Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1915-10-21
CHAPTER TX.
Fair Warming.

Fair Warning.
1t was much more than a map of
the metropolis that Toye carried in his
able head. He knew the right places
for the right things. He gazed criti-
cally at his boots. He was not so
dead sure that he had struck the only
man for boots There had been a
young fellow aboard the Kaiser Fritz,
quite little bit of a military blood,
who had come ashore in a pair of
cloth tops that had rather unsettled
Mr.. Toye's mind just on that one
point.
Captain Aylmer had said he would
like to have Toye see his club any
time he was passing and cared to look
in for lunch. He had said so as
though he would like it a great deal,
and suddenly Toye had mind to take
him at his word right now. The idea
began with those boots with cloth tops,
but that was not all there was to it;
there was something else that had
been at the back of Toye's mind all
morning, and now took charge in
front.
Aylmer had talked some about job
in the war Office that enabled him to
lunch daily at the Rag; but what his
job had been aboard German steam
er Toye did not know and was not the
man to inquire. 1t was no business of
his, anyway. Reference to a card,
traded for his own in Southampton
Water, and duly filed in his cigarette
case, reminded him OF the Rags prop
er style and title. And there he was
eventually entertained to a sound,
workmanlike. rather expeditions meal.
Say, did you see the cemetery at
Genoa?" suddenly inquired the Wis
itor on their way back through the
hall. A martial bust had been ad-
mired extravagantly before the ques-
ton.
"Never want to see 1t again, or &c.
noa either" said Captain Aylmer
"The smoking-room's this way"
did you say you were there two
days?" Toye was cutting his cigar as
though 1t were corn.
1.-TWO whole days. and we'd had a
night in the Bay of Naples just be.
fore"
rs that SO? / only came aboard al
Genoa. guess l was WISE" added
Toye, as though he was thinking oil
something else. There was no sort
OF feeling in his voice, but he was
sucking his left thumb.
81 say, you've cut yourself"
II guess it's nothing. Knife toe
sharp; please don't worry, Captain
Aylmer. was going to say only got
on at Genoa, and they couldn't give
me room to myself. l had to go in
with Cazalet; that's how / saw SC
much of him"
1t was Toye's third and separate in
dependent attempt to introduce the
name and fame of Cazalet as a natural
topic of conversation. Twice his host
had listened with adamantine polite
ness; this time he was enjoying quite
the second-best liqueur brandy to be
had at the Rag; and he leaned bach
! III MS cnalr.
"You we're rather impressed witt
him. weren't your" said Captain Ayl
mer, "Well, frankly, l wasn't, but II
may have been my fault"
81 was only going to ask you on,
thing about Mr.. Cazalet," Toye said
and I guess I've a reason for asking
though there's no time to state it now
What did you think of him, Captain
Aylner, on the whole?"
"Ah, there you have me. ON tn,
whole is just, the difficulty" said Ayl
mer. answering the straight question
readily enough. Il thought he was
very good chap as far as Naples, bu
after Genoa he was another being. Nv,
sometimes wondered what happened Ii
his three or four days ashore"
Three or four. did you say?"
And at the last moment gToye would
have played Wedding Guest TO Ayl
mer's Ancient Mariner.
Eyes; you see. he knew these Ger
man boats waste a couple Of days a
] Genoa. so he landed at Naples and di,