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Show I TTDncB EraDnnn'tiDEi HEweIy I t 1 KtJJA. Viuiiail. J The Bobb3.Merrni Company.) jj I y . WNtT Service ' J i warned her, recognizing her client's vacillating disposition. "I shall expect ten thousand dollars. Moreover, to be fair to both of us, payment must be half In advance, half at the termination termina-tion of Doctor Blanton's treatments. That Is, when he has reduced me to what he decides to be a normal weight." "How do I know that will make you slim enough? I want to be really slender; girlish, you know." Miss Mercedes was plainly wabbling again. "I can't guarantee that," Smif returned re-turned calmly. "I refuse to take off a pound more than Doctor Blanton regards re-gards as safe. Really, Miss Mercedes, don't you think you are wasting time? What you require is some one more tractable than I also cheaper," she added with 8 hint of contempt; for. after nil, Sm.'f was a Lovely with a Lovely's disregard for money, when she had It. And Miss Mercedes sensed this, growing more eager tlie moment she feared Smif was inclined to draw back. "I'll sign your agreement," she announced. an-nounced. "I'll pay anything In reason. Please have the paper made ready and I will make you out a check. It's a proof of my love for Johnny," she' added, add-ed, her voice trembling. "And I look on It as an investment," she ended, her practicality again to the fore. So said, so done, and Miss Mercedes wended her weighty way toward the elevator. CHAPTER V Smif looked forward with an amount of interest that she found surprising to her approaching interview with the person she still designated to herself as the gunman. On his behalf she was tempted to order a more substantial luncheon ; yet, after all, why should she? She had not invited this guest. Finally she compromised. Three sandwiches and an apple were to be brought to her as usual, while Buttons "I was sure you hadn't," Johnny rejoined. re-joined. "LJow could you be certain I would say nothing about Miss Mercedes? I thought she was your excuse for coming com-ing here." Smif was disturbed. She preferred playing with people to having hav-ing them play with her. Her guest beamed at her. "Any excuse that brings me here Is good enough for me." This was sheer frivolity. Smif pounded on the arm of her chair in exasperation. ex-asperation. "Listen to me. I Insist that you remember that I am a business busi-ness woman engaged in a serious busl ness enterprise." "And I'm one of your customers," Johnny said soothingly. "You can't get away from that. I engaged you to keep me from being married by Mercy." "You didn't engage me to do that, because I should have refused such an engagement. I said I would see if I thought I could help you. Well. If that's the only help you want, I can't and I won't, so there !" "I never believed that you'd go back on a bargain." "So far as that goes I haven't. You acknowledged that you are fond of her. You said that if she were not so fat you wouldn't mind " "That was my fatal desire to palm myself off on you as a gentleman. D n it all, I won't marry her and have to sit opposite her watching her gobble Lucinda's glorious food day after day. Just tell me this, is that mammoth planning to reduce? Is that what you're driving at?" "She isn't yet, not until I've shown her that it is possible." And then this astonishing man astonished as-tonished her again. "But yon aren't fat," said he. Smif regarded him with incredulous wonder gradually merging into belief. The man actually appeared to mean it. "Never say again that you aren't a Stannard. She says she's your sister and insists she must see you." Smif was in no mood for argument with Lucy. "Tell Mrs. Stannard that I have not a moment to give her now but that I am to meet Mrs. Carter at Tierre's and shall be very glad if she will have tea with us there at five." Buttons saluted and took his departure. depar-ture. She turned back to Johnny to find him pointing a finger at her accusingly. "Mrs. Carter Mrs. Stannard" he stammered "they're your sisters. Then you must be the youngest of the family. Matilda Lovely." "Correct enough, although I don't publish my pedigree on my business card." She was ruffled, as her next remark betrayed. "I am curious to know how you came to ferret It out." "I didn't ferret it out!" Natural resentment re-sentment colored his voice. "I didn't have to. You didn't take the family Bible with you when you left Lovely-lea. Lovely-lea. You're all down in it, and when I saw a marriage in the paper I filled the date in after the name. ... It seemed to me a friendly thing to keep the record up for your brother in case he came back. Not that I want him to come back. Now that I've been there so long I mean to buy Lovelylea " A light had broken over Smlf's face only to darken again. "You're Johnstone Nesbit!" she exclaimed ex-claimed lie nodded. "The tenant of Lovelylea, and as you must have heard a hundred times, no gentleman." Silence fell between them. Lovelylea ! In her mind Smif bad traveled back many years. She was a child again. The heavy brown book " with gold lines on its leather cover was on the largest of a nest of lacquer lac-quer tables that stood between two windows. The Bible, far too large for her to