Evening star., 1924-11-09

"HE morning was fair, the sky
was blue and the sun shone
genially upon New York as
Il Archie MofTam. arm in arm
with his young friend Regi-
ya.J van Tuyl, sauntered into Broadway.
F"' the first time since he had married
Lucille, the only daughter of Daniel
brewster, millionaire proprietor of the
'Usmopolis Hotel things had begun to
break right for Archie. Relations be-
tween himself and his father-in law
had at last been placed upon salts
factory footing.
THE relief. dear old beam" he said
10 Reggie. 'is something terrific. You
see, the old boy is most fearfully keen
on seeing another hotel and he'd got
the site and whatnot when n sudden
u discovered that one of the walters
bed sacked from the Cosmopolis-a
Sreat pal of mine-owned a shop in
The very middle of it and wouldn't
sell. I offered to intercede, bit his ear
'r three thousand of the best and
crispest to buy the shop, bought it,
and then told him that | wouldn't sell
unless he chucked his imitation Of
Simon Legree and became matey. So
now everything's fine. Hello. old lad,
what's the natter"
Archie broke off his recital abruptly.
companions features. The hand hold
ing Archie's arm had frightened con-
vulsively. One would have said that
Reginald had received a shock
ITS nothing" said Reggie I'm all
right now. | caught sight of that fell
lows clothes rather suddenly. They
shook me bit. I'm all right now" he
said braveIy.
Archie followed his friends gaze, and
GndAISt0nd =,
sensitive eye for clothes. He had
been known to resign from clubs be-
cause members exceeded the bounds in
the matter OF soft shirts with dinner
Jackets And the short thick-set man
who was standing just in front Of
them in an attitude of restful inlmo-
bility might have been posing as a
model for a sketch of What the Well
Dressed Man Should Not Wear"
His neck was swathed in green
scarf: he wore an evening dress coat
and his lower limbs Were draped in a
pair OF tweed trousers built for a larger
man. To the north. he was bounded by
Il straw hat; to the south, by brown
shoes.
Archie surveyed the mans back care
fully.
Bit thick" he said sympa thetically.
But, of course, Broadway isn't Fifth
Avenue. What | mean TO say is, bo-
hemian license and what mot Broad
ways crammed with deuced brainy
devils who don't care how they look.
Probably this bird is a master mind of
some species strayed from Greenwich
Village"
''All the same. mans no right to
wear an evening dress coat with tweed
trousers"
Absolutely not. see what YOU
mean!'
A T this point, the sartorial offender
turned Seen from the front. he was
ever more unnerving. He was not a
handsome man. At his best ne could
never have been that. and in the recent
past he had managed to acquire a scar
that ran from the corner of his mouth
halfway across his check Even when
his face was in repose. he had an odd
expression; and when. as he chanced to
do now, he smiled, "odd' became a mild
adjective, quite inadequate for purposes
Of description. 1t was not an unpleasa n {
face, however. CnqueStonably genial
indeed. There was something in it that
had a quality of humorous appeal.
Archi" started. He stared at the man.
Great Scott" he cried. Its the
sausage chappie.
Archie bounded forward and was shak-
ing the others hand warmly.
We'll. well, we'll. My dear old chap
You must remember me-what? No:
Ges?''
The man with the scar seemed puz-
lied. lie shuffled the brown shoes
iatted the straw hat, and eyed Archie
Questioningly.
81 don't seem to place you" he said
Archie slapped the back of the eve
ming dress coat.
We met outside ST. Mihiel in the
war. You gave me q bit of sausage.
one of the most sporting events in his
tory. Nobody but a real sportsman
would have parted with a bit of sausage
at that moment to a stranger. Never
forgotten it, by Jove. Saved my life
absolutely. Hadn't chewed a morsel
sor eight hours. Well, have YOU got
anything on? / mean to say, you
aren't booked for lunch or any rot of
that species, are you? Fine. Then
move we all toddle off and get a bite
somewhere" He squeezed the others
arm fondly. Fancy meeting you
again like this. I've often wondered
was forgetting. Dashed rude of me.
My friend, Mr.. van Tuyl.''
Reggie gulped.
Sorry" he mumbled. Just remen-
hcred-important date-late already
Er-see you sometime"
He melted away, broken man.
Archie was not sorry to see him go.
Reggie was a good chap, but he would
undoubtedly have been de trop at this
reunion.
Il vote we go to the Cosmopolis,'' he
said, steering his newly found friend
through the crowd. THE browsing and
sluicing isn't bad there, and l can sign
the bill, which is no small consideration
uowad: VS.