The Washington herald., 1914-10-04
tcouirht. laLl

Army and Navy Club, in which
he held a membership, but now
he preferred to lunch alone-yet not
alone, for he was entertaining guest
the ghost of Persis Cabot was nesting
at his elbow, and conspiripg with him
Ato devise a still newer thing than the
dancing tea or the tango luncheon-a
before-breakfast one-step. In fancy he
was now thridding the maze between
the tables with her.
But he paid for only one luncheon.
The bill, however, shocked him into a
realization that he could not long af-
ford such fodder as he had been buy
ing for himself. He decided to get his
savings deposited somewhere before
they had slipped through his fingerS
On his way to New York he had ask
ed advice on the important question
of bank. and had been recommended
to an institution of fabulous strength
He found at the bank that there was a
minimum below which an account was
not welcome. His painful self-denials
had enabled him just to clear that min
imum with no more interval than a
skillful hurdler leaves as he grazes the
bar. ~
He felt poorer than ever for this
reminder of his penury, and he almost
skunk from the bank. Just outside he
stumbled upon Ten Eyck, who greeted
him with surprised:
DO you bank here?"
Il was just opening an account"
Forbes answered.
Pardon my not lifting my hat be-
fore" said Ten Eyck Il didn't know
your middle name was Croesus."
Forbes could only shrug his shoulders
with depreciation He had no desire
to pose as a man Of means, and yet
he had too much pride to publish his
fnediocrity.
I'll call for you at four, Mr. Roth
schild," said Ten Eyck. Got a date at
Sherry's here. Good-byp
The afternoon promised to be un-
considerably long in reaching four
O'Clock, and Forbes set out for another
saunter down the Avenue. There was
a nlysteriousschange
He did not explain it so easily to
himself, nor did he understand why
the shop-windows had become immedi-
ately so interesting. Yesterday spade
ful of diamonds dumped upon a velvet
cloth was only a spadefui of diamonds
to him, and it was nothing more. This
afternoon, however, he kept saving:
What would she think if l gave her
that crown of rubies and eneralds?
Does she like Sapphires, / wonder7"
He found himself standing in front
of jewellers windows, and trying to
read the prices on the little tags. He
had already selected one ring as an |
engagement ring, when he managed BY |
much craning to make out the price. |
He fell back as if a fist had reached |
through the glass to smite him. If he |
could have drawn out his bank-account
twice he could not have paid for it.
He gave up looking at diamonds and |
solaced himself by the thought that be-
fore he bankrupted the United States |
Army with buying her an engagement /
ring, he had better get her In love with /
him little.
This train of thought impelled him
to pause now before the windows of
haberdashers. Without being at sII
top, he had soldiers love Of splendor.
and he saw nothing effeminate in the
bolts OF rainbow clippings which men
were invited to use for shirts. He
looked amorously at great squares of
scarves, OF which all but a narrow inch
or two would be concealed. And he
saw socks that were as scandalouslyI
brilliant as spun turquoises or knitted
opals.
From one window hand seemed to
reach out, not to smite, but to seize him
by his overworked scarf and hale him
within. He departed FIVE dollars the
poorer and one piece of silk the richer,
and hurried back to his room ashamed
of his vanity.
On his way thither he remembered
that he was still an officer in the reg
ular establishment, and the first thing
ne did on his return to his room was !
to compose formal report of his ar
rival in New York City. He sent il !
to the post at Governors Island, so that
in case war broke out Unexpectedly,
an anxious nation might know where
10 find him.
But that was for next week. For a
few days more he was exempt; he was :
a free man. And she wanted to dance 2
with him again! She would not even !
wait for night to fall She would dance I
with him in the dsylight-with tea as /
an excuse!
He began feverishly to robe himself l
Tor this festival Luckily for him and S
MS sort, mems fashions are a republic,
and Forbes well-shaped, though last h
iears, black morning coat, the pin his
mother gave him years ago skewering n
he scarf he had just bought, his waist
,oat with the little white edgine. his S
heavily ironed striped trousers, and his h
ast nights top-hat freshly pressed, r
:lothed him as smartly as the richest
op in town. a
Forbes had devoted such passionate h
tteHtion to the proper knotting of that s
quare OF silk. that he was hardly ready Il
when the room telephone announced a
hat Mr.. Ten Eyck was calling for Mr.. d
forbes. il
But his pains had been so well spent ii
hat Ten Eyck, meeting him in the 81
obby, lifted his hat with mock servility u
gain, and murmured: II
"Oh, you millionaire! Will you deien a
0 have a drink with hick like me?" S;
Forbes pleasantly requested him not
0 be fool, but the fattery was ire "
istible ST
It's Persis' own party" Ten Eyck W
Nplained; "but | have sad news for o.
ou: Little Willie isn't invited. He's
eing punished for being so naughty Il
lst night" hi
%He acted as if he owned Miss HI
.abot," said Forbes. et
He usually does" oi
But he doesn't, does he?-doesn't s!
,t.,,, bar I ,,,.,,, ~ Eo-b.s d.-,..d.d | Sf