SHE MEETS A DEMONSTRATOR
"You've simply got to sneak off on some pretext or another, and meet me
at the Doric agency at three o'clock for a demonstration. They say it is
perfectly wonderful--why, it hardly takes a look of gas to go a thousand
miles, and its tires are literally cast iron."
This was her summons by telephone. And Nolan, determined not to desert
trusting little Eveley to the tender mercies of motor sharks, went to the
Middle Member, whose position he confidently expected one day to possess,
and announced that important business of a personal nature required his
presence that afternoon. And because Nolan never abused privileges--or if
he did was never detected in the act--and because his firm was composed
of human beings and not the granite machines common to fiction, Nolan
encountered no difficulty.
And Eveley went to her own employer, and smiling seductively upon him,
said vaguely that some awfully important and unexpected things had come
up, and could she please get off at three, if she would work particularly
hard in the meantime to make up?
And because Eveley was very pretty, and withal very businesslike, and
pleasant about trifles like working after hours and special grinds and
such things, and because her employer was acutely conscious of her soft
voice and bright eyes, he smiled in return and said:
"Yes, indeed, Miss Ainsworth, I heard you phoning about it. Go, by all
means, but I do not think you will like the Doric. The tires are all
right, but the cylinders are under size, and this causes a constant
friction with the magneto which impairs the efficiency and makes the car
a poor climber and weak on endurance runs."
That is probably not what he said at all, but it is what Eveley
understood him to say, and from it she gathered that she might go at
three, but that there was something perfectly terrible about the Doric
that made it impossible for her to buy it, but of course she could not
disappoint the salesman with the deep blue eyes, and so she would have
the demonstration anyhow.
From three o'clock on, the afternoon was a perfect daze of magnetos and
batteries and gas feeders and real leather upholstery. But Eveley
interrupted once, to run into a drug-store to the public telephone, to
call Kitty, and when she had her friend on the wire she said eagerly:
"Oh, Kit, we are trying out the Doric. It is awfully good some ways, and
rotten some ways, and so of course I can't buy it, but the salesman has
the most irresistible eyes you ever saw in your life, and so I am wearing
my new blue veil, and I look a dream in it. Now you scoot up to the Cote,
will you, and have supper ready for us at six--Nolan and me. If Nolan
were not along I might bring the blue-eyed Doric man, but he is so
overbearing about those things--Nolan, I mean. Get a nice juicy steak, he
needs nourishment. I think if I could feed him constantly for a month and
save him from the restaurants he might develop enough animal magnetism
to--anyhow, he needs the steak, so get a good one at Hardy's and charge
it to me. And will you go by the cleaners, and get my motor gloves--they
said it would only be a quarter for the cleaning, so don't pay them a
cent more. Will you? That's a nice girl."
At six o'clock, wearily, happily, still discoursing earnestly of magnetos
and batteries, Eveley and Nolan climbed the rickety rustic steps,
brightening visibly as the odor of broiling steak and frying potatoes was
wafted out to them. Nolan went in first, carefully stepping out of the
way before he reached a hand to assist Eveley, for he knew that she would
fall headlong among the cushions she kept conveniently placed for that
purpose. "It is easy enough getting in, if you take your time," she
always said defensively to criticizing friends. "But I am usually in a
hurry myself, so I keep the cushions handy."
On this evening, being tired, she remained on the floor where she had
comfortably landed, and lazily removed her hat and veil, tossing them
lightly into a distant corner.
"If it wasn't for the carburetor rubbing on the spark plugs," she said
plaintively, "I'd get the Doric in spite of everything. Did you ever see
such blue eyes in your life, Nolan?"
"The Mason is a better car in every way," he said flatly. "Strongly
built, low hung, smart-looking, and the engine perfect."
Eveley frowned. "Isn't that like a man? The Mason! I wish you could have
seen him, Kitty. Fifty years old if he was a day, and bald, and two
double chins. And talked through his nose. And what do you suppose he
talked about? His wife--and how she loves the Mason. What do I care what
his wife thinks about the Mason? I wouldn't have the Mason if he offered
me one. I'll bet it is so easy riding that it fairly sprouts double
chins--on the drivers."
"You are buying a car, Eveley--not a driver," Nolan explained.
"But the Doric is rather light in weight, and very high in price. How I
wish you could have heard him tell about it, Kitty. When he said
carburetor it was just like running up a scale of music. And his
fingernails were manicured as nicely as my own."
"Is dinner ready?" Nolan interrupted furiously. "Come and eat. Great
Scott! That girl would buy a bum car and a costly one, because the
demonstrator has shined his nails."
"And, Kitty, he said if we could go to-morrow evening at five-thirty he
would take us to La Jolla to show us how she climbs the grades. She will
go up on high."
"When did he say that?" interrupted Nolan. "I can not go with you
to-morrow night. Don't you remember I told you we had a meeting--"
"I know, dear. I am so sorry. But Kitty will go with us, won't you?"
"Will I?" echoed Kitty ecstatically. "Won't I? Do you suppose they have
another one, with brown eyes, to go along to--to change tires, or
anything?"
"I don't know, but we can ask. He is going to phone me at the office
to-morrow to find out where to call for us. He is very respectable. He
goes to the Methodist Church, and his uncle is a banker in Philadelphia."
