CHAPTER III
The double wedding of four of Chicago's "Younger Set" had beenadequately noticed in the papers, the conventional "honeymoon" journeyhad been made, and Alfred Hardy and Jimmy Jinks had now settled down tothe routine of their respective business interests.
Having plunged into his office work with the same vigour with whichhe had attacked higher mathematics, Alfred had quickly gained theconfidence of the elders of his firm, and they had already begun to giveway to him in many important decisions. In fact, he was now practicallyat the head of his particular department with one office doing well inChicago and a second office promising well in Detroit.
As for Jimmy, he had naturally started his business career with fewerpyrotechnics; but he was none the less contented. He seldom saw his oldfriend Alfred now, but Aggie kept more or less in touch with Zoie;and over the luncheon table the affairs of the two husbands were oftendiscussed by their wives. It was after one of these luncheons that Aggieupset Jimmy's evening repose by the fireside by telling him that she wasa wee bit worried about Zoie and Alfred.
"Alfred is so unreasonable," said Aggie, "so peevish."
"Nonsense!" exclaimed Jimmy shortly. "If he's peevish he has some goodreason. You can be sure of that."
"You needn't get cross with me, Jimmy," said Aggie in a hurt voice.
"Why should I be cross with you?" snapped Jimmy. "It isn't YOUR faultif Alfred's made a fool of himself by marrying the last person on earthwhom he should have married."
"I think he was very lucky to get her," argued Aggie in defence of herfriend.
"Oh, you do, do you?" answered Jimmy in a very aggrieved tone.
"She is one of the prettiest girls in Chicago," said Aggie.
"You're pretty too," answered Jimmy, "but it doesn't make an idiot ofyou."
"It's TIME you said something nice to me," purred Aggie; and her armstole fondly around Jimmy's large neck.
"I don't know why it is," said Jimmy, shaking his head dejectedly, "butevery time Zoie Hardy's name is mentioned in this house it seems to stirup some sort of a row between you and me."
"That's because you're so prejudiced," answered Aggie with a touch ofirritation.
"There you go again," said Jimmy.
"I didn't mean it!" interposed Aggie contritely. "Oh, come now, Jimmy,"she pleaded, "let's trundle off to bed and forget all about it." Andthey did.
But the next day, as Jimmy was heading for the La Salle restaurant toget his luncheon, who should call to him airily from a passing taxibut Zoie. It was apparent that she wished him to wait until she couldalight; and in spite of his disinclination to do so, he not only waitedbut followed the taxi to its stopping place and helped the young womanto the pavement.
"Oh, you darling!" exclaimed Zoie, all of a flutter, and looking exactlylike an animated doll. "You've just saved my life." She called to thetaxi driver to "wait."
"Are you in trouble?" asked the guileless Jimmy.
"Yes, dreadful," answered Zoie, and she thrust a half-dozen smallparcels into Jimmy's arms. "I have to be at my dressmaker's in half anhour; and I haven't had a bite of lunch. I'm miles and miles from home;and I can't go into a restaurant and eat just by myself without beingstared at. Wasn't it lucky that I saw you when I did?"
There was really very little left for Jimmy to say, so he said it; and afew minutes later they were seated tete-a-tete in one of Chicago's mostfashionable restaurants, and Zoie the unconscious flirt was looking upat Jimmy with apparently adoring eyes, and suggesting all the eatableswhich he particularly abominated.
No sooner had the unfortunate man acquiesced in one thing andcommunicated Zoie's wish to the waiter, than the flighty young personfound something else on the menu that she considered more tempting toher palate. Time and again the waiter had to be recalled and the orderhad to be given over until Jimmy felt himself laying up a store ofnervous indigestion that would doubtless last him for days.
When the coveted food at last arrived, Zoie had become completelyengrossed in the headgear of one of her neighbours, and it was onlyafter Jimmy had been induced to make himself ridiculous by craning hisneck to see things of no possible interest to him that Zoie at last gaveher attention to her plate.
In obeyance of Jimmy's order the waiter managed to rush the lunchthrough within three-quarters of an hour; but when Jimmy and Zoie atlength rose to go he was so insanely irritated, that he declared theyhad been in the place for hours; demanded that the waiter hurry hisbill; and then finally departed in high dudgeon without leaving thecustomary "tip" behind him.
But all this was without its effect upon Zoie, who, a few momentslater rode away in her taxi, waving gaily to Jimmy who was now late forbusiness and thoroughly at odds with himself and the world.
As a result of the time lost at luncheon Jimmy missed an appointmentthat had to wait over until after office hours, and as a result of thispostponement, he missed Aggie, who went to a friend's house for dinner,leaving word for him to follow. For the first time in his life, Jimmydisobeyed Aggie's orders, and, later on, when he "trundled off to bed"alone, he again recalled that it was Zoie Hardy who was always causinghard feeling between him and his spouse.
Some hours later, when Aggie reached home with misgivings because Jimmyhad not joined her, she was surprised to find him sleeping as peacefullyas a cherub. "Poor dear," she murmured, "I hope he wasn't lonesome." Andshe stole away to her room.
The next morning when Aggie did not appear at the breakfast table, Jimmyrushed to her room in genuine alarm. It was now Aggie's turn to sleeppeacefully; and he stole dejectedly back to the dining-room and for thefirst time since their marriage, he munched his cold toast and sippedhis coffee alone.
So thoroughly was his life now disorganised, and so low were his spiritsthat he determined to walk to his office, relying upon the crisp morningair to brace him for the day's encounters. By degrees, he regained hisgood cheer and as usual when in rising spirits, his mind turned towardAggie. The second anniversary of their wedding was fast approaching--hebegan to take notice of various window displays. By the time he hadreached his office, the weightiest decision on his mind lay in choosingbetween a pearl pendant and a diamond bracelet for his now adorablespouse.
But a more difficult problem awaited him. Before he was fairly in hischair, the telephone bell rang violently. Never guessing who was at theother end of the wire, he picked up his receiver and answered.
"What?" he exclaimed in surprise. "Mrs. Hardy?" Several times he openedhis lips to ask a question, but it was apparent that the person at theother end of the line had a great deal to say and very little time tosay it, and it was only after repeated attempts that he managed to getin a word or so edgewise.
"What's happened?" he asked.
"Say nothing to anybody," was Zoie's noncommittal answer, "not even toAggie. Jump in a taxi and come as quickly as you can."
"But what IS it?" persisted Jimmy. The dull sound of the wire told himthat the person at the other end had "hung up."
Jimmy gazed about the room in perplexity. What was he to do? Why onearth should he leave his letters unanswered and his mail topsy turvy torush forth in the shank of the morning at the bidding of a young womanwhom he abhorred. Ridiculous! He would do no such thing. He lit a cigarand began to open a few letters marked "private." For the life of him hecould not understand one word that he read. A worried look crossed hisface.
"Suppose Zoie were really in need of help, Aggie would certainly neverforgive him if he failed her." He rose and walked up and down.
"Why was he not to tell Aggie?"
"Where was Alfred?" He stopped abruptly. His over excited imaginationhad suggested a horrible but no doubt accurate answer. "Wedded to anabomination like Zoie, Alfred had sought the only escape possible to aman of his honourable ideals--he had committed suicide."
Seizing his coat and hat Jimmy dashed through the outer office withoutinstructing his astonished staff as to when he might possibly return.
"Family troubles," said the secre
tary to himself as he appropriated oneof Jimmy's best cigars.
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