The evening world. Newspaper, November 11, 1922, Page 13

is THE EVENING WORLD, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1922, 8S EVENING WORLD'S COMPLETE NOVELETTE A BLACK CAT FOR LUCK) By P.G.Wodehouse _ //lustrated By Will B. Johnstone | | WHO’S WHO IN THE STORY. E IZABEH HERROLD, a struggling writer against whom Luck has turned just as Luck in its most evident form shows up in. JOSEPH, as black as Luck would have him, as close as a bosom friend until Luck really was on the road, and then, as REGINALD, under iberal donations of fish and milk he becomes official mascot to JAMES RENSHAW BOYD, author of a play just about to be produced on Broadway, and after bringing Boyd the Luck of his life, transfers his allegiance to PAUL AXWORTHY BRIGGS, a young novelist who has just startec! on a new book. FE WAS black but comely. Obvi- qusly in reduced ¢ 1 reumstances, he had never- theless con- trived to retain a certain smart- ness, a certain air—what the French call the tournure. Nor had poverty killed in him the aristocrat's instinct of personal cleanliness; for even as Elizabeth caught sight of him he began to wash himself, At the sound of her step he looked up. He did not move, but there was suspicion in his attitude, The mus- cles of his back contracted; his eyes glowed like yellow lamps against tail switched a little, vely warningly Elizabet) him. He looked of Eltzahe was a pause while he up. Then he stalked toward her and, su lowering his he drove it vigorously t dress. He permitted her n up and carry him into where Francis, the jan- against to pi the hall said Elizabeth, “does this cat belong here ‘0, miss. That cat's a stray, that cat is I been trying to locate that cat's owner for days."" Francis spent his time trying to locate things. It was the one recrea- tion of his eventless 1 ymetimes: tt w: Bi ost letter, sometimes a piece of ice which had gone astray in dumbwalter; what- ever it was, Francis tried to locate tt. “Has he been around here long, then?’ “T seen him snooping about con- siderable time.”’ “T shall keep him “Black cats bring luck,” said Fran- els sent a1 iG said E She was feeling that morning that a@ little Inck would be a pleasing nov elty. Things had not deen going well with her of Inte. It was not so much that the usual proportion of her man- uscripts had come back with editorial compli from the magazines to which they had been sent—she ac- cepted that as part of the game; what she did consider scurvy treatment at the hands of Fate was the fact that her own “pet'? magaz the one to which she had been accustomed to fly for refuge, almost sure of a welcome, when coldly treated by all the others, had = sudde pired with a low gurgle for public support. It was like losing a kind and open- handed relative, and it made the ad- ditien of a black cat to the household almost a necessity. In her apartment, the door closea, she watched her new ally with some anxiety. He had behaved admirably on the journey upstairs, but she would not have been surprised, though it would have pained her, if he had now proceeded to try to escape through the ceiling. Cats were so emotional However, he remained calm, and after padding silently about the room for a while, raised his head and uttered a crooning cry. “That's right,"? sald Elizabeth cor- @ially, ‘If you don’t see what you want, ask for It. The place Is yours.” Bhe went to the icebox and pro- duced milk and sardines. There was nothing finicky or affected about her guest. He concentrated himself on the restoration of his tissues with the purposeful air of one whose last mea! isa dim memory. Elizabeth, brooding over him like a Providence, wrinkled her forehead in thought “Joseph,” she said at last, bright- ening, “that's your name. Now set- tle down and start being a mascot."