Evening star., 1934-02-26
INSTALLMENT XXI.


rative, was not without q
4 ' L certain native Shrewdness,
and it had just occurred to
him that here, sent by Providence,
was most admirable opportunity
for intenSifying and consolidating the
hostility which this snorting man al
ready felt toward him. The madder,
he argued. he made Senator Opal, the
firmer would become the latter's al
ready firm resolve to do all that lay
in his power to see that he, j. well
lington Gedge. was not appointed to
the post of Ambassador to France.
Pleasantly aware that they were
long distance apart and that there
was no chance of the other getting
at him. he proceeded to give his views
at considerable length. 1t was like
calling a man down over the tele-
phone. and Mr.. Gedge had always
been a very lion over the telephone.
The debate was at its height when
Packy, disturbed by these voices, put
on his dressing gown and came down
to see what it was all about He could
make nothing Of the affair. AS his
host and Senator Opal were talking
of their lungs it was not easy to fol-
low thrust and counter thrust. He
turned tc the Due de Pont-Andemer
as an intelligent bystander.
What seems to be the trouble?"
be asked.
He was surprised to note that his
companion, on whom moment
before he had been looking as the
one safe and sane unit in what had
all the appearance of being rally
of lunatics. was staring at him in a
manner that struck his critical sense
as definitely goofy. Packy could not
understand what there was about him
to cause this normally unruff1ed ariS-
tocrat to google at him with this odd
expression of horror.
Mr. Carlisle could have explained,
but he did not do SO. Instead, he
turned sharply and hurried without
a word on the long trail which went
winding to the Hotel des Etrangers.
1t seemed to him imperative that he
should have immediate speech with
Soup Slattery.
What had startled Mr.. Carlisle in
Packys appearance was the fact that
1t was unblemished. That cry in the
night had convinced him that Mr..
Slattery. carrying on according to
plan. had invaded the others boudoir
and put it across him in his own in
ilnitable manner And here the fellow
a black eye.
It was with the utmost consterna-
ton that Gordon Carlisle charged into
the hotel. He finally succeeded in
running his quarry to earth in the
main dining room, where Mr.. Slattery,
peckish after his night in the open,
was restoring himself with bite of
breakfast
The continental breakfast as a rule.
consists of a pot of what the French
smilingly call coffee, three smallish
dabs of butter. a roll shaped like a
roll and another roll shaped like a
horseshoe. Mr.. Slattery had intro
duced some variations of his own in
vention. He had just finished an
omelette fines herbeS, double order
Of ham and eggs and small sirloin
steak. and as Mr. Carlisle burst into
the room he looked up at him ques-
tioningly with his mouth full of toast
and marmalade.
"Ah,8 he said. swallowing the con-
signment. He turned to a lowering
waiter. Encore de coffee" he added.
Mr. Carlisle regarded the human
python feverishly Questions rained
from him. But when the other finally
spoke. which was only when the coffee
had arrived and he had drained his
fifth cup, it was not to reply to any
of these.
"All l ask" said Mr.. Slattery, with
feeling. lis that some day. don't care
when it is-Just some day meet that
white-haired bird down a dark alley
with no cops in sight
A shudder of reminiscent horror
passed through him.
Putting a fellow out on a window
SILL" he continued with growing
vehemence Il ask you, is that nice?
Cheese! And me scared of heights
ever since a girl 1 knew betted me 1
wouldn't lean over the edge of the
Woolworth Building and spit into
Broadway. If I get over this by the
time I'm hundred it'll be too soon."
But how"
I'll tell you. Me. snooping around
that chatty-o seeing wasn't there
something could pick up. and there's
this door with some one saving wood
behind it, and 1 twist the handle and
it amt locked Swell. I think to my
self. and l give it pull And what
do you know? The damn thing
squeals like putting on the brakes in
a secondhand f1ivver, and the next
thing there's this white haired bird
pulling a rod on me and telling me
to close the door gently and walk to