Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-10-06
SATURDAY. OCTOBER 6, 1917.
BIG TIM Err
Continued from Sixth Page.

might not she, who had never loved
him, whose marriage to him had been
only climbing out Of the fire into the
frying pan?
So that with all her determination to
make the most of her gift Of song, 80
that she would never again DO buffeted
by material urgcncies In q material
world, Stella had nevertheless been
listening with the eur Of her mind, so
to speak, for word from Monohan to
say That he understood and that all
was we'll
Paradoxically she had not expected
to hear that word. Once In Seattle,
away from 1t all, there slowly grew
upon her the conviction that In Mono
hans fine nvownl and remuneration he
had only followed the cue she had
given. In I'LL else he had played his
own hand. She couldn't forget Billy
Dale. If tho motive behind that bloody
elimination were thwarted love 1t was
a thing to shrink from. 1t seemed to
her now, forcing herself to reason with
cold blooded logic, that Monohan de.
sired her less than he hated Fyfe's pos
session OF her; that she was merely an
added factor In the breaking out Of q
struggle for mastery between two d.
verse and dominant men. Every sign
and token went to show that the Dot
of hate had long been simmering. She
had only contributed to it's boiling over.
"Oh, well.' she sighed, ats out of
my hands altogether now. I'm sorry,
but being sorry doesn't make any diff
Tnrnnrn In OF Por ~ a.
In tho whole muddle. a woman isn't
much more than an incident In mans
life, after ALL
she dressed to go to tho Charters,
for her days work was about to begin.
AS so often happens In life's uneasy
flow, periods Of Gains are succeeded
by events III close sequence. Howard
and his wife insisted that Stella 1oin
them at supper after the show. They
were decent folk who accorded frank
admiration to her voice and her per-
sonality. They had been kind to her
In many little ways, and she was glad
to accept.
At II taxi deposited them at tho
door of Wants. The Seattle Of yester-
day needs no introduction to Wain's,
aud it's counterpart can DO found In
/ any t~-A,.i JiYean seaport city. It lis d
place OF subtle distinction, tucked
away on one os the lower hill streets,
where after theater parties and night
hawks with an eye for pretty women,
an ear for sensuous music and a taste
for good food go when they have mon
ey to spend.
Ensconced behind ported palm,
with waiter taking Towards order,
Stella let her gaze travel over tho din
ers. She brought up with repressed
start Mt table but four removes from
her own, her eyes resting upon tho I'M
mistakable profile Of Walter Monohan,
lie was dining vls-a-vis with a young
woman chiefly remarkable for a pro-
fusion of yellow hair and blazing
diamond in the lobe OF each cara
plump, blond, vivncious person of a
type that Stella, even with her limited
experience, found herself instantly
classifying.
~ bottle Of Wine rested in an iced
dish between them. Nionohan was
toying with the stem Of half emptied
glass, smiling Mt his companion. The
girl leaned toward him, speaking rap
idly, pouting. Monohan nodded, drain
cd his glass, signaled waiter When
she got into nn elaborate opera cloak
and Monohan into his Inverness they
went out, the plump, Jeweled hand
resting Familiarity on Monohan's arm
Stella breathcd n sigh Of relief rs they
passed, looking straight ahead. She
watched through the upper half Of the
cafe window and saw machine draw
against the curb, saw the bescarfed
yellow head enter and Monohnn's silk
hat follow. Then she relaxