Evening star., 1920-01-18
AND THE SETTING HEN

and couldn't get out.
Nice loOkin' young chap, too. Oh, say
thirty or better. l don't know as he'd
quality as perfect male. but he has
good lines and the kind OF profile that
had most of the lady typists stretchin
their necks, But there's no more ex-
preston on that map of his than there
would be to a bar Of soap. Just blank.
And yet after a second glance you
wondered.
You see, I'd happened to drift out into
the general offices in time to hear him
ask Vincent the fair-h haired guardian Of
the brass gate. IL Mr.. Robert is in. And
when Vincent tells him he amt he
makes no move to go. but stands there
starn' straight through the wall out
into Broadway. Looks like he might be
one of Mr.. Roberts club friends, SO
steps up and asks il there's anything
a perfectly good private Sec can do
for him. He wakes up enough to shake
his head.
ANY message?" says l.
Another shake Then maybe youll
leave your card?' says I.
Yes, he's willin to do that, and hands
II over.
"Ohv says l. "Why didn't you say
SO? Mr.. Nickerson Wells. eh? Why,
you're the one who's going to handle
that ore transportation deal for the Cor
rugated, amt your
II was. but I'm not" says the chat
tefbox y"
En-" says /. gawpin.
Cant take 1t on" says he Tell
Elins, will you?"
Not much!" says l. Guess you'll
have to hand that to him yourself. Mr..
Wells He'll be here any minute. Right
this way"
And swell time I had keepin' him
entertained in the private office for half
an hour. Not that he's restless or
fdgety. but when you get party who
only stares bored at spot about ten
feet behind the back of your head and
answers most Of your questions by
blinlsin' his eyes, it kind of gets on your
nerves. Stili. / couldn't let him get
away. Why. Mr. Robert had been pros
pectin for months to find the right man
for that transportation muddle and
when he finally got hold Of this Nicky
Wells he goes around GRIMM for three
days.
Seems Nicky had built up quite a rep
by some work he did over in France on
an engincerin' Job. Ran some supply
tracks where nobody thought they could
be laid. bridged river in night under
fire, and pulled lot OF stuff like that.
+ don't know Just what. Anyway, they
pinned all sorts Of medals on him for it,
L. l~sx r.
over turned him loose as casual as any
buck private. That's the Army for you.
And the railroad people he'd been with
before had been shifted around so much
that they'd forgotten all about him. He
wasn't the kind to tell 'em what whale
OF guy he was. and nobody else did
it for him. So there he was, fioatin
around. when Mr.. Robert happened to
hear Of him. ~
Must have got you in some. lively
spots. runnin' a right t-of-way smack up
to the German hnes?" I suggests
"M-m-m-m" says he, through his
teeth.
Wasn't IT you laid the tracks that
got up them big naval guns?" asks.
II may have helped" says he.
~ huCW di AWFUL H. yOu Scc. <3ulc
thrillin'. II you had highs imasi-
nation. And you can bet was some
relieved when Mr.. Robert blew in and
took him Off my hands. Must have been
an hour later before he comes out and
! goes into the private Office to and Mr..
Robert with his chin on his wishbone
and his brow furrowed up.
"Well, I take 1t the ne-syllable
champion broke the sad news to youv'
says ].
Eyes. he wants to quit" says Mr..
Robert.
Means to devote all his time to
brealSin' the long distance no-speech
record. does hep I asks.
'Tm sure don't know what he means
to do" says Mr.. Robert. sighin'. ANY
way. he seems determined not to 60 to
work for the Corrugated. / did discover
one thing, though. Torchy. There's
girl mixed up in the affair. She's thrown
him over"
,"I don't wonder" says /. Probably
he tried to get through whole evenin'
with her on that yes-and-n stuff"
No. Mr.. Robert says, 1t wasn't that.
Not altogether Nicky has done some
thing that he's ashamed Of something
she'd heard about. He'd renigged on
takin' her to dinner dance up in Bos-
ton month or 50 back. He'd been on