tume I'd collected once, brushes most of the kinks out of my
red hair, sets my jaw solid, and starts to take a sportin' chance. On
the way up I sketches out a scenario, which runs something like this:

A maid answers the ring. I ask if Miss Vee is in. The maid goes to
see, when the voice of Aunty is heard in the distance, "What! A young
gentleman asking for Verona? No card? Then get his name, Hortense."
Me to the maid, "Messenger from Mr. Westlake, and would Miss Vee care
to take a short motor spin. Waiting below." Then more confab with
Aunty, and five minutes later out comes Vee. Finale: Me and Vee
climbin' to the top of one of them Riverside Drive busses, while Aunty
dreams that she's out with Sappy Westlake, the chosen one.

Some strategy to that--what? And, sure enough, the piece opens a good
deal as I'd planned; only instead of me bein' alone when I pushes the
button, hanged if two young chappies that had come up in the elevator
with me don't drift along to the same apartment door. We swap sort of
foolish grins, and when Hortense fin'ly shows up everyone of us does a
bashful sidestep to let the others go first. So Hortense opens on what
looks like a revolvin' wedge. But that don't trouble her at all.

"Oh, yes," says she, swingin' the door wide and askin' no questions.
"This way, please."

Looked like we was expected; so there's no ducking and while we're
drapin' our hats on the hall rack I'm busy picturin' the look on
Aunty's face when she singles me out of the trio. They was panicky
thoughts, them.

But a minute later the plot is still further mixed by the sudden
swishy, swirly entrance of an entire stranger,--a tall, thin female
with vivid pink cheeks, a chemical auburn tint to her raven tresses,
and long jet danglers in her ears. She's draped in what looks like a
black silk umbrella cover with rows of fringe and a train tacked to it,
and she wears a red, red rose coquettish over one ear. As she swoops
down on us from the drawin' room she cuts loose with the vivacious
chatter.

"Ah, there you are, you dear, darling boys!" says she. "And the
Princess Charming is holding court to-day. Ah, Reggy, you scamp! But
you did come, didn't you? And dear Theodore too! Brave, Sir Knights!
That's what you all shall be,--Knights come to woo the Princess!"

Honest, for awhile there, as this bughouse monologue was bein' put
over, I figured I've made a mistake in the floor, and had been let into
a pri