The Washington times., 1931-12-24
CHAPTER SIX

side him, his car bounded over
the Long Island roads.
It was long after midnight.
He was doing some hard think
ing. Before he could take this
young girl home she must be
sobered up.
Laurel Oakes. that was her
name. She must, then, be the
daughter of the beautiful, flirt.
atiouS woman he had partnered
earlier this evening at a dinner
party over at washington
Manor. 49,!
He had been called off to
baby case. had been quite
glad to get away from the So
phiSticated crowd and the ex'
oxtic atmosphere.
Then this? The young daugh-
ter, blood-stained from some
drinking brawl, careening hell
for.leather and half crazed long
after midnight on the isolated
roads!
what were the American
mothers thinking of to permit
sucll a contingency? God!. -.
what?
He knew. .as any handsome
bachelor who has an 'entree'
knows, among the hectic coterieS
around New York!
This little Laurel's mother
had the fever, too. His cars
felt hot when he remembered
some of the sophisticated
talk.
Invited him to tea tomorrow
that was today. She had
been so gracious and so lovely,
to begin with. and, as a young
doctor just setting up in prac-
tice in. this community, he
needed the acquaintance and
the goodwill of these rich
women. ). so he had fallen for
It.
He had watched her after
dinner at the bridge-table. u.
this lovely, exquisitely gowned
but seni-unclad Mrs. Constance
OakeS.
At the first interval Of play,
he'd met her at the cocktail
bar that, was installed, in Eng
lish style, complete with hunt.
ing prints, on sort. Of dais or
raised platform at one end OF
the long Spanish living-room.
He mixed her highball him.
self, because she'd told him it,
would have much more kick II
he'd act as her private barman
...he'd flirted with her a little
himself. God help him!
And the sophisticated crowd
had kidded him squite a bit
about not drinking!
Well, he'd stuck to his guns,
despite the barrage! At least ne
had that to his credit.
And when the women, quite
openly, too, had discussed their
pet gigolos. some of whom
were even present. he'd kept
his mouth shut, though the
topic was horribly provocative!
A dreadful but very apt
phrase Sprang to his mind. =.
''amorous and ageing -!
What was this industry that
had swept across the Atlantic
from gay Paris? And to what
lengths wouldn't these women
20 to hire (that was the word
Ito 'hireD.. presentaoAe
and charming escort?
OF course the gigolo industry
was conducted with much less
frankneSS here than over IN
Europe.
Halt Drunken Women
But now he heard. because
these women were half tight
and so their tongues were
unloosened when he questioned
them, although maybe it had
been unfair Of him to do so
=. that the usual fee for an
evening with a really accom-
plished gigolo-that's to say.
O handsome young man who
was a good dancer and with
good manners-was $25, plus,
Of course, tips!
This was not for lovely Mrs.
Constance Oakes, of course.
But isn't this a queer, topSy-
turvy age .?
Wasn't the masculine count
erpart of the gold-digger def
nitely among us? With the
older generation, wasn't this an
off-Shoot or a protec-
ton? against the mad
revels Of modern youth?
They hated to be left out,
these older women! Hated to
be back numbers! Wanted to
be "in" on every trick in the
great game of life!
Life as lived in the metropol-
'ises, and In the large world that
circles round them. Just as the
flapper daughters, the mothers,
too. like GalSworthy's monkey,
were avid to squeeze the last
drop of pleasure from the fruit
Of life
AS he drove his car in the
direction of her home, the
young doctor took a swift. com.
prehenSive glance at Laurel
OakeS.
A Pretty Baby
No more than II? She
couldn't be? And pretty as a
picture, even with the temper.
ary bandage he'd fixed at a
rakiSh angle over the little
scalp wound in her curly hair,