Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-02

You're to f1irt with me. Kempton won't
mind. He's used to that. Besides, | told
him l expected you to-
That l." Garriott paused.
"Of course. Don't you like the idea?"
Mrs. Kempton drew away and examined
him from ',der half closed lids. Garriott
realized that his education was proceeding
rapidly.
eyes, I'm delighted; but I'd rather you
firted with me because you wanted to-, he
protested. Suppose l forgot it was only
make believer"
Perhaps I'm secretly hoping you might"
With your husband secretly hoping l
WON'T"
lack! Oh, Jack is beautifully trained.
To my husband anything l do is an act of
Providence. He would no more think of in
terfering with my plans than he would inter-
fere with the coming of winter or the APP
proach of spring. He's heavenly husband"
I" But don't understand"
Il didn't expect you to understand.
You re only man. You must let me man
age your affair, or I'll give it up. Natalie
isn't stupid, either. She may see through it
all. That would be fatal. So please devote
yourself to me-all is fair in love and war
Garriott shrugged his shoulders in token of
complete surrender.
she now leaned a little forward so that she
~ could better observe him. He wasn't
certain whether she was smiling at or with
him.
"Why did you consent to come here?" she
suddenly asked.
Garriott took up the Japanese ash tray
beside him and examined it deliberately be-
fore he replied. Isn't it enough to say
that wanted to see you agan?'
This time she tossed her head back and
laughed with genuine enjoyment. That is
polite, Mr. Garriott; but you don't deceive
anybody, not even yourself. | know why
you came. Natalie hurt your pride. | think
you'd be willing to starve the rest of your
life if you could make her consent to marry
you"
I'm not different from other men. A
chance is offered me to get everything man
could wish for, he said coolly. Money
house in town, another in the country,
horses, motors, famous beauty at my
table"
Everything, in fact" she put in, but the
two things man of your type requires"
His brows inquired.
"a wife-and home"
90 can be no worse off than l am now-I
have neither"
answer to the bell, Mrs. Kempton dropped
''We haven't long to wait. The curtain will
now rise on act two" she whispered. En-
ter Miss Natalie Judson in a black frock
which shows to advantage the dazzling white
ness of her skin
THERE was no resisting her mood. Gar
riott was still smiling as Miss Judson
came into the room. He detected slight
contraction of her eyes as he got up from the
divan beside his hostess and bowed; but she
greeted him cordially.
II hope I'm not late, Abby DEAR" said the
girl. Winthrop would stay for tea, and it
seems to take Leontine hours to find things"
Under the glow of the lamp near which
Miss Judson sat, Garriott could see how
handsomely her features were put together,
the arched eyebrows, slightly turned up
at the inner corners; the nose, narrow.
clearly cut, and slightly aquiline; the mouth
a scarlet bow. 1t disappointed him that he
discovered so little to criticize, and he caviled
at her beauty because it had no faults. 1t
had the perfection of cloudless summer sum
set, the fawless surface of highland pool
without a cloud to give it finer character.
What was it she needed, a soul? AS she
talked to their hostess, he examined her at
his ease with look so frankly critical that
- D,,% CHI