Evening star., 1922-10-08
Cleper Bank Messenger
Proues Skilled Manager
In TOwn Leaders Battle.

shifted gasoline without resentment,
| and could take an automobile to
pieces and put it together again.
man. a banker and q horseman, and
he carried his idolatry to the point Of
initiating his benefactor in manner.
dress and speech. Finding that
Wrong Number was going into town
for a night course in q business COL
lege. Burgess paid the bill. and see
ing that Wrong Number at twenty
two had outgrown horse and aspired
to a career In finance. Burgess took
him into the bank with an injunction
to the cashier to turn him loose
in the lot"
While Mrs. Burgess enjoyed the ex-
element and f1utter of grandstands.
her sense of humor was unequal to
full appreciation Of the social charm
of those gentlemen who live In close
proximity to horse. Their ways and
their manners and their dialect did
not. in fact. amuse her. and she en-
tertained an utterly unwarranted'
suspicion that they were not re-
spectacle. = It was with the gravest
doubts and misgivings that she wit
messed the rise of Wrong Number.
who, after that young gentleman's
transfer to the bank. turned up In
the Burgess town house rather fire.
quently and had even adorned her
table.
On an occasion Web had wired her
from Chicago that he couldn't get home
for a certain charity concert which she
had initiated and suggested that she
commander Wrong Number as an es-
cort. and as no other man Of her ac-
quaintance was able or willing to rep
resent the shirking Webster. she did in
fact utilize Wrong Number. She was
obliged to confess that he had been of
the greatest assistance to her and that
but for his prompt and vigorous action
the programs, which had not been de-
livered at the music hall, would never
have been recovered from the theater
to which an erring messenger boy had
carried them. Wrong Number, arrayed
in evening dress, had handed her In and
out Of her box and made himself agree
able to three other wives Of tired bust
ness men. who loathed concerts and
pleaded important business engagements
whenever their peace was menaced by
classical music. Mrs. Burgess bitter
ness toward Webster for his unaccount-
able interest in Wrong Number was
abated somewhat by these circumstances.
though She concealed the fact and be-
rated him for his desertion in an hour
Of need.
WEBSTER G. BURGESS was enor-
w mously entertained by his wife's
social and philanthropic enter
prises and he was proud Of her ability
to manage things. Their two children
as they dined alone at home the table
was the freest confessional for her ac-
tivities. She never understood why
Webster evinced so much greater in
terest and pleasure in her. reports Of
the warning factions than in AFFAIRS that
moved smoothly under her supreme
direction.
You know. Web" she began on an
evening during the progress Of the great
war, after watching her spouse thrust
his fork with satisfaction into a pudding
she had always found successful in win
ming him to an amiable mood: you
know. Web. that Mrs. Gurley hasn't the
slightest sense Of ftness.-no tact-no
delicacy!"
You've hinted as much before" said
Webster placidly. Cleaned you up in
club election"
web" calculated Mrs. Burgess dis
dainfully. You know perfectly we'll
she was completely showed under at the
Women's Civic League election. Do you
think after all did to start that move
ment I'd let such a woman take the
, presidency away from me? 1t isn't that
cared for it. Heaven knows I've got
enough to do without that
Right affirmed Burgess read
fly. But what's she put over on you
now?'
Mrs Burgess lifted her head quickly
from a scrutiny of the percolator flame
Put over! Don't you think I give
her any chance to put anything over!
I wouldn't have her think for a minute
that she was in any sense rival
mo; nothing vulgar and common like
| that" agreed Webster.
But that womans got the idea that
she's going to entertain all the distin-
guished people that come here. And the
Gurleys have only been here two years
oil 20
nothing to me. Of course, but you know
there is a certain dignity in being an old
| family. even here. and my great grand
father was a pioneer governor, and
yours was the first state treasurer and
that ought to count and always has
| counted. And the Gurieys made all
| their money out Of tomatoes and pickles
in a few years. and since they came to
town they've Just been forcing them
selves everywhere"
"I'd hardly say that" commented
Burgess There's no stone wall
around this town. I was on a COM
mittee of the chamber of commerce
that invited Gurley to move his can
ming factory here"
"And after that he was brazen
enough to take his account to the
Citizens" exclaimed Mrs. Burgess.
That wasn't altogether Gurley's
fault. Gertie." replied Burgess. softly.
You don't mean, Web"
ct mean that we could have had his
account II we'd wanted It,"
We'll. I'm glad we're under no OBJ
legations to carry them around"