Evening star., 1924-06-08
. LEvEN THOUSAND DOLLAR
4 roadsters are smooth running


keep cool and collected, and Of this
Tucked D Witt was as well aware as
he should be.
Nevertheless. on this warm, sunny
June morning. when. working his
way clear of the tangled traffic of up
per New York, he settled himself
down to an almost Northumberland
race against time. he gave as little
heed to the matter of oil as the veri-
est tyro might have.
The roadster, almost new. was one
OF eight cars he owned at that mo-
ment, which gives an idea of his
financial condition, and perhaps of his
mental as we'll
This last Kitty Townsend had dag
nosed for him when, in March. she
had returned to him the pledge of
their engagement.
LAS near as I can discover" she
had said in her smooth and lovely
voice, your idea of an ideal married
life is to have me always about ready
TO hand YOU wrench when you need
it. Thank you, Tuck, / don't care to
play second fiddle to your horrid old
motorsm
Exquisite is a word that fitted
Kitty perfectly. And with reason
She had made it the keynote of her
campaign and she stressed it cease
lessly-and exquisitely.
Your greatest asset" her mother
had assured her, lis your air OF dis
tinction. Society is full of young
hoydens who are trying to beat men
at their own games. Be aloof, diff
ferent-eternally feminine"
They talked things over together
and a social background of sorts. BY
making the most of both they had
accomplished much.
They talked Tuck over as coolly.
with the same eye for the main
chance.
IF we had money, I'd prefer for
eiGner-of title, OF course" her
mother had admitted. but we must
have money. And Tuck has social
position. We can live abroad lot
he'll do anything for you, even that,
Ii you manage him."
So it had seemed. From the begin
ming Tuck had been blinded by
kitty's undeniable lovelinesS. She
was so wonderfully. so-these days
unbelievably feminine.
Her beautiful hair was unbobbed.
She did not ride horseback. She
smoked but as one who performs a
pretty feminine rite. She drank, but
only famous vintages decorously
served.
L. - lx,f
was his final tribute.
II hate his hands, Kitty had re-
marked They look like a me-
chanic's"
You can manage about that after
you marry him. her mother had as
sured her. And he is charming in
his way. Take my advice and take
him" And Kitty had taken him in
December, only to shake him in
March.
THEY had been motoring through
Westchester. A dog OF no pedi-
gree and less manners had run out
snapped at the front tires. Tuck
had swerved to avoid hitting him
why didn't you run right over
him." she had demanded.
The smile had fingered in his eyes
until he had realized that she actually
meant it He had recoiled. instinct
lively. and she. as instinctively. had
promptly pressed home purely
feminine point.
The way you swerved might have
wrecked the car and killed me-" she
had insisted Which only proves that
YOU care more for a dog than for me-"
And SO on TO the return of his ring
and the end Of the world. 1t made
little difference to Tuck what he
did then, and so he went off with
Preston Colt. Preston Colt had an in
satIable curiosity about unexplored
places: at the moment the headwaters
of the Amazon fascinated him.
Il need a better mechanic than /
can afford to hire to keep the scow
I've chartered moving" he had assur-
ed Tuck. Wen be back by June
and she'll have plenty of time to miss
you and be sorry
When Tuck returned to New York
he found it had not worked out that
way.
You look as if you'd had tropical
fever" one of his kind friends had
assured him. Are you going to
kitty's wedding tomorrow"
This last had taken time to perco-
late. Kitty. Marrying Leonard
Hood,
In his own apartment he smoked
furiously, cigarette after cigarette.
At half-past 9 he had put in lorg-
distance call to her.
This is Miss Townsend" came. at
last, her cool voice.
IT'S me. Tuck. Kitty dear" he had
begun. "I-oh kitty-you aren't"
From that point he floundered along,
until she hung up on him. Thereupon
he Topped into chair. "Oh gosh" he
worse than ever."
Yet Kitty, leaving the phone, wore
an expression her mother could not
fathom.
TT was Tuck" Kitty explained, and
her mothers eyes grew startled.
kitty" she gasped. You aren't
considering-'
why not?"
'TBut-the guests-the presents. You
can't change your mind now
Il can be sick! I'm not an utter
fool-Fm too much your daughter for
that"
And she was. Her dismissal of
Tuck had been carefully calculated,