The Coming of Bill

led W

rking on his wooing of Ruth Bannister, failed signally to do so. Lora Delane Porter beamed gracious

air, and were uneasy, like cattle before a thunder-storm. The fact that the visits of Mrs. Porter and Ruth to inquire after George, now of daily occurrence, took place in the afternoon, while they, Kirk's depende

at nothing. To slap him on the back at such moments, as Wren ventured to do on one occasion, Wren belonging to the jovial school of thought which holds that nature gave us hands in order to slap backs, was to bring forth a new and unexpected K

t, which he had counted on to set the table in a roar, produced from Kirk criticism so adverse and so crisply delivered that he refrained from telling his

uch a prospect. It was not till his conscientious and laborious courtship had been in progress for over two weeks and was nearing the stage when he felt that the possibi

s one Burrows, a kindly member of the Lambs Club. But fate and a telegram from a manager removed Burrows to Chicago, while Percy was actually cir

, the reluctance with which he made the introduction, the glumness with which he bore his share of

rvation. Brief as his visit was, he came away as certain that Kirk was in love with thi

hard. The subject occupying his mind was the

w comedy. The comedy had been what its enthusiastic backer had described in the newspaper advertisements as a "rousing live-wire success." That is to say, it

iable Burrows, who were good for occasional loans, but Kirk Winfield was the king of them all. There was something princely about the careless open-handedness of Kirk's methods, and Percy's w

of old John Bannister. There was no doubt about that. How she had found her way to Kirk's studio he could not understand; but there she certainly was, and Percy was willing to bet the twenty doll

gns of any portrait, and Kirk's embarrassment had been so obvious that, if there had been any such exp

occupied in a back room instilling into George Pennicut the gospel of the fit body. For George, now restored to health, had ceased to be a

e moved his stout limbs along the dotted lines indicated in the book's illustrated plates, might have stirred a faint heart to pity. But Lora Del

bodily salvation of George while, at the same time, furthering the loves of Ruth and Kirk by leavin

*

ous letter. This plan he abandoned from motives of fear rather than of self-respect. Anonymous letters are to

bitterness of futile effort, when fortune, always his friend, put him in a position

little relaxation of an evening when his father happened to be out of tow

d, beautifully arrayed and discreetly jovial, partaking of lobster at one of those Broadway palaces where this fish is in brisk dema

s. Like Clarence, she is of no importance to the story. The other, who, not finding Bailey's measured remarks very gripping, was allowing her gaze to wander idly around the room, has th

he room, as he did at that momen

'," she explained to Bailey as Percy made his way toward them.

le fellers" who helped them to keep the national drama sizzling he felt less in sympathy; and he resent

ray of sunshine, deliberately tried to be chilly, those with him at the

little knowing that fate had already solved the probl

not, he was feeling so tired and depressed that he was ready to take the bull by the horns and pay for his meal himself. He had obeyed Miss Fre

"I ain't saw you in years. Wh

indicative of the man of affa

my friend Mr. Bannister. I been telling him about

ized Percy like

d. "Any relation to Mr. John

through the gold-rimmed glasses wh

is-ah-John, and he

scrutiny with

frequently. She is there nearly every day. Well, I must be moving on. Got a date with a man. Goodbye, Freda. Glad you're going strong.

. Miss Reece watched

," she said. "And so he knows you

g the rest of the meal he contributed so little that Miss Reece, in conversation that night with

*

odern Prometheus, Bailey writhed, sleepless, on his bed till daylight appeared. The discovery that Ruth was in the habit of paying clandestine

on that they were, as a class, shock-headed, unwashed persons of no social standing whatever, extremely shor

e in the mirror shocked him.

pending the night at the apartment of Mrs. Lora Delane Porter. The hated name increased Bailey's indignation. He held Mrs. Porter responsible for the whole

ad of the firm of Bannister & Son, had approved of his departure. But now he would have given much to have him on the s

n his studio grew with the minutes. It would be his privilege very shortly

would be safe for the time being in the hands of the head clerk. Having telephoned to Wall Street to announce his decisi

and stated without preamble the exact number of months which would elapse before Mr. Bannister living his present life, would make first-hand acquaintance with it. He insisted on a regular routine of exercise. The

n eight and nine in the morning and his duties were over for the day. But Steve was conscientious and checked any

his Wall Street office to see the meekness with which the old man obeyed orders. But John Bannister

ust after his seventeenth birthday, twelve months before his entry into the Bannister home, leaving behind him a reco

ation of what he described as the bunch of cheeses who pretended to fight nowadays. He would have considered it a privilege, it seemed, to be allowed to encount

r a visit the day after his celebrated unpleasantness with that rugged warrior, Pat O'Flaherty (ne Smith), and, though he had knocked Pat out midway through the second round, he bore away from the arena a black eye of such a startling ric

were times when the temptation to knock the head off Battling Dick this and Fighting Jack that became almost

with a force and precision which showed that the bunch of cheeses ought to

Dingle," said B

sense, perfectly square. This was due to the breadth of his shoulders, which was quite out of proportion to his height. His chest was extraordinarily deep, and his stomach and

d, in a manner both fascinating and frightening. His face increased the illusion of squareness, for he had thick, straight eyebrows, a straight mouth, and a chin of almost the minimum degr

omment. "I guess you was hittin' it up with the

the truth respecting his overnight movements. Still more was he annoyed that Steve's material

id. "But if I am a little pale to-day, that is not t

rry!" advised

in the chest before he could bring up

"Kindly give me warning befo

ey napping, and the incident gave him a text on which to hang a lect

ou should oughter have been saying to yourself: 'I gotta keep an eye on that gink, so's he don't soak me one with that thing when I ain't looking

ve derived n

ke a crack at your pearl stick-pin, do you reckon he's going to drop

him that deference and respect which he considered due to the son of the house. The more

A left jab from him had all the majesty of a formal declaration of war. If he was a trifle slow in his movements for a past

, made him feel better than he had imagined he could feel after that night of spiritual storm and stress. He was glowing as

aid, "how did

urteously. "You're gettin

nk I sha

ur

am going to thrash a man

ha

Bailey's face was

" said St

a

been doin

you that. But he richly d

with affectio

"Who'd have thought it? I'd always had

be ro

t, say, what sort of a g

at res

iddle or a welter or what? It make

y. I have no

Then how's there th

ter into which

Maybe I know him. I know a f

ng you that. He is an artist,

forehead. His eyes bulged an

tten," he s

of Mike! Know

afraid

him kindly on

he said. "Let the poor

that Bailey, instea

icab and drove to the

ne P