The Best Cellar (continue yr<,m ra«. Ti.r«>> By Hanish McLaurin |
What does old Mr. Barker know
about the modern poets? He hasn't
heard of anybody since Kipling."
"You appear to have given this
matter a certain amount of consec
utive thought,” conceded Mr. Car
ver," and It may be that there Is a
demand for Danish literatlre in
this town that I hadn’t been awaro
of, but" why the cellar of the old
Saddler house? Surely there must
be places darker and damper than
that, if you’d only look around a
" little."
"It isn’t dark and It Isn't damp.
The floor is only three steps down
from tho sidewalk and tho windows
are plenty big enough for -a nice
display of scdected books. Tho part
I'd use was once a dining room or
a billiard room or something: not
a vegetable cellar. The woodwork
is handsomer than most of what
you see nowadays and with just a
tiny bit of money I could fix it up
the most artistic little shop you ever
dreamed of."
"I see. And are you planning to
station guides around town to pilot
people to your threshold?”
"No, Mr. Wetblanket, I shan't
need to. That house will he the
art center of this town in no time.
There's an interior decorator up
stairs, and two painters, and a lady
who dyes things, and an art jcwel
. ry maker, and a young Italian who
carves furniture, and a couple of
girls who bind books. They’d all
be delighted to have mo there, and
I could display samples of their
work in my shop and take orders
for them. It would bo kind of nice
to help them out like that, I think,
because they don't seem to have
much money, any of them, but
they're awfully nice Just the same,
and I like them a lot.”
Dione's father was looking at her
with genuine gravity, now, and a
softness came into his eyes that she
night have Urondered'at had she not
been so preoccupied. This wait the
ir.st time Mr. Carver ever had heard
this pretty daughter of his talk or
helping anyone less fortunately
circumstanced than herself. By
comparison with the vaster portion
of young women, her life had been
one of luxury, yet hitherto her in
terest had centered always ui>on
those a few rungs higher up the
financial ladder than she was.
Bazars for the benefit of the city's
needy ones: charity bulls: "tag
days" of different sorts—yes. she
had taken part in those, but always
lira use the other girls wete doing
it and because the pictures of the
participants Invariably appeared in
the society columns of the local
papers.
1 his unwonted desire on her part
to co-operate with some one who
was • arnlng a modest livelihood
touched him more deeply than tie
bought wise to show her. but he
was won over to her view of the
proposed enterprise from that mo
ment. When tie did, ut length,
reach for his check book anil in
scribe the precious symbols which
meant the establishing of "The Rest
Cellar." It was done with the un
grudging celerity of a man who
feels that he is gittlng his money's
worth.
' There you arc. chickling," he re
mark' d, ns he tossed aside the blot
ter. "I'll gamble that much on your
ability to advance the cause of cul
ture In this community, and If the
venture shows the least signs of
life I might submit to another trnn!
fusion from the pncketbook In or
der to insure its survival."
Th" passing or that check perm.i
nently arrested the process which
was turning the corners of Diane's
month downwards. There were
times. It Is true, when lines of
anxiety threatened to entrench
themselves forever upon her brow,
hut she was u»T happy In her work
that there was no chance for dis
content to set Its mark upon the
contour of her lips. The bothers of
tiookkeoplng. the exasperation of
imving to deal with certain kinds
jt customers, the tremulous sus
pense of waiting to see whether
th" reading public would find a
pathway to her cellar door—all
tlos" wore more than offset by the
fascination of the new world In
which she found herself.
"It’s nmn7.lng what a number of
likable folks live hereabout* who
never entered my life until I re
treated Into that cellar," she in
formed her father during one of
their Intimate conferences. "I’m
Loginning to think thst the amount
tlf time I have spent with some peo
ple who used to seem terribly im
portant to me wan really worse then
wasted."
Mr. Carver nodded his agreement
These little talks with lUone had
^ i-orne to be of almost nightly oe
urrence, and to him they const 1
■sited the most gratifying lesult of
iieiv venturo Into the world of af
fairs. No one would ever know
how much he missed the comrade
ship which she always had given
him as a child and of which her
social activities had robbed him ever
since her return from school.
