CHAPTER XX! Continued.
13
Our daily actions are controlled by
A variety of opposing influences which
are like threads pulling at us from
Tarions directions. When for any rea
son certain of these threads are
snapped and the balance is disturbed
we are drawn into strange pathways,
and our whole lives may be changed
through the operation of what seems a
most trivial case, in Rob's case the
cause approached, all unheralded, in
the person of Mr. KIchard Cady. a
youth whose magnificent vacuity of
. purpose was the envy of his friends.
Cometlike, he was destined to appear,
flash brightly, then disappear below
the horizon of this tale. Mr. Cady
greeted Bob with listless enthusiasm,
teetering the while upon his cane 1 1
a Japanese equilibrist.
"Haven't seen you for ages," lie be
gan. "Been abroad?"
Bob explained that he was spending
the summer in New York, a statement
that filled his listener with the same
horror he would have felt had he
learned that Bob was passing the heat
ed season in the miasmatic jungles of
the Amazon.
"Just ran down from Newport."
Cady volunteered. "I'm sailing today.
Better join me for a trip. I know "
he cut Bob's refusal short "travel's
an awful nuisance; I get seasick my-1
eelf." j
"Then why play at it?" ;
Cady rolled a mournful eye upon hi" i
friend. "Girl!" said he, hollowly.
"Show girl! If I stay I'll marry her, ;
and that wouldn't do. Posi-tive-ly not'
So I'm running away. I'll wait over 1
if you'll join me."
"I'm a working man."
"Haw!" Mr. Cady expelled a short
laugh.
"True! And I've quit drinking."
Now Cady was blase, but he had a
he was not insensible to misfortune.
Accordingly he responded with a cry of
pity, running his eye over his friend
to estimate the ravages of temperance.
"Up against it?" Inquired the other.
"So says my heartless father. He
has sewed up my pockets and scuttled
my drawing account, hence the dinner
pail on my arm. I'm In quest of toil."
"I'll bet you starve," brightly pre
dicted Mr. Cady. in an effort at en
couragement. "I'll lay you five thou
sand that you make a flivver of any
thing you try."
"I've quit Wimbling, too."
As they shook bauds Cady grunted:
"My invitation to globe-trot is with
drawn. Fine company you'd be!"
As Bob walked up the avenue he
pondered deeply, wondering if he real
ly were so lacking in ability as his
friends believed. Money was such a
common thing, after all; the silly
labor of acquiring it could not be half
so interesting as the spending of it.
Anybody could make money, but to
enjoy it. to circulate it judiciously, one
must possess individuality of a sort.
Money seemed to come to some people
without effort, and from the strangest
sources Kurtz, for instance, had
grown rich out of coats and trousers!
. Bob halted, frowning, while Ying
peered out from his hiding PjAnj a
toe passing tnrongs. exposing linv.
limp, ping-ribbon tongue. f
armed only with a pair of a
I
ly with a pair of a
tape, had won tcf
In't another? Stp
i. - -T
a foolish ta
why could
was no longer proflta
Hannibal's opposition ev
a change of occupation.
The prospect of such
annoying, but scarce
ingrained optimist, an
fort in reflecting tha
literature of the day
instances of disinheri
M Should Like to Know Nice People,"
Lore'ei Confessed.
erlshed society roen. ruined bar.kers.
or mere idlers, who by lighten.:
strokes of genu1 lad ru ended their
fortunes overnight. Some few, I.i the
earlier days of frenzied fiction, had
played the market, others the ponies,
still others had gone west and devel
oped abandoned gold mines or obscure
water powers. A number, abo. had
grown disgustingly rich from patent
ing rat-traps or shoe buttons. One
young man had discovered a way to
keep worms out of railroad ties and
bad promptly bludgeoned the railroad
companies out of fabulous royalties.
Over the stock-market Idea Bob
could work up no en thuds'
knew too much about itr
'7 4 f
ill
A NOVEL
SjfUSTX
TRAH
much as horse racing was no longer :
fashionable, opportunities for a Pitts
burgh Phil future seemed limited.
