Ask Her

Ask Her By Fred McLaughlin "You've still got the medicine tongue, eh Larry?" said Ken. "He's spoiling the children most horribly." "Maybe they will get over it," said Larry, of the laughing gray eyes. "Just give us this evening, Madame Blue-eyes, and tomorrow we'll be good, won't we, young-uns? Tomorrow the picture show, and next week, Kenneth, I'll show you how to catch fish." "Mama doesn't let us go to picture shows," said Miss Five- years-old." "When we get as old as Kenneth we can go," continued Miss Six-years-old. "Then we'll wait," said Larry, with a level glance at mama; "but I know lots of things that we can do. Look!" He had a way with children. The mother's eyes were warm with regard, as she watched him. She studied the clean-cut face, the square shoulders, and all the lithe grace of him. She felt the wealth of the west in his manner. The children had taken possession of him; already they were calling him "Uncle Larry." What to them if he was taking his seat in the Senate tomorrow. They had listened, wide-eyed, while he told wondrous tales of strange peoples and stranger animals in distant lands; he did marvelous tricks with facile fingers and a piece of twine ; in some unaccountable manner he had extracted nickels and quarters from wondering blue eyes and pink ears and curly blond heads. With the aid of hands cunningly cupped he had taught Kenneth junior — ten and over — two new ways to whistle. This is the man who had been her husband's dearest friend, this amazingly successful fellow with his gentle frankness and his child heart. Except for a more mature expression around his eyes and his mouth she noted little change from the tall slightly embarrased man who had stood up with her husband twelve full years ago. A(nd in accepting him she had folloAvcd the same unerring instinct that had guided her children. Now Kenneth broke into his story: "Oh, I don't believe it," Uncle Larry; "papa never had a fight in his life!" "No?" said Larry in mock surprise. "When he was a young man your paw was just as gentle as a cyclone. I re- member— £' Larry raised his head: "Do you mind, Ken, that Saturday night in the cantina at Acayucan?"

ASK HER 121 "Where's Acayucan?" This from the boy. "That's a burg way down in the southern part of Mexico, where that glorious republic nearly peters out. As I remember. Ken, you rather favored a-guardiente that night and you insisted that you needed two pool tables at once to play on, which peeved the hoipolloi and brought on more or less trouble. A half dozen rurales — " "What's rurales, Uncle Larry?" "Cops, boy, cops. A half dozen rurales with their trick rifles and sabers rushed in to arrest the gringo. You must know, Kenneth, if you have read the history of this country of ours, that when an American fights he kinder puts his heart into it." Kenneth senior shook with silent laughter. "Those were the days!" he said. Madame Blue-eyes moved uneasily, and Larry, reading her thought alright, continued, "Maybe it wasn't your paw after all, Kenneth; perhaps it was some other fellow I was with. It's a long time ago, and I'm forgetful." Came bedtime for the children. Larry kissed the little girls and shook hands very gravely with Kenneth, junior, then shooed them upstairs, with many a promise for the morrow. He turned back to his hostess, seated now on the arm of her husband's chair. "I'm grateful for this evening," he said simply. "Up to some hours ago I felt old — immeasurably old — and very much alone, but because of you and Ken and those blessed children the years have fallen away from me, and now I feel like starting all over again." She gave him a brilliant smile. "This is the house of eternal youth," she said; "we'll help you to stay young." Ken put his arm around the slim full waist; she held his head close against her fragrant bosom. "Don't sit up late, dear; you and — and — " "Larry," finished her husband. " — and Larry will have lots of chances to talk." "I want to ask you a question," said Larry. "You can't play tricks on me like you — " She noted the grim expression of his face. "What is it?" He reached out a hand. "Do you think a pretty little girl who has everything she wants might consider marrying a man twelve or fourteen years her senior, who has nothing to offer her but all the love in the world?" "How are you to know whether or not a 'pretty little girl' has all she wants?" "I've watched her grow up," he said irrelevantly. "I've always felt so old!" She smiled into his eyes. "I don't think she would con-

