Evening star., 1924-07-13

| Archie, for the first time feeling a
touch of good will and sympathy to-
ward the lady.
| She's crazy about it. That's what
made it SO awkward when 1 hap
pened-quite inadvertently-to give
it this sort of accidental shove. Well,
to get her on the phone, and finally
we heard that she had come here. So
took the next train and tried to
persuade her to come back. She
| wouldn't listen. And that's how mat
ters stand"
Pretty rotten" said Archie, SYM
pathetically.
"You can bet it's pretty rotten-for
me. There's nobody else who can
play the part. Like a chump, i wrote
the thing specially for her. 1t means
the play won't be produced at all if
she doesn't do it. So you're my last
hope"
| Archie, who was lighting a cigar
cite, nearly swallowed it.
| II ann"
II thought you might persuade her.
I Jolly her along. You know the sort
of thing"
But, my dear old friend, I tell you
I don't know her"
| We'll, she knows you. When you
came through the lobby just now, she
said that you were the only real hu-
man being she had ever met"
well, as a matter of fact, I did
| take a fly out of her eye. But"
you did? Well then, all you have
to do is to ask her how her eye is.
and tell her she had the most beauti-
full eyes you ever saw. and coo bit
| But my dear old son! / simply
can't Anything to oblige and all
that sort of thing, but, when it comes
to cooling, distinctly napoo."
Nonsense! 1t isn't hard to COO"
you don't understand, laddie
You're not a married man. l don't
want to dish you in any way, old
bean. but must firmly and resolute.
ly decline to COO"
Mr.. Benham looked at his watch.
i've got to get back to New York
and report" he said. I'll tell them
that 1 haven't been able to do any
thing myself, but that I've left the
matter in good hands. 1 know you
will do your best"
But, laddie-'
Think" said Mr.. Benham solemnly
actors. The smallpart people thrown
out Of a job. You know how te
handle it. Pitch it strong! Good-by
my dear old man. and a thousand
thanks" He moved toward the door
leaving Archie transfixed. Halfway
there, he turned and came back. "Oh
by the way" he said, my lunch
haven't time to stay and settle
Good-by! Good-byw
A RCHIE'S whole being shank from
"A extending to Miss Silverton thai
inch which the female artistic tenn
permanent is SO apt to turn into ar
ell; and when, just as he was about tc
go in to dinner, he met her in the
lobby and she smiled brightly at hin
and informed him that her eye wa:
now completely recovered, he shieC
away like a startled mustang of the
prairie, and tottered off to the smok-
ing room, where he did the best h.
could with sandwiches and coffee.
Having got through the time some
room.
Archie prepared to go to bed di
rectly he had closed the door. HI
turned to the closet to get his pa
jamas.
His first thought, when no pajama:
were visible, was that this was mere
ly another of those things which hap
pen on days when life goes wrong
He raked the closet with an annoyed
eye. From every hook hung variou!
garments of Lucille's, but no pajamas
He was breathing a soft maledictiol
when something in the closet caugh
his eyes and held him for a moment
puzzled.
He could have sworn that Lucill.
did not possess a mauve negligee
like. He frowned perplexedly, ane
as he did so, from near the window
came a soft cough.
Archie spun round. Nothing wa.
visible. The window opening onte
the balcony gaped wide. The balloon,
was empty.
"Urrf"
the immediate neighborhood of tn,
window.
Archie was conscious of a pringly
sensation about the roots of his
closely cropped back hair as he
moved cautiously across the room
The affair was becoming uncanny
and, as he tiptoed toward the win.
dow, old ghost-stories read in lighter
moments before cheerful fires with
plenty Of light in the room, fitted
through his mind. He had the feel.
Unexpectedly as every chappie in
those stories had had-that he was
not alone. Nor was he.
In a basket behind an armchair
curled up. with his massive chin rest.
ing on the edge OF the wickerwork
lay fine bulldog.
'Urrfw said the bulldog.
Good Heavenv' said Archie.
There was a lengthy pause, IL
which the bulldog looked earnestly
at Archie and Archie looked earnestl,
at the bulldog.
Normally, Archie was a dog-lover
His hurry was never SO great as tt
prevent him stopping, when in the
street, and introducing himself to any
dog he met. He loved dogs, and hat
they met under happier conditions, h,
would undoubtedly have been on ex.
cellent terms with this one within thu
snacA of a minute But as thing,