Moreover, he had never saved a jock
ey's life nor a Jockey's mother from
eviction, hence feedbox tips were not
likely. Nor did he know a single soul
in the business of inventing rat-traps
or shoe buttons. As for going west,
he was clearly of the opinion that a
search for abandoned gold mines or
forgotten waterfalls wasn't in his line;
and the secret of creosoting railroad
ties, now that he came to think of it,
was still locked up In the breast of its
affluent discoverer. Besides, as the
whole episode had occurred in the sec
ond act of the play, the safety of
building upon it was doubtful at best.
Bob's wrinkled brow smoothed itself,
and he nodded. His path was plain; it
led around the nearest corner to his
tailor's door.
Mr. Kurtz's greeting was warm as
Bob strolled into the stately showroom
with its high-backed Flemish-oak
chairs, its great carved tables. Its pan
eled walls with their antlered decora
tions. This, it may be said, was not a
shop, not a store where clothes were
sold, but a studio where men's dis
tinctive garments were draped, and the
difference was perfectly apparent on
the first of each month.
"Kurtz." began Bob. abruptly, "I
just bet Dick Cady five thousand dol
lars that I can make my own living
for six months." This falsehood trou
bled him vaguely until he remembered
that high finance must be often con
ducted behind a veil.
Mr. Kurtz, genial, shrewd, gray,
raised admiring eyes and said:
"I'll take another five thousand."
But Bob declined. "No, I'm going
to work."
This announcement interested the
tailor deeply. "Who's going to hire
you?" he asked.
"You are."
t
Kurtz blinked. "Maybe you'd like
to bet on that, too,'' he ventured. "I'll
give you odds."
"Work is one of the few things I
haven't tried. You need a good sales
man." ' "No, I don't. I have seven already."
"Say. wouldn't you like the trade of
the whole younger set? I can bring
you a lot of fresh customers fellows
like me."
" 'Fresh customers' is right," laughed
Kurtz, then sobered quickly. "You're
joking, of course?"
"I'm so serious I could cry. How
much is it worth to you to make clothes
for my crowd?"
"Well" the tailor considered.
"Quite a bit."
"The boys like to see Dick trimmed
it's a matter of principle with them
never to let him win a bet and they'd
do anything for me. You're the best
tailor in the city, but too conservative.
Now I'm going to bring you fifty new
accounts, every one good for better
than two thousand a year. That's a
hundred thousand dollars. How much
am I offered? Going! Going! "
"Wait a minute! Would you stick
to me for six months if I took you on?"
"My dear Kurtz, I'll poultice myself
upon you for life. I'll guarantee my
self not to slide, slip, wrinkle or skid.
Thirty years hence, when you come
hobbling down to business, you'll find
me here."
Mr. Kurtz dealt in novelties, and the
idea of a society salesman was suffi
ciently new to appeal to his commer
cial sense.
"I'll pay you twenty per cent." lit'
offered, "for all the new names you put
on my books."
"Make it twenty-five on first orders
and twenty on repeaters. I'll bring my
own luncheon and pay my car fare."
"There wouldn't be any profit left,"
demurred Kurtz.
"Good! Then it's a bargain twenty
five and twenty. Now watch me. grab
adolescent offshoots of our famous
Four Hundred." Bob took a bus up
the avenue to the College club for
luncheon.
At three o'clock he returned, accom
panied by four flushed young men
whme names gave Kurtz a thrill. In
spite of their modish appearance they
declared themselves indecently shabby,
aud allowed Boh to order for them
a favor which he performed with a ra
jah's lofty disregard of expense. He
sat upon one of the carved tables, se
lecting samples as if for a quartet
of bridegrooms. Being bosom cronies
of Mr. Cady, the four youths needed
little urging. When they had gone in
to be measured Kurtz said guardedly:
"Whew! That's more stuff than I've
sold in two weeks!"
"A more trifle," Bob grinned, hap
pily. "Say. Kurtz, this is the life!
This is the job for nie panhandling
juvenile plutocrats no ofHce hours, no
heavy lifting, and Thursdays off. I'm
goiwg to make you famous."
"You'll break me with another run
like this. Yon don't think they're bluf
fing?" "Why should they bluff? Thoy'l!
never discover how many suits they
have. Now figure it up and tell the
bad news."