122 IMPROVEMENT ERA sider it — unless she were asked." She gave his hand a little squeeze. "Good night." Half way up the stairs she leaned over the baluster and delivered the coup-de-grace: "Men are such simple things!" Larry came back and stood over his host. "Shut up!" he growled. Kenneth, senior, controlled his merriment. "Sit down." Larry stretched his long legs toward the glowing grate. "Comfy here," he mused. He studied his old friend. "Little overweight, aren't you? And soft — And your chest has slipped." His subject cast lazy glances toward the ceiling. "Aside from all that, maybe I am all right. I suppose you are sorry for me, eh?" "I should say not! By jove, Ken, you're rich! She's sweeter, prettier and younger by far than she was on her wed- ding day. How come?" "Maybe she's happy," said Ken. "Maybe; Ken, how much are you making?" "Three thousand." "Impossible!" "No more." "But the house, Ken; and — and — " He waved a futile hand at the furnishings. "Bought and paid for through the years — month by month of careful saving. When you are happy you don't need much." "What a sublime truth!" said the Senator-elect. "Ken, do you know I am worth a couple of millions?" "I knew you were doing well; I am glad of it." "I couldn't miss 'em. The wells came like clock-work. I put wells down where the sharks said there couldn't be oil — and found it. Some of the boys insisted that I run for Senator. I guess the other man laid down." "Yes, I guess so; you've gone a long way, Larry." "I thought so, too — until tonight, but you and your three thousand, and your home, and your family, make me and my two millions look like a pauper." He jumped up and strode back and forth like a caged lion. "All these years I've been kidding myself; I got off the earth and it moved away from me. I haven't started yet, but I'm going to. I've been chasing rainbows; I've been holding a dollar so close to my eye that I couldn't see around it; forgetting always that there are so many beautiful things in the world to see. I've seen a thing today, Ken, that I didn't know existed." "Yes?" "A perfect family." "There are many such, old chap — thanks, anyway."

ASK HER 123 "I'll use your phone," said the guest, with sudden resolu- tion; "if I may?" "Go to it." Kenneth, senior, heard him call Western Union. "I suppose the price of that message will come on your bill." "Assuredly." He studied his friend with new interest. "What's the matter, Larry? Did you see something out there in the hall? Did the grandfather clock frighten you? You seem — er — worked up." Larry shook a little when he said, "I — I never cared for tele- phones. * * * Laugh, confound you! I'll punch you in a minute. Come on; get it off your chest." "It just strikes me as odd, Larry, that a Senator, a million- aire and the most daring well-shooter in the business should be afraid of a telephone. I don't get it." "Good many things you don't get. I'm going to bed." At breakfast the next morning Larry was not the winning entertainer of the night before. Now he was nervous and lost in thought. He toyed with his grapefruit and watched the children with strange abstraction. Always he seemed to be listening, expectant and a little fearful. Madame Blue-eyes chided him a bit: "Surely you are not afraid. There will be lots of new congressmen today; and there's really — " "Congress?" he questioned. "That's so; I had forgotten." The doorbell rang. Larry sprang up, then with an apology haltingly given, sat down again. Kenneth, junior, came back with a fateful little yellow envelope and proffered it to the Senator-elect, who took it hastily, examined it a moment, slip- ped it under his plate, resumed dilatory operations on his grape- fruit, swept the table with a hunted, furtive look, picked up the message again, studied it carefully and fearfully, and finally shoved it into his pocket. "Read it," said Ken; "you will never live through the meal. Read it; you act like you think it comes from the collector of Internal Revenue." "Hold him, Kenneth!" said Larry huskily. Kenneth knew he meant the messenger boy. Nervous fingers ripped the envelope asunder and hungry startled eyes read the message. Larry crumpled the yellow slip in muscular fingers and jumped to his feet. "You'll ex- cuse me? Please." He turned imploring eyes upon his hostess. They heard a short colloquy at the door, a "Keep the change, old head!" from Larry, then they heard him shouting orders through the phone. He came back and ate his breakfast like a man in a trance.

124 IMPROVEMENT ERA By the time they had finished, a motor honked, and Ken- neth, junior, announced that a taxi was waiting. "I am going back," said Larry, a note of desperate finality in his voice. "Back?" This from Madame Blue-eyes. "Sure; home." "But Congress convenes today," said Ken. "Are you crazy?" "I'm leaving Congress flat. — And it's great to be crazy!" "But your bag and — " "Will keep for a while. We will postpone that fishing trip, Kenneth; I'll be back." He patted the children on the head, took Kenneth, senior's hand in a finger-crushing grip, and going out, held Madame Blue-eyes helpless, and kissed her. "Bless you!" he whispered. "Ken," she said, with high color in her exquisite face, "did he tell you anything; do you know why — ?" "Wait, dear; give him a chance to think." Thirty minutes later the taxi-man returned with a great sheaf of wondrous roses for "Madame Blue-eyes," and Larry's card on the back of which was written: "I asked her." "He — he asked her!" said Mrs. Ken softly. There was a little catch in her voice and the wonderful violet eyes that she raised to her husband were faintly misty with tears. "Here's his telegram," said Kenneth, retrieving the crumpled missive from the floor and spreading it out on the table before his mother. Ken and his pretty wife, standing close together, read the answer: "Yes. "Dolly."