handle, always lay in its accustomed accus-tomed place. She had, from her earliest earli-est recollection, admired it. She was roused from her reverie by Johnny, ne leaped to his feet and began searching about wildly for his hat and coat. "I'd better go," he muttered. "I needn't tell you I wouldn't have come If I'd known who you are. I don't apologize, because I didn't know. I didn't know, I tell you. I wasn't try-iug try-iug to push myself in under false pretenses." "I never thought you were," Smif managed to Interject. "You did !" he accused her stubbornly. stub-bornly. "I watched you trying to think how to get rid of me. You don't have to try. I'll take myself off. But never think it wasn't true. I did like you. You are exactly like my great-grandmother. And I was so lonely." "So lonely." No more was needed. Those words were the open sesame to Smif's sympathy. He had found his coat and was struggling into It when Smif jumped up and took it away from him. "If you'll kindly tell me what you're making all this fuss about, I'll be a great-grandmother to you," she said in a tone of exasperation. Johnstone Nesbit, as if unable to trust his ears, took one look at her face then dropped heavily Into a chair and, setting his elbows on his knees, rested his head on his hands and stared down at the floor. "It's a long story and after all these years I'm a fool to care, I suppose, but I still do," he confessed. "I was so lonely!" That was the tune wherewith to play on Smif's heartstrings, heart-strings, and she had heard tragedy In it just now. She felt that she did not dare to let Johnstone Nesbit leave her until she had gone to the root of his troubles, yet her every minute was fully engaged In advance and some rearrangement would be necessary. neces-sary. While she was considering how best to effect this, Buttons further complicated matters by announcing that Mrs. Phelps was there accompanied accom-panied by another lady. This probably prob-ably meant a new and rich client, and any claim on her comrng from Susnn could not be Ignored. (TO BE CONTINUED.) i ; 1 ' I ft ' t t I'M I hi , i 1 V---' ?V'I "I Don't Pretend to Be a Gentleman. You Didn't Think I Was One, Did You?" SYNOPSIS ' Following the wedding of her niece, Clntra, which she has financed, Matilda fcmlth Lovely ("Smif, by her own In-elntence), In-elntence), youngest and physically th weight lent of the four Lovely sisters, find a herself In decidedly straitened circumstances, but has her own plans for the future, which she refuses to divulge to her sisters, prominent figures fig-ures In New York society. The historic Lovely estate, Lovelylea, in Virginia, Is owned by Smif's brother, Bill-Lee, v. ho lives In Chile. Smif's dearest wish Is to own Lovelylea. It Is rented to a Mr. Johnstone Nesbit. Under the name "Madame Saitou" Smif establishes herself her-self as a "Little Sister of the Rich," a consultant. The business promises to be remunerative, but the other Lovely sisters are horrified at her becoming be-coming what they term an "adventuress." "adven-turess." Smif has a client, a man who desires to evade the loverlike pursuit of an extraordinary stout lady, his neighbor, whom he refers to as Mercy. CHAPTER IV Continued 5 Yet for all the boy's warning, the woman wom-an who entered while he lingered at the threshold to observe the effect she produced, transcended anything Smif had Imagined. "This Is a fabulous creature," Smif thought, "a fantastic design by Uokusal, a female hotel." But she met the lady Indifferently, as If she found her nothing out of the ordinary, and Buttons, disappointed, fled to his own post. "Madame Saitou?" Smif bowed an assent. Never, she told herself, had she seen so many dimples; dimpled chin, dimpled wrists,-dimpled wrists,-dimpled knuckles. "I am surprised. You see my friend told me you were so reliable, I expected ex-pected some one much older." There was no answer to this, and she went on : "My name Is " Smif stopped her with a swiftly raised hand. "I do not require the names of my consultants," she said. "It frequently eases embarrassment to remain anonymous." anony-mous." "How discreet," the stranger smiled, disclosing two more dimples. "In my case It Is not necessary. My name is Martha Washington Mercedes Miss Martha Washington Mercedes. My friends call me Mercy." Smif accepted this Information graciously. gra-ciously. As nothing more was forthcoming, forth-coming, she suggested: "There is something you fancy I can do for you?" At once the round blue eyes In the round baby face opposite her filled with tears. "I suppose It all comes back to the fact that I've grown stout. A love affair Is something to write poems about If you're built like a bean-pole. If you're like me, it's only a joke; and I'm in love. I'm just terribly In love," Mercy burst out. As If a cloud had burst, the tears became a flood. ("Cries easily," Smif registered mentally. "I wonder how much her feelings really amount to?") The next moment she called herself hard-hearted, for Mercy raised streaming stream-ing eyes to hers and spoke with telling simplicity. 