Mr. Kurtz did as directed, announc
ing. "Fifty-five hundred and five dol-
kers'" exclaimed the new sales-
AUCTION
OF NEW YORIC UF
DEACft t T
man; then he began laboriously to com
pute 25 per cent of the sum, using as
a pad a bolt of expensive white silk
vest material. "Thirteen hundred and
seventy-six dollars and twenty-five
cents is my blackmail, Kurtz. That's
what I call 'a safe and sane Fourth.'
Not bad for dull times, and yet it
might be better. Anyhow, it's the
hardest thirteen hundred and seventy
six dollars I ever earned."
"Hard!" The merchant's Hps
twitched, oscillating his cigar violently.
"Hard! I'll bet those fellows even
bought your lunch. I suppose you mean
it's the first money you ever earned."
He seemed to choke over the last word.
"Well, It's worth something to get men
like these on the books, but thirteen
hundred and seventy-six dollars "
"And twenty-five cents."
Mr. Kurtz gulped. "In one day!
Why, I could buy a farm for that.
How much will you have to 'earn' to
cover your living expenses for six
months?"
"Ah, there we journey In the realm
of purest speculation." Bob favored
him with a sunny smile. "As well ask
me how much my living expenses must
He Made Love Openly, Violently, Now.
be in order to cover my earnings.
Whatever one is, the other will be ap
proximately ditto or perhaps slightly
in excess thereof. Anyhow, nothing
but rigid economy bane of my life
will make the one fit Into the other. But
I have a thought. Something tells me
these boys need white flannels, so get
out your stock, Kurtz. If they can't
play tennis they must learn, for my
sake."
Bob's remarkable stroke of fortune
called for a celebration, and his four
customers clamored that he squander,
ma !iuui7 i ui iu j ill. uiij.ii njr
such a course would have been just
to his liking; but now he was dying to
tell Lorelei of his triumph, and, fearing
to trust himself with even one drink,
he escaped from his friends as son as
possible. Thus it chanced that he ar
rived home sober.
It was a happy home-coming. Bob
was in a state of exaltation. He had
no desire to bind himself to Kurtz'
service for six months or for any other
period; nor had he the least thought of
living up to his agreement until Lorelei
began to treat the matter seriously.
Then he objected blankly:
"Why, it was all right as a joke, but
I don't want to be a tailor. There's no
romance in woolen goods."
"How much do you owe?" she asked.
"Keally. I've no idea. It's some
thing you don't have to remember
somebody always reminds you in plen
ty of time, and then you borrow
enough to pay up."
"Let's forget the romance and pay
up without borrowing. Bemember J'ou
have two families to support." Noting
that the idea of permanent employ
ment galled him, she added, craftily.
"Of course you'll never sell another lot
of clothes like this, but "
"Why not? It's like selling candy to
a child."
"You can't feo with that crowd with
out drinking."
"Is that so? Now you sit tight and
hold your hat on. I can make that
business pay if I try, and si ill stay
In the Itainmakers' union. There's big
money In it enough so we can live
the way we want to. I'm sick of this
telephone booth, anyhow; we'll present
it to some nice newsboy and rent an
apartment with a closet. This one's
so small I don't dare to let my trou
sers bag. Besides, we've been under
cover long enough, and I want you to
meet the people I know. We can af
ford the expense now that I'm mak
ing thirteen hundred aud seventy-six
dollars and twenty-five cents a day."
"I should like to know nice people."
Lorelei confessed. "I'm sick of the
kind I've met; the men are indecent
and the women are vulgar. I've al
ways wanted to know the other kind."
Bob was delighted: his fancy took
fire, and already he was far along I
toward prosperity. "You'll make a
I
" The
hit with the younger set; you'll be a
perfect rave. Bert Hayman told me
today that his married sister is enter
taining a lot, and. since the drama will
be tottering on its way to destruction
without you in a few days, I'll tell him
that we're Invited out to Long Island
for a week-end."
CHAPTER XXII.
Under Lorelei's encouragement Bob
put in the next two weeks to good ad
vantage. In fact, so obsessed was he
witli his new employment that it was
not long before bis imaginary bet with
Cady assumed reality in his mind.
