Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-07-19
CHAPTER XIII. (contInued.)


But when telephoned they stated
that Mr.. Billings had not been at the
club since last evening. Some one
who answered the phone thought Mr..
Billings was with his friend. Mr..
Lightnut. in the Kahoka Apartments.
And, of course, 1 knew Jolly well he
was not.
As 1 turned from the telephone.
something in Jenkins expression ar
rested my attention.
'Well7" / said impatiently. for he
has 80 many devilishly clever inspira-
tions, you know; and, dash 1t. l like
to encourage him.
Pardon, sir. but don't you think"
Here he looked straight up at the
electrolier and coughed. About MIR.
Billings. sir; 1 was going to suggest
that though he isn't over at the club.
he's somewhere, SIR"
. Why. dash it. thought that Jolly
likely, myself! said SO.
Yes, SIR" said Jenkins darkly.
"And Mr. Billings usually knows
where he is. ] guess. sir. he's In this
neighborhood-h'm!"
Just sat staring at him a minute,
thinking what a devilish wonderful
thing intuition is for the lower classes.
by Jove. Jenkins!" l said; then
you think"
II think Mr.. Billings, sir. might pre-
fer to find himself-h'm! Yes, SIR"
Jenkins lifted the breakfast tray with
deliberation, removed 1t from the
room and returned, moving about the
furniture and busytng himself with an
air OF mystery. Dash 1t, / knew he
had up his sleeve some other devilish
clever notion. and SO presently 1
spoke up Just to touch him on.
by Jove!" l remarked.
Yes, SIR" Jenkins rested the end
of the thumb brush on the table and
considered me earnestly. You know,
Mr.. Lightnut, last night as MIR. Bill
ings was retiring, he says to me:
Jenkins, Mr.. Lightnut has promised
to go UP home with me tomorrow for
the week end. There's tenner COM
ing your way II he doesn't forget
about it. He's to go tomorrow, now.
mind you, jenkins; and 1t don't mat
ter what comes up. You see that he
goes up tomorrow.
I screwed my monocle tighter and
nodded II see."
OF course didn't see, but knew
the poor fellow was driving at some
thing, and wanted to give him run.
Exactly, SIR" And he stood wait
ing. 80. shall 1 pack. sir? You'll
want to take the fourteen express, /
suppose?"
By Jove, 1t was the most amazing
Iy. dashed clever guess | ever knew
Jenkins to get on! Fact! l knew
that If there was one thing more than
another in all the world that l wanted
to do. 1t was to take that fourteen ex-
press. To think OF seeing Frances
again. and today!
l left Jenkins to travel by a later
train, and little after four l was
whirling above Spuyten Duyvil and
looking about the chair-car to see II
there was any one l knew. But, by
Jove, there was hardly soul in the
car-nobody except Just women. you
know. and these filled the whole place.
by Jove, she could be spared"
thought, studying young woman who
stood in the aisle beside me. She was
rather heavy set-what you might call
egg-shaped. Her face and her heavy
glasses seemed to proclaim mission
in life, and the dowdytsh cut of her
rig and the reckless way It was hurled
on made 1t plain that she was on to
the fact that nature had made blum
der in her sex, and she wanted the
world to know she knew.
She was talking to the lady imme-
diately behind me. At least, discov-
cred after FIVE minutes that she was
talking. BY Jove. up to that time.
thought she was canvassing for a
.booki Tho other never got in word.