"I hardly think one should telephone a message of that sort," says Bruce. "Someone ought to see him, explain the situation, and get his reply directly."

"Then you go, Bruce, dear," suggests Mrs. Mackey.

No, he shies at that. "d.i.c.k would resent my coming on such an errand,"

says Bruce. "Besides, I should feel obliged to urge him that it was his duty to go, and if he feels inclined to refuse---- Well, of course, we have done our part."

"Then you rather hope he"ll refuse to come?" she asks.

"I don"t allow myself to think any such thing," says Bruce. "It wouldn"t be right. But if he should decide not to it would be rather a relief, wouldn"t it? In that ease I suppose I should be obliged to act in his stead. He ought to be asked, though."

Mr. Robert chuckles. "I wish I had an acrobatic conscience such as yours, Bruce," says he. "I could amuse myself for hours watching it turn flip-flops."

"Too bad yours died so young," Bruce raps back at him.

"Oh, I don"t know," says Mr. Robert. "There are compensations. I don"t grow dizzy trying to follow it when it gets frisky. To get back to the main argument, however; just how do you think the news should be broken to d.i.c.k Harrington?"

"Someone ought to go to see him," says Bruce; "a--a person who could state the circ.u.mstances fairly and sound him out to see how he felt about it. You know? Someone who would--er----"

"Do the job like a Turkish diplomat inviting an Armenian revolutionist to come and dine with him in some secluded mosque at daybreak, eh?" asks Mr. Robert. "Polite, but not insistent, I suppose?"

"Oh, something like that," says Bruce.

"He"s right here," says Mr. Robert.

"I beg pardon?" says Bruce, starin".

"Torchy," says Mr. Robert. "He"ll do it with finesse and finish, and if there"s any way of getting d.i.c.k to hang back by pretending to push him ahead our young friend who cerebrates in high speed will discover the same."

"Ah, come, Mr. Robert!" says I.

"Oh, we shall demand no miracles," says he. "But you understand the situation. Mr. Mackey"s conscience is on the rampage and he"s making this sacrifice as a peace offering. If the altar fires consume it, that"s his look out. You get me, I presume?"

"Oh, sure!" says I. "Sayin" a piece, wasn"t you?"

Just the same, I"m started out at 2:30 Monday afternoon to interview Mr.

d.i.c.k Harrington on something intimate and personal. Mr. Robert has been "phonin" his law offices and found that Mr. Harrington can probably be located best up in the Empire Theatre building, where they"re havin" a rehearsal of a new musical show that he"s interested in financially.

"With a sentimental interest, no doubt, in some sweet young thing who dances or sings, or thinks she does," comments Mr. Robert. "Anyway, look him up."

And by pushin" through a lot of doors that had "Keep Out" signs on "em, and givin" the quick back up to a few fresh office boys, I trails Mr.

d.i.c.k Harrington into the dark front of a theatre where he"s sittin" with the producer and four of the seven authors of the piece watchin" a stage full of more or less young ladies in street clothes who are listenin"

sort of bored while a bald-headed party in his shirt sleeves asks "em for the love of Mike can"t they move a little less like they was all spavined.

Don"t strike me as just the place to ask a man will he stand up in church and help his daughter get married, but I had my orders. I slips into a seat back of him, taps him on the shoulder, and whispers how I have a message for him from his wife as was.

"From Louise?" says he. "The devil you say!"

"I could put it better," I suggests, "if we could find a place where there wasn"t quite so much compet.i.tion."

"Very well," says he. "Let"s go back to the office. And by the way, Marston, when you get to that song of Mabel"s hold it until I"m through with this young man."

And when he"s towed me to the manager"s sanctum he demands: "Well, what"s gone wrong with Louise?"

"Nothing much," says I, "except that Miss Polly is plannin" to be married soon."

"Married!" he gasps. "Polly? Why, she"s only a child!"

"Not at half past nineteen," says I. "I should call her considerable young lady."

"Well, I"ll be blanked!" says he. "Little Polly grown up and wanting to be married! She ought to be spanked instead. What are they after; my consent, eh?"

"Oh, no," says I. "It"s all settled. Twenty-fifth of next month at St.

Luke"s. You"re cast for the giving away act."

"Wh-a-at?" says he, his heavy under jaw saggin" astonished. "Me?"

"Fathers usually do," says I, "when they"re handy."

"And in good standing," he adds. "You--er--know the circ.u.mstances, I presume?"

"Uh-huh," says I. "Don"t seem to make any difference to them, though.

They"ve got you down for the part. Church weddin", you know; big mob, swell affair. I expect that"s why they think everything ought to be accordin" to Hoyle."

"Just a moment, young man," says he, breathin" a bit heavy. "I--I confess this is all rather disturbing."

It was easy to see that. He"s fumblin" nervous with a gold cigarette case and his hand trembles so he can hardly hold a match. Maybe some of that was due to his long record as a whiteway rounder. The puffy bags under the eyes and the deep face lines couldn"t have been worked up sudden, though.

"Can you guess how long it has been since I have appeared in a church?"

he goes on. "Not since Louise and I were married. And I imagine I wasn"t a particularly appropriate figure to be there even then. I fear I"ve changed some, too. Frankly now, young man, how do you think I would look before the altar?"

"Oh, I"m no judge," says I. "And I expect that with a clean shave and in a frock coat----"

"No," he breaks in, "I can"t see myself doing it. Not before all that mob. How many guests did you say?"

"Only a thousand or so," says I.

He shudders. "How nice!" says he. "I can hear "em whispering to each other: "Yes that"s her father--d.i.c.k Harry, you know. She divorced him, and they say----" No, no, I--I couldn"t do it. You tell Louise that---- Oh, by the way! What about her? She must have changed, too. Rather stout by this time, I suppose?"

"I shouldn"t say so," says I. "Course I don"t know what she used to be, but I"d call her more or less cla.s.sy."

"But she is--let me see--almost forty," he insists.

"You don"t mean it?" says I, openin" my mouth to register surprise. This looked like a good line to me and I thought I"d push it. "Course," I goes on, "with a daughter old enough to wear orange blossoms, I might have figured that for myself. But I"ll be hanged if she looks it. Why, lots of folks take her and Polly for sisters."

He"s eatin" that up, you can see. "Hm-m-m!" says he, rubbin" his chin.

"I suppose I would be expected to--er--meet her there?"

"I believe the program is for you to take her to the church and bring her back for the reception," says I. "Yes, you"d have a chance for quite a reunion."