Evening star., 1921-09-25

she stayed all night with some girl
friend. She may have thought she liked
company for some other reason; but it
was so she might have some one to
talk to the last thing at night and
the first in the morning. Her mother
was a quiet. repressed lady and her
father was a quiet, repressed gentle
man.
AS Morley Smith considered his
short love affair with Cora Florence.
he thought he saw that he would
have married her if she had not been
She had been queen, and the manner
in which she walhAd andSih which
she switched her skirts about had
been very taking.
by Jove,- you know" he said to
himself as he slipped his miserable
rickey, "she was too much for chap.
what? A chap might have stood the
talk. don't you know, but she thought
of SO much to talk about. Ideas, and
all that sort of thing. A chap could
never keep up. with her. If she had
Just talked. a chap could sort of doze
chaps brain on the jump. what? Like
a poke in the ribs, what? Dear old
Cora! I say, she was dear old thing.
what? Too bad she talked so much.''
He pushed the unpleasant rickey
from him and walked to the window.
L
noyance. "a chap mustn't get to
thinking. Stirs one all up"
He walked back to his chair. 1t is
not much to mention. but in a real
clubman's life. when he is well past
forty, walking to the window and
disagreeable rickey is a huge catas-
trophe, or another chaps letter in
ones pigeonhole in the Office is q
tremendous affair.
At his chair he hesitated. He was
stirred as he had been on each of
the occasions when he had gone forth
adventuring. There was splinter
in his placidity. AS draft across a
sleeper's face becomes a gale, in his
dreams the gentle unrest that Morley
Smith felt now urged him to adven-
ture again. He left the unsatisfac-
tory rickey standing on the table and
walked toward the courtroom. At the
Office he stopped, sealed all the money
he had with him in an envelope and
deposited it in his letter-box. He
would adventure, and he would ad-
We enture unarmed with the rich mans
strongest weapon, his money!
He found, waiting at the curb. the
taxicab he had used on several of
his previous adventures.
Henry he said to the driver, "if
you wanted a great adventure where
would you go?"
well, Mr.. Smith," the driver re.
piled. II tried it. but they wouldn't
than the other, and they said I
couldn't march. But I haven't give
up hope yet, Mr.. Smith. I'm expect
ing any day to get into the service.
Smith. "The big adventure, Henry?
I was only thinking of this eve
4 get you, Mr.. Smith," said the
driver. '1f you don't mind my but
ting In, sir. some Of US have Eort of
heard Of your adventures. Things
gets talked about, cir. 1 saved you
some money on one Of them adven-
lures. II you remember, sir, and if 1t
is all right for me to say so, I'd say
[ it would be better If YOU left your
money somewhere before you start
"R-i-g-h-t-o!" said Morley Smith. Il
"Well, then, Mr.. Smith. since you
ask me what would do II wanted
to butt into something different than
what I'm used to. I wouldn't 60
in hnIiAS the low " parts ae of y town. Maybe
that's because I'm plenty used TO
the parts they calls the slums, but
| what I would call an adventure
would be to try it on one of them
palaces up the Avenue"
Smith, you don't get adventure on
| the Avsnas. Eutler opens the door
and asks for your card, and all that
sort Of thing"
"Yoi mistake me. Mr.. Smith said
the taxicab driver. 1.-THE areaway door
is the door to find adventure at. Below
stairs, SIR
II can't see 1t. Henry" said Morley
Smith.
"All right! Whatever you say.
then"
Morley Smith hesitated with his
foot on the step of the cab.
Drive up the Avenue slowly" he
said finally. "I'll have look at the
houses, what?"
X X \ +
The cab rolled slowly up the Ave-
nue.. There were few vehicles in
sight and not many pedestrians and
Morley Smith gazed from the win
dow. studying the houses. He knew
most of them WELL. He knew who
lived in nearly all. He tapped on