* Joseph settled down amazingly. By the end of the second day he was con- veying the Impression that he was ethe owner of the apartment. Like most of his species, he was an auto- crat, He waited a day to ascertain which was Elizabeth's favorite chair; then he appropriated it for his own If Elizabeth closed a door while he was in a room, he wanted it opened *o that he might go out; if she closed a aviln bal wan CUIAIAR he wnetaa it that he might come in; If open, he fussed about the draft But the best of us have our faults, and Elizabeth adored him in spite of his It was astonishing what a difference he made in her lif e was a friendly soul, and, until Joseph's arrival, she lad t lepend for company mainiy on ant object to that," the footsteps of the man fn the apart ment across the w Moreover, the building 1 A it creaked at iyght. was a loose board in ~0f Wikrgin: the passage which made burglar noises in the dark behind you when you stepped on it on the way to bed, and there were funny scratching sounds which made you jump and hold your breath. Joseph soon put a stop to all that. With Joseph around, a loose board became a loose board—nothing more—and a scratching noise just & plain scratching noise. And then one afternoon he dis- appeared, AVING searched the apartment without finding the cat, Eliza- beth went to the window, with the intentiong of making a bird's-eye survey of the street. She was not hopeful, for she had Just come from the street and there had been no sign of him then. Outside the window was a broad » running the width of the build- It terminated on the left in a shallow balcony belonging to the apartment whose front door faced hers the apartment of the young man whose footsteps she sometimes heard. She knew he was a young man be- cause Francis had told her so. His name, James Renshaw Boyd, she had learned from the same source. On this shallow balcony, licking his fur with the tip of a crimson tongue and generally behaving as if he were in his own back yard, sat Joseph. “Jo-seph!"’ cried Elizabeth, eur- prise, joy and reproach combining to give her voice an almost melodra- matic quiver. He looked at her coldly. Worse, he looked at her as if she were an utter stranger. Bulging with her meat and drink, he cut her dead; and, having done so, he turned and walked into the next apartment. Elizabeth was a girl of spirit. Jo- seph might look at her as if she were a saucerful of tainted milk, but he was her cat and she meant to get him back. She went out and rang the bell of Mr. James Renshaw Boyd's apartment. The door was opened by a young man. He was by no means an un- sightly young man. Indeed, of his type—the rough-haired, clean-shaven, square-jawed type—he was a dis- tinctly good looking young man. Even though she was regarding him at the moment purely in the light of a machine for returning strayed cats, Elizabeth noticed that. She smiled upon him, It was not the fault of this nice-looking young man that his sitting-room window was open or that Joseph was an ungrate- ful little beast who should have no fish that night. “Would you mind letting me have my cat, please?'’ she said pleasantly “He has gone into your aitting room through the window,” He looked faintly surprised. “Your cat?” “My black cat, Joseph. He ts in your sitting room." “I'm afraid you have come to the wrong place. I've just left my sitting room and the only cat there is my black cat, Reginald." “But I saw Joseph go in only a minute ago. “That was Reginald.” ge the first time, as one who, ex- amining a fair shrub, abruptly iscovers that it 1s poison ivy, Elizabeth realized the truth, This was no innocent young man who stood be- fore her, but the blackest criminal known to criminlogiste—a stealer of other people's cats, Her manner shot down to zero. “May I ask how long you have had your Reginald?" “Since 4 o'clock this afternoon.”* “Did he come in through the win- dow?"’ “Why, yes, now you mention it, he did." “I must ask you to be good enough to give me back my eat," said Eliza- beth totly. He regarded her defensively. “Assuming,” he said, “purely for the purposes of academic argument, that your Joseph ts my Reginald, couldn't we come to an agreement of some sort? Let me buy you another t—a dozen cats. I don’t want a dozen cats, I want Joseph.” e, fat, soft cats,’ he went on per Lovely, affectionate Persians and Angoras and" “Of course, 1f you intend to steal Joseph" ose are harsh words, Any law yer will tell you that there are special statut irding cats, To retain a stray cat is not a tort for a mal feasance. In the celebrated test case versus Bluebody, It. was lished ll you please give me back my She stood facing him, her chin in e air and her eyes shining, and t & man suddenly fell a