Moreover, it became gossip around his
clubs: and In quarters where he was
well known his method of winning the
wager was deemed not only character
istic but ingenious. His exploits were
famous; and his friends, rejoicing In
one more display of eccentricity, and
relishing any mild misfortune to DiJc
Cady. in the majority of cases changed
tailors.
Business at Kurtz' increased so sub
stantially that Bob was treated with a
reverential amazement by everyone In
the shop. The other salesmen gazed
upon him with env'y: Kurtz' bearing
changed in a way that was extremely
gratifying to one who had been uni
versally accounted a failure. And' Bob
expanded under success; he began to
feel more than mere amusement in his
experiment.
His marriage had become public, but
the affair was too old to be of much
news value. Now that he had escaped
the disagreeable notoriety he had ex
pected and was possessed of larger
means, Bob inordinately proud of his
wife's beauty and boyishly eager to
display it undertook to win social rec
ognition for her. It was no difficult
task for one with his wide acquaint
ance to make a beginning. Lorelei
was surprised and delighted one day to
receive an Invitation for her and her
husband to spend a week-end at Fen-'
nellcourt, the country home of Bert
Hayman's sister. She had not been
sorry to give up her theatrical work,
and the prospect of meeting nhje
people, of leaving for good and all the
sordid, unhealthy atmosphere of Broad
way, bathed her in a glow of anticipa
tion. Fennellcourt is one of the show
places of the Wheatley Hills section.
Bert Hayman drove the Whartons out
from the city, and Lorelei's first
glimpse of Fennellcourt was such that
she forgot her vague dislike of Hay
man himself. Bert, who had met her
and Bob for luncheon, had turned out
to be. instead of a polished man of the
world, a glib youth with an artificial
laugh and a pair of sober, heavy-lidded
eyes. That he possessed a keen ap
preciation of feminine beauty he
showed by surrendering uncondition
ally to Lorelei's charms.
As Hayman's car rolled up the drive
way and the beauties of Fennellcourt
displayed themselves, Lorelei found
her heart throbbing violently. Was not
this the beginning of a glorious adven
ture? Was not life unfolding at last?
Was she not upon the threshold of a
new world? The flutter in her breast
was answer.
Bert led the way through an impres
sive hall that bisected the building,
then out upon a stately balustraded
stone terrace, where, in the grateful
shade of gauc4y awnings, a dozen
people were chatting at tea tables.
Mrs. Fennell, the hostess, a plain
faced, dumpy young matron, welcomed
the newcomers, then made Lorelei
known. As for Bob, he needed no In
troductions; a noisy outburst greeted
him, and Lorelei's heart warmed at
the welcome.
A few moments of chatter, then sdie
and Bob were led Into the house ag:in
and up to a cool, Aide bedroom. As
Lorelei removed lu?r motor coat a ad
bonnet she excltrmed. breathlessly:
"What a gorgeous house! And those
people! They weren't the least hit
formal."
Bob laughed. ' Formality is about
the last thing they're famous for.
There's liable to be too much infor
mality. Say! You made those dames
look like the Monday morning wash
ladies' parade. I knew you would."
"You said this was the younger set
but that awful Thompson-Bella ire wid
ow is here, and that blonde girl I met
with her."
"Alice Wyeth?"
"Yes. I thought she was going to
kiss you."
Bob grinned. "So did I. She will,
too. if she feels like it."
"Won't you have anything to say
about it?"
"What could I say? Alice does Just
an she likes. So does everybody else,
for that matter. I've never gone In for
this sort of thing very much."
After a moment Lorelei ventured, "I
suppose they're all hard drinkers "
"That wasn't spring water you saw
In their glasses."
"Are you going to?" Lorelei eyed
him anxiously.
'T can't very well make myself con
spicuous by refusing everything; I
don't want to look like a zebra In a i
henyard and a cocktail before dinner
wouldn't hurt anybody." Noting his
wife's expression, he kissed her lightly.
BLOCK
Author of
'"The Iron Trail"
"The Spoilers"
Silver Horde" Etc.
