Show t synthetic gentleman by channing pollock copyright channing pollock service SYNOPSIS the duke a pleasant likable youth of t twenty three jobless anil and broke on enter an unoccupied summer home in in southampton seeking shelter from a Is r rifle rain storm ho he makes himself at t home six years ago aeo his father had died in china leaving the lail lad barry gilbert to fight his way back to the states fi tates he did not recollect ever having had a mother dozing at the fireside he Is startled by the arrival ot of a butler willetts Wll letts a chauffeur evans a cook and a maid ile he learns that th the son on of tho the owner of the house jack rudder bidder whom the servants had never seen een Is expected lie he decides to b bault I 1 aft it out his supposed parents have left lor for germany next morning lie he Is given 41 letter for his mother ile he opens it and nil finds a message from the real ja jack c it saying he could not come and returning hundred dollar bill the boys father at her had pensioned him into obscurity barty barry pockets dockets the money intending to return it later ile he orders avans to take him to montauk intending to disappear there CHAPTER I 1 continued 3 T tain in bays golf club replied the gentleman eitleman ent leman its only about three miles tip op this road well the alie duke sted if youre in a hurry burry why dian t you let me take you there then evana anil and I 1 can come back and line hae another try at tills this if evans cant do tiny any thing ill send a mechanic froni from the village tillage very kind of you hut but ive a better idea you youre hungry too why dont you lunch with us and leave jour man to do zest jest Sw swell eill I 1 said the duke evans drive us to the twin tin bays oolf golf club and then come back to this job you know what to do bates he continued to his man come on lets get in ins barry turned round to look for the girl in the green dress she was whispering to evans the other side of the stalled car As they strolled up the road youre sir arent you the girl asked and before barry could reply slip went on your man told 4 me I 1 thought I 1 recognized the car john ridders bidders son exclaimed the whit haired gentleman well I 1 elm am surprised edl 1 so youve made it up tip with your father liae you you must hove have heard him film speak of me im judge hambidge nam bidge for a moment barry considered disclaiming his bogus identity but what was the hie use lie could see evans listening ears through the half open window bet between cen them and the drivers seat and lie he wanted to get to mun alon paulc point not judge curtis curels Ilam bidge lie he said omitting to add that lie he had seen the name dime in yesterdays newspaper the ilie same replied the judge your father and I 1 are well weve known each other since lie he came down to southampton three years ago tills this Is my daughter patricia pat for short though it takes lakes courage to cull call iter that lie ile laughed patricia looked straight ahead where Is your father on ills his way to bad nauheim Kau Nau helm that heart or of ills fit eli eh always told him film it would cut up again some lay day lie ile leaned forward and wound up cp the window behind evans ears dwell well im glad you two got together sit at last I its been killing your mother she spoke to me about it privately pat and I 1 are the only people in souti ampton v hn know that john bidders got a son lie mention it and let anyone else mention it I 1 tried 1 I act that way to lo a boy of mine I 1 said no matter what lie did flat on his uppers somewhere in florida and you la in a big empty house on iong island I 1 suppose youre going to spend the season here now 1 I dont know anuw yet answered the duke well I 1 would this Is your chance lake good and the old mabll be ashamed of himself when lie he comes tack got a lob job anywhere you ril ill bet he dances wonderfully said the girl she had been taking him in out or of the corner ot of her eye and now she baid him this compliment with a quiet scorn that was as subtle as lier her perfume 1 I had a job a few months ago aeo observed the duke what happened with it a disarming smile did they want you to work youre being very rude my dear the judge the truth Js Is that PatrI clas rather fed up on our young men and heard a few pretty wild stories about you they had reached the club now get judge car run aing the duke instructed evans and then you and bates get something to eat and bring both cars back acre 11 not later than two said the judge A moment afterward lie was writing john clarke wilder jr in the guest book youve got me BIC all wrong barry told the girl la in the green dress ini im not mot exactly a rich maws mans son no NOT said the girl bhe was rude and extremely beautiful hard boiled 