Evening times-Republican., 1920-10-25
The
Substitute
Millionaire
HUBERT FOoTNER

| iiia the INK tnat connects them all y
he told himself "The decent little
gentleman with the imperial; Bar
| barossa, the anarchist; Dave Ander-
son, the detective; Clara Cleaver,
the well-born lady, and Miriam Cul-
breth, the adventuress."
| The relation between Jack and
| Miriam was a complicated one. AS
in the beginning, she made it clear
that while she intended to marry the
millionaire she was not averse to
having the secretary make love to
her. Jacks indifference piqued the
sPoileds~h beauty almost beyond bear
| ing. She longed to bring him to her
feet, and she hated him cordially too,
as he learned before he had been Wis
| iting Mrs. Cleaver's house many
days
1t was the tea hour. Jack had
come after Bobo, but found every
| body out. They had left word for
him to wait, so he drifted UP to the
library where they usually had tea,
| and picking up book he dropped
| into chair to read. At his left
hand hung portiere dividing the
library from the central hall, which
ran up thru the house
After little while Miriam and
Bobo came up in the elevator Evil
IDENTIFY there had been nisunder-
standing about Jacks arrival--pos-
sibly Some other servant had admit
ted them, for Miriam said:
We'll wait a while for him before
we ring for tea"
They dropped into afcozy corner in
the hall, a nook favored of couples.
1t was Immediately on the other
side of the curtain at Jacks hand
and he could therefore hear every
word spoken above a whisper. He
was debating with himself whether
or not the circumstances justified
him in playing the eavesdropper,
when he heard Miriam say:
you've never told me how you and
Jack met, and how you came to
lichoose him for your secretary"
That decided Jack. He gave no
sign of his presence.
Bobo replied: "Oh. I've known him
a good while. When worked in the
sash factory down town, he was
there, too"
What did you do there?"
Bbokkeeper."
| What did Jack do?"
| "Oh he-he was a bookkeeper, too
| There were two of us. And we were
friends outside the office, too. Used
to go round together nights. So when
came into my money-why it was
natural for me- to get Jack to help
me to look after It,"
I mot bad for Bobo,"' thought Jack.
He pricked up his ears at the next
1 words. ~
| II don't see how you put up with
him!" said Miriam.
! Put up with him!" echoed Bobo
In his fancy Jack could see the
blank look that overspread the hon.
est fat face. "Why-why, what's the
matter with Jack?'
'"The way he runs you, I mean
/, One would think he was the mil
I lionaire, and you the hired secre-
; tary."
! Bobo made queer, scared noises in
his throat. 1T seemed to Jack that
| Miriam must suspect that she had
hit the rail on the head, but appar-
emily she did not, for her next words
! were in the same drawing, careless
tone.
HE all but tells you how to an
/, swer when people speak to YOU"
| "Oh!" said Bobo, somewhat re-
lieved. "But Jacks clever, and I'm
] not"
| you're not as stupid as he likes
| to make out" suggested Miriam.
! "Devil!" thought Jack
MAKE out" said Bobo. "Jack
| doesn't make out anything, He's my
friend"
my poor Bobo!" she said with in
dulgent tenderness. you're criminal
ly good-natured! OF course he knows
which side his bread is buttered on
He's not going to say anything open
! Iy. = But friends! Oh, how blind you
are!"
Jack and are friends" repeated
BObo. Jacks on the square!"
She laughed delicately. Jack guess
ed that she patted Bobo's hand or
something like that. "Oh, well, let's
change the subject" she said in
tone that forced him to continue it.
NO" said Bobo, just as she had
intended him to. "Tell me what you
mean. Does he talk about me?"
"Oh, it isn't what he says" she
said with seeming reluctance. l"But
it makes me mad! Always poking
fun at you!"
"Iiar." thought Jack
Making fun of mel" said Robo
in burt tones. Behind my back. I
didn't think it of him!"
"There, forget It," she said sooth-
ingly. 'It doesn't make any differ
ence to your real friends"
what did he say about me?"
II sha9't tell you. I don't want to
make trouble
Jack grimly smiled to himself
''But I don't see why you put up
with it," she presently went on. "As
it is, you daren't call your soul your
own. He manages you like child
you grown man."
What can I do?" said poor Bobo
Fire hirn!"
CSC that's your camel" thought
Jack. ITS foredoomed to failure,
LADY,"
"Oh, 1 can't do that" said Bobo
Mortified.
why not? I guess you can man
age your own affairs as well as other
men, can't you? Get a lawyer to
help you, Everybody would think
more of you if you came right out
and put Jack in his place. They