Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-31

and answered in a whisper.
She laughed and replied in an equally low
tone.
Loder, to whom both remarks had been
inaudible, dropped into the vacant seat be-
side Mary Esseltyn. He had the unsettled
feeling that things were not falling out
exactly as he had calculated.
What is the play lfke?' he hazarded as
he looked toward his companion. At all
times social trivialites bored him; tonight
they were intolerable. He had come TO
fight, but all at once 1t seemed that there
was no opponent. Lillian's attitude dis
turbed him; her careless graciousness her
evident ignoring of him for kafne, might
mean nothing-but also 1t might mean
much
So he speculated as he put his question
and spurred his attention toward the girfs
answer; but with the speculation came the
resolve to hold his own-to meet his. enemy
upon whatever ground she chose to appro-
pirate.
The girl looked at him with interest. She,
too had heard of his triumph.
1T is a good play she responded i
like 1t better than the book You've reao
the book of course?
NO" Loder tried hard to fix his
thoughts
ITS amusing-but far-fetched."
"Indeed?' He picked up the program ly-
Ing on the edge of the box. His ears were
strained TO catch the tone of Lillian's voice
as she laughed and whispered with KANE.
Yes: men exchanging identities, you
know"
He looked up and caught the girls
self-possessed glance. OH? ne SAID
'Indeed?" Then again he looked away.
1t was intolerable this feeling of being
Gagged I'D! sense of anger crept through
his mind 1t almost seemed that lillian mao
brought him there to prove that she hao
finished with him-had cast him aside, hay
ing used him for the days excitement as
she had used her poodles. her Persian cats.
her crystal-gazing. All at once the impo-
tency and uncertainty of his position goad-
ed him. Turning swiftly in his seat, ne
glanced back to where she sat, slowly
swaying her fan, her pale, golden hair ana
her pale-colored gown delicately silhouetted
against the background of the box.
Whats your idea of the play. Lillian?"
he said abruptly. To his own ears there
was note of challenge in his voice.
She looked round languidly. "Oh, it's quite
amusing" she said. 1T makes delicious
farce-absolutely French
FRENCH?
quite Don't YOU think so, LennieT'
"Oh. quite" Kaine agreed.
They mean that it's so very highland
yet SO very subtle. Mr. Chilcote," Mary Es-
seltyn explained.
"Indeed?'' he said. Then my imagination
was at fault. 1 thought the piece was seri-
GUS
"Seriousr' Lillian smiled again. why,
where's your sense of humor? The motive
of the pIav debars all seriousness"
Loder looked down at the program still
between his hands. What is the motive?'
ne asked
Lillian waved her fan once or twice. then
closed it softly. Love is the motive" she
said.
Now the halancng-the adjusting of i'm
preston and inspration-is, of all processes
in life, the most delca tely fine. The simple
sound, of the word love" coming at that
precise iuncture changed the whole current
of Loder's thought. 1t fell like a seed; and,
like seed in ultra-productive soil, ii bore
fruit with azing rapidty.
The word itself was small and the man
ner In which it was spoken trivial but
Loders mind was attracted and held by it.
The last time it had met his ears his en-
vronment had been vastly different; and
this echo of it in an uneongenial atmos-
phere stung him to resentment The vision
of Eve, the thought of Eve, became sud
denly dominant.
Lover" he repeated. coldly. 80 love is
the motive?"
Yes" This time it was Kaine who re-
spcnded in his methodical, contented voice.
THE motive of the play is love, as Lillian
says. And when was love ever serious in
three-act comedy-on or off the stage?" He
leaned forward in his seat, screwed In his