The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-08-28
CHAPTER 669

CHAPTER 669
 TO hear Max Hoad1ey spoken of as . big, b1undering boy struck me as the height of a,bsurdity. But Miss Mays face was so serious and pur- poseful that I couldn't permit my self smile.
 Have you interviewed him So early in the morning? l askes.
 "Yes Mrs. Harrison. Please don't think I'd take advantage of all your kindness and presume to come s~ late if I'd been engaged with any thing but our own business. You see. last night I explained our plans to the boys.
 Miss May smiled happily as she | spoke of Ralph Lacy and Wayne | Parkinson. who had adopted her an aunt and who had given ner a | sort of radiant. wondering youth just by making her feel that she ''be1onged". If those two fine men didn't appeS1 strongly to me by force | of their individual sweetness and | charm and character, they weUM 1 still make a good impression because l of their feeling for each other. But | added to the loyalty which causes l each to 'boost the others stock 50 l enthusiastically there IS the chival- | ry they are showing to a lonely old | woman who is having not her second. | but probably her first 'fblcon1ing' through them. No ono could look on without being impressed.
 "You mean that you explained vour plans for having MT. Parkinson buy out the millinery bus.ness. Mir. Hoadley is so anxious to dispose of2' I asked.
 'T did my deax I told them all about Max Hoadfey's wanting to be l free to- devote himself to the inn porting business which his nephew :s l finding it so hard to manage. Real. l ly, it was very gratifying to see those l fine young men attending so earnest ly to the story of difficulties encoun- tered by a perfect stranger. I was proud of my boys and their unselfish interest in MT. Etoad.ey."
 Are you sure the interest wasn't in you and consequently, in any story you choose to telI?" I bantered.
 "Oh, no indeed' It was just their l humanness responding to another mans need,' insisted Miss May. with | the seriousness which is one of her quaint charms.
 Max Hoad1ey, as lbject of ear- nest pity and sympathy, appealed to my desire for good laugh. But Miss May didn't. So I banished my l feeling that he was G squat and al- most repulsfve figure given to croak- ing like a frog and pushing in where he wasn't wanted.
 I sent into the limbo of things forgot all thought of his startIiag and unwe1come flare of feeling for me. And I managed to compel my ! self to see him through my little }"partner's" eyes, as I knew Ralph s Lacy and Park had done. Some how my eyes smarted and my breath | caught in the back of my thro It at the thought of those two fine, up- standing young men sitting across the table from little Miss May and ! giving themselves fully to the cause in which she wanted to enlist them.
 TT suppose you were very careful | not to let Park realize that you were missionarying him as well as | your acknowledged protege, Max Hoadaey!" laughed, finding some outlet for my emotions in the little chuckle in which Miss May could he | counted on to join.
 ''Oh. that would have spoiled ev- erything!" she replied shrewdly. "If Park dreamed how sarry am for him. with nothing to do, and days hanging so heavily on his hands, he'd just be miserable for making me worry. You see, I understand very well that those two remarkable boys are intent on bringing sunshine into my 1tfe-not worry. So, of course, the way to work it with Park is to let him feel that he's doing friend of mine a favor. not that his poor old maiden aunt is putting herself out on his account. So made no mention of any plan to give him something to do. I think I was really very dip1o- matic."
 "Of course, you were dear" I re- piled. "In anxious to hear just how you managed"
 1T scarcely know But sold Pork my idea. I really sold him. I just guess as we went along, a step at a time in the matter of poor Max HoadIey, and the business he made m tray hf ;4 that unless I could find the poor thing someone to take his place he was tied hand and foot It couldn'- help appealing to the generous imag- nation of thct hoy.
 Here he Is with nothing in the world to do but cut coupons and play polo. and then there's Max Hoadley who never had good time in his life, tied to one business and forced 10 watch another ore 20 to pieces for lack of his genius in organization"
 "I suppose you painted a ye.y pa- thetic figure" I ventured.
 Well. he is pathetic" said Miss May, with motherly conviction. If you're never learned to play and you come to be ntddle-aged and have to hold a job that scarcely needs you when there's another you're just pin ing to get at, call if sad. Especially when the one that needs you is likely to be ruined for lack of you. Ana when the one that doesn't need y~,. has hold on your pride an>. loyalty
 And Park was convinced!" I ssi: ed trying to vision this aristocratic young man of leisure and polo games and high powered racing cars at work in a wholesale millinery world
 Absolutely. He fell like a young 1 crusader" chuc,>led Miss May who has a sense of humor of her own.
 He offered to come to the res | clIe ?r T demanded aStoniShed fhv too magic a little old woman with a con- | viction can work.
 "He commissioned me to arrange just whatever I thought best and said he'd stand by
 And 80 this morning you had a