"Vos." fie said, "some of ynttt
young friends—and a good many
of their ciders. If It comes to th&t—
are several degrees too feverish for
my taste. They’re all right in their
place, I suppose, but they’re not
to be taken too seriously, my dear.
You still see them quite frequently,
however, don’t you?”
"O, yes, but they seem frightfully
stupid to me now. They don't talk
half so entertainingly as that funny
old man who has charge of the com
posing room on tho News. He
seems to have been everywhere and
rend everything, but he works all
night and sleeps half the day, and
hardly anybody ever secs him ex
cept his family and the men In the
office. He’s just one that I happen
to think of. but there are a number
of others who drop in f^r a chat
from time to time. There are sev
eral young reporters whose con
versation is far more refreshing
than anything I ever heard at a din
ner dance, and there are half a
dozen school teachers who have put
in more summers abroad than any
one else 1 know of and who have
soon something over there besides
the cafes and race tracks, and
watering places, too.”
“I have always held that there Is
an aristocracy of the mind which
takes little account of social dis
Unctions,” commented Mr. Carver.
"1 suspect that you are brazenly
forcing your way Into that aris
tocracy.”
l wash I il started long ago, de
clared Dlone. "You’ve no Idea the
interesting things I’m finding out
You know Mr. C’.errV, the banker?
We girls always used td laugh at
him and think he was Just an old
fluff berause he'd sit In a corner all
evening at the country club dances
while his wife cavorted with every
male fledgling In the place. Do you
know that man is an authority on
rare bindings? He's written a book
about it. He's been as nice as he
could be about offering me sugges
tions,, and, besides that, he has
brought down several guttered old
paperbound first editions tjiat he
wants the girls to bind in leather
for him. Isn't thut surprising?”
"Xot to me, dear. I’ve spent
many a pleasant evening in Joe
• Jerry's library. It's one of the fin
est in the country. I understand.”
“Why, daddy, 1 never knew’ you
were the least hit chummy with
Mr. Gerry. I'd Juft adore to see
that library. What was tie reason
you never told me about it '
' 1 had no Idea you'll be Inter
ruled. In fact, until lately, Dlone,
I've been oppressed with a sneak
ing notion that In all probability
you regarded me, too, as 'just an
old fluff'.”
Why Daddy Carver, bow can
yuu say such a thing? As if I
could ever-''
"O. I don't think you feel that
wayemm,’1 Carver hastened to in
terject, "but after you came back
from school, ami especially since
your mother died. Il has seemed
sometimes as If the people who In
terested you the most were those
in whom I never could get up any
interest as long as I lived. So I
decided Just to sit back and let you
enjoy yourself in the way that
pleased you best—so far as I was
able.”
Hfono Joyed with the ring on her
father's finger. "I know. I thought
that was how it was. But I never
thought you were an old fluff—
never. I Just thought you didn't
care for dancing and bridge and
dinner parties and all that.” ...
“I don't. They arc all right in
themselves, but the superficial talk
that goes with them Is beyond my
patience to endure. Every one
seems afraid to discuss anything of
the slightest real importance. No
body bothers to say what he really
thinks about anything, and, as a
result, you never get to know any
body. How marly people have you
really become well acquainted with
at a dance, a dinner, or a bridge
party?”
"I think some of them are afraid
to talk about anything worth while
for fear the others will laugh at
them," suggested Dione. "I'm sure
there are a great many people In
society who feel much the way you
do about It, daddy. Jerry Bayliss,
for example: I had a tremendous
surprise In him."
"His private bug is child welfare
Isn't It?"
“Yes: How did you know?"
"We've talked about It any num
ber of times, down at the office. I
negotiated the purchase of a big
farm for him, wher* he expects to
estaljish a summer school for kids ■
w ho need a better start than they’re
getting.”
Dione was mildly indignant. 1
declare if you two aren't the close
mouthed old clams!'' she exclaimed.
"You never told me about that, and
in all the years I've known Jerry
Raylies he never breathed a word
of it to me until last week, when he
came into the shop and wantid me
to order him a book 'on vocational
training. . I had always looked up
on him as Just the country club
down: a young man with a heap
of money and no higher ambition
than to make us girls giggle at hi*
foolishness.”
