Evening star., 1934-02-18
E@H:95}7fsMA11EERs7'{<X 5 ~
- PY PY0Hd P:qMpd9fHMRts5E, ~

pretty girl, one might have said that
she snorted. There was a light in
her eyes which Packy had not seen
there before. 1t was light he liked,
and once more he was aware Of a
feeling Of regret that q girl like
this was throwing herself away on a
man so obviously one Of Natures
pruneS as Blair Eggleston.
"How splendid of you'll"
"Oh, no, really
There was no necessity for him to
have taken her hand again and
pressed it. but he did so.
But why should you be doing this
for me?"
She had touched on a point which
from time to time had a little per-
picked Packy himself. 1t was, Of
course, absurd to suppose that any
slight physical attraction which this
girl might possess could have had
any influence on man who was
engaged to Lady Beatrice Bracken.
He was compelled to put it down to
some innately noble quality in his
character. You came across fellows
like that occasionally-fine, big
41Cd1 JCN, SS44ICOo d4tI uloCo, lllCLl VIII
with no motive of personal gain
simply raced about the place doing
good to all and sundry. He supposed
he was one of them.
Too modest to advance this theory,
he waved deprecating hand. well,
it struck me that you might be need
ing a little help. I rather gathered
from what you said over the tele-
phone that evening that you weren't
expecting very solid results from Eg-
gleston.
Jane sighed.
"Blair's been no good at all"
"I feared as much"
HE can't seem to take his mind
off that oatmeal"
What oatmeal?"
''Well, it was like this. 1t hap
pened the first morning we were
here. Father wanted his breakfast
in bed. Naturally, the cook, knowing
father was American, took 1t for
granted he would want oatmeal, so
she fixed it. And then it turned out
that oatmeal was a thing father
doesn't like"
Many people don't"
eyes, but he didn't just say so.
That wouldn't be father. No! He
waited till Blair had put the tray
down by his bed, and then he lifted
the cover off the dish and said, What
is this? Oatmeal?' and Blair said,
Yes, oatmeal and father said in
quite a mild, gentle sort of way,
All! Oatmeal?' and Blair started to
leave the room, and suddenly some
thing hot and squashy hit him on
the back of the head, and there was
father sitting up in bed, digging the
spoon in the oatmeal, and Blair was
just wondering what it was all about,
because the back Of his head was
all covered with oatmeal, when father
dug the spoon out again, and it was
full of oatmeal and father held it
at the bottom with his left hand and
at the top with two fingers. and
then he let fly rather like one of
those old catapults you read about
in stories where ancient towns are
besieged, and Blair got it all-in the
face this time"
A slight shudder shook Packy's
W1ry frame. He was recalling that
incident of the haircutting and real
izing the risks which he, gay,
needless boy, had so recklessly taken
with this oatmeal Jerking Senator
He shivered to think what Ambrose
Opal could have done on that occa-
sion had he had a blanc-mange or
a couple of bowls of soup handy.
80 there was Blair with oatmeal
on the back of his head and oatmeal
all over his face, practically a mass Of
oatmeal, you might say, and then
father smiled a quiet, affectionate
kind of smile and said, I don't like
oatmeal It's a great pity, of course,
because it has made Blair a little
peevish, and don't think he's very
happy
Il can quite see how he might not
be. Personally, I'd sooner be some
body living in Chicago that Al Capone
didn't much like than your fathers
valet"
He would have gone on to develop
this theme, but at this moment there
was putting noise, and round the
corner came Senator Opal in person.
CTo Be Continued)