The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-10-06
EVENING STORY
Jerry Decides.
BY LEOLA DREW


cause 1 was named after you. Uncle
Gerald" Jerry dug into his grape
fruit aggressively. 1T hate Gerald.
Didn't they ever call you Jerry
Men do" responded Marbury alb
sently. All of his answers to Jerry
had been absent-minded ones for the
past two weeks. He had run out of
details the second day after Jerrys
Miss Willard calls you Jerry.
doesn't she?"
Marbury frowned and wiped off 3
globule of juice from his waistcoat.
you should eat that in a bathtub.
Jerry pushed back his plate COM
Pm thru" he announced. What
we going to do today"
Marbury read his newspaper. pre-
tending not to hear. AS an entertain
ment committee of one for Margarets
one and only he had officiated for two
weeks, and the thing was getting on
his nerves. There was no special rea-
son why his sister should have sent
lived in an exclusive bachelor apart
ment with one Jap manservant- kato
had left the first week, after jerry mao
brought in a dozen fresh crabs and
put them in the ice box. -,
mo delight in undisciplined youth,
family but soon"
since then Marbury had been at
the mercy of Jerry. He had consti-
tuted himself private secretary and
houseboy pro tenn, when ne was nos
in the basement cumming with the
engineer, or on the roof sending OH
aeroplanes to the Joy Of Madison ave-
nue.. When his uncle returned from
the club before dinner he would give
a report on the days calls.
+,,ti QTNtG
spring bill anyhow. Says you can let
the summer one go till fall told
him you had the measles badly and
had left for the country. And Mrs.
Jocelyn asked IL you could go to her
house party at Newport next week,
and 1 told her yes, If there was good
fishing. That right? And a fellow
named Bobbie Newell wants you to
call him up at the club and tell him
how about that supper with
call him, Did Miss Willard call up?"
NO, but 1 called her four times,
grinned Jerry. Gee, that's some girl,
Uncle Gerald. She said I could call
her up any old time 1 liked when 1t
got slow here for me. and she thinks
it's awful for you to leave me up here
alone, and she's invited me down to
Lake wood as long as like, and she1 IL
come in herself and get me-"
Fine thing to do, cut me out over
my own phone with the prettiest girl
L know" Marburg said keenly. Amy
yep, Mrs. Hamilton's hack and
wants you to come over as soon as
you get in. 1 told her you couldn't
because we were going to the theater
tonight. What's up?"
Marbury reached the telephone in
one stride and called a hotel number,
while Jerry stared at him.
Hello. Mrs. Hamilton, please.
What? Then page her"
That had happened two nights ago,
and Jerry had dined alone twice in the
little private dining room downstairs.
He didn't like it. Somehow he re-
scented Mrs Hamilton. His uncle had
Pbeen moody and cheerful by fits and
/ starts. He got out large mounted
photograph and stared at it long. So
did Jerry after his departure, and he
| did not like her. She was very lovely.
in evening dress. leaning back In a
carved ecclesiastical sort of a chair.
very slender and dreamy-eyed and
gracious, but Jerry summed her up in
one word: she looked sort of
slump" he thought. Mrs. Hamii-
tons admirers called 1t dangerous
grace, but Jerry had no chivalry. Over
on the mantel stood another photo
graph he liked better girl standing
| on an old boat landing in a sweater
short sport skirt and white tam, smii-
| ing back at one, her hands deep in her
pockets. This was Nan Willard, and
| Jerry did some hard thinking on her
| account Before the coming of Mrs
Hamilton she had been Marbury's
principal concern in life.
Did Miss Willard" Jerry began
and stopped short, lingering the pear
studs on the bed. He had almost
thought out loud. II mean. Uncle
Gerald. which are you going tc
marry?'
1 ties in the drawer. He missed Kato's
ministrations.
| II like Nan the best" Jerry added
in what he tried to make an off
hand manner.
$50 do I, old man, come to think
of it," Marbury answered between his
| teeth. Trouble is. the ladies have
the preference. You can't club then
and race for the nearest honeymoon
cave, you know. Miss Willard is not
accepting man with only ten thou
| sand a year. She lacks the essential
feminine quality of sympathy. which
is bit beyond you. isn't it, Jerry?"
Has the widow got it?" asked
Jerry earnestly. Marbury stared al
him fixedIy.
How do you know she's q
Widow"
''If she's Mrs. Somebody. yor
couldn't marry her unless she was
could youa'
Marbury was silent. Oddly enough
the boys words stirred up a dormant
sense of honor. He wondered where
old HAMILTON was, anyhow? Left II
some convenient post abroad. prob
ably. There had been a French di
vorce. he knew, and the rumor tina
Frances would marry somebody HI
had been Jealous of over there. AL
at once he looked at the photograph
on the n1antel, at Mans clear widt
Observation-Disclosures