fair game of billiards, is always willing
to sit in at bridge, and can make himself useful at any function where
the ladies are present. Besides, he always wears the right kind of
clothes, can say bright little things at a dinner party, and can
generally be located by calling up any one of his three clubs.

Chiefly, though, Waddy is a ladies' man. With him being in and out of
the Corrugated General Offices so much I couldn't help gettin' more or
less of a line on him that way, for he's always consultin' Mr. Robert
about sendin' flowers to this one, or maneuverin' to get introduced to
the other, or gushin' away about some sweet young thing that he's met
the night before.

"How does he get away with all that Romeo stuff," I asks Mr. Robert
once, "without being tagged permanent? Is it just his good luck?"

"Waddy calls it his hard luck," says Mr. Robert. "It seems as if they
just use him to practice on. He will find a new queen of his heart,
appear to be getting on swimmingly up to a certain point--and then she
will marry someone else. Invariably. I've known of at least a half dozen
of his affairs to turn out like that."

"Kind of a matrimonial runner-up, eh?" says I.

Oh, yes, I expect we got off a lot of comic lines about Waddy. Anyway we
passed 'em as such. But of course there come days when we have other
things to do here at the Corrugated besides shoot the gay and frivolous
chatter back and forth. Now and then. Such as here last Wednesday when
Mr. Robert had two committee meetin's on for the afternoon and was goin'
over with me some tabulated stuff I'd doped out for the annual report.
Right in the midst of that Wadley Fiske blows in and proceeds to hammer
Mr. Robert on the back.

"I say, Bob," says he, "you remember my telling you about the lovely
Marcelle Jedain? I'm sure I told you."

"If you didn't it must have been an oversight," says Mr. Robert.
"Suppose we admit that you did."

"Well, what do you think?" goes on Waddy, "She is here!"

"Eh?" says Mr. Robert, glancin' around nervous. "Why the deuce do you
bring her here?"

"No, no, my dear chap!" protests Waddy. "In this country, I mean."

"Oh!" and Mr. Robert sighs relieved. "Well, give the young lady my best
regards and--er--I wish you luck. Thanks for dropping in to tell me."

"Not at all," says Waddy, drapin' himself easy on a chair. "But that's
just the beginning."

"Sorry, Waddy," says Mr. Robert, "but I fear I am too busy just now
to----"