Produced by Suzanne Lybarger, Jacqueline Jeremy, Brian Janes and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net THE FIFTH WHEEL [Illustration: "'Why, Breck, don't be absurd! I wouldn't _marry_ you for anything in the world'"--_Page 24_] THE FIFTH WHEEL _A NOVEL_ BY OLIVE HIGGINS PROUTY AUTHOR OF "BOBBIE, GENERAL MANAGER" [Illustration] _WITH FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS BY JAMES MONTGOMERY FLAGG_ NEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHERS _Copyright, 1916, by_ FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY _Copyright, 1915, 1916, by_ THE PHILLIPS PUBLISHING COMPANY _All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages._ DEDICATED TO MY MOTHER CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. RUTH VARS COMES OUT 1 II. BRECKENRIDGE SEWALL 10 III. EPISODE OF A SMALL DOG 18 IV. A BACK-SEASON DEBUTANTE 27 V. THE UNIMPORTANT FIFTH WHEEL 36 VI. BRECK SEWALL AGAIN 44 VII. THE MILLIONS WIN 50 VIII. THE HORSE-SHOW 56 IX. CATASTROPHE 69 X. A UNIVERSITY TOWN 80 XI. A WALK IN THE RAIN 90 XII. A DINNER PARTY 101 XIII. LUCY TAKES UP THE NARRATIVE 112 XIV. BOB TURNS OUT A CONSERVATIVE 124 XV. ANOTHER CATASTROPHE 135 XVI. A FAMILY CONFERENCE 142 XVII. RUTH GOES TO NEW YORK 156 XVIII. A YEAR LATER 166 XIX. RUTH RESUMES HER OWN STORY 177 XX. THE FIFTH WHEEL GAINS WINGS 181 XXI. IN THE SEWALL MANSION 198 XXII. THE PARADE 206 XXIII. AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK 212 XXIV. THE OPEN DOOR 222 XXV. MOUNTAIN CLIMBING 232 XXVI. THE POT OF GOLD 239 XXVII. VAN DE VERE'S 248 XXVIII. A CALL FROM BOB JENNINGS 258 XXIX. LONGINGS 266 XXX. AGAIN LUCY NARRATES 274 XXXI. RUTH DRAWS CONCLUSIONS 282 XXXII. BOB DRAWS CONCLUSIONS TOO 291 ILLUSTRATIONS