Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-28

acknowledgement both of his dismissal and her
trust. Good night. he murmured. I'LL
tomorrow, an rev0ir.'
He fingered for an instant then moved away
with the grace and dignity of Persian cat.
VALDAS lips frightened She flung up her
chin and called suddenly, Mr.. Brown ~
He paused. and turned in polite interroga-
ton "Yes?"
clenched, her big brown eyes ablaze, Aha !!
she cried, and pointed an accusing hnger. 30
Your name is Brown
This time the young man flushed, and to the
very roots of his curly hair, Heretofore his
tongue had been glib enough; but now he STAN
but had forgotten that. When l came up
from Egypt, took the name of Brown in order
"Stop!" she commanded. mot another
world"
So this was what honor meant to him! The
sacred word of Southern gentleman, forsooth !
The oath that men of Dixie held as holy as a
mothers memory! All. but she had trapped
him, and by woman's wit which was even
sharper than his own! If his very name was
false, then so was all the rest of it, every dis
graceful bit, and Valda did not spare him with
her lash of scorn.
"Oh," she cried. you should be ashamed
Ashamed You asked me to believe, and from
first to last you fed me with your oily tongued
deceit! And why? Because you dare to think
that l, the daughter of Marcus Girard, am the
keeper of stolen goods"
Now this was scarcely logical. She did not
pause to consider that by her present attitude,
yea. by her very trickery of speech, she was
guilty herself of an oily tongued deceit. In
deed, an angry woman seldom stops to consider
anything beneath the stars; so Valda swept on
in majestic fury
And to think" she stormed, that you, in
your foppish vanity, should dream of befooling
me! OF swaying my brains, my very pity,
with your clumsy lies Lies! Lies, for which
YOU receive a salary! A salary for bounding
weak women down and worming their secrets
out of them Oh, it's clever, no doubt, and
vastly pleasing to your little soul; but for
once, Mr.. George c. Brown you We tailed
Now GO! No, waltz
OF sudden her anger seemed to slide away
and in its place crept calm of cruel irony; for
she knew of way to hurt him as no other
wound could sting. That wise old Caesar, in
his civil wars. had ordered JaVellns to be cast
at the handsome faces of certain self satisfied
Roman youths; but Miss Valda Girard would
go the ancient gentleman several better, and
rap Mr.. George c. Brown on the very shin bone
of his pride and vanity. She regarded him
critically from top to toe, and smiled.
Mr. Brown" She said, after ALL m afraid
your present costume hardly suits you. To
morrow we will make a change" She paused
but added presently with a certain vicious
quietness of tone, AT charming initial
interview, you expressed willingness to work
Your passage: and in the absence of my father
/ am master of this yacht. You will report
sir to Captain Larris at once for duty!"
She turned upon her heel and leaned care
1essly against the rail; though, to tell the
human truth, she watched him from the cor
ners of her big brown eyes. He was vastly
handsome, standing straight and tall in the
moonlight on the Spitfres deck; but to Valda
it seemed that she hated him as she hated nc
other living creature in the world.
He did not try to answer. He simply bowed
bowed to the inevitab le-and to her In it
as in that other bow there was princely defer
enCe; yet, also, there was something else,-a
helpless pride that cannot, in its chivalry, re-
turn womans blow; something wonderful
and vague, impossible to convey in speech
To be continued next Sunday