victim, t conscience, if one of these indi- past contrive to seck form a friendship , that friendship shall grow more y than the tepid of those on whom the tcy s has never fallen. Within peling that she n this James Renshaw Boyd “Look here,’ myself on your mercy is your cat, and that I have no to it, and that sneak thief. come back from of my first play; in at the door, the window. Meat bt that, poring him up. nderful In no other sentimentality just a common But consider: sterting to shop tn his only friend If you argue that to spring at y choke her, you the point ts well taken { was beyond the reach Much rehearsing nerves to ribbons. may say that he was not responsible for his actions. That ts the case for James. Biiza- was not In a postition to take a wide and understanding view All she knew was that James abused hee trust acquaintance: in this crue was feeling more than a only friend and ne that cat walked 1 I'm superstitious, ¢ man was be Fohemtan New equivalent to killing the play ever it was produced idiotic supe formally in- had frayed hi ations, she told splendidly unsenti- » was no need for that And yet there was a tantalizing in- completeness about } personal rem! - beth was one of those gin a friendship 1 full statement of their position itions. You are sz , in the circumsta if you could see your way to waiving your rights®. the wistfulness zabeth capitulated. rsons who like beth, natura inevitable accom- lings with the oppo sho felt, she of his eye How she had up to thelr particular spot at this particular time had played her false “JOSEPH HURTLING THROUGH THE AIR AND HERSELF CAUGHT IN A CLASP THAT SHOOK THE BREATH FROM HER." in him. For a moment, such was the shock of the surprise, conscious of of any sensation misjudged him! Bhe had taken him for an ordinary soulless purlotner of cats, @ snapper-up of cats at random and without reason; and all the time At their next meeting, before he had time to say much on his own account, she told him of the small Illinots town could trust; and {t was wonderful how soothing the reflection was. And that was why, when the thing 2 {t so shocked and fright- she was not indignation strangulation bitterly angry » had been re 1 unexpected ‘ollege for no T had been one of their quiet eve- Of late they had fallen into elfishmtess and love herself capable of being, # ascertain excey unexpected; this same aunt i within her of course you mean awful legacy from r than might sufficient to tore herself Coming on top of periods together without speaking. away from {t had differed from ether quiet eve ings through beth's silence hid a slight but well-de- fined feeling ‘of injury. sat happy with her thoughts, but to ‘was ruffled, York to try “But how about you anuseripts refu eople who are dependent on humillating y being a success.’ The young “This ts ov “T had no notion why you wanted Usually she there she had invited this, Bhe had a Judson shines by HE groped her way Hghted cross of th to the door That afternoon the editor of an evo ning paper had informed her definitely that the man who had conducted the struggling inside her, eyes and robbing her of speech binding bh nothing much—that ts to say: blinding her her fond of him, but word conveye briefly of colle he was not—not"’ clous only of a desire to be “Advice of the Lovelorn’”’ fous only of a desire t ing resigned, the post of ‘Heloise Mi! " official adviser to readers trou bled with affairs of the heart, Imagine how Napoleon felt af- ter Austerlitz, picture Mile. 8. glen, after defeating Mrs, M. Mallory try to visualize a suburban , still more briefly of column hav- city he appeared regard with distaste that made Lot's attitude toward the Cities of the Plain almost kindly by comparison, Then, as if he had fulfilled the demands of Inquisitor tn reminiscence, to be back safe and alone her own home. She was aware that he was speaking, but the words did not “That's Just the word I wanted. He was just company, you know “Haven't you many friends “T haven't any friends.” haven't any friends! You must take him back.’ couldn't think of it."” how do you knowing that pulled tt open She felt a hand on her » but she shook It off. she was back behind her nee Rial te © the ruins of t ple of frien Up #0 carefully 1 been so happy