Evening star., 1924-09-28

ABOUT young coates" VI III. ne
liked people-and that's much
rarer than it sounds. He had
an almost blind eye for their
imperfectionS. He knew how to keep
his mouth shut and his blood was
warm.
So in college he had been enormously
popular-vice president of his class
and manager of some athletic team.
Afterward in the Army his company
was wildly sentimental about him,
and when the war was over had a
way of writing him from kokomo,
Ind, or MuScatine, Iowa, about their
successes and their failures. Coates
worth always answered their letters,
even when he was very busy. because
he himself was somewhat sentimental.
Besides, he was nice.
Wien he was 81 he fell in love with
Jacqueline James, who likewise lived
in indianapolis, and married her. She
married him, of course, because he
was such a nice fellow. Why he
married her is a little harder to
guess, because of all the young girls
in the city she seemed the most COM
pletely selfish and the most eXquis-
itelv spoiled People went around
talking about the attraction OF oppo-
sites for each other, and meant moth
ing complimentary to Jacque!ine
James.
After the Coatesworths had been
married a year they came to them
selves and began to look each other
over with discerning eyes. There
was 4 great deal of affection between
them. and neither found anything
particularly alarming in the other,
for d selfish person and an unseldSh
person usually get on together very
we'll indeed. He liked her for being
cool and clean and taGnty, for wear
ing her hardness like a suit of armor
against the world and being tender
and warm for him only. She was like
silver cup. She was a plant from
the high places Sheathed with cool
dew.
She was like that when she came
one day into his office where he car
ried on a wholesale grocery: broker
age with more than average, success.
Miss Clancy, the Stenographer, nodded
TO her admiringly as she passed
breezily through the outer room.
AT the open door of the inner office
Jacqueline stopped and said, "Oh, ex-
cuse me."-She had interrupted an
apparently trivial yet somehow in
trigung scene. A young man named
Bronson, who she knew slightly, was
standing with her husband. who had
risen from his desk. Bronson had
seized her husbands hand and was
shaking it notwithstanding more
than earnestly. When they heard
Jaqueline's step in the doorway they
turned and she saw that BronSou'S
eyes were red.
4 moment later he came out, pass
ing her with a somewhat embarrassed
"How do YOU do"" She walked into
her husbands office.
What was Bronson doing here?"
she demanded curiously and at once.
Jim Coatesworth smiled at her,
half shutting his gray eyes. and drew
her quietly to a sitting position on
his desk.
He just dropped in for minute"
he answered easily. "How's every
thing al home?"
"All right" She looked at him with
curiosity What did he want" she
insisted.
"Oh, he just wanted to sec me about
something"
What"
"Oh. just something-busine
~Uhy were his eyes red?'
"Were they" He looked at her in
nocently and then suddenly they both
began to laugh. JaQucline rose and
walked around the desk and pumped
down into his swivel chair
You might as we'll tell me-" she
announced cheerfully, because I'm
going to stay right here till YOU do"
"Wcll-'' He hesitated, frowning.
"He wanted me to DO him little
favor"
"Oh" Her voice tightened Il little.
you've been lending him some
money"
"Only little"
"Tow much?''
"Only three hundred.
"Only three hundred The voice
cooled. How much do we spend a
month. Jim?''
'Why-why, about five or six hun
dred. l guess" He shifted uneasily.
Listen, Jack. Bronsonll pay that
back. He's in a little trouble"
And he knows you're famous for
being an easy mark, so he comes to
YOU" interrupted Jaqueline.
NO" He denied this formally.
Don't you suppose l could use that
three hundred dollars?' she de-
manded. How about that trip to
New York we couldn't afford last
November"
THE lingering smile faded from
i Coatesworths face. He went over
and shut the door to the outer office.
Listen, Jack" he began, you
don't understand this. Bronson's one
of the men l eat lunch with almost
every day. We used to play togeth-
er when we were kids, we went to
school together. Don't you see that
I'm just the person he'd be right to
come to in trouble? And that's just
why l couldn't refuse"
Jacqueline gave her shoulders a
twist as if to shake off this reason
ing.
We'll" she answered decidedly.
a. "A
He's always tight and if he doesn't
choose to work he has no business
living off the work you do
They were sitting now on either
side of the desk, each having adopt
cd the attitude of one talking to
child. They began their sentences
with Listen" and their faces wore
expressions of rather tried patience.
IF you can't understand, | can't
tell YOU" Coatesworth concluded, at
the end of IS minutes, on what was,
for him. an irritated key. Such OBJ
legations do happen to exist some
times among men and they have to
be met. It's more complicated than
Just refusing to lend money, especial
ly in a business like mine where so
much depends on the good will of
men downtown"
CoateSworth was putting on his
coat as he said this. He was going
home with her on the street car to
lunch. They were between automo-
biles-they had sold their old one and
were going to get a new one in the
Spring.
1t occurred pleasurably to Jacque-
line that her husband sitting beside
her was handsome and kind above
other men. 1t was silly to try to
change him. Perhaps Bronson might
return the money after all and any
how thee hundred dollars wasn't a