Evening star., 1926-12-07

| go to Galveston if they handed me
the town, so long as she wasn't in it.
| She's up in the mountains nOW-and
I'm here, hang it! And Reddy Under
wood went up last week. Do you
suppose I'm going to let him beat
me to it?'
Trask looked Indifferent. He was
not thinking about the girl in the
mountains Rather his thoughts were
fixed on a thousand 81 bills.
That was the way he visualized
money-in dollar units. 1t was the
| samiliar unit to him. True, he knew
| omething of fves: occasionally he
| was on good terms with a ten. But
single dollars-too frequently single
represented his most intimate rela-
tions with the currency Of his native
| land.
The friendship between Trask and
Trumbull had been regarded at Har-
ward as unique. Trask. up to the
time of his graduation, which was
| coincident with that of Trumbull,
| held the record of being the only
student who had worked his way
| through college by acting as chauf-
! feur for another student.
Trumbull was from the city, with
! The financial resources Of the senior
|
social rating inherited from the fam
| ily of his mother Trask was from
an Indiana farm, with $40 in his
| pockets when he reached Cambridge
and nothing save his own earnings
to replenish his treasury.
| The pair met and became friends.
| There was nothing of the snob in
Trumbull. He found Trask doing
chores and errandS for an education
and made him his chauffeur. DRIVING
a big six for Spencer Trumbull made
four years at Harvard seem like a
luxury to Billy Trask.
| But he was more than chauffeur.
He was an intimate. Not many OF
the undergraduates knew Trask as
a paid driver; they put him down as
a friend who sat behind the wheel Of
| Trumbull's car. because the latter
was too indolent to drive his own
machine. And that also was the view
OF Trumbull himself. He never
thought of Trask as his employe, he
was q classmate.
| Back in New York, Trumbull saw
| little of his former hired man. Trask
had gone TO work trying to build up
a career for himself in an electrical
! concern. But the company had been
merged or reorganized, or otherwise
dislodged from it's foundation, and
Trask filled in some idle months at
his old trade of chauffeur. He did
| not go to Trumbull for job. but
they had met one day while Trask
was driving big limousine for a
| prominent actor, and Trumbull had
not lost track of him.
Then the actor went on the road,
and Trask 1offed his uniform and his
leather puttees and began to hunt
for something new.
With the sentence of Galveston
passed upon him Spencer Trumbull
never for an instant contemplated
'aking his medicine. Rather his In
Stinct was TO hunt for a habeaS cor.
nus, an alibi or a stay Of execution.
Galveston! He hated the name. Now,
if she were going to Galveston the
VOYAGE would be endurable, even
though he detested the sea, and fairly
shuddered at the prospect of jour.
ney to the tropics in Midsummer.
But she was going to the Adiron'
dacks. In fact, even now she was
there Reddy Underwood, too; Under
wood of the suave and fascinating
| ways.
That was why Trumbull had sent
for Billy Trask.
You know darn we'll I can use the
money" said Trask. with short
laugh. you're an old fox, Spence v
I'm not putting it on the money
basis altogether, Bill. AS straight
fact. I sent for you as friend to help
me out, more than for any other rea
son." :,
Trumbull meant it. too; and TrasR
knew it. There had never been any
hypocrisy In their relations.
But, you see. you ought to take
This trin for your own sake" argued
Trask. "You need it. Van Norden
is right. So is your old man. You
look like the wrath Of heaven"
"All of which is wasted chatter,
Bill. I'm not discussing what ought
to do. I'm simply not going to do it.
/ need a friend to help me through
| pick you as the best Of the lot. In
cidentally, can pay you for 1t. How
about it?"
Suppose there is somebody aboard
| that you know. How SSwould l get