11 thought E the duke theres one lady id like to tame together they strolled through the wide colonial foyer of the CIL club and into its white and deserted dining room early yet commented the judge southampton get going before the end of june pleasant club though were opening our house next week just ran down today to have the water turned on and all that sort of tiling thing hows your place still got willetts Wll letts yes res good servant willetts your father lays him off all winter and goes to nie in a hotel but willetts Wll letts conics comes back every spring how about a little litlie salmon salad air salmon salud salad with mayonnaise pl please easel ile he smiled remembering yesterdays hot dog at huntington ginther Jin ther a coincidence meeting you here lie he said id just seen your name bayn in the G globe lobe the judges brow clouded yes your fathers fat liers newspaper they say im n tammany judge robbing the 11 its baky to oric norl up excitement cit elt ement about the hie 11 tinder ruler dog patricia cut in As though it really matter etl hit hat happened to the lie yon lile rich mens son lie dulse dulce remarked and you dont like iund lifa list whom do you like miss people alio ho mike make their way 11 cant scant you fed sorry fur for crople who atio dont yot not aery slip she admit admitted teo frankly fran lily nobody does most or of us pretend to I 1 dont know liy hy merely the broke brake on civilization they dont count civilization does the hard bard boiled minx 1 I suppose be keeping bachelors hall h ill most of the summer suggested the judge the Natili treatment Is eight weeks I 1 believe well have to make yourself at horop home with us im a widower and away a good part ot of the time so you and patricia can light flight things out on the tennis court 11 tip glanced at his watch well be down tor for good the first of next week how flow about dining with us thursday please do smiled the girl 1 I should be delighted said the duke at eight dont rtresa dress we wear flannels most of the time out here flannels it Is sold said the duke purring softly as though thou h nothing noth ln had ever been wrong with its vitals the hie judges car drew up to the steps until thursday then and thank you for the lift im mighty glad to have met john boy im glad too added patricia div ing him her hand maybe ill learn to like rich mens sons or under dogs that sounds a little more improbable said the girl they drove away evans humor seemed to have improved with luncheon montauk point he asked holding open the llie car door no the duke answered ive changed my mind about montauk Ion taul point some other oilier duy day I 1 think belil go home now CHAPTER 11 II well of all the road mad resolutions resolution st im going to wind up in prison reflected the duke and as a good many wiser men have done on account of a girl A snip of a girl at that ile he grinned at that where was lie he going to get flannels or even a clean shirt low how could lie be hope to get away with tills this for a whole week lets think it wit out quietly papa and mama atoms are safe in bad nauheim Nau helm belm probably for a couple of months the real john rid der coming to southampton stop slop at the railway station ile he instructed the chauffeur ive got to tee see about my bag hut but oddly enough the bag arrived A big tan leather suit case echoed the baggage master waster You youre rego go inn ing to have a hard time locating it unless you can find your check must have dropped it from my pocket when I 1 pulled out my railway ticket on the train ills his grace told willetts Wil IvIl leits letts at dinner willetts had bad been very apologetic about sending the master away for lunch its cook sir ashes new and what with the kitchen all upside down dont worry interrupted the duke 1 I had a capital time but what are we going to do about dollies clothes willetts well the butler responded theres there S your fathers tailor sir crowell Crowe II on fifty first street lust just east cast 0 of the avenue you could start tin nn account there sir and mr senior gets his haberdashery at bartletts bartletta Bart letts and his shoes at kennedys Kenn edys 11 all that takes time barry objected and im going out to dinner next nest thursday and thursdays thursday 3 five days olt off I 1 a shirt shift to my back willetts Wll letts or anything else but my III y fathers f athers purple py jamas 11 willetts Wll letts face brightened if you can wear those sir I 1 dont see why you cant wear mr bidders linen in tin aa emergency sir theres a whole highboy high boy full of it in your closet sir air and hes got a dozen sum mer suits in that cedar chest flannels too oh ob plenty ot of flannels answered willetts Wll etts letts and golf gol trousers sure to fit 11 both men smiled W wonderful