Evening star., 1922-10-01

are when l want to give a hurry-up
order to the store. Anyway. Mr. Tut
| was getting peevish and his coffee
was getting cold, so I called in Barry
Platt to put the call through. His
training as a reporter and his knack
| Of joshing the local operator at Chen
| at least
THAT'S how we both happened to
i be on hand when Wilbur Tutt
finally got his Brooklyn connection.
Not that we were especially inter-
ested in this one-sided conversation
with an invisible Mac ESQ miles away.
| In fact. we had backed into-the far
corner of the dining room and were
chatting slow about something entire
ly different ashen we heard Mr.. Tut
let out that queer. gaspy sound. as
though a piece of pie crust had
lodged in his throat. Even then we
took very little notice of it.
But Mrs. Tut had her ear stretched
and the first thing we knew she had
pushed back her chair and had Joined
, nuDDy IN tne ndli"dS. WHAT Is IL
Wilbur" she dema nded.
! At first he waved her away i'm
| patient, but a moment later. after he
heard some more. he turned and
handed her the receiver. "lt-its
Mac" says he. There's the devil to
pay. Something about a recount. |
can't quite get him. You take it.
Carrie
Very WELL" says she. One side.
now. That you Mcqueen? Well.
| what's up? Eth? Two precints?
| Which ones: Yes. know 'em. What?
| Three hundred more ballots than the
| tally sheets showed: Box stuffing, you
say? But who can they fix it on?
, Oh, One of the board got scared and
! suuealed. did he? Blum. the grocer:
! TIL bet Mullaney had him fixed be-
! forehand. Well. what about 1t? Yes.
want to know the worst. No: They
! can't do that. can they" OF ,,urse
/ Mullaney would claim it. You tell
em Wilbur will fight 1t. Get some
/ good lawyers on the case-the' best.
! What? Let me have that again. Well.
| I'll tell him. Well call you again l.
! the morning. All right"
| With that she hung up and whirled
on Mr. Tut. You poor fish" says
, she.
But Carrie" he started to protest.
! Don't Carrie me- she snapped.
You've made a fine mess of this. you
have: trusting people like Blum
Might know he'd bungle it. and then
turn yellow. Mac says they've got
YOU right too. Indictment going
through today and the chief is mighty
sore about it. They mean to throw
YOU over and let Mullaney have the
nomination. Understand?
"But-but they can't do that.
Carrie" says Wilbur.
1t came out as a weak whine. All
| the crisp. snappy tones that Mr. Tut
had used few minutes ago seemed
| to have gone. and as he leaned
against the wall. his face gray and
his shoulders >sagged. l hardly knew
him for the same pompous party who
had given off orders and staggered
around. His bulgy eyes stuck out
| further than ever, only now they were
set and starey.
II must go back and fix this up"
! he muttered.
Go back nothing" says Mrs. Tut.
Don't you know where you'll land
| if you do? And If they've all turned
you down where'd you get bail' Say.
you listen to me. Wilbur Tutt. You
keep away and let the lawyers handle
this until we know where you're
coming out. Don't stand there look
ing like a ghost with pain in the
stomach. either. Come over here and
sit down.
CHE had to steer him back to the
y table and push him into chair.
She wasn't any too gentle about 1t,
either. He acted dazed as he slumped
down and hid his face in his hands.
you're a hot politician. you are
was Mrs. TUFTS comforting remark.
I'm sorry. Carrie" he whimpered.
II thought I was going to pull it off.
Tough luck
Luck, eh?" she echoed, with hard
little laugh. 81 call it bum manage
ment-trying to put over a trick ike
that without knowing your men.
You poor shrimp! I could have told
YOU better than that But no. just
because you'd tumbled into a few fat
things you thought you knew 1t all.
Wouldn't ask my advice. like you
used to. And I was soft enough to
believe you had something besides
hair under your hat! Huh! Well. l
guess you've queered it all now. No
Washington for u.s.
At which Gladys chimes in. DO
you mean that. maw?" she demands.
We'll, that's what I call raw deal.
And me with all them new dresses
ordered and everything! Say. that's
fierce. We gotta go back to the
Heights, have we?"
Well be doing well If we can keep
the house." says Mrs. Tutt. with
all your fool father has spent on his
primary campaign and his law prac-
tice shot to pieces it's more likely
we'll have to move into another four
room fiat somewhere. That 1s. "nen
we dare go back at all. 1 don't even
know whether we ought to stay here
tonight. They might trace the call
They couldn't, Carrie" puts in Mr.
Tut. Nobody knows but Mac, and
he wouldn't give me away"
Don't you be too sure OF Mac
says she. Hes in with the gang and
he'll have to stick by 'em. ThereSno
telling but what he's tipped on the