broad fact that she wor forgiyo him was m the soil in which of guarant have some faint “And how do you suppose I should len words proc simply for lay meant ev James Boyd's apartment stepping on fl great news told him the great news ment that It meant every m insinuate hair in an over- thus placed 1 two friends she was free to lidn't have solved this “How would It be sible way out. —It seems the if you were t 1 can put Joy, you ean alac if it were ar oughly lonely n Uitte ventures. The shadows yss and chat with stago in thetr ship the young man told he lonesome as you , his brow cont know 4 sou Her solitary ant episodes and had t the big elty had and if he had refe next moment he was ¢ ow rehearsin ng thoughts tt whatever Iny outalde it Sometimes there would be mall, and always, un less Francis, as he sometimes did, got mixed and absent-minded mi {ng milk and the morning paper One morr some two weeks after that ning f which ® tried n to think, F oth, «& the do found immed de It a folded crap of paper. She unfolded it. I am just off to the theatre Won't you wish me luck? I feel sure it {s going to be a hit. Jo- seph Is purring like a dynamo. 38 B In the early morning the brain works sluggishly. For an instant Elizabeth stood looking at the words uncomprehendingly; then, with a leaping of the heart, their meaning came home to her. He must have left this note at her door on the pre- vious night. The play had been pro- duced! And somewhere in the folded intertor of that morning paper at her feet must be the opinion of One tn Authority concerning tt Dramatic criticiams have this pe- cullarity; 1f you are looking for them they burrow and hide like rabbi They dodge behind murders; th duck behind baseball scores; they lie up snugiy behind the Wall Street nows. It was a full minute before Elizabeth found what she sought. Tho first words she read smote her Ike a blow In that vein of delightful facétious- re the One in Authority rent and tore James Boyd's play. He knocked James Boyd's play down and kicked it; he jumped on it with large feet; he poured cold water on: It; and Into ttle bite. He m emboweled James Boyd's play Elizabeth quive from head to foot. She caught at the door-post to steady herself. In a flash all her re sentment had gone, wiped away and annihilated like a mist before the sun She loved him, and s ew now that he had always Ie It took her two seconds to realize that the One In Authority was a mis crable incompet Incapable of ree ognizing merit when {t was displayed before him, It took her five minutes to dre: It took her a minute to run downstairs and out to the newsstand on the corner of the street. Here, with a Invishness that charmed and exhilarated the proprietor, she bought all the other papers that he could sup rly. “gerly she sought the reviews of the play OMENTS of tragedy are best de- M seribed briefly. Each of the papers noticed the play, and each of them damned {t with uncom- Promising heartiness. The criticisms varied only in tone. One cursed with relish and gusto; another with a cer- tain pity; @ third with a kind of wounded superiority, as of one com. raand perpetrators of the drame, ed him pelled against his will to speak of something unspeakable; still another wrote as if he were spanking a naughty child; but the meaning of all was the same—James Hoyd's play was a hideous fatlure Back to the house sped Elizabeth, leaving the organs of ople to be gathered up, smoothed and replac- ed oh the stand by the ow more than ever charmed proprietor. Up the stairs she sped, and arriving breath- leasly at James's door, rang the bell Heavy footst passage, er ue urtened foot st footsteps that sent a chill to Sizabeth's heart, The door opened James Boyd stood before her, heavy eyed and haggard, In his eyes was despair, and on his chin the blue owth of beard of the man from whom the malled fist of Fate has smitten the energy to perform his morning shave Behind him, Ittering the floor, papers, At sight of were the morntr them Elizabeth broke down Oh, Jimmy, ing,’ she erted; und the next moment she was in his ns. And for a space time stood till How long afterwant it was, sho never knew; but eventually James 1 marry me," he sald hoarsely, "I a are a hang Jimmy darliing,"’ said of course T will