Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-10-14

u DlsllJ RO4iD4iCa o. RAobC
black letters, "Mr. Maurice Beresford."
From behind that polished mahogany
Peters ring produced. first. a sly man
servant. and, a second later. Maurice
Beresford himself. eye glass in eye, grim
ming as he held out his hand.
III years-it ~seemed-had dealt rath-
er hardly with Bersford. Whittier. balder,
thinner. the little man no longer looked
the miniature nut" to whom Peter had
sold his family business, but an oldish
fellow, lonely. and a trifie pathetic. Yet
neither his voice nor his n had al
tered, and the monocle. as OF yore.
dropped from his eye as he said "Hullo
Peterl And how's pigs. or Is 1T poultry, |
In B~erkshire?" i
"Oh. not too bad, Maurice" countered
our Mr.. Jackson, still with his past. And
how are cabbage leaves in st. Mary Axe2'
might be better" began Maurice
Beresford, and then. somewhat quickly. |
might be worse. though. We're moro
or less together, nowadays. these
dinnersI No good cutting prices on q
falling market-especially with you out
of the trade.
They talked shop for a second or so.
Then Maurice's manservant, having
asked for and obtained the key. went on
with Peters bag. while the little mani
himself led the way into q large and
very lavishly furnished sitting room, the
COCA L0ll tIhy OA 40 Wu2ANS AAAAA6 s~0AS
thanked with boxes OF different sized
cigars. -. -
Corona before we dress2"
Thanks"
The dry Martini and the Petit Cor
ona" were both excellent, and, enjoying
the unaccustomed luxuries. while Maur-
ice continued to explain the purpose OF
these monthly dinners" Peters firta-
ton with the past became very nearly
matrimonial. There had been 80 much
excitement in the past-and so much
money-so very much more money than
one could ever hope to make out OF CO.
operative farming. Which last thought
out Mr.. Jackson's gray eyes confirmed
with every glance they took about the
room. Maurice, of course, being q bach
elor, always had lone himself fairly well.
But this place Just left Maurtce's old fiat
In Jermyn street standing.
Must pay a hell Of a rent" he de-
cided, accepting a second cocktail. six
hundred a year at the least. Probably
seven"
And the cigar merchant element in
our Mr.. Jackson continued active after
he and Maurice had separated to dfess.
The dressing room In which he now
found himself, and the vitrolite-walled
bathroom beyond, put his own little
room at "Sunflowers'' and the bathroom
he shared with his wife and the chill
dren to shame. His tail-coat, carefully
laid out by the manservant under bright
lights On the bright silk eiderdown OF
the bed, seemed shabby despite all Patri-
cia's administrations. III patent shoes
in front Of the gas fire were cracked at
the toe caps. His shaving kit had rust
ed, and as. having shaved, he pulled
down the free end OF his white tie under
a slightly frayed shirt front. he could
not help visualizing Smith. his old par
pIor xnotd orA tho uonora1 comforts nf
his pre-war house in Lowndes square.
III only / hadn't sold out to Maurice"
| he unused, fastening his white waistcoat
and struggling his ~broadened shoulders,
1 not without difficulty, into that shabby
tail-coat, I'D have been in this ring
have been no difficulty about sending
Peter the Fourth to Eton."
So Peters musing continued until, just
as he was lighting himself a casper from
the gold cigaret case which Patricia had
insisted on lending him for the night
Maurice entered. a very glossy top hat
on his head and q very white silk muf-
her around his neck. saying, Come
along, Enefer. We don't want to be
4 late"
1t took our Mr. Jackson, who had for
gotten Maurice's' slang, q good five min
utes to translate the word "Enefer," anc
by the time he had remembered the
l uatIiC W bC Nildt vi q Oil aA0CA oSRS
his old competitor had seated him ir
! the soft depths Of a very large n very
silent Daimler limousine.
, lis your brother Charlie going to bt
, there tonight?" he asked, more for the
sake of making conversation than from
! any real interest.
t NO" Maurice hesitated. Charlie ISM
: very we'll these days"
Nothing serious. / hope?" Peter, rust,
though his business brain was after 1T
years Of rusticatoin, could not help no
ticing the unusual tone
I'm afraid it is rather serious. Charli,
hasn't been to h office for the best par
Of three months"
I'm sorry" said Peter, and after tina
9 fell silent, while the other thought
= Poor old Charlie. / wonder how lonl
he'll last. Dash 1t, I've got to find
l young partner somewhere or other. o
r sell out and I've on I'VE per cent"
III III,
: THE old crowd" took him-metaphori
, cally speaking-to their white -shirtet
! bosoms, and, after another cocktail, tn,
s years seemed to roll away.
The talk (time mellows, but does no
: alter, the cigar trade) was not withou
its acrimonies. Peter heard the oil
old "spats" exchanged in the old jargor
: saw the old r~ivalries break out on tn
: old faces, and enjoyed every minute o
the thing, down to that last argument
about the alleged similarity OF two size
s names-during which Elkins, hir smootl
cheeks creasing as they always ha,
creased unde any irritation, told youn
Mordecai. MY dear boy, when you'v
t had as much experience in this bushes
g as l have you'll know that both thos
e frontmarks were used by the factory q
: long ago as Observation-Disclosures
three"
a On the whole, though, arguments wer
9 at a discount, n as the long talk cam
to an end. Peter-perperaing, Its mai
which all present were pla1Red In sum
issue, q joint advertising scheme t
e that would purchase many hundre
8 chicken houses-could not restrain a dis
tinct envy towards these men, each c
a whom Though each pretended, as the
always had pretended, poverty could al
g ford the luxuries to which he htmsel
had so long been stranger.
II can't afford champagne dinners" h
thought. Il ant afford Daimler limou
n sines. It'll be all I can manage. an
thatll mean selling out q bit OF wa
loan--to give the lad 8 decent educa
It ton"
n Damn it ALL" he caught himse'
thinking. Damn 1t all, I was an nsS 1
1t let Maurice have Jackson's. Miss Mao
10 Pherson could have carried on till tn
n war was over. And. once I got back int
the saddle, I'd have made lust as muc
money as any of 'em."
Is Accordingly-blame h remnants {
shell-shock again rather thai the Gil
the alcohol-proof engine of the war day
- a. 20 n fo~t tko< xuka- 49, y~-& ----