•'There's much more to Jerry
than that."
•'I know there Is, but I'll wager
I never would have found It out if
I hadn't started 'The Rest Cellar.’
I>o you know, daddy, 1 think I'm
Just beginning to find out how
much 1 owe you for standing be
hind me like an old brick.”
Her father cuddled her to him as
he had when she was a baby. "Don't
thank me.” he said. "It was the
best Investment 1 - vcr made In my
life."
In her letters to Hardy living.
Dione told him how valuable she
found her studies In character read
ing to be when it came to dialing
with customers and with the var:
ous business men whom she encoun
tered from day to day. What stie
didn't teH him was that she was
carrying on a systematic campaign
to -alter the expression of the of
fending feature upon which he had
commented so caustically the night
before he left for New York. That
yort of her studies In physiognomy
site preferred to keep a secret until
such time as he should retufn
home. Then he would diucover it
i’ for himself. That was her dream.
At first she had deliberately cul
tivated the habit of smiling at all
times when it would not make her
.appear absurd. When anyone was
around who might observe her. she
made a practice of read ng humor
ous books and magazines. She en
deavored to smile constantly when
she was by herself in her room,
t pon the occasions when she went
out with her former companions
of the younger set, she tried always
to attach herself to the group which
promised to develop the most merri
ment.
Each customer who came into
'The Best Cellar” received a smil
ing welcome. Whether lie made a
purchase or not, ho got a smile
when he departed, and the prac
tical result of this was that he
almost invariably revisited the shop,
not once, but fA-quently. Business
flourished in a way to challenge
belief. IJione's circle of friends and
acquaintances enlarged steadily, and
when the holidays came around she
received such a flood of Christmas
cards and other modest remem
brances that for once her smile gave
way before a sudden freshet of
tears.
“It's too beautiful, daddy," she
sol bed, surveying the heaped up
evidence of the affection in which
she was held. "It's just too sweet
of them all! Imagine them re
i cnibering me like this, when all
I'Ve ever done for half of them w..s
just to be decently pleasant to ttnm
when they came into the sh't ”
“That's a great deal, these day*,
loverkln,” re»plicd Mr. Carver. “It's
so unusual that people can't forget
It. I'm glad to see that you ap
preeiale how they feel toward you,
but, to my way of thinking, sweet
heart. it’s only wliat you deserve.
Nobody gains the good will of others
earning It.”
As the happy months dajtccd on
ward this atmosphere of good will
with which the mistress of "The
Best Cellar" had surrounded herself
rendered quite unnecessary any de
liberate and conscious efforts at
smiling. Opportunities for curling
up the coruc-rs of her mouth come
so frequently that the possibility of
th'ir ever sagging lrt the other di
rection ceased to exist. The mus
■ los which controlled them would
stretch so far as to indicate firm
ness if called upon, but as for
petulance, discontent, and bitterness
it to. a s|s . la) effort of tl.e will
before they would consent to r.-gis
ter such unpleasant ernotii ns as
that.
Then gradually, by sot r e |.sy. h<>
physical miracle, the whole process
lagan to compound upon itself
liioucs happy state of mind re
sulted In a livelier way of going
.The Wicked Flee By Mi rlin Moore Taylor
•Some of these data, Slippery,’'
said Inspector Kagan as he signed
ah order for the release from cus
tody of Kail Sims, alias Slippery,
"some of these days you are not
going to play In your usual luck
and I'm going to nail you When I
do It is going to mean a long
stretch for you. You've never l*>cn
over the road, have you?" The
shifty -eyed youth before him stirred
uneasily.
"You know I've never been up,
inspector,'1 he replied. "I'm not
doing anything, but the bulls won’t
leave me alone. You fellow* have
given me a had name without any
cause. I'm as innocent-——
"O, forget It." the inspector
broke In wearily as he reached for
a blotter. "That's the tale they all
tell and you're wasting your breath
handing It nut to ine A man
doesn't get pinched 27* times in a
year unless there Is pretty good
evidence against him. We've never
mad,- a charge against you stick,
hut that Isn't saying we never will.
Better take my tip, Slippery, and
go straight If you don't you'll
fall tittro as shouting, for I'm out
to get you now."
