Bunker Bean

nts. He openly and shamelessly wished he had kissed the creature again. When the next opportunity came she wouldn't get off so lightly, he could tell her that. It was base, but it was thrilling

; would have treated the thing as trivial, an incident to laugh about, even to regale her intimates with. Probably he had done nothing more than make a fool of

ose shortenin' line an' reducin' heavy grades,"

" wrote Bean immediately thereafter. He didn't care. He wo

se 'provements may be 'spected t' p

do the same thing over again

so with young men who would be all right if they were only let alone. He found new comfort

ful smoothness of her yielding cheek! Her little tricks of voice and manner came back to him, her quick little patting of Grandma's back at unexpected moments,

ver-earnest, he would not recover from the wound that frail one had so carelessly inflicted. He would be a changed man, with hair prematurely graying at the temples, like Gordon Dane's, hiding his hurt under a mask of li

s. He has just arrested two women, confirmed window-smashers-Grandma, the Demon, and the flapper. The flapper

quip and jest. Desperately he jested with old Metzeger, who was regretfully, it

ndred and eighty-nine dollars and thirty-seven cen

ers accurately. He looked wist

ied an office boy, dryly affect

before found occasion to telephone him. He thought of Professor Balth

to his ear and mana

nine and three quarters!" "That you, Howard? Say, this is-" "Get-off-that-line!" "Or I'll know the reason wh

hree o'clock-you're to give us tea and things, some nice place-Granny

up. But he stood there not believing it-tea an

ho I was, d

I knew your voice the moment I heard it." The madness w

get off there!" directed a coarse mas

icent piece of daring. It was too bad. Probably he never could do it again. Then he turned and discovered that

Old Mr. George W. Fox Bean, keeping it all under his hat. Chubbins, eh? Some name, that! Don't te

saw r

ed; "certain shop not far from here

leased at th

a friend,

h a leer that won Bulger's complete respect. He breathed freely agai

de himself. How did she know he had time for all that tea and Grandma nonsense? Suppose he had had another engagement. She hadn't given

hrong. He affected a lordly unconsciousness of the homage Nap received. He left adoring women in his wake and covetous men; and

g equipages. Young or old, they were to him newly exciting. His attitude was the rather scornful one of a conqueror whose victories have cost him too li

into places screened with vines and letting themselves be led on; telephoning him to give them and Grandma tea and things of a Sunday in some nice place-hanging on his words. Of course it had always been that way, only he had never known i

: clandestine meetings and that sort of thing. Still, he coul

. He did not open the door that night. He felt that he was venturing into ways that the wise and good king

aw hat with a coloured band, bought the day before at a shop advertising "Snappy Togs for Dressy Men." He lightly twirled a yellow stick and carried yellow gloves in one hand. He was almost the advanced dresser, dignified but unquestionably a bit different. He seemed to be one who has tamed the world to hi

might expect of Grandma, the Demon, but surely nothing very discreditable could occur in the

he park and say afterward-if there should be an afterward-that he had given them up. An easy way

Breede's biggest and blackest car descen

, nonchalantly doffi

off," he said;

a perfectly annoying time not letting him. What a dar

gated his lawful owner from the flapper's embrace, then reached up to implant a moist

car moved gently on under the gaze of the impressed Cassidy, who had clattered up the iron stairway. Cassi

ftly now, heading for

apper. "I know I shall simply make a lot

him with a wondrous content, and he could say nothing. Instead of talking he strok

pproving glance. He wondered if she meant the hat, t

etorted with equal vaguene

pleased deprecation. "It's just a lit

I call him Nap," he said shortly, feeling hims

silently ahead, but there was something ominou

the flapper brazenly patted

's all righ

believing nevertheless tha

in perspective far and straight ahead of them. He watched the road, grateful for the

ey pleasantly drew the attention of many people who were already there having tea and things: the big car and Grandma and the flapper in her little old rag and Nap still panting ecstatically, and, not least, himself in dignified and a little bit different apparel, lightly grasping the yellow s

n. The waiter inclined a deferential ear to

r indeed, and turned to rebuke the rare and costly dog with

elp seeing that he considered it precisely the right one. He

ient game of looking at him in that curious way. Grandma

kly that I wouldn't

his eyes for their vanished waiter. But it wa

redit, and it isn't a question o

"Play the waiting game;

fforts of a few noble leaders of our sex, she has the right and the courage to take it. I haven't wa

now at nineteen,

at," said the flapper

of the flapper's began to be inte

," continued the Demon evenly. "But I shan't. Marriage isn't half as serious as living alone

finger toward him, as if h

n weakly. But the Demo

ways!' I know well enough what you

alking about? Couldn't he say a wo

It was still the waiting game, and

point

per's look, the look she had puzzl

nding an oft-heard phrase in a foreign tongue. How luminous that look was now! The simple look of proud and assured and most determined ow

as saying terribly, "I don't

of a mine in a huge bucket. The sensations of that plunge were now reproduced. He

er," said the flapper firmly.

th firmness equal to the flapper's, "Silly!" He was wondering if th

chanted the flapper.

e male being in helpless

?" queried the Demo

he had fearfully believed the earth would close upon him, how hope revived as he was precariously draw

ates, forks, napkins, cups and saucers, tea and hot water, jam, biscuit, toast. There was something particularly reassuring about tha

?" demanded the

ke; I'm not fus

erward he knew that he did not take sugar in his tea, but the flapper had sweetened it with three lum

l you that you've won a treasure. Of course, I don't say you won't find her difficult now and then, but you mustn't be too overbearing;

l that," broke in the

d Bean, grateful for the soli

at's all," warned the Demon.

an, resolutely seizing a fork for wh

ping it would seem that he had more

-beating, bound to have your own way, an

," declared the child. "I'll see t

to," he muttered, wondering i

little say about this one. You're a better man than he is. You have a good situation and he's just a waster; couldn't buy his own cigarettes if he had t

pper gracefully destroyed hi

toast to Nap, w

en the girl makes up her mind. I haven't

apper broke her speech with tea. "I ha

alled the terrific rem

little talk," said Grandma, "

d Bean, wrinkling his forehe

out long ago," said the flappe

Bean. "Something always co

motor in for you. They won't let me do it back there," she concluded with some acrimony; "and they get good and

eft," mumbled Bean.

e flapper with four of her double

all be true," ventured Bean

he flapper. "I knew it all the time." She place

who had been silent a long time, for her. "I remember-"

d the

ve this little talk," murm

away. A reviving breeze swept them as the car gain

a part of him. He thought the serenity of the flapper was remarkable. She seemed to

ore it went on. Cassidy sat at the head of his basement stairs with a Sunday paper

e give it t' me," said Cassidy. "Runnin'

for a little spin," said Bean, clutchin

to be stil

kly to Its closet, pulled ope

do you mak

he look of the serene Ram-tah. He softly closed the doo

once. He tossed hat, stick, and

ad been extracted from the affair. It was fearsomely respectable. And it was deadly seriou

ad off. He had been a fool all the time. In the car he had strained himself to the point of mentioning the Hollins boy. The flapper had laughed unaffectedly. Tommy Hollins was a perfectly darling boy, a goo

for him. Moreover, he was not to be brutally domineering. He was to curb that tendency in himself, at least now and th

the need for new strength. A long time he looked into the still fa

the affianced husband of Breede's youngest dau

redible, even as

he ever

"how'd I ever have

still. If the wise and good kin