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Show 1A DINNER AT- q-q By O, Henry 1 J mpyngni, iv. oy iDucieaiy, age at Co.: published by special arrangement with the Wheeler Hyndlcate, Inc. The atory 'referred to in this skit ap-penrs ap-penrs ih "The Trimmed Lamp" under the same title "The Badge of I'oltceman O'Koon.) Tha Adventures ef an Author With Hit Own Hsre. All that day In fact from the moment of his creation Van Sweller had onn ducted himself ft arty well In my eyes. Of course I had had to make many conces-!oiie; conces-!oiie; but In return he had been no less considerate. Onc or twice we had had niarp, brief content Ions over certain points of bfhavior; but prevailingly, give and take had been our rule. tils morning toilet provoked our first tilt. Van Bweller went about It confidently. con-fidently. "The usual thing, I suppose, old clmp," he said, with a smile and a fawn- "I ring for a b. and s, and then have my tub. 1 splash a good deal In the water, of course. You are aware thnt there are two days In which 1 can receive Tommy farmichael when he look In to have a chat about polo. I can talk to him through the bathroom door, or I can be picking at a grilled bnhe which 1 my man has brought In. Which would I you prefer?'- 1 smiled With diabolic satisfaction at hi; corning discomfiture. "Neither," 1 sai'l. "You will make yo:ir appearance on tha scene when a gentleman should after you ar fully da-easml, which Indubitably private function func-tion shall take plscs lhlrid cloned doors. Ard 1 will feel Indebted to you if. after you do appear, ycur deportment and man-nrK man-nrK are such thst It will not be nec-eenry nec-eenry to Inform the public. In order to si pease us anprchension, that you have taken a bath." Van Hweiier ellrhtly elevated his brows. "Oh. very well," he mirl, a trifle piqued. "I rather Imagine it concerns i you more than It does m Cut the 'tub' by all mentis, If rtm think bent. Fbit It , hns been the usual thing, you know." This wss my victory; bft nfr Van P wel lr e merged from his a pa rt men t s In the "Heaulolle" I was vanquished In a doxen emMI but well contested skir-mtnhes. skir-mtnhes. t allow him a cigar; but routed him on ih question of naming its brand. I But he worsted me when 1 nhlectert in , t?!vtnr Mm n 'Voir tinmif bablv Fr-eHth thrlllingly asking the name of her pre- ? I server. If Hudson Van Hweiier, in po- v- 1 liccman's uniform, has saved tl. lift 4f palpitating beauty In the park where is I Mounted I'oltceman O'ltoon. How quickly V by a word can the hero reveal himself, th-ih discarding his masquerade of eli- fibility and doubling the romance! Hut here is his1 friend! Van Sweller touches his cap. "It's nothing. Miss," he says, sturdily; "that what we are psid for to do our duty.'. - And away b rides. Hut the story does) i.ot end there. As I Have said. Van Sweller carried off the park scene to my decided satisfaction. satis-faction. Kven to me he was a hero when he foreswore, for the sake of his friend, the romantic promise of his advent urn. It was later In the day, amongst the more exacting conventions that encompass the society hero, when we had our liveliest dKisveement. At noon he went t O ftoon's room and found him far enough recovered to return to his post, whictt he at once did. At about. 6 o'clork In the aftemon Van Sweiler fingered his vatch, and flashed at me a brief look full of such i shrewd cunning that I suspected him t t j once. "Time to dress for dinner, old man, i he said, with exaggerated carelessness j "Very well," I answered, without g!v- V j Ing him a clue to my suspicions: "I will j go with you to your rooms and see thnt you do the thing properly. I suppose that every author must be a valet to his own hero." He nffctM cheerful acceptance of my somewhat offfioits proposal to accompanv him. I could see that he wa? annoyed bv it. and that fact fastened deeper in mv mind the conviction that he was meditating med-itating some act of treachery. : 1.vVh'n he had reached his apartments i h" said to mj, with a too patronizing air: I "There are, as you perhan know, quite a number of HtMe .distinguishing touches to he had out of the dressing process Some writers rely almost wholly upon 4 them. I suppose that f am to ring for my man, and that he is to enter noise- M lessly. with n expressionless counte- 1 nance. " "He may enter," T Said, with