Evening star., 1921-03-20

. he's president of the Nut and Boit
Works. just across the town line. IN
| Portchester. Biggest concern in TINS
section"
"Yes?" says Stacey. But since I've
been here I've taken in exactly $ls- -
, in fees, and my overhead Tor the OF
! flee alone amounts to more than three
times that every week. ! confess. m
frightened when | think where III
, he at the end OF year. But Caroline
insists that 1 must keep on. / hope
her aunt's .statc will be settled
Promptly. If it isn't---
Stacey shrugs his shoulders.
"Oh, you'll come through all right.
! like a winner now.
IF YOU could see what I've done to
my bank account S.ooms Stacey,
you wouldn't wonder that I'm anX-
ious But Caroline seems happy and
optimistic"
Yes. she was al of that when We
saw her the next night at the coun-
try Cub Also in mat b.ack-beaded
evening gown she was about the zppiest
young person On the floor. After shes
steered Stacey through one fox trot she
IL; him sit in the corner while she
buzzed around until they got intro
duced And Young Billy Ranuie seemed
to bc The most enthusiastic OF the lot
; But she made a hit with the ladies,
90 I motto d her waTin' Billy OF when
sho was chattin' with Sadie and Mrs.
E.jmcr-Day, and when supper was
So. we'd she manages TO get o.d j. h
R;fndle seated between her and STACEY.
J couida tell whether it was just luck
! or good pla min but it WASH such d
poor thing to pun.
Then that dinner party wasn't total
fx,. lac
Bcomer-Days and Mr.. and Mrs. Purdy
Pen, who are both tcpliners in Rock
hurst, socially and financially. Ana
when it came to fancy eats-weii, "hat
could YOU ask richer than green turtle
steaks, stuffed pheasant. and shortcake
made from nothuuse str.twbsrrics!
! Really says Sadie. Il had no
itiea tnat this MI. GIies was such sue
cessful lawyer. He must have won some
big cases recently.
Looks that way. don't it' says l.
Ii amt week later, though. that
,;rops into Stacey's office ana finds h'm
slumpad in his desi, char with his face
,:hitc ana his hands trembiy. .
For the love OF soup, Stacey says
l. What's hit yoI?
Its all up. SHORTY, he sroaHS. i
1 IN ruined.
"Eh::" says /. "How's that: Who's
wrecked you
shouldn't have lis seemed to Caroline. You
Know that legacy tod you about?'
.Uh-huh." says l. From the rich
aunt in kentucky"
He mods 1T has come. says ne.
..1'wo pieces of antique mahogany furni-
ture and collection of cameo brooches
the whole thing worth less than
thousand dollars.
But what about the stock farms and
tobacco lands" l asks.
"A b.tr hnr
Stacey. "Of course, / didn't know about
the sons. But Caroline did. And she
must have known that they would get
the bulk of the property. She-she sim.
ply led me TO think that 1t ~ouid an
come to her Just to get me to--to make
a spIurge What an ass | was. But IT'S
done. My little capital that would have
kept us along for several years. II we
lived prudently, has been. squandered:
Unlv a few hundred left. And here
am saddIcd with an expensive house.
extrayagant servants, this silly ONCE
and nothing TO keep i; all up. II don't
know what's going to become OF me-
shorty"
souallv ahead. don't il? What does the
wif.. say? What's her plan now?
That's the worst of il" says Stacey;
she insists that We must keep on ana
don't know how.
ITS by me- says !. Pm no eff
cheney expert. Whatever ] did.
though. I'd try to keep my chin up
and not let on I was licked until they
finished countin' me out"
Thanks, shorty says he, pawn
my shoulder graceful. It'll try.
/ will say, too, that he made good
stab at it. At The next board meetin
he shows up wearin' big black per-
fecto in the side or his face. and when
we asks him if there amt any way
Of finishin' the new wing to the high
. I'D ffvns fF.t
the state appropriation to come in he
surprises us by sayin' he thinks he
| can fix it,.
1T isn't regular" says he. but you
might transfer some Of the salary
| fund temporarily. I'll draft the reso-
luton for YOU
; Say. he's. regular feller. ch""
| whispers old man Benson to me.
| "Ought to boost his pay. hadn't we?"
| agrees that we had. and after
Stacey had gone we votes to double
what he'd been gettin'.
Still, was wonderin' how long he
! could carry on the game, SO here the
other day I looks him up.
We'll, Stacey" says ]. you amt
in the hands of the deputy sheriff
| yet are you?"
| And blamed if he don't slap me
| cheerful on the back. Hardly. old
top" says ne. Haven't you heard?
Why, I've been retained as general
counsel for the Mutt 4 Bolt works.
Mr.. Randle put that over for me last
week. Carries a nice annual salary
| and all that. And Boomer-Day has
turned over his wife's mothers es-
j tate to me to settle. and Judge Smiley
has offered me a full partnership. All
within ten days. What do you know
about that, eh:'
Fine work" says I. Coming your
way strong. I should say. How do
YOU account for il. Stacey"
oh. I'm not fooling myself" says
he. Not for a minute. 1t was Caro-
lines bluff that worked-nothing else
But if she hadn't strung me along
! about that legacy I'd never had the
nerve. Say, people are queer. aren't
they?"
"Uh-huh" says I. "As Lincoln
didn't put it: You can BLUM all OF 'em
all Of the time"
And Stacey. leanin' back in his ma
hogany swing chair. lights up fresh
perfecto. and winks kAowin'. .----..-..-