Evening star., 1925-05-31

stuff to give the troops. Old Littl'
had iibbed somewhat at first at th'
proposed change OF literary diet, h,
not being much OF a lad for fctior
and having stuck hitherto exclusively
to the heavier monthly reviews; but
! Bingo had got chapter | of "All fol
Love" past his guard before he knew
what was happening, and after that
there was nothing to II. Since then
mer Rose" "Madcap Myrtle" and
only a Factory Girl" and were halt
way through '"The Courtship Of Lord
| Strathmorlick.
| Bingo told me all this in q husky
voice over an egg beaten up in sherry.
The only blot on the thing from his
point of view was that It wasn't do
ing a bit OF good TO the old vocal
cords, which were beginning to show
signs of cracking under the strain.
I He had been looking his symptoms
up in a medical dictionary, and he
thought he had got Clergyman s
throat" But against this you had
| to set the fact that he was making
an undoubted hit in the right quar-
! ter, and also that after the evening 8
reading he always stayed on to din.
ner; and, from what he told me, the
| dinners turned out by old Little's cook
u
were tears in the old blighter's eyes
as he got on the subject OF the clear
soup. | suppose TO a fellow who for
weeks had been tackling macaroons
and limado 1t must have been like
| Heaven.
! Old Little wasn't able 70 give any
! practical assistance at theen banquets
bur Bingo said that he came 20 the
table and had his whack OF arrow.
root. and shifted the dishes. and told
| stories of entrees he had had in the
past. and sketched out scenarios OF
what he was going TO do to the bill
of fare in the future, when the doc.
| tor put him in shape: so l suppose
he enjoyed himself, too, in q way.
Anyhow, things seemed to be buzzing
along quite satisfactorily, and Bingo
said he had got an idea which. he
thought. was going to clinch the
thing. He wouldn't tell me what ii
was, but he said it was a pippin.
! I'VE make progress, Jeeves." 1 said
| That is very satisfactory, sir"
'Mr. Little tells me that when he
came to the big scene in Only a
Factory Girl his uncle gulped like
stricken bull-pup."
| Indeed. sir?'
Where Lord Claude takes the girl
in his arms. you know, and says
II am familiar with the passage,
sir. 1t is distinctly moving. 1t was
a great favorite of my aunt's.''
II think we're on the right track"
at would seem so. SIR"
''1n fact, this looks like being an.
other of your successes. I've always
said. and i always shall say, that for
sheer brain, Jeeves, you stand alone.
| All the other great thinkers of the
age are simply in the crowd, watching
! you go by"
Thank you very much. sir. l en-
deavor to give satisfaction"
About a week after this, Bingo blew
in with the news that his uncle's gout
| had ceased to trouble him, and that
| on the morrow he would be back
| at the old stand working away with
knife and fork as before.
And. by the way" said Bingo, "he
wants you to lunch with him tornor.
row"
ME? Why me? He doesn't know
I exist"
"oh. yes. he does. I've told him
about YOU"
What have you told him?"
"Oh, various things. Anyhow, he
wants to meet you. And take my
| tip, laddie-you gol I should think
| lunch tomorrow would be something
| special
I don't know why it was, but even
| then 1t struck me that there was
| something dashed odd-almost sinis
| ter. If you know what I mean-abou;
young Bingo's manner The old egg
had the air of one who has some
thing up his sleeve.
There is more in this than meets
the eye" said.
why should your uncle ask a fel
low to lunch whom he's never SEEM
My dear old fathead. haven't ]
| just said that I've been telling him al,
| about you-that you're my best pal
at school together, and all that sort
| of thing?"
But even then-and another thing
Why are you so dashed keen on my
going?"
Bingo hesitated for a moment.
We'll, l told you I'd got an idea
| This is It. 1 wan. you to spring the
news on him. 1 haven't the nerve
myself"
What, I'm hanged IL I don'
| And you call yourself a pal OF
miner'
"Yes. know; but there are limits
"Bertie," said Bingo reproachfully
II saved your life once"
| "When?"
Didn't 1? 1t must have been some
4 OlHeT IelIOW, lnen. w ell, anyway, we
were boys together and all that. Yol
| can't let me down.
'Oh, all right" said. But, wher
you say you haven't nerve enough
| for any dashed thing in the world, you
| misjudge yourself. A fellow who
| "Cheerio!" said young Bingo. "One
| thirty tomorrow. Don't be late"
| + X
| TN bound to say that the more con
tenplated the binge. the less I liked
| it. 1t was all,very well for Bingo tc
say that I was slated for a magnifi
cent lunch; but what good is the best
| possible lunch to a fellow IL he i.
slung out into the street on his eal
| during the soup course? However
| the word of a Wooster is his bond
| and sll that sort OF rot, so at one
| thirty next day I tottered up the steps
| of No. 16, Pounceby Gardens. ant
| punched the bell. And half minute