decision. snd only enter. Valet a o not usually erter a room shouting eollere songs or j wilt pf Tfltus dance. In their fares- se i the mntrnry mav be aumed without fatuous or gratuitous asseveration (To be continued ) tn Its cut." I allowed him to "stroll down troadway," and even permitted "passers-by" "passers-by" ;od knows there's nowhere lo uhks but by) to "turn their heads and gave With vbU-nt admiration at hts erect figure." fig-ure." I demeaned myself, end. as a barber, bar-ber, gave him a "smooth, dark face with lis keen, frank eye, and firm Jaw." 1-j.ter on he looked in at the club and Sttw eddy Vavasour, polo team captain, dawdling over grilled bone No. 1. "Dear old boy " be van Van Rweller; but in an instant I had selxed him by the ollar and rtrsget-d. him aside with the seamiest court etiy. "For heaven's sake talk like, man," I sfild, sternly. "Io you think It Is manly to use those mushv and Inane forms of address? That man la neither dear nor old nor a boy." To my surprise Van sweller turned upon me a look of frank pleasure., "I am glad to hear you say that," he said, heartily. "I used those words because be-cause 1 have been forced to say them so often. They really are contemptible. Thanks for correcting me, dear old boy " Rtlli I must admit that Van Hweller's conduct In the park that morning was al-moft al-moft without flaw. The courage, the Hash, the modestv, ths skill, and fidelity thnt he displayed atoned for everything. This Is the way the story rune1. Vsn Sweller hns been a gentleman member of the "Hugged Riders," the eompeny thnt made a war with a fo--elrn country famous. Among his com-rndes com-rndes was Tawrenc O'Koon, a man whom Van KweHer liked. A strange thing and a hnsardous one in fiction Tws that Van etwelier and O'Roon reserabled e. n-h other mightily In face. form, end general npneflranre. After the war Van Kweilsr pulled wires, and O'ltoon was made a mounted policeman. Now. one night In New York there are commemorations and libations by old comrades, and in the morning. Mounted I'ol Icema n Roon , un used to po en t liquids another premise hazardous In fictionfinds fic-tionfinds the earth bucking and bounding bound-ing like a broncho, with no stirrup into which he may insert foot and save his honor and his badge. Noblesse oblige? Purely. 80 out along the driveways and bridle paths trots Hudson Van Sweller In the uniform ef his Incapacitated comrade, t like unto him as one French pea Is unto a petit pois. It Is, of course. Jolly lark for Van Sweller. who has wealth and racial position posi-tion enough for him to masquerade safely safe-ly even as a police commissioner doing his duty, if he wished to do so. Put society, so-ciety, not given to scanning the countenances counte-nances of mounted fncemen. sees nothing noth-ing unusual tn the officer on the beat. And then conies the runaway. That is a fine scene the a waving vlr-torio, vlr-torio, the impetuous draft horses plunging plung-ing through the line of scattering ve-, ve-, hides, the driver stupidly holding his I broken reins and the ivory. white fsc of ; Am) Fiolliott. as she dine desperately I wih eac h slender hard. Fear has come land gone: it haa left her eprerlon ren- rive and lust a little -steading, for life Is not so hitter. And then the clatter and swoop of Mounted 1'oliceirn Van Sweller! Oh, It j was but the b Wry has hot yet been printed. When it is you shall learn how he sent his bay like a bullet after the Imperiled victoria. A Crichton, a Croesus and a Centnur in one, he hurls the Invincible In-vincible combination into the ehase. When the story la printed you will sd-mlrs sd-mlrs the breathlesa scenes where Van Pwellsr checks the headlong team. And then he looks Into Amy Ffolliotf's eyes and sees two things the possibilities, of I happiness he has long sought, end a 1 1 nam-ent promise of It. He Is unknown . to her; but he stands In her prght illuml- . rated by the hero's potent glory, she his and he here by sM the go'-'en fond, unreasonable un-reasonable laws cf love and light litera- ; ture. ! Ay. that 1e a rich moment. And It will stlr you to find Van Sweller in that fruit - f. il nick of lime thinking of his comrade O'Roon. who Is cursing his gyrating bed Snd incapable legs in in unc ready room, In a west side hotel while Van waller ! holds hts badge and hie honor. . J Van Sweller hearg Miss Ffolliott'a voice' |