Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-10-14
TOO MUCH
EFFICIENCY
A CLEVER SERIAL STORY.
BY E. J. RATH.
Author Of when the Devil Was
Sick" "One-Cylinder Sam" etc.
CHAPTER X.
Efficient DANCING.

easy going.
/ "Oh, it's all right for YOU to smile
Connie" he said savagly. you worked
him good and plenty but only be-
cause he didn't know it. A fool hat
is one thing, and gasoline is some
thing else. But it isn't that so much
either. l don't care If l never get any-
thing out of him. It's the talk"
What talk?" asked Constance has
tily.
''Oh, these good OLD friends of the
family-the rubber-neck crowd. I've
been out a bit today. I'm hearing tho
gossip. You told me not to say aay-
thing, SO | couldn't explain. But
they're all asking Questions about t.
f., and every one of em has different
dope"
What are they saying?"
Everything! One line of talk is that
father has picked up some favorite
nephew and made him Il pru-oge and
taken out guardianship rapels.' ID
He doesn't need a guardian" re-
marked Alice with a shake of her head
He needs keeper and a padded cen"
There's another yarn that this guy
is British nobleman,' continued R;ily
ignoring his younger sister: that he
is house guest for an indefinite time
and that maybe hen be a son-i law"
Constance flushed wildly.
How absolutely absurd" she ex-
claimed.
I'm only giving you what they
say" declared her brother wrathfully.
Another one has it that he's a class
mate of mine who is just back from
South America. where he's been on a
ranch. And-get this-theres an
other yarn out that F. e. is a famous
i portrait painter who's putting the
whole family on canvas. They've gone
so far with that that Alice is already
painted, and it's going to be exhibited
next spring. They're going to call it
Girl With Fam, or something like
that"
O-oh!" cried Alice. THAT sounds
rather nice. But why do they always
give such funny names to portraits ,"
They name them after the acccs
sorry" observed Constance in a wise
tone.
"The accessory after the fact" add
ed Billy sarcastically. "WGH, that's
not all, either. 1t seems there's an
. other story that f. T.. is detective
who is guarding us from the Black
Hand, while the old man is in hid
ing. Imagine the old man hiding from
anything! And.here's the limit
some of them are passing it around
that father is quarantined on the TOP
floor along with some strange disease
and that this boob here is a noted
specialist in nervous diseases, who is
treating him at a dollar a minute or
something like that"
ITS unbearable," declared Con-
stance.
'Unspeakable," affirmed Alice.
We'll it'll end any time you say"
= said Billy, coming to a halt and in
dulginS in an emphatic gesture.
t Alice displayed alert interest.
81 don't understand" sud Con-
Constance. You mean that ron have
a plan? You have some way to end
it?"
Sure. I've had one from the first.
Only you've Keen going irte argu-
y ments with him."
/ The son of John W. Brooke spoke
v with assurance and ease.
THE plan, please said Constance.
h "Chuck him.
How"
Me"
5 Billy stretched lazily and glanced
: down at his own considerable bulk.
You propose to tell him to leave
the house,"
Tell him? Not for a minute. WHY.
Y tell him? Just put him out; that $
. ALL"
d Alice looked at her big brother and
betrayed excitement
O Really, Billy" she exclaimed.
:, why not? Any reason why 1t can :
not be done? You two have been beat
e ing around the bush with your
e schemes when there's only one easy
way. And it's so darned simple. I
suppose that's the reason you never
thought of it,
He viewed his sisters magnaniuous
e ly.
= Constance pursed her lips and con
2 sidered the idea. Beyond question il
II was necessary to terminate the die
It tatorship. Argument and compromise
" had failed. Yet Constance instructive
l. ly revolted at anything so vulgar as
the employment of force. 1t was some
thing unknown In the Brooke house
hold; something foreign and disraste-
full. Still, the situation was also new
It and unknown since the day she could
:, first remember anything.
s I'm for it." declared Alice promptly.
n viii you really do it, Billy?"
Watch me-"
p How about you, Connie""
3 We'll" said Constance cautiously.
y I'll watch-if he'll do it."
k Come on"
Billy stretched again and led the
It way to the library. In his heart there
: were no misgivings. The only son of
John w. Brooke was not coward A
e certain youthful irresolution may have
dominated him, but there was nothing
o craven in his nature. He was big and
well conditioned. He had played a
6 bit of scrub football and had taken
his hard knocks without showing yell
Il low Tha x,<arxea+ NJ, II