The Pulaskian., 1917-04-06
The DESTROYING ANGEL -@s e~s By Louis Joseph Vance YSsSl Hs ~
K E =

It's simplicity itself: I'm going to buy him."
 Buy Maxi"
 "Body-artistic soul-and brooches" ]" Whitaker affirmed confidently. Impossible!
 "You forget how well fixed am. Whats the use of my owning half the gold in New Guinea if it won't buy me what already own by every moral and legal right?" "He won't listen to you: you don't know Max"
 I'm willing to lay you a small bet that there will be no first performance at the Theater Max tomorrow night" You'll never persuade him" I'll buy the show outright and my wife's freedom to boot-or else Max will begin to accumulate the local color of hospital ward" Ember smiled grimly. "You're be- ginning to convince even me. When,
 may l ask, do you propose to pull off this sporting proposition?" DO you know where Max can be found tonight?'
 "At the theater-" "Then the matter will be arranged at the theater between this hour and midnight"
 T doubt if you succeed in getting the ear of the great man before mid night; however, I'm not disposed to quibble about few hours." But why shouldn't IT"
 Because Max is going to be tho busiest young person in town tonight. And that is why I've been looking for you. Conforming to his cus- tom, he's been giving an advance glimpse of the production to the crit ics and a few friends in the form of final grand dress rehearsal tonight. Again, in conformance with his cus- tom, he has honored me with a bid. I've been chasing you all day to find out if you cared to go-"
 Flight o'clock and bit after"
 Whitaker interrupted briskly, consul ting his watch. Here, boy" he hailed passage page; "call a taxicab for me." And then, rising alertly: Come along; I've got to hustle home; and make myself look respectable enough for the occasion; but at that, with luck, l fancy we'll be there before the first curtain"
 This mood of faith, of self-reliance
 and assured optimism held unruffied throughout the dash homeward, his
 hurried change of clothing and the ride to the theater. Nothing that En- Der, purposely pessimistic, could say or do availed to diminish the high buoyancy of his humor. He main- tained a serene faith in his star, spirited temper that refused to recog-
 nize obstacles in the way of his de- sire.
 In the taxicab, en route to the Thea ter Max, he contrived even to distil a good omen from the driving autumnal downpour itself.
 "On such day as this," he told his doubting friend, ''I won her first; on such day I shall win her anew, final ly and for all timel" HTOu bIOduWdy lO plAtu dFeuucs Forty-sixth street was bright with the yellow glare of the huge sign in front of the Theater Max. But this night, unlike that other night when he had approached the stage of his wife's tri- unphs, there was no crawling rank of cabs, no eager and curious press of people in the street; but few vehicles disputed their way; otherwise the rain and the hurrying, rain-coated wayfar- CTS had the thoroughfare to them themselves. And even this he chose to consider a favorable omen: there was not now public to come between him and his loye-only Max and her frightened fancies.
 The man at the door recognized Em- Der with cheerful nod; Whitaker he did not know.
 Just in time, MT. Ember; curtains been up about ten minutes" [.
 RhAnTED