'Tlease believe me and help me. I didn't know people felt this way when they were In love. Maybe no one ever did before," she suggested hopefully. "Well, your condition Is not absolutely abso-lutely unique. Nor should I call It hopeless." "I'm afraid you will when you hear all about It," Miss Mercedes sniffed. "I'm desperate. Johnny absolutely hates all fat women. I've put on a little weight lately and since then he certainly avoids me. There's no mistaking mis-taking that" , A little weight ! "If Ifs only a matter of weight, why not reduce?" "What else could It be?" Miss Mercedes' Mer-cedes' round eyes grew rounder with astonishment, and she forgot to cry. "Perhaps It Is lacking In delicacy to boast of It, but I assure you, Madame Saitou, no girl In the whole state had more admirers than I." "You should never have allowed yourself to grow so large." Mercy pouted as If she were a chidden child. "I've such a wonderful cook," she murmured with a guilty look. "Discharge her." "Oh, I couldn't do that. My dinners din-ners are celebrated." "Then don't eat them." "In that case Lucinda would leave of her own accord. She has often told me that she wouldn't stay with a lady who didn't appreciate her food. Anyway, Any-way, I've a tiny appetite. It can't be what I eat that makes me fat. Really, I take only enough to keep my strength Tip. Emotional as I am, and under such a fearful strain, I need nourishment. nourish-ment. You do see that, Madame Bnitou?" "II m," Smif pondered the point. IMain to her was the fact that Miss Mercedes was a gourmet and probably a glutton. "In that case the only thing to do Is to keep Lucinda and you apart for a time." "You mean that I ought to stay here and reduce? And not see Johnny for ages? How could I bear It? Oh, Madame Saitou, Is that all you can think of to help me?" "It may not be all I can think of at least It's the most obvious remedy, Isn't It?" Smif smiled. "If the gentleman gen-tleman ireferred you as you were before, be-fore, it would seem only to be necessary neces-sary now to remake yourself more nearly to his heart's desire." Miss Mercedes' tears stopped. "How beautifully you do say things," she beamed. "I must 'remake' myself 'more nearly to his heart's desire?' 1 think that's very lovely." Since time was pressing, It did not seem worth while to point out that Fitzgerald had done more justice to Omar's thought. Smif began to sum up : "As I understand your case, the only obstacle between you and your lover Is your size. What is called for Is self-denial on your part. I should not think of advising either diet or treatment. The most I should be willing will-ing to do is to suggest a physician who to my knowledge has been successful suc-cessful in similar cases." Miss Mercedes now exhibited an unsuspected un-suspected trace of native shrewdness. "If you don't mind my asking, have you gone to him yourself?" As Smif could read in her face that, If she had, her visitor did not think highly of the result, she permitted herself a broad grin. "No, I've never taken -any treatment. I can't afford to. My time is too valuable." "11m," said Miss Mercedes speculatively. specu-latively. "If you wisli me to do so, I'll call the doctor this afternoon and speak ' about the case. If he says he can help you, I'll make an appointment for you and it will then be possible for you to decide for yourself whether it is worth while to begin his treatments." "Hm," said Miss Mercedes again, "I've ot a better idea than that." "You have?" said Smif. "I have an idea that's nothing short of an inspiration," Miss Mercedes began be-gan firmly. "I only hope you'll agree to it." Smif waited expectantly and she went on: "You see, money's practically prac-tically no object to me. I've plenty of my own, and for the last four years I've not begun to spend my income. Then Johnny's simply rolling. If I marry him I never mean to consider the price of anything again as long as I live. So, looking at this as a business proposition, it will pay me to find out what this treatment is worth before I try it on myself." "And how do you propose to do that?" Smif inquired, although she already al-ready had an inkling of what was agitating agi-tating Miss Mercedes' shrewd mind. "What is your idea?" "To try it on you," Miss Mercedes answered simply. For a minute Smif was Inclined to refuse to consider this proposal. Vaguely she felt Insulted by it, though where the insult lay she could not say. Then she relaxed. "In . other words, you want a whipping whip-ping boy. Well, I believe that was formerly regarded as an honorable post. What is your suggestion for the arrangement to be made between us? And have you taken into consideration the fact that the causes of our too, too solid flesh may be totally different?" "If I find him successful with you, it will give me confidence that he will be with me, too." Smif's opinion of Mercy's common sense, which had been low, was rising with every word she said now that the subject of her love affair was left In the background. "As to the remuneration, remunera-tion, I should feel that you ought to be satisfied If I paid your doctor's bills." "Sorry," said Smif briefly, "we'll let the matter drop. I do not find myself Interested In your proposition. Suppose Sup-pose I give you Doctor Blanton's address ad-dress and you can make arrangements with him or not as best suits you? Any good man would probably do as well for you, but I happen to have