"Now don't spoil your first party by
worrying" over me. Just forget you're
married and have a good time."
Music greeted them as they descend
ed the stairs, and they found some of
the guests dancing to the strains of
a giant orchestrion built into the mu
sic room. Hayman promptly seized
upon Lorelei and whirled her away,
but not before she saw the Wyeth
blonde making for Bob as an eagle
makes for its prey.
Guests continued to arrive from
time to time; some from Westchester
and the Connecticut shore, others
from neighboring estates. One couple
in riding clothes, out for a gallop, dis
mounted and stayed for a trot. The
huge tiled terrace began to resemble
a Broadway the dansant.
There was more freedom, more vi
vacity than Lorelei was accustomed to,
even in the gayest downtown resorts;
the fun was swift and hilarious, there
was a great deal of drinking. Bob.
after a manful struggle against his
desires and a frightened resistance
to the advances of Miss Wyeth, had
fled to the billiard room.
Lorelei became interested in watch
ing Miss Courtenay, the girl in the rid
ing habit, one of the seasou's debu
tantes, who, it seemed, was especially
susceptible to the influence of liquor.
Lorelei was glad when it came time
to dress for dinner. As she went to
her room Mrs. Fennell stopped her on
the stairs to say:
"My dear, Elizabeth Courtenay was
frantically jealous of you."
"Of me? I don't understand."
"She and Bert are great friends
and he's gone perfectly daft over you.
Why, lie's telling everybody." Lorelei
flushed, to the evident amusement of
her hostess, who ran on: "Oh, Bert
means it! I never heard him rave so.
Quite a compliment, my dear!" With a
playful pat she went on her way, leav
ing the young wife weak with dismay.
When Bob came In be betrayed an
elation only too familiar.
"You've been drinking!" cried Lore
lei. "I had to; I ran fifteen three times.
My abstinence is the marvel of the
whole party."
"I'm afraid"
"Say! You can't help sneezing when
you have a cold. What's a fellow go
ing to do in a crowd like this? But
don't worry. I know when to quit."
In truth lie did seem better able to
take care of himself than most of the
men Lorelei had seen, so she said no
more.
As he throttled himself with his eve
ning tie Bob gasped: "Having a good
time?"
"Ye-es!" Lorelei could net summon
courage for a negative answer: she
could not confess' that her dream had
turned out wretchedly, and that what
Bob seemed to consider simply the
usual thing impressed her as abnormal
and wanton.
"Well, that's good," he said. "I'm
not strong for these week-end slaugh
ters, but it's something you'll have to
do."
"Is all society like this?" she In
quired. "Um-m, yes and no! Society Is like
a layer cake "
"Because it's made of dough?"
Bob laughed. 'Tartly! Anyhow, the
upper crust is icy, and while the lower
layer is just as rich as those above.
it's more indigestible. There's the
heavy, soggy layers in between, too.
I don't know any of that crowd.
They're mostly Dodos the kind that
endow colleges. This younger set
keeps the whole cake from getting
tasteless."
After a while Lorelei ventured: "I'm
still a little nervous. I wish you'd
stay close to me this evening."
"Can't be done." Bob declared. "It's
a rule at Fennellcourt that husbands
must ignore their wives. Betty doesn't
invite many married couples, and a
wife-lover is considered a pest. When
in Home do as the tourists do."
Lorelei finished dressing in silence.
Dinner was quite different to any
thing Bob's wife had ever experienced,
and if the afternoon had been embar
rassing to her the evening was a trial.
As the cocktails were served. Harden
Fennell distinguished himself by los
ing his balance and falling backward,
to the great amusement of his guests.
No one went to his assistance; he re
gained his feet by climbing a high
backed chair, hand over hand, and dur
ing the dinner he sat for the most part
in a comatose state, his eyes bleared
and staring, his tongue unresponsive.
Lorelei had little opportunity of watch
ing him. since Bert Hayman monopo
lized her attention. The latter veedc
love openly, violently now, and it
added to her general disgust to see
that Bob had again fallen into the J
clutches of Miss Wyeth. who made no
secret of her fondness for him.
