The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-10-01

~ the very picture "t wealthy
- bachelor ciIbma'. without a
care in the world and almost with
cur an ambition. he Thought over
with extreme satisfaction his duz'n
or more excursions into the realm
OF adventure. Spurred by certain
tales he had read IN book he hd
picked up in the club-a book tina:
likened New York 10 q new Bagdad
he had from time to time left his
comfortable chair. entered taN!raS
ard proceeded to some address
chosen entirely at random. BY
means always at the disposal or
we'll dressed man OF genuinely gen
tlemanly appearance. he had entered
one home and another and found
what he was pleased to call adven-
ture.
Adventure, the book had said, lay
behind every closed door. and Morley
Smith had found this true, since
even eating a meal in tenement
house was a real adventure TO one
who had oreakfasted. dined and
supped, year after year. In the best
club In New York. AT time when
eYeryu:. else seemed to be entering
the service OF the Army TT Navy
these little adventures had served to
keep Morley Smith from feeling that
he was entirely out Of things.
This pleasant May day Morley
Smith felt unusually pleased with
himself. The Third Liberty Loan
had just been oversubscribed, and he
felt he had done his part In that
and had thus hooked himself to the
war chariot. He had subscribed n
round hundred thousand dollars and
had worked on the clubs loan COM
mittee, actually securing an exact
million dollars in subscriptions among
the club members. including his own
subscription.
II was evening. and 4 good dinner
helped his seH-satisfactton. The
evening was unusually warm. and
he liked this, because there had been
times during the winter when he
had felt 1t necessary 10 complain 70
the house committee regarding the
temperature. The only reply he had
had was that the house committee
was very sorry but that It was very
difficult to get coal. The president
Of the club himself had gone so far
as to bring coal to the club in his
limousine. else there would have
been one night with no heat what
ever.
Morley Smith, sitting In his COM
Portable chair. tapped the bell on
the table at his side.
"A GIN rickey," he said 10 the
waiter who came Immediately.
I'm very sorry. Mr.. Smith" said
the waiter contrltely. but We are
out Of your favorlte gin today. The
war, sir: there's none being import
ed now. I can give you a ricky
made with Blue Rose gin. sir. That's
all we have In the house"
'Beastly bother. this war" said
Morley Smith. Very well. I'll Try
this Blue Rose stuff. Rotten. dare
say"
IT'S not what we would like it 10
be. sir" said the walter.
When the rickey arrived. Morley
Smith found it was certainly not
what he would have liked it 10 be.
To his exacting taste II seemed
more like gasoline than like gin. He
slipped the drink dstastetully. I'm
nediately all his perfect satisfaction
with himself evaporated. Doing
great things by selling a lot ~
money buri"ncd chaps a LOT Of LIB
orty Ponds. Tommyrot. that. Buy
irc a bunch Of the bonds himself
and feeling puGfed up about it! 1t
rad meant only that he had invested
Nrrne OF his surplus money, on which
mis- bank had refused TO pay him any
interest whatever. in bonds hat
would pay a good rate and be no
trouble whatever. And that was all
INC war work ne had done.
He turned TO his memories Of his
adventures. hoping 60 regain par,
~ the pleasant SATISFACTION that had
been so glowingly present a few
minutes before. Now they looked
cheap and tawdry. What h"d they
amounted to? He had gone 70 some
unknown door and had entered, just
as any man might enter. ana III
every case he had had a well-falled
purse in his pocket. In every case
the solution Of the difficulties he
had worked himself into SO artifl-
cially had meant handing out money.
And ne had called that adventure!
Jolly bit ~ rot, what? Any silly
ass could get into trouble by knock
ing at strange door. and any
gpootcr could get out Of the same
trouble py handing out cash!
\ deep and dire detection came
upon Morley Smith as he slipped the
aoomiaable rickey that tasted like
gasoline. What no. his life had been
IDLY well 4 failure. what? Even
:he comfortable bachelorhocd in
which he had wrapped himself was
a cheap ard tawdry method Of cscap-
;rs responsibilities when considered
,h"uuch the medium II a Blue Rose
cir r.ckey He had made Il life
n.ht 70 avoid a wife and children
and 70 assure himself utter comfort.
and it all eliminated in. having 20