Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-01-01
THE DAILY NOVELETTE,
No More Larks for George
Ry RUSSELL, CLAYTON

| George Henderson ran nls Hub.'ss
turn or two about his narrow hail bed
| room. swore n mild oath, then throw
| himself down Into his morris chair anu'
by the light of his reading. lamp, Pc
| rused once more the letter which was the
| cause of his distraction,
Dear old George-youre the one man
I can think o who could and would,
| help me out I'm having the dulleet
time possible at this poky old hole:
| simply because I don't know man IN
! confess to you there Is a man I'd ike
inter, ri I could detach him from few
| other young things down here.
Cant you run down for n week and
play up the earnest suitor, strong?
Yours for old times sake.
PETE"
up. S.-Don't let on to Aunt Jane I
scut for you, She'd be too awfully hor-
rif1ed."
Now, "Pete" WAS the girl with whom
S'tS sort ot 'S' reia'iw f ISi III, their relations
had not been based on any klnship
Rather had she been TO him sister, friend
and pal all rolled into one. Never had
she failed him when he needed bit OF
! advice or help or sympathy. How could
he refuse her this favor. the first, really,
| she had ever asked?
Events o the last few years had cast
their lots in different places, but George
could tell from the letter that Pete,
his boyhoods nickname for her. .was the
same unconventional daredevil littl"
person as Of yoro. Always, whenever she
wanted n thing, going out after II.
Who. he wondered, was this man that
Fete felt worth wasting the ammunition
OF jealousy upon, for that was what II
! there-hang It ALL there were reasons,
good reasons, why he should not go
There was his business. with mat va
cancy in the position OF treasurer. he
was keeping his nose to the grindstone
hoping to attract attention from the
powers above. And he was building up
l reputation for frugality which n trip
down TO Peto's fashlonable--if poky--
little hole would shattcr irrevocably did
Il become known. And there was Mar
ion
Hang II all Pete's plea couldn't have
come at a more inconvenlent time. His
thoughts fluttered nervously between his
business and his hancee. the while he
s'nng things into his bag. Then he sat
down and wrote an explanatory note to
Marion about his proposed absence from
town which explained nothing.
Pete met him at the station. n vision
&C white from head to foot.
Dear old George" she cried. Dear
old George, Aren't you the best ever -
Then. as she moved over to the drivers
seat Of her little blue roadster, she
icrked brown thumb in a northeasterly
direction. That's him - she whispered
with beautiful disregard OF grammar
winch intrigued George as much as 1t
would have annoyed her highbrow aunt.
George glanced casually at the tall.
broadshoudered man In the Palm Beach
suit standing back to him, evidently lis-
tening to the chatter OF several young
women grouped around him. Now there
!s q certain similarity between the backs
oE all tall-broad -shouldered men, and
this particular one signiiied nothing to
George.
Ii it had. well, there is a fair chance
that not even Pete could have kept him
from rctrcating hastily northward on the
very nC&I train
As 1t was. he passed very pleasant
half hour driving with Pete along the
ocean boulevard ana liscning to he. ac-
count Of various happenings during the
years CT their separation, while she, In
turn, extracted all he felt at liberty to
tell her until Marion decrced a public
announcement OF their engagement
Then she dropped him at tho hotel where
he had elected to stay, with his prom
isc to be her escort at the Casino hop
that evening
Now, either Pete's intuition was true
mat her acquisition OF an escort would
bring her the particular attention she de-
sireu or else me raEishinG gown which
she wore would have proved Its own AT.
traction. At any rate, Georges duties az
tho hop were far from onerous. AT the
md or the opening dance, Pete was all
but taken from his arms and for some
t!rre he saw her no more
Then. far down the ballroom.
palm -embowcrcd orchestra burst .hto the
'horIs o popular OnesteD he saw
etc and tall, broad-shouldered man
advancing toward him. And there was
no escape. AND all his life the mcrest
HTproCch 10 thos" chords on any inStru.
mcnt from a phonograph to a ukuIele
HroduCed the same shivers along his
spinc.
Pete and the president Of his firm,
f'etc and the brother OF his fiancec-for
they were one and the same Fate had
indeed played scurvy trick upon him
Talk about the long arm of coincidence
Wildly. he looked about him. BY side
stepping, immediately behind that pillar
French window, he would be safe, He
had no time to mediate the project, II
vas act or get caught. George acted
Half an hour lacr, in the quiet of his
h"tcl room George wrote an cxplana.
tory note which actually explained, And
he wound un this wise:
IL you can dispense with mo. for
iirAN'p's sake let me know. You So, n,
| amount of explanation will absovc m.
vi'h MaI!cn because to explain prom lv
would inVoi'C you and her brother,
"Worriedly
GEORGE"
The note he dispatched 70 the Casino
w'iE Instructions to page the lady for
whom 1t was Intended. Then he wajtsi
and s'Lrntd ilnulnerable cigarettes
A hour later he got his reply.
Dear George-You have done hotter
| than YoA knew. Your detection ,,d
| boy, brought Mr.. Blaine TO my r~srn.
And ! fancy, I've shared my rr,y.
! Thanks to you. PETE -
George took tho last train ou. th,,
night and not till he was once again ir
his own hall bedroom did he feel a sens.
OF safety. Whew! That was a narrow
| csClpc!
Just suppose he had been caught on
the eEc OF announcing his engagement
! escortnB another woman than his fian.
Gee to a dance at fashionable resort
| tier writing his fiancee he was on, ~
| town on business with person called
| Pete
George mopped his brow. Here's
"hsre ou settle down, old boy!" ne said,
And, presently, 1t was.
! Next Complete NOyeIstte-"Gnr.h yyI.,