Evening star., 1925-04-19
"Riess vou"' said + p Wheeler

At breakfast next morning Archie
once more brought up the question
of the hanging of the picture.
Touching the jolly old master
| piece" he said, ''how about it? /
| think it's time we hoisted it up some
i where"
Lucille fiddled pensively with her
coffee spoon.
Archie. DEAR she said, I've been
thinking"
And a very good thing to do" said
Archie.
About that picture, l mean. Did
you know it was fathers birthday
| tomorrow"
"Why, no. old thing. I didn't, to be
absolutely honest. Your revered pa
rent doesn't confide in me much.'
We'll, it is. And I think we ought
! to give him a present"
/ Absolutely, But how? I'm all for
spreading sweetness and light and
cheering up the jolly old pater's sor-
rowful existence, but I haven't a
bean. And. what is more, things
have come to such a pass that
sean the horizon without seeing a
| single soul l can touch. I suppose
could get into Reggie van Tuyl's ribs
for a bit, butt don't know-touch-
ing poor old Reggie always seems to
me rather like potting a sitting bird"
''Of course / don't want you TO do
anything like that. I was thinking
Archie. darling. would you be very
hurt if l gave father the picture?'
| Archie had always thought Lucille
the dearest and most unselfish angel
in the world, but never had the fact
come home to him so forcibly as
| now. He kissed her fondly.
by Jover' he exclaimed. You
really are, you know! This is the
biggest thing since jolly old Sir Philip
Whats-his:name gave the drink of
water to the poor blighter whose need
was greater than his, II you recall the
| incident. Well, of course. it's up to
you, queen of my soul. If you feel
like making the sacrifice, right-o!
Shall / bring the pater up here and
show him the picture?"
mo; l wouldn't do that. Do you
think you could get into his suite to-
morrow morning and hang it up
somewhere? You see, If he had the
chance of-what I mean is, if-yes;
| think il would be best to hang it up
and let him discover it there"
1T would give him surprise, you
mean-what?"
Yes"
Lucille sighed inaudibly She was
a girl With conscience, and that
conscience was troubling her a little.
She agreed with Archie that the dis
covery of the Wigmore Venus in his
artistically furnished suite would
give Mr.. Brewster a surprise.
= x = x
A RCHIE whistled merrily on the
following morning as, having
driven a nail into his father-in-law's
wall paper, he adjusted the cord
from which the Wigmore Venus was
nA 10 ho irtc ln. cd
his work and was stepping cautiously
down when a voice behind him nearly
caused him TO overbalance.
What the mischief"
Archie turned beamingly.
''Hullo, old thing. Many happy re-
turns OF the day
Mr.. Brewster was standing in a
frozen attitude.
"W What-what-" he gurgled.
He stared at the Venus dumbly.
Unlike most hotel proprietors, Daniel
Brewster was a counoisseur of art.
Even the public rooms of the CoSmo
polls were decorated with taste, and
his own private suite was a shrine
of all that was best and most artistic.
His tastes were quiet and restrained
and il is not too much to say that
the Wigmore Venus hit him behind
the ear like a stuffed eelskin.
cile, don't you know"
Lucille gave me-that?" he NUT
tered.
He swallowed pathetically. He was
suffering, but the iron courage of the
Brewsters stood him in good stead.
Presently the rigidity of his face re-
laxed. He was himself again. OF all
things in the world he. loved his
daughter most, and, if, in whatever
mood of temporary insanity she had
wrought herself to suppose that this
beastly daub was the sort of thing
he would like for a birthday present,
he must accept the situation like a
man. He would, on the whole, have
preferred death to a life lived in the
society of the Wigmore Venus, but
even that torment must be endured
If the alternative was the hurting of
Lucille'S feelings.
Archie was not a man who readily
allowed himself to become worried,
especially about people who were not
| in his own immediate circle of
friends, but, in the course of the next
week he was bound to admit that he
was not altogether easy in his mind
about his father-in-law's mental con-
dition. He had read all sorts of
things in the Sunday papers and else
where about the constant strain to
which captains of industry are sub
jected, a strain, which, sooner or