Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-16

| felt vaguely unhappy on her behalf: but
| experienced a truly British feeling of re-
lief mingled with slight disappointment
on observing that she wore wedding
ring. He waxed sentimental. Who was
| her husband he wondered. He hoped it
was not the proprietor of the establish
ment-a greasy individual OF Semitic APP
| pearance, who occasionally found leisure.
=, in the intervals between announcing the
turns and calling the attention of pa
irons to the exceptional resources OF the
| bar. to walk across the room and paw the
girl affectionately on the shoulder while
! giving her some direction as to the mu-
sic-nor yet the scorbutic young man be-
hind the bar
| His meditations were interrupted by AL
lerton.
/, .'Marrable, eyes front! And fill up your
glass. Hang 1t. drink fair
| Hughie turned and regarded his guest.
| The greater part OF magnum OF vitriolio
champagne had disappeared down that
gentleman's throat. His eye had bright
ened and now twinked facetiously as he
surveyed first Hughie and then the girl
| at the piano.
| "Une petite piece de tout droit-eh.
WHAT" he remarked.
| Hughie beginning to understand why
his companion was now swabbing decks
INSTEAD of ruling ancestral acres, nodded
, shortly.
Allerton noticed his hosts momentary
distance of manner. and leaned across the
table with an air Of contrition.
I'm afraid he said. alphabetically.
| that I'm getting most internally full.
!! You sec how it is with me. don't you?
I'm that sort Of bloke. Always have
been. from nipper. Thash-that's why
I'm here. It's pity. And the worst of
candor, that I'm going to get much
| fuller. It's a long time since l tasted
this. He touched his glass. 1T isn't
served out on the Orinoco. Do you-er-
mird?'
Hughie, with queer feeling of COM
! another bottle. If .Allerton was about to
get drunk, he should get drunk like a
gentleman for once in a way.
Then his attention reverted to the piano.
There had been development. The
girl was mechanically playing one of the
compositions of that delicate weaver Of
subtle harmonies, Mr.. John Philip Sousa;
but she was not reading her music. Her
eyelids were resolutely lowered. as If she
wished to avoid seeing something. The
reason resolved itself into gentleman
who was leaning over the front of the
piano. gazing amorously down upon the
musician. and endeavoring. with surprs-
ing success. to make himself heard above
one Of the composers most characteristic
efforts.
Hughie looked him up and down. He
was a big man, powerfully built with lit
tie pigs eyes set close together, and a
ponderous and Notwithstanding lower jaw.
Was he her husband? wondered the deep
ly interested Hughie. No; he was too OBJ
viously endeavoring to make himself
agreeable.
'Marrable, my son." suddenly interpo-
lated the convivial but observant Allerton,
you're cut out, No use bidding against
that customer. Do you know who he is?
NO. Who?"
That replied the deck hand, with an
air of almost proprietary pride. lis Nod
dy kinahan."
"Oh. And who may he be?''
Gee! fSorry! One picks up these rot
ten Yankee expressions somehow
mean, 1 am surprised you haven't heard
OF him. He's rather a big man here. In
fact to be explish-explicit'-M Allerton
was fast arriving at that stage Of intoXi-
cation which cannot let well alone, but
must tempt Providence by dragging in I'M
necessarily hard words-"he is my en-
ployer.'
Go be continued tomorrow