The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-08-03
When A Girl
 Marries
CHAPTER 637
By ANNE LESLIE.

go Stum bling along meaning to De friendly, but acting as graceful as St. Bernard pup. Of course, you couldn't have dinner with me-or go driving around town. I see that. I'm nothing but the merest acquaintance. Forget, I presume.
 You didn't!': cried. Then I stopped short. What more was there for me to say? Didn't even my ex- clannation say too much?
 'sDo you mind waiting half a second while I run out to the city room ?'' MT. Lacy asked, jerking back as we were on the threshold of the office. where we'd been working on my ad- vertising copy.
 q don't mind a bit,'' I said. "But if you've a job to finish here this evening please don't bother about aking me to my car" You don't think I'd let you make our way about alone in a neighbor- .ood like this, do you?'' he protest d. "I hate giving you the impres- ion that Pm one of those folks who gre always wasting other folks time. l But I think it's the bitter truth about l me- I'm congenita1ly late-late morning, night and noon. I believe | it's because I'm over-optinistic about | what can be accomplished in each | fifteen minutes of the day. But I l guarantee not to keep you fifteen 1 minutes now.'
 l He flashed me one of his boyish 1 smiles and disappeared. Strangely l enough, I didn't resent being man | aged and disposed of. I recognized | the executive quality in MT. Lacy and | the masterfullness which manages l people and situations without recog- ! nizing it's own leadership. I found ! it restfu1 to deal with man of brains | who was thoroughly interested in his l h11Si nd in or,1v ph | relation to it and who was courteous | to me because of chiva1ry toward wo- | manhood rather merely to Anne liar | rison.
 While I sat waiting for Mir. Lacy | to return the door popped open and | a freck1e-faced office boy darted in. 1 He carried a collection of packages. l The moment he saw me he set them | down and started to leave without | a word. At the door he thought bet ter of it and explained:
 Excuse me, lady, was so darn ! excuse me-I was so-took of heap, 1 because I've never seen any women folks in the boss office before. Ain't 1 you his sister,"
 I'm a business c1ient,'' smiled.
 "Yes'm,'' he said in open-mouthed wonder, which didn't abate through out his stay. well, I'll just tell you l why I butted in so. When the boss ! SuayS ldle l always bring h1n COHe0 and sandwiches. Guess he forgot 'em | tonight. But wasn't havin' him go | hungry just because he gets so deep | in what he's doin'. So there's his supper-coffee and ham and tongue sandwiches And some chocolate cake like he likes. And plenty of l cream"
 You seem to have brought enough for a picnic,' I said with warm ap- preciation of the devoted lad and for the man who inspired his feeling The lad grinned and drew a little design on the office floor with the l stubby toe of his boot.
 "I-get a ca11-down when I don't bring enough for myself he explain ed. And I guess I'm hollow tube | for food like he says"
 You are hollow tube if you call this supper for two,"I chuck1ed, look ing at the generous supply of "eats'' which the lad was setting out awk- wardly but with loving attention to his ideas of turning a desk into a. l table.
 In the mist of his preparation MT. Lacy arrived.
 Hello, Jerry!" he cried with a pat on the shoulder which brought a look of ecstasy to the boys face. Have | you been entertaining Mrs. Harrison 1 during my absence?"
 l I boy awkward1y.
 That's fine Jerryi But I'm run ming along and won't be able to stop for any eats just now. So call in Mike or Tom and act as host will you, Jerry, and thanks a lot for talk ing such good care of me. Here's what I owe you.''
 | Crumpling a bill into the bows g hand. and giving him another pat on the shoulder, MT. Lacy said his smiI- ing good night and then opened the | door for me. I wondered if he was letting me cost him his supper. The | average man would have suggested that since the picnic supper was al- | ready provided, it was foolish to let my scruples stand between me and warming bit or two- But without explanation, MT Lacy understood it wasn't 'fscrupIes'' that kept me from dining with him-but something far deeper. His delicacy and und derstand- ing made me more than ever certain that Ralph Lacy is man really worth knowing.
 As we went acrosss the winding cor
 riders of the Star office and rode down to the street, neither of us said a word about the supper episode. We chatted of the work we'd been doing. . discussed the results we hoped to achieve and made an appointment for MT. Lacy to come to my office for consultation early the following week.
 At the door MT. Lacy stopped for a moment in the empty hallway He spoke with the air of a man who's used to planning and having his ideas | carried out.
 "I have taxi for you Mrs Harri- son. he said. i've taken up hours and hours of your day and now you're 1 going home tired and hungry. There
 doesn't seem any logical way of avoiding that. But I can't have you
 making a long tedious trip in a street
 car. I want to make up to you fer dragging you down here and using
 up so much of your time. So you'll
 have to be generous enough to drive
 home comfortably and peacefully in
 the car I have provided for you"
 Thank you," stammered.
 "But''-