The other bowed Ironically.
"ThHt's square of VoU Inspector,"
h« said with inock gratitude. "As
if you hadn't leeii after me all
along. Well, slip nic the paper and
I'll be on my way.”
"Don't forget. Slippery, I'm going
to get you," Kogan called out after
hltn. liut a mocking laugh was the
only mply.
The night, shortly after that, that
Slippery dropped from the library
window of the Vatilandinghnra man
sion with the famous Vanlanding
ham Jewels stowed away in his
pocket*, he discovered that Solly
Magruder did not answer the dls
erect whistle or two by which Slip
perv sought to a'pprleo him that all
wan well. That in Itself was strange,
for it was Sotl\ who had given him
the tip that the jewel* were to he
kept in the library safe overnight,
following a drew affair at the opera.
Hy all the rule* of crookdom, Solly
should have t>een on hand to meet
Slippery nnd keep a jealous eye on
him until they had split the proceeds
of their trick.
Solly had been left on guard out
side while Slippery undertook the
more hazardous Job of forcing the
• afv and removing the Jewels. Vet.
if appearance** were to be lielieved.
Solly had quit Ids post cold without
even the hint of warning to lbs
comrade Inside. That, in the circles*
to which both belonged. mas equival
ent to desertion in the face of the
enemy and the penalty usually w i.s
the same.
Slippery did not waste any time
trying to find out what had become
of his er At while lookout. There
would be time enough for that after
he had i id himself of his loot and
the kit of expensive burglar toot*.
But Solly wn$ not to !*• found In
his usual haunt*. In one of them,
however, Slippery received stm t ling
new*. Solly had t»een found shot
to death only an hour before In
one of tin* high toned residence dis
tricts of the north shore, within
two block* of the \ anlandlnghant
home!
Murder! It had a nasty sound and
in Illinois they made a specialty
of hanging men for murder, psrtie
uUu*!y if both slayer and victim
were of the underwork! Slippery
had once attended one of those
trials nnd heard "Necktie" o'llrilB
the hanging prosecutor, ns the
newspaper* called him, make an lui
passioned plea that the Jury oases*
the ancient penalty of lift* for n life
Before hi* mind arose the vision of
himself In the piNoner's dock, hc
mism(1 of s'-IK « omrd« » II# quit
lie* neighborhood at the Varda nd
ogham hotne with as tmi-'li speed
is was consistent with safety in
case the auspicious eye' of some
guardian of th» law should fall on
him, and sought one of the two
rooms In different ports of the city
which were alternately home for
him. according to whether the po
*ltce were after him or not. In a
neatly concealed ognpartnu-nt buck
of the baseboard he hid the Jewels
and his kit and prepared to »• t out
in search of Roily. On second
thought he returned to the room
and got a revelvr from his sestet
cache.
With the thought yf Kagan -nine
a new suspicion, full b« rn in an
instant. What If Kogan had
framed this tblng" Eagan had
told Bllppsry he was going to get
him. Suppose lie had adopted this
method. Sitpi>ose It all had been a
frameup from the beg nning, when
Roily had approached hint with a
proposition that they go to the
Vonlandlngliam robbery together.
What d'd he know- about Roily, any•
how? He resit lied vague rumors
that once upon a time Solly had
te-i n suspected of being a stool pig
eon for the police, a suspicion that
he never had quite lived dotrn.
That would explain Solly's d< sor
i .on of the post outride the Van
landJnghmm home
If there hail been a frameup what
would he easier than for Kagan to
n veaU.lt on the witness stand and
then accuse Slippery of killing
S.-llV" What alibi would be Slip
pory. have? Nonet
Terror was fast seising upon Rllp
•cry as he hurrU-d to his room.
