The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-26

stand. A well 1GQ looking I1CE1G man whom they had noticed in the dining room stepped up to them and, tipping his hat, remarked tc BIackie: CT beg pardon, sir, but am given to understand that you are quite distin- guished chef"
 FWallingford gazed at him in perp1ex- ity. He was plump bodied and plump faced, had a sprinktng of iron gray in his black hair and wore his neat clothing with the ease an grace of a polished man of the world. In his cor rect and mellow speech there was a slight foreign trace, but no man could have placed his nationality. Blackle Daw, though with some mis- l givings as he estimated the stranger, took up the burdensome role of vitto- reo Matteo with alacrity. Si, signore,' he answered, with an appealing glance at Walnngford, struggling his shoul- I ders and turning his palms upward at the height of his neck.
 ssNix, Blackiei' suddenly laughed l WalIingford. Tear up your ticket. i This is Henri Dufois, late chef of any big hotel which was lucky enough to I get him.. He speaks Russian and Chi l nese as well as he does any of the com | mon or high school languages MT. Du- fois, permit me to introduce my friend MT. Daw.''
 MT. Dufois acknowledged the intro duction to BIacI1ie with easy courtesy but kept his eyes turned questioningly on Wa1lingford. q cannot quite place monsieur, though remember his face very we'll" he admitted :The ac- quaintance has been professional, per haps.''
 WaIlipgford chuckled, and his big pink face wreathed into lines of jovial reIniniscence. .sHenri,'s he soIemnly directed sI want you to put into my l turtle soup some of that 1876 Anon tflIado, and write my name on the l bottle; them
 ..A1r. Wa1lingfordr' interrupted Henri I with every indication of delight, and shook the proffered hand of J. Rufus most heartily "It is a pleasure to meet you after so long time, and it 1 would be almost as great a pleasure to prepare some of the little de4icacies I of which you are so keen a judge. Monsieur, your friend, Jake it. then. is not a chef 2''4 and he waited a triae anxiously for the answer, though he i turned on Blackie a friendly eoun- tenance.
 esIot exactly laughed Blackie. @I have been regarded as good camp cook. but I have never been appIauded for anything more difficult than ham and or steak and onions. g
 Were just going in for iqueur to kin the taste of our dinner." offered l Wallingford, noting Henri's trace of relief. Wont you join us?
 we truly need it, accepted Henri with a wry face. q have been here l two days If I stay longer must buy I an electric chafng dish.,
 Invite us to your room when you dc" urged Wallingford. What brings l you to this dyspepsia factory, any how P And he led the way to the bar room.
 eeBusiness,'' replied Henri .sT am hunting a location for another good restaurant. have Cafe Henri in l each of three excellent cities, but my fourth venture was failure, and am naturally cautious"
 I You'd be doing this town a favor to 1 give it a chance at something decent to eat" suggested Wallingford-
 '.At the possible loss of $1O0.0OO,' ,
 retorted Henri with smile. I'm afraid Of them. I wish I could move one of my places here for triaI-''
 sHThat sounds like good business chucKIed wallingford. What you real l ly want is for somebody to invest 3 hundred thousand in such a place, fiji it up and run it according to youl ideas and turn it over to you for about eighty thousand, if you like it ''
 Well, yes," agreed Henri with a shrewd twinkle.
 Hello. Blackie. How is Violet Bon 1 nie?'' inquired a thick man who had been stunted lengthwise. l Hello, pop" hailed Blackie. sfViO let Bonnie is so healthy she's mislaid her makeup box. Are you running this show?''
 Don't you see my gray hafr2" de manded pop, who could have measur ed his height with the outstretch oi his low cut white wa1stcoat, and from .whom care had long since fled dis
 couraged. Coming inr'
 Couldn't get tickets explained
 B1ackie, ESQ Jim and came over tC see the procession of dress suit lollops Meet my friend Wallingford. pop. MT
 Hickey, Mir Wa11ingford.'
 ffI know pop,,'' laughed WaIlingford shaking hands with him. f'He was ont of the loudest knockers when we pu on 'I.ama's Goat and it was after ht | laid down his hammer that went oui and cleaned up a hundred thousand on my belief in the success of tho
 piece"
 "rve tumbled," acknowledged MT
 Hickey with pride. 'tSo many people
 won out coppering my bets that now
 Pm doing it myself took out this company just because I knew it would
 be frost-''
 E'It looks like an. artistic box office
 troup.'' admired Wallingford, watch
 ing the money flow past Pretty good
 company ?''
 HMedium weights ,. replied Hickey