Evening star., 1918-01-27
LATE RETURNS ON RUPERT

a front view Of the party Who. almost
tripped himself with the horn handed
walking stick and Is havin' 9. few last
words with some one in the cab. Tnen
1 sees the washed out blue eyes. ana
know there can't be any mistake. ABOUT
then. too. he turns and recognizes me.
.sWelI, for the love Of beans" says L
Rupert =.
off az cordial as II was dfscoverIH IN
VIII. And, while can't say Capt. XII
lam registered any wild joy in his
greetin', still he seemed pleased enough.
He gives me a real hearty shake. -,
And here is some one else you know.
says he, wavin' to the cab: Mrs. Num-
ford"
Blamed if it amt the cooin' widow.
She's right there with the old familiar
purry gush. too. squeezin' my nngers
kittenish and askin' me how dear.
sweet Verona" is. / was just nottcin
that shed ditched the half mourning
for some real zippy raiment when sne
leans back so as to exhibit third
party in the taxa young gent with
one of these dead-white faces and a
cute little black mustache - reg'lar
lounge-1izard type.
""oh. and you must meet my dear
''vinton, this4is the Torchy I've spoken
"Ah, ya-a-as." draw1s vinton, blowin'
out Whit of scented cigarette smoke
lazy. Quite SO. But.er-hadn't We
best be getting on, LORNA"
Yes. yes.'' coos Mrs. Mumford. BY
by. captain. Goodbye, Torchy."
And of they whirls. leavin' mo with
my mouth open and Rupert starin' after
'em gloomy.
LORNA, eh says L How touchin'r'
Killam only grunts, but it struck mo
he has tinted up a bit under the eyes
Say, Rupert" goes on. who's your
languid friend with the cream-of-
"Bartley? says he. "oh. he's q friend
of Mrs. Mumford; a drama-tist-so he
says"
Now. I might have let 1t rise at that
and gone along about my own affairs.
which amt so pressin' just then. Yes.
I might. But 1 don't. Maybe 1t was
hornin' in where there was no welcome
sign on the mat, and then again per-
haps it was only a natural folksy feelfn'
for an old friend l hadn't seen for a
long time. Anyway. I'm prompted sud-
den to take Rupert by the arm and in
sist that he must como and have lunch
with me.
"Why-r-thanks," says the captain;
"but i have a little business to attend
to in here" And he mods to an Office
buil,1in'.
~Thatll be all right too" says I.
I'll wait"
will you?" says Rupert, beamin.. "I
shall be pleased
So in less'n half an hour have Rupert
planted coy at a corner table with a
mixed grill in front of him, and I'm
givin' him the cue for openin' any con-
fidential chat he may have on hand.
He's a good deal of clam, though,
Rupert. And suspicious! He must have
But In my own crude way can some
times josh 'em along.
Excuse me for mentionin' 1t, Rupert" /"
says I. but there's lots of class to you
these days"
"Eh?" says he. You mean
''rhe whole effect" says I. "from tho
CATERS to the new-model Id Just like
you'd strolled out from some Fifth ave-
nue. club and was goin' to phone your
brokers to buy another block OF
Bethlehem at the market. Honest!"
He pinks UP and shakes his head, but
can see I've got the range.
And here Wee and I had doped 1t
the west coast by this time, investin'
your pile in orange groves and corner
lots"
NO" says Rupert; I've been here all
ther fond of New York"
You needn't apologize" says
There's few million others with the
same weakness, not countin' tho ones
that sleep in New Jersey but always
kind Of business, have you?"
Rupert does some fancy side-steppin
about then; but all of a sudden he
changes his mind, and, after glancin
around to see that no one has an ear
out. he starts his confession.
The fact ts." says he. Two been do.
Ing little literary work"
Writin' ads" says I, "or solicitin
magazine subscriptions?'
Il am getting out book OF poems, >
says Rupert, dignided.
Z Wh-a-a-atT ] gasps. "Not-no
> reg'lar limerick stuff?'
kfAA -