As he traversed the several blocks
on foot, keeping ns much as possible
to tho shadows, his mind was
mulling over the consequences of
fl - ht. Would he he abl to get out
l( tHillmirtl I’ntc Milif I
•about things; this increased activity
produced a brisker circulation; th
improvement in the blood supply in
evitably made for better health; Ut
ter health begot a certain pleasing
degree of plumpness; and before
their possessor was aware of it, two
palpable dimples had ensconced
themselves, at precisely the most
strategic points of vantage. It was
the final touch of magic. Dione's
smile was now a ravishing, irresisti
ble, perfect thing. t
It was Jerry Bayliss who discov
ered to. Dione this subtle enhance
ment <it her beauty, lie had been
away for ninny weeks, looking after
the welfare of the youngsters on his
farm, and when he returned to town
he made straight for "The Best
Cellar." Its fair owner greeted him
with her customary graciousness
and hade him he seated and tell
her "all about everything,” but
Jerry remained standing, his eyes
taking in the vision before hhr. with
the privileged frankness of an old
friend.
‘By Jupiter, Biota he exclaimed
at last "what a downright dimpled
darling you are getting to be;
Save it for the flappers. Jerry,"
admonished Dione, the d,triples deep
ening provokingiy as she spoke.
"You don't have to talk that w.-.y
to me."
“So, but, look here—I mean iC
Insisted Jerry. “I never say you
look so beautiful before in your
life."
Pione laugh'd his protestations to
scorn, hut the dimples had done
their deadly work, and from that
moment Jerry began laying out his
memorable campaign for the cap
ture of her heart. It was heavy
sledding f< r many weeks. There
was somebody else, Pior.e told him,
but she wouldn't tell him who the
somebody el“e might be. She and
Hardy Irving still corresponded
regularly, and he had thrilled her to
ecstatic and anxious anticipation by
a recent announcement that he was
coming home for the Chc-mas holi
days. He had been unusually suc
cessful of late, h- told her. and
could come and go to. he pleased.
Therefore. Pione held her new ad
mirer at friendly arm's length,
awaiting th" day when Hardy
would arrive and recognize the mar
vel whh h had been wrought during
his absence.
But when Hardy did arrive, a
curious thing happened. Pione found
to her dismay that he wasn't at all
the person for whose approval she
had been working. Success had made
him far too conceit.-d to suit her,
and as for the sort of life he !e<J
in New York—that existence in
which she had once burned to have
a part—she discovered that the
place she had made for herself in
her own town offered all the attrac
tive features which she had dream*
"d of sharing with him in the me
tropotis.
Hardy was Impressed by the im
provement In her appearance; he
made that f- t unmistakably plain.
Pione could have hail her dream,
had she still wished It, but now,
to ht c somewhat exasiM-ratod amaze
ment. she d.s • vared that she waa
i.ot dr. lining of New Yoik's I-atin
quarters at all, but of a wondrous
place in the .-ountry where life
was a simple affair, and where lib
nourished little f. Iks from the tene
ments were pla. c,| l)n the pathway
to health and happiness.
The next time Jerry Riyhss storm*
ed the citadel of her affection* th*
d« fending garrison capitulated ig*
uomlniously, and the engraved in\*i*
'alien* which Went out shortly
thereafter caused much ranking
speculation among certain debu
tantes who, for the life of them,
e*Mild not understaod why such a
priz* as the bridegroom named there
on had wriggled out of their net*.
During one of the many sweet
and crowded hour* of m If revelation
which marked their honeymoon#
Dione t• >ld Jerry h *w she had over
heard him talking to Hardy Irving
about the expression of her mouth,
and of the heroic measures she
had taken in consequence. She was
sharply piqued for serveral mo
ments thereafter while her hua*
hand devoted himself to a mc>st up
roarious spasm of laughter, and the
dimples were still Indignantly hiding
themselves when at last he gathered
her tenderly into his anus
"Blew your plu«kv little l.eart,**
h*» said, soothingly. "To think you
went to all that trouble for nothing.
Why. what wasn’t your mouth we
were discussing that night, kaby
child, we were talking a!* ut Kihel
< 'olburn.**
l)i<»ne started at him 1 nkly for
a *!*«> Then the dimph * ilh kered,
retreated. and finally »n red la
triumph.
"My dear, m> deal «:.• >! their
sweetly chastened mistress What
\ hoitlhly egotistical lltt'e idW't l
inust have I n Hut and her*
she t»>ok Jerry's face between her
hands and gave him a look worth
treasuring — "don’t rv« r pity me
for my tro l»l« man of mine it
was worth if ten million time*
oy er"