Evening star., 1924-06-01
Press Agent

ment has rendered America-to my
mind-the ideal place for young
man of his views The general
looked at his watch. at Is most
fortunate that 1 happened TO run into
you, my dear fellow. My train fol
| Washington leaves in another hour
and l have packing to dc. / want to
leave poor Seaclif in your charge
| while l am gone"
! "Oh. 1 say-what?"
You can look after him. | am
credibly informed that even now
there are places in New York where
determined young man may obtain
| the-er-stuff. and l should be in
finitely obliged-and my poor sister
would be infinitely grateful-if you
| would keep an eye on him" He hailed
a taxi-cab. Il am sending Seaclifl
round to the Cosmopolls tonight.
am sure you will do everything you
can. Good-by, my boy; good-by.''
| Il *.*
| A RCHIE continued his walk II
was past o'clock when he re-
turned to the Cosmopolis. Roscoe
Sheriff was pacing the lobby OF the
hotel nervously. carrying small
handbag.
heavens, man, I've been waiting two
| hours"
Sorry. old bean. i was musing a
bit and lost track Of the time"
The press agent looked cautiously
around. There was nobody within
earshot.
Here he is" he said.
| "Who?'
Peter"
where" said Archie, staring
| blankly about him.
In this bag. Did you expect to
find him strolling arm in arm with
me round the lobby? Here you are
take him"
|. He was gone. And Archie holding
the bag. made his way to the eleva :
tor. The bag squirmed gently in his
| grip.
The only other occupant Of the ele-
vator was striking looking woman
OF foreign appearance, dressed in a
way that made Archie feel that she
must be somebody or she wouldn t
look like that. She entered the ele-
Vator at the second floor. where the
tearoom is. and she had the contented
expression Of one who tea'd to her
satisfaction. She got or at the same
moor as Archie, and walked swiftly.
In a 1.-the. pantherish way, round the
bend in the corridor Archie followed
more slowly. When he reached the
door of his room, the passage was
empty. He inserted the key in his
door. turned it, pushed the door open,
and pocketed the key. He was about
to enter when the bag again efuirmed d
gently in his grip.
The bag was one of those simple
bags with thingummy which YOU
press. Archie pressed it, And, as it
opened. out popped he head of Peter.
His eyes met Archie's. Over his head
! there seemed to be an invisible mark
OF Interrogation. His gaze was Gu
rfous. but kindly. He appeared to be
! saying to himself. Have I found a
friend?"
Serpents, or snakes, says the ency-
clopedia, are reptiles Of the saurian n
class, Ophidia, characterized by an
elongated, cylindrical, limbless, scaly
form, and distinguished from lizards
by the fact that the halves (rami) of
the lower Jaw are not solidly united
at the chin, but movably connected
by an elastic ligament. The verte-
trous and procoelous. And, of course.
when they put in like that, you can
see at once that a man might spend
hours with combined entertainment t
and profit just looking at a snake.
Archie would no doubt have done
this: but long before he had time
really to inspect the halves (ramD of
his new friends lower Jaw and to ad-
mire its elastic fittings, and long be-
fore the gastrocentrous and procoe-
lous character of its vertebrae had
made any real impression on him, a
piercing scream almost at his elbow
startled him out of his scientific
reverie. A door opposite had opened,
and the woman of the elevator was
standing staring at him with an ex-
preston of horror and fury that went
through him like a knife. 1t was the
expression which, more than any
thing else, had made Nine. Brudow-
ska what she was professionally.
Combined with a deep voice and a
sinuous walk, it enabled her to draw
down a matter of thousand dollars
per week.
Indeed, though it gave him little
pleasure, Achie, as a matter of fact,
was at this moment getting about,
including war tax, two dollars and
seventy five cents worth of the great
emotional star for nothing. For, hav-
ing treated him gratis to the look of
horror and fury, she now moved to-
ward him with the sinuous walk, and
spoke in the tone which she seldom
permitted herself to use before the
curtain of act two, unless there was
a whale of situation that called for
it in act one.
Thief"
1t was the way she said it.
Archie staggered backward through
the open door Of his room. kicked 1t
to with a flying foot, and sat down on
the bed. Peter. the snake, who had
fellen on the floor with a squashy
sound, looked surprised and panied
for a moment.
The next moment he was in his
bag again, and Archie, bounding si-
lently into the bathroom, was tear
ing the cord off his dressing gown.
There came a banging at the door.
A voice spoke sternly:
Say! Open this door" 1t was a
masculine voice.
Archie rapidly attached the dress
ing gown cord to the handle of the