The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-11-15

of the game.
| Colbridge watched the dancers drift int
the brilliantly lighted room with almos
anxiety His dread of an encounter wa.
blended with sharp, reckless longing. Ii
any case, he would be almost certain to set
her, but he feared an actual meeting before
his nerves were steady enough to bear the
strain Of light talk and laughter.
Fate ordained that he should be called
away when at last she arrived, and it was
nearly an hour later before they came face
to face in a set of the lancers.
Miss North was obviously astpnished.
Colbridge thanked Heaven for the music
and the quick movement that had helped
him to recover his shaken self control
Each revelation of her delicate beauty
seemed to smite him like physical blow.
Her bright little nod of recognition carried
him straight back to those days in Belgium
when he had drifted SO near to the rapids
of utter self abandonment, to-
''To making fool of himself for hel
amusement, added Reason.
The dance ended in the usual laughter
and furry. He piloted his partner-a
voluble lady of forty-back to her seat,
and stood talking ai,plessly until Jimmy,
who had been lurking In the distance,
swooped down as the music struck up a
waltz and freed him.
''Look here, old man, you said you
knew the Norths of Walsall. Well, why
on earth don't you come and speak to the
girl over there-the one in the white dress,
| mean, sitting in pensive melancholy
Probably her partner S forgotten her! If
as | fancy-he is young Dowson ploughing
his way along with that Freeman girl,
she's had lucky escape.
He caught Dick by the sleeve, and the
latter, raising his eyes, could see the girl
was watching them with amusement.
Since there was no escape he crossed to
where she was seated alone among half a
dozen empty chairs.
"Behold distressed damsel, she said,
gravely, as Dick dropped into the seat be-
side her, "deserted by both chaperone
and partner. Put not your trust in gentle
men who won't write plainly ON their pro-
grams.
ga young man of the name of Dowson
is the criminal, ism he p said Colbridge.
"In which case his present partner is pay
ing pretty heavily for an honor unto which
she was not born. How long have you
been staying in London, Miss North p
"Only week or SO, with friends. 1t
is odd we should meet again so soon. You
have just arrived from the Continent, have
you not p
"Crossed yesterday by the night boat.
Jimmy Sullivan is hospitality incarnate, or
[ should still be languishing in hotel.
And it S something to share the blessings
of the table d hote in its literal sense
again
Miss North laughed,
"Thatis so. remembermy first English
dinner after returning from Ostend. My
aunt, to honor the occasion, made feature
of veal. suppose she thought it appro-
pirate. And we had had it for three days
running at the hotel p
"You are exceedingly greedy people. y
said voice from behind them. ''You
think of nothing but eating and drinking. "
Dick turned as Mrs. Sullivan, looking
very girlish in a wonderful yellow gown,
slipped into the seat beside his companion.
"And, talking of food, she continued.
''Pm going to treat you abominally, my
dear It's only permissible because you re
such an old friend. Jim is your next
partner, isn't he, and again later on Will
you forgive me if borrow him to help me
at the refreshment buffet One of the
walters appears to be ill-Jim says the
verdict would be Drunk from natural
causes and L m short handed. No, Mr..
Colbridge," as Dick rose, "Im not going
to allow you to do buffers work. For
one thing, I don't believe your program is
half full. Let me see. -
He surrendered it meekly.
"No-not nearly. Your duty lies be-
fore you. And mine is among the eatables,
so goodby."
With a wave of her hand, she rose and
departed Dick dropped into his seat
again and for some moments sat watching
the dancers with absent, moody intentness.
He formulated and abandoned half dozen
excuses for escaping. With Jimmy's
warning ringing in his ears he had no ex-
cuse for running into danger, but there
should be no difficulty in keeping the CON-
versation in safe and easy channels.
And so, indeed, he found it, as the old
charm of her personality asserted ITSELF
Mrs. Sullivan, watching unseen from afar,
smiled the smile of the successful con-
spirator at each ripple Of laughter from the
distant seat. Paris they discussed, Rome
and Naples-the "reminiscences of two
months travel along the regular tourist
routes, hotel life and Continent amuse-
ments. Only he made no allusion to
Bruges and the little Belgian villages where
her holiday and his dream had ended.
Once or twice she wandered on dangerous
ground, but Dick set his teeth, and found
satisfaction in battling her every reference
to those last days. He watched her with
hungry, furtive eyes, unwilling to admit
the pure delight that her mere presence
gave him. Her program slipped to the
floor, and as he stopped to recover it ne
saw that the space between Jimmys in
itials was vacant, and was ashamed, and
then angered at his own relief.
A fool and his folly How many men
had she sacrificed to her idle amusement? ?
And even now she triumphed in the con-
quest of fresh victim.
He was swept by revqlsion Of feeling.
Her VOICE at bis side precipitated sudden
resolution.
"Have you heard from your friend Mr.
Myles, lately, Mr.. Colbridge-the one who