confidence In him." "You think there is no other course open to me? What about mental science sci-ence of some sort? Absent treatment? The power of mind over matter? I must do something. I'd go through anything for Johnny's sake; It's only that I've made up my mind I want to see the result of treatment given some one else before I submit to it." Mercy whimpered, yet It was evident that with her a mind made up was a mind made up once and for all time, and Smif was becoming bored. "Really, Miss Mercedes," she began, "I do not believe that you should have any difficulty in finding some one who would accept an offer such as you suggested sug-gested if you added a small fee. I cannot help you there." "Why won't you do It?" Feeling herself dismissed tlie lady began slowly slow-ly to work her fat hands Into gloves several sizes too small for her. "Because I am a business woman whose time has a very definite value. Moreover, I am by no means sure my size Is not an asset In my business. There is something about It that Inspires In-spires confidence. I might be making a mistake to reduce. At all events it would require a large bribe to Induce me to run the risk." "Very well," Miss Mercedes ejacu lated In trembling tones, giving way with surprising suddenness. "You shall name your price." ."Nor shrill I undertake It except under a written agreement," Smif was told to hold a larger supply in reserve. re-serve. The man arrived promptly and ushered himself out to the lounge without ceremony. Plainly ceremony was one of the superfluities he had banished from his scheme of existence. Buttons followed with a small plate of sandwiches, regarded by the gunman gun-man with extreme disfavor. "Are those a joke?" he demanded before he saw the twinkle In Smif's eyes, after which the rest of the banquet ban-quet was quickly forthcoming. "Well, why don't you talk?" he asked, doing full justice to the sandwiches sand-wiches the while. "I was meditating on the Inequalities Inequali-ties and Injustices of this world. If I consumed a tithe of what you do, the only scales I could be weighed on would be a hay scales; and I suppose the same Is true of Miss Mercedes." "Don't fool yourself or let her fool you. Lucinda's best customer Is her mistress. And Lucinda's an artist." "So I was given to understand," Smif said dryly. "I judge that If Lucinda's Lu-cinda's masterpiece were less tempting tempt-ing Miss Mercedes might be less colossal." "What you'd like to say is, If Miss Mercedes were not such a pig Miss Mercedes might be less colossal." "Really," said Smif, lifting her eyebrows eye-brows and with difficulty restraining her laughter, this man with the emerald emer-ald horseshoe was, after all, so like a rather naughty little boy, "that Is not the way a gentleman should talk about a lady, is it?' "I can't see that." He compressed his lips stubbornly. "If a lady acts like a pig, I think a man should be free to mention It; judicially and without Ill-feeling, you understand. But then what should I know about It? I don't pretend to be a gentleman. gentle-man. You didn't think I was one, did you?" "Hear me, no!" Smif answered. "I nad It on good authority that you were a gunman. Don't you want to hear of my Interview with Miss Mercedes?" "Not particularly." "And that Is just as well," she told nim crushingly, "because I have no Intention In-tention of telling you anything." gentleman," she remarked at last. "The first requisite is to be able to lie magnificently and spontaneously, I congratulate you." "I don't mean you aren't big," Johnny began to explain laboriously, apparently quite uninterested in her view of the most essential qualification qualifica-tion for a gentleman. "When I say fat I refer to something soft and boneless, a shape of blanc mange that hasn't quite solidified in fact, Mercy! You can't be fat, because I like you, and I simply hate fat people. I always have." Giving this knock-down argument time to sink In, he went on with his sandwich. Having finished the first half, he resumed: "And that Isn't the only reason I like you, either. I liked you from the first moment I saw you. You reminded me at once of my great-grandmother." great-grandmother." This compliment was more than Smif had expected. She broke into a peal of irrepressible laughter, laughing laugh-ing until tears stood In her eyes. Johnny never smiled. Smif gurgled : "I've been compared to Kwan-Yin, to the Sphinx, to the Buddha at Kamakura, but never, never before to anybody's great-grandmother." "It's a great compliment," said Johnny; John-ny; "I hoped you'd appreciate it." "I know it Is. It Is unique. In fact It has gone to my head," Smif gasped, keeping right on laughing because she was unable to stop. "You're a very trying girl," the gunman gun-man declared severely. This was too personal for his hostess. "I am Madame Saitou," she bristled: 'Tooh I" said Johnny "That's just a business name It doesn't mean a single thing" "You know nothing about It " "Oh, yes, I do I tlppr.i Buttons n dollar and asked him If y(n, married. Thank Cod, I'm no gentle-man! gentle-man! That's saved you the I rouble of saying It." "Well then," said Smif, "It's true enough. -What Is it?" Bullous stood apologetically In lh( doorway. "They's a lady here. Muda'me, Mrs. |