"Pass the potatoes, for heaven's sake," urged Nolan. "I feel sick." And
after a while he went on, persuasively: "There is no use to try that car
out again, Eveley. It is no good. Or if you insist on it put it off until
the next night, and I will go with you. We'll all three go. Make a
foursome if you like, with Kitty and the blue-eyed mutt."
"Kitty does not like blue eyes. And besides, I am the one to be
demonstrated to. And besides," she winked at Kitty drolly, "I am sure he
will be busy the rest of the week. For when I mentioned that you had an
appointment to-morrow he said most particularly that to-morrow was the
only free evening he had for weeks to come. And that reminds me, Nolan,
that your advice about Father-in-law was no good. He is married already,
and it is your fault, getting me buoyed up with hope, all to no purpose."
Nolan was properly regretful.
"Do you think the old man likes to live with them?" he asked.
"No, of course not. He hates it. He almost shudders when I tell him how
lovely it is to have a son and daughter to live with. But I suppose he
thinks it is his duty to stick, just as they think it is theirs to make
him stick. People are so absurd, aren't they?"
"Yes, very," he said soberly, his eyes intent on Eveley's hair curling so
tenderly about her ears. And he was really thinking how very absurd it
was that a rising young lawyer should find it so tempting to touch that
bit of curl, and to kiss it. Very absurd indeed!
"Are you thinking of something?" she asked hopefully, looking into his
earnest eyes.
"Yes, indeed." And he forced his eyes away from the distracting curls.
"Yes, indeed I am."
"What is it?" she begged, leaning toward him and slipping her fingers
with childish eagerness into his hand.
"Why--just tempt him," he stammered.
"Tempt him, Nolan. 'Holy Mackinaw,' as Father-in-law says, what do you
mean, tempt him?"
In this predicament, Nolan was forced to concentrate. Why in the world
had he said, "Tempt him?" The temptation of Eveley had nothing whatever
to do with father-in-laws and the adjustment of duty. But Eveley expected
him to produce a tangible and reasonable explanation.
"Why, just tempt him, Eveley. You know what temptation is, don't you?
Then do it." This was merely playing for time, seeking for illumination.
"Just--keep it always before him, you know--how nice it would be to get
off alone and be independent." Nolan was a lawyer, and having forced a
foothold, he made it secure. "Tempt him with freedom, talk to him about
the joys of privacy, unrestrained intercourse with his whiskered crony,
the delights of unlimited liver and onions, a bed in the sitting-room,
meals by the kitchen fire, and a jar of tobacco on every chair. See?
Tempt him until he can't stand it."
Eveley looked at him appraisingly. "Nolan Inglish, you are a whole lot
cleverer than I ever thought you were. That is real talent. You have
found the adjustment this time. I feel it."
Nolan, intoxicated with the warmth of her voice, the subtle flattery of
word and tone, rushed on.
"Let's find him a house, just a bit of a shack with a little garden and a
mangy dog, and then razzle him with the vision of independence, and show
him the house."
Then Eveley stood up. "Will you help me do this, Nolan? You get nicer
every day of your life."
And Nolan, except for the presence of Kitty, would surely have said what
he had no earthly business to say to Eveley yet--until circumstances and
the Senior Member made it justifiable.
He sat glowering and grim at the Important Meeting the next evening, when
he should have been gratified that his presence was desired--for Maley
wasn't there, nor Garland, nor Alverson. But in spite of the Honor, and
the Significance, Nolan's mind was wandering. He lost sight of the Truly
Greats, and saw only a cloudy picture of Eveley, soft, sweet and dimply,
sitting rapt by the side of the Darned Blue Eyes. And that night, at
eleven o'clock, on his way to his modest room, he suddenly started.
Coming demurely out of the Grant, he saw Eveley and the blue-eyed one,
and laughing beside them, Kitty and some other equally reprehensible
being. Nolan could hardly believe the evidence of his own eyes.
He fumed openly while he allowed them a decent interval for reaching
home, and then called Eveley by telephone.
"Eveley, I thought I saw you and Kitty coming out of the Grant with some
men a little while ago."
"Oh, did you?" Eveley's voice was vibrant with surprise.
"Yes."
"Isn't that funny?" she laughed a little, softly.
"Well, were you?"
"Were we what?"
"Were you there?"
"Why, yes, of course. We stopped for a sandwich. We missed our dinner.
The engine broke down on the Biological Grade, and held us up for quite a
while."
"Eveley--"
"Oh, it was perfectly all right. He found out to-day that he had a friend
who is a life-long friend of Kitty's and he brought him along, and we
were all nicely introduced and everything was as proper as you please."
"Did you buy the car?" he asked witheringly.
"Oh, no, he advised me, confidentially, not to. He is going to change to
the Bemis agency to-morrow, and he thinks he will find it much more
satisfactory. Wasn't it a lovely night? Did you have a nice time with the
High and Mighties? Kitty is going to stay all night with me, and we are
just making some hot chocolate. Won't you come for a cup?--Oh, just Kitty
and I, and it is quite early. Come along, and we'll tell you all the bad
points about the Doric. But they say the Bemis is a wonder."