as they stood there, a t alle and disap e door, Joseph wa abeth fraud," sald I shall never be cats again,” James was not of this optnton sht me all tt B eant eve ng t It did then Flizabeth hesitated J dea Norte I know 1 a s for us t Hay got a Job ona , I 1 you about tar ui M \ what t vt Iv \ i r ness which so endears him to all fol? literary triumphs A. TALE OF LONE SS MENESS LUCK _AND LOVE 8 3 get work In Chicago? Wouldn't It be 7 better to stay on he managers are, and’ He shook his head. “I think it's time I told you about mysel said. “Am I sure I can K rk in Chicago? I am, worse luck, Darling, have you im your more niterial moments ever toyed with a Boyd's Premier Breakfast Sausage or kept body and soul together with a slice off a Boyd's Excelsior Home- Cured Ham? My father makes them, and the tragedy of my life is that he wanta me to help him att. This was ™my position. I loathed the family ‘business as much as Dad loved it. I had a notion—a fool notion, as it has turned out—that I could make good in the literary line. [ve scribbled in @ sort of way ever since I was im col- lege. “When the time eame for me to Join the firm, T put it to Dad straight. I said, ‘Give mo a chance, one good, square chance, to see tf the divine fire {s really there, or if somebody has just turned in the alarm as a practical Joke." “And we made a bargain. I had written this play, and we made it a test case, Wo fixed It up that Dad should put up the money to Bive it a Broadway production. If {t succeeded, all right. I'm the young Gus Thomas and may go ahead in the literary game. If it's a fizzle, off goes my coat, and I abandon pipe-dreams of nd start in as the ». on Boyd & Co. vents have proved that I am y. and now I'm going to keep my part of the bargain just as square- ly as Dad kept his. I know quite well that, if I refused to play fair and chose to stick on here in New York ‘ and try again, Dad would g@ on stak- ing me. That's the sort of Dad he ts. But I wouldn't do it for a million Broadway successe I've had my 1 I've foozled; and now I'm going back to make him vy by be- ing a 1 live member of the firm. where all the And the queer thing about it is that last night I hated the 4, and this morning, now that I've % u, Tale most look forward to tt He gave a little shiver “And yet—I don’t know. There's something rather grewsome still to my near-artist soul in the idea of llv- ing in luxury on murdered pi Have you ever seen them persuading a pig to play the stellar réle in a Hoyd Premier Breakfast Sau: It's pretty ghastly. They string tl up by their hind legs, and—brrrr “Never mind aid beth, soothingly. ‘Perhaps they don’t mind it really “Well, I don't know Boyd, doubtfully. “I've at It, and I'm bound to say seem any too well pleased. “Try not to think of it “Very well,’ said James, du said James atched them ey didn't fully. HERE came a sudi nout from [ the floor above, and on the heels of It a shock-haired youth im pajamas burst tnto the apartment. ow what?” a Ja “By the way: Miss Herrold, my flancee— Mr. Briggs—Paul Axworthy Briggs, sometimes known as the Boy Novel- What's troubling you, Paul Mr. Briggs was stammering with excitement “Jimmy, what do you think has ed! A black cat has just come apartment. I heard him outside door, and opened t, and he streaked in, And I started my new no last night Think of it, Jimmy ou do belleve in black cats bringing luck, don’t “Luck! My lad, gta to your soul with hoops of steel. He's the greatest little lu ringor In New York. He was boarding with me till this morning." that cat Then—-by Jove, I forg to ask— your play was a hit? [ haven't seem the papers yet." “Well, when you see them, don’t read the notices. It was the worst frost Broadway has acen since Colum y don't have io t ad fll that cat with fish nt 1 suppose 1 left 1 The B shed with ® you Jon will bring k Bilz h thought- t depends what sort of luck you 3 W 1 w Joseph's meth- a ' will be refused by € T Ls elty; and th tment imsel t a ring at y e most t 1. And then t n me, he wll nd t the novel?” 3 ta means that h " away and kill pigs ted her a ittle your mind dwell : lear, I've yu to let t about it, 3 by the bind hing; but . pig looks 3) . rent stand- t. My b that the pigs like ny vell,"* said Elizabeth, @wbie tnted b> a News