ond erful what a smile would dix da ills own broad grin erla undoubtedly explained the friendliness of the but ler and he himself had fallen victim to the same upturning of a pair of car carminea carml mined ned lips lie he had resented patricia hambidge wholeheartedly whole heartedly until she smiled ua ile still resented her but bat he knew exactly how many daak day it was to thursday the case against evans was that he h never smiled the matter with evans as asked ked the duke using his fork on a morsel of sweetbread sous cloche matter sir ile he seems morose said the duke the fact Is evans wife Is very III sir rn in patchogue yes sir we left her there what made us late last night go on about all sir mrs evans has been III some time its a kind of anemia sir E evans vans want to leave her when he found he was coming out here only yesterday sir air he asked mr air ridder if lie he could bring mrs evans theres quite a big room over the garage and mr nidder bidder said 0 no o lies iles welt well hes farm arm mr Is I 1 guess you enow that sir and then evans decided to put her up in the village for a few lays days but slie she was taken bid bad at patchogue sir and we had to Is lave ave her at a hotel evans was a good deal upset only been diar ciar aled a few months 1 I see the duke lie ile thou thought ht about the matter all through cizner dinner As lie he was quitting the table willetts lie he said 1 11 I think letter tell evans to go back to patchogue and get his wife tonight if ashes fit it to travel or tomorrow morning my father wont know any anything thin g about it and it seems a pity to waste that room over the garage yes sir said willetts WH letts thank you sir anything else I 1 can do tor for you sir ile he went on thinking about it before the ore fire houses without people and people without houses funny world I 1 if I 1 belon belonged ed here the duke repeated to himself the trouble with people like my father he ruminated rumina ted and pat la Is that they dont know what it Is not to have enough never known or forgotten we vc experienced perien perlen ced things to have any coaling foaling about them if you see a man shot youre horrified but if you read about fifty thousand men killed in battle it mean much to you 1 I my father and suddenly lie realized that when lie he said my aly father lift ie was thinking of john clarke I 1 milder for the twentieth time since ili the e beginning of this astonishing adventure his mouth spread itself into that broad grin if I 1 stayed here a month he reflected ted id be calling the old man dad already ini im calling the girl pat making myself at home what I 1 ant am better clear out after dinner next thursday or after breakfast friday im simply ruining my appetite for baked beans willetts interrupted his meditations evans would gitig to know it if see sec him film tile sir of course tell him to come up lie ile had an embarrassing ten minutes in with the chauffeur embarrass ing but very heart worming warming the surly evans was transformed carry barry never had seen anyone else so grateful you must have thought I 1 was pretty grouchy this morning sir hut but I 1 was worried sick I 1 kept thinking how the looked hen I 1 left her last night I 1 dare quit on her account if been just me edve starved to be with her theres likely to be an awful row when my father gets home warned the du duke e we can clear out before then ev ans hesitated the ought to be all right in a few weeks its wonderful this sea air when do you want to go for her herl 1 I telephoned from the village and the doctor thinks shed be all right to make the trip in the morning sir tell you what well do said tile the duke ive got to go to town to get so some in L clothes and things ill ride with you to patchogue and take the train there you can bring mrs evans home and ill take another train out u ut from new york evans tried to speak but wit without bout success all now you can figure what at train I 1 get from patchogue and tell willetts Wll letts good night A at t the door evans turned ill get square with you for tills this some day he said and gulped hard and left the room costo gosh mused the duke id stay a month it I 1 thought I 1 could do a few more things like that tiff mr crowell was most obliging though a bit suspicious at first john clarke Sen Sert lors fors blue summer suit clung to his bogus son almost comically and john clarke kadder seniors shirt was choking him film you made these togs for my rather father the duke remarked and I 1 put ern em on this morning because ive just conn com up from florida and lost my bag bae gaze gage en route ive got to have a sul by next nest thursday can it be done im afraid not can you make a pair of nanne trousers by then 1 I think so go to it said the duke TO BE CONTINUED |