Evening star., 1912-07-13
LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE

The evening meal she could no longer az
ford, even at Suzanne's trifing price.
And after tomorrow she would have to
forego lunch.
There was little to disturb the quiet of
Suzanne's at monday. AS g rule, there
was present merely a handful Of patrons
"a few guests Of the boarding house. a
scattering of stout Frenchmen in small
ways Of business in the neighborhood.
three or four outsiders like Cynthia, at
tracted from afar by the unusual COM
bination Of low cost and palatable food.
Today the number Of guests was more
scant than usual. Suzanne, herself sit
ting at the little table by the door to
which Jean few for change. and where
one stopped for q trite but cheerful word
on entering or departing-Suzanne. her
self, fat and rosy and perspiring gener-
ously. dozed fitfully, or, rousing anon,
surveyed the tables with lackluster eyes.
1t was Jean. as always. who showed
Cynthia to her table by the window In
the rear OF the room-H was Jean, that
extraordinarily animated phenomenon of
thinness. suavity and dexterity. who held
her chair for her. and then vanished,
with apron whipping briskly about his
amazingly long and thin black legs. only
smirk Of the successful conjurer). bearing
the service for Cynthia's place. Unruf-
fed, assiduous. sempiternslly courteous,
Jean, serenely ignoring the paucity and
infrequency of mademoiselle's tips!
Cynthia's heart smote her when she
attentiveness: and when the waiter had
performed another Of his astonishing
feats Of lev1tation and legerdemain, re-
turning with her cup Of chilled oon-
somme in much less time than another
man had required to leave the room with
out hurdling the tables, and serving her
with low word Of solicitude for made
moiselle's ability to endure this execrable
heat. Cynthia rewarded him with the
first smile she had been able to force In
days, together with thanks In HE own
tongue that seemed to delight him to
excess.
But she could not eat. The food which
she was accustomed to anticipate with
desire almost painful. today was nat
and tasteless to her palate, ashes in her
barely tasted, refused the fish. choked
down a mouthful of chicken and played
with her salad Only the finger-wide slice
Of parti-colored ice cream she consumed
slowiy-and was sorry when It was gone.
turn, what to do to I'LL the empty. ach-
ing hours until bedtime?
She fingered on In purposeless indeed
sion. thoughts far astray in q dull. dim
void, forgetful of her surroundings, for
getful of the flight Of time.
Gradually the guests departed. Pres
emily there remained only herself. Jean.
idling near the entrance; the Red Man
and one other, for whom she had no
nickname, unless 1t were that boy''-as
she always thought Of him when 1t oc-
CURED to her to think Of him at ell.
He was. OF the three Of them. the Sc
nior habitue OF Suxannes: he had been
there. at his table In the opposite corner
OF the room, the first time Cynthia had
entered the restaurant; doubtless (she
thought, wearily) he would be there long
after she had passed out Of its hos
pitable door for the final time-tomorrow:
or, at least until that day when he. too.
would have reached the end OF every
thing. and like her would 60 forth to
seek some unnamed circle Of oblivion.
Meanwhile she would be forgotten, while
he sat on, smoking his interminabls Gig
arettes between the courses. which (she
guessedl he induced Jean purposely to
delay, that he might have the moro sx-
cuse for dawdling.
In the beginning. surmising intuitlvely
that their lots were not dtssimilar, that
he likewise was one OF those rejected Of
the city. she had vaguely wondered about
him and tried to reason why the world
had no need for that keen intelligence
she sometimes saw glowing in the dark
eyes, set In his dark, thin. finely featured
face. He was not dissipated. she be-
Aeved-though he did smoke much too
many cigarettes; his wine, moro often