Evening star., 1913-12-17

Are you going to meet me?''
| mo: rang up to say goodbye
| "whatt'
Goodbye. with a capital I, Biily-for
always"
| Without my ever knowing anything
more about your
| Il can't help it. I'm sorry, sorry, that
ever called you up. never thought
4 that you'd take me seriously Ike this
But after what you said last night, we
| can't go on
| But you can't end it now after a whole
year of-of-"
can't care for mere voice. You'll soon
| forget all of it,
Il won't"' he cried, savagely. 1T isn't
your voice love. 1 know your whole
personality. ] tan tell when your re sad
| or happy or sick or we'll You care too.
You said SO. If you ring off for always
| now, I'll believe forever that you did
| this for vile joke on a vulgar bet
| You can't think that" she said, gently.
when you remember some of the. things
| l have said
'"Then I'll forget them
Very well; suppose that is best. Say
good-bye,' Billy
| NO"
| Goodbye
| ''Tll find you if I have to dig up every
paving stone in this blasted town.
| Goodbye"
Il tell you l won't say goodbye
There was no answer. He leaned tense
!, ly against the telephone. listening.
| Dear" he cried suddenly.
Only the whirring of the wires sounded
| IN his ears. He stood erect and hung up
| the receiver with a white face. In the
| small dark smoking room he began to
pace the rug with nervous steps. He
could not believe that she had rung off
for the last time, yet he felt chill fear
| that she had really done So He flung
himself upon the couch by the window
ana looked down upon the countless roof
| tops below, and the thousands of lights
| twinkling far uptown and west toward
| the river. He meditated on the vastness
OF the place and the number of lives in
| tnose deep, crowded streets. To search
+! there for one nameless woman whom he
had never seen-he laughed aloud at the
| thought. Three weeks passed and, to
| Billy each week was an eternity.
On an afternoon in January he stood
IN the lobby of one of the big hotels. He
| leaned against d pillar looking idly up
the Wlde marble staircase. 1t was late
! In the afternoon, and the place was
thronged with richly dressed men and
women continually passing.
| a slender figure came down the stair
case and paused at the bottom-the fig
ure OF graceful, well gowned girl,
| whose eyes, shining luminous through
her heavy white veil, rested upon Billy
ne saw her hesitate moment. then she
crossed the lobby, passing so close that
she touched his hand Billy's fingers
closed over something He opened them
and discovered a square of white paste
board engraved in letters that flashed a
Womans name upon his consciousness.
1t was not a name that he had ever
| known, but the single word written
across in pencil was Nobody"
He made a rush for the revolving doors
| through which she had gone.
| An electric hanson stood against the
curb. A girl. who had just entered it,
| leaned forward. He stepped in beside her,
the door closed and cab started forward
| INTO the crush of moving vehicles
| For moment Billy sat motionless His
| heart beat fast and he heard the girl be-
| side him catch her breath with a ner-
vous sob. He twisted abruptly. caught
! both her hands in one of his. and lean
ing forward raised her veil. The electric
light fell full on her wide pleading eyes