Lorelei was not the only one to take
special note of the blonde girl's infatu
ation. Mrs. Thompson-Bellalre was
equally observant and at length made
her disapproval patent by a remark
that set the table laughing and drove
the blood from Lorelei's face. Some- I
time later Lorelei heard her explain
to the man on her righ
"We weren't surprised in the least.
Bob's always doing some crzj
thing when he's drunk. . . . iflls
latest fancy . . . pretty, of course,
but . . from some western village,
I believe . . . can't possibly last.
Why should It?" The words were pur
posely made audible, and during' the
rest of the meal, when Mrs. Thomp-son-Bellaire
wa not bitingly sarcastic
to Lorelei, she was offensively patron
izing. After dinner Lorelei had. a better op-
i portunity than during the afternoon of
becoming acquainted with the women
of party, but the experience was
not pu-ssant.' She was made to under
stand that they regarded her not as
Bob's wife in any real scns, but rather
as his latest and most fleeting fancy,
nis marriage they seemed to look upon
as a bizarre adventure, such as might
happen to any man In their set who
was looking for amusement.
There was more rtanclng during the
evening. Miss Wyeth continued to
monopolize Bob. and Lorelei was of
fended to note that his resistance gave
signs of weakening. She smothered
her feelings, however, and remonstrat
ed gently, only to find that he was iu
no condition to listen. The dinner had
been too much for him.
There were many gayeties to enliven
the party, and, although outward de
cencies were observed after a fashion.
Lorelei was sickened by the sheer
license that she felt on every hand.
She had a wild desire to make her ex
cuses and escape from Fennellcourt,
but Bob had disappeared, and she gath
ered that he and Bert were plajing off
some fabulous wager In the billiard
room. Pleading a headache, she ex
cused herself as soon as she could.
"So sorry," said Mrs. Fennell; then,
with a knowing laugh: "There's no
likelihood of Bob's annoying you for
some time."
Once In her room, Lorelei gave way
to the indignation that had been slow
ly growing in her breast. How dared
Bob introduce her to such peoplel If
tliis Avas the world in which he had
moved before his marriage, he had
shown his wife an insult by bringing
her into it. Surely people like the Fen
nells, Bert Hayman, Mrs. Thompson
Bellaire, the Madden woman, were not
typical members of New York's exclu
sive circles! Applied to them, 'smart'
was a laughably inadequate term: they
were worse than fast; they were frank
ly vicious. This was more than a gay
week-end party; It was an orgy. Lore
lei's anger at her betrayal was so kepn
that she dared not send for Bob imme
diately for fear of speaking too vio
lently, but she assured herself that she
would leave In the morning, even
though be chose to remain.
Still in a blazing temper, she dis
robed and sat down to calm herself and
to wait for her husband. A half-hour
passed, then another; at last she sent
a maid in quest of him, but the report
she received was not reassuring: Bob
was scarcely in a condition to come to
his room. Lorelei's lips were white as
she dismissed the servant.
By and by the music ceased. . She1,
heard people passing iu the hall, and
distinguished Betty Fennell's voice bid
ding good night to someone. Still she
waited.
When at last the door opened Hay
man stood on the threshold, peering at
her. She saw that he was considerably
drunker than when she had escape!
from his attentions, but evidently he
knew quite well what he was about.
"Kindly get out, and close the door
after you." she directed, still without
raising her voice.
The Intruder took no warning from
her crisp tones nor from the fact that
her twilight eyes were as dark as a
midnight sky. She stepped to her
Hayman Reeled Away.
dressing table and "pressed the pearl
push-button, boldlig her finger upon
it and staring at Hayman. He moved
toward her. but she snatched one of
the candlesticks from among her toilet
articles, swung it shove her head, and
brought the weapon down. Hayman
reeled away, covering his face with his
hands ami cursing wildly; then. Lore
lei, guided more by instinct than by
reason or memory, found Mrs. Fen
nell's chamber and pounded upon its
door with blind fury. She heard a stir
from the direction whence she had
come, and Hayman's voice calling
something unintelligible: then Mrs.
Fennell's startled face appeared before
her.
'What's rhe matter? My deari
You'll wake everybody in the house."
(TO B CONTINUED.