Mexico Missouri message., 1917-08-30


was not enjoying his, but he ate as q
troubled man often will; mechanically
and as matter of routine. 1t was not
until the dessert had been served that
the young woman took up the thread
OF the conversation precisely as IL II
had never been dropped.
II think you know that you have no
renson to be afraid of me, Montague; (;
but l can't say as much for father. He
will be back in a few days, and when
he comes 1t will be prudent for you to
vanish. That is a future, however"
Smiths laugh was brittle.
"We'll leave 1t future, if you like.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof"
"Oh; so you class me as an evil, do
your"
''No; you know I didn't mean that !;
I merely mean that it's no use crossing
the bridges before we come to them.
I've been living from day to day so
long now, that I am becoming hard.
ened to It,"
Again there was a pause, and again
it was Miss Rlchlander who broke 1t.
The slow smile was dimpling again at
the corners of the perfect mouth.
"You are going to need little help,
Montague-my help-aren't you? 1t
occurs to me that you can well afford
to show me some little friendly atten-
tion while I am Robinson-Crusoed here
waiting for father to come back"
"Let me understand" he broke In,
frowning across the table at her. "You
are willing to ignore what has hap
pened-to that extent2 You are not
forgetting that in the eyes of the law
1 am a criminal?
She made faint little gesture of I'M
patience.
"Why do you persist in dragging
that in? l am not supposed to know
anything about your business affairs,
with Watrous Dunham or anybody
else. Besides, no one knows me here,
and no one cares. Besides, again, am
stranger in a strange city and we are
or we used to be-old friends"
Her half-cynical tone made him
frown again, thoughtfully, this time.
"Women are curious creatures" he
commented. II used to think knew a
little something about them, but
guess it was a mistake. What do you
want me to do?"
"Oh, anything you like; anything
that will keep me from being bored to
DEATH"
Smith laid his napkin aside and
glanced at his watch.
"There is play of some kind on at
the opera house, I believe" he said,
rising and going around to draw her
chair aside. "If you'd care to go, Pll
see If can hold somebody up for a
couple of seats"
"That is more like 1t. I used to be
afraid that you hadn't drop of sport
ing blood in you, Montague, and am
glad to learn, even at this late day,
that was mistaken. Take me up
stairs, and we'll go to the play"
They left the dining room together,
and there was more than one pair Of
eyes to follow them in frank admlra
ton. "What a strikingly handsome
couple" said a bejewelled lady who
sat at the table nearest the door; and
her companion, gentleman with rest.
less eyes and thin lips and a rather
wicked jaw, said: "Yes; don't know
the woman, but the man is Colonel
Baldwin's new financier; the fellow
who calls himself John Smith,"
The bediamonded lady smiled dryly
"You say that as If you had a mortal
quarrel with his name, Crawford. If /
were the girl, 1 shouldn't find fault
with the name. You say you don't
know her?"
Stanton had pushed his chair back
and was rising. "Take your time with
the ice cream, and I'll join you later
upstairs. I'm going to find out who the
girl is, since you want to know"