely heated oven to bake. A half hour later, just at lunch time, and before Jack had pulled himself out of the hammock swing to go in and rummage for food, a small girl entered his garden carrying carry-ing a dainty tray. Jack was so astonished at the wee fnlry godmother, who deposited her tray swiftly and ran more swiftly out of his sight, that he was tongue-tied. He could only watch her go. as quick movement was Impossible Im-possible with his lame leg. However, Jack sniffed the dell-clous dell-clous eggs. There were bits of crisp buttered toast accompanying, and Jack had not enjoyed a repast so much for many a day. He told Tom about It In the evening eve-ning and Tom only grinned. "Some of those mothers of the world are looking out for you, old man take care that she doesn't catch you by way of your Interior." In-terior." Two days later at high noon the gate opened cautiously and Jack sat up eagerly In his hammock. The little girl again stood before him. and would have put down her tray and escaped except that Jack with a swift movement put an arm about her and held ber squirming but flrmly. On the tray was fresh salad made from hard-boiled eggs mixed with lettuce and old-fashioned dressing such as his mother used to make. Also a large delicious slice of homemade layer cake. "Now, little miss," admonished Jack, "you are to stay Ure until you tell me who Is being go very kind to me. I know where there Is a little blue Persian kltteu who would just love to belong to a wee glrly like you." , Bonnie snuggled against Jack's arm confidingly. "I just love kittens," kit-tens," she said softly against bis coat "But Irma told me not to tell. She Is my bfg sister, and we live next door, and your hens came Into Irma's garden and Inyed their eggs." She looked wide eyed up t him. "But you won't tell Irma, will you? She promised me a little black puppy If I didn't tell." "No, honey, I won't loll, and you shall have the kitten just as soon as I can get It." Bonnie deposited a butterfly kiss on his chin and slipped away. Jack called up Tom In the city. "Scour the town for a blue Persian Per-sian kitten and bring It home tonight," to-night," was his order. On the train that night, returning return-ing from town, a blue-eyed girl sat down with a black puppy and a young man with a blue Persian kitten kit-ten snt down beside ber. They got to talking about the anlmnls. Tom told her all about his pal, Jack, and Irma had the grace to blush. "Lie Is one of the finest," said Tom. "I wish you could pop In and see him he finds It a bit dull." . So, while the eggs were not really gold they proved to be worth far more than gold to two people. (CoDYrUht.) paired the bed and would have tucked that hedge well along with brambles to prevent further pilgrimages pilgrim-ages of hens had she not seen Jack Danvers, good looking, but a bit fragile, recuperating In the sun. It was not long before she found two fine big eggs in a nesty part of the hedge her own side of It Irma bad not hoped for such luck. "I can hardly keep my neighbor's neigh-bor's eggs," she told herself. "It would not be honest and, besides, he looks as if he needed all the ' fresh eggs he could eat." And because they were two bachelors bach-elors trying to keep bouse for each , |