The Washington herald., 1916-07-03

ren,, appearing exclusively in this
paper, L. the only series now being
written by Mabel Herbert Urner.
THE gilded corridors of the As
torbilt swarmed with the be-
fore dinner crowd. There was
continuous stream of fresh arri-
walls, most OF whom were not guests
of the hotel, for at this hour the
Astorbilt was a convenient and pop
ular rendezvous.
With a shrinking aversion for
waiting in so public place, Helen
sought a secluded seat at the end
of the corridor. 1t was now twenty
minutes of seven, and Warren had
said six-thirty sharp.
A throbbjng orchestra mingled
with the hum of voices and shuf-
fling feet. "a gilt-braided page
dashed by shouting, "Mr. Yatesl Mr.:
Caldwell!' A messenger boy passed
through with handful of kilograms.
How are you, grille" The man
Oh the lounge beside Helen rose
to greet a girl in an abbreviated
checked suit, twenty-button boots,
patent leather hat and white fox
boa.
A pretty blonde girl, powdering
her nose with her gold chatelaine
accessories, was now joined by an
elderly, youthfully groomed man
with gray spats and a carnation in
his buttonhole.
Some of the couples strolled to-
ward the white-and-rose dining
room. but most of them passed
out, making no pretense at patron
izing the Astorbilt beyond using
it as a convenient meeting place.
To Helen it seemed an imposi-
ton upon the hotels hospitality.
The women were flagrantly the
greater parasites. They used the
dressing room, the powder, the
service of the attending maid, wrote
their notes on the hotel stationery,
appropriated a few extra sheets;
then met their friends in the corri-
dor and sailed off to dine at some
cheaper or ivelier restaurant.
Possibly the hotel folks counted
on a percentage of future clientele
from this seemingly proftless pat
ronage, fo- they made no effort to
discourage it.
Watching with absorbed interest
this shifting panorama, it was ten
minutes of seven when Helen next
glanced at the clock.
Had Warren been detained at
the office? He was usually most
prompt-ncver more than few
moments late.
Anxiously she rose and stroued
through to the main lobby. There
were countless men in gray busi-
ness suits and rough straw hats
but Warren was not among them.
When she returned to her seat,
it was taken. Every chair and
lounge that lined the walls of this
popular corridor was now filled. Ap-
parently seven o'clock was the uni
versal meeting hour.
Feeling painfully conspicuous
Helen stood by one of the marble
columns. Surely he would not
keep her waiting here unless some
thing serious had detained him.
The bronze clock over the arch
way proclaimed seven. Again she
walked through in the vain hope
that he might be waiting in the
lobby. Passing the mems cafe-she
stopped short with a leaping heart
beat
AT the SeCOuu wall ldolC, ms
back toward the door-sat Warenl
A tall gray-haired man was op--
posite him. They were talking and
smoking over a leisurely glass of
Scotch.
The blood rushed hot to Helen's
face. That he should let her wait
for over half an hour in a public
corridor while he lounged herei
81
stood in the doorway expecting him
to turn, but, his cigar finished, he
drew out another and reached for
the match safe.
Blindly she rushed back through
humiliating neglect, her mind leaped
to action.
Her cheeks ablaze, she made for
the ladies' writing room. With a
tensely held pen she scrawled:
past six Now l am going home.
can either phone or come after
me-"
Again she was at the door of the
cafe. Reckoning a passing page,
she thrust the note in his hand
Win Gil dSlldNCuS
"Give this to the gentleman in the
gray suit at the second tablep
Pausing only long enough to see
the boy approach Warren, she DART
ed across the lobby, through the re-
volving doors and down the street
to the subway.
Her thoughts still chaotic, she
reached their darkened apartment.
Without even turning on the lights,
she groped her way to her room
and threw herself on the couch in
paroxysm of angry tears.
That he should have treated her
with so little consideration or re-
spect! With all his brusque neg
lect he had always been punctilious
about their appointed meetings. And
now for him to spend a deliberate
half-hour in the mems cafe while
she stood waiting in the public cor
ridorl
The thrilling bell sent her STUN
bling through the dark. There was
some mistake! He was 'phoning to
explain. Then her 1eaping hope
dropped sickeningly as central
drawled, "'Xcuse it, please" -.
Turning on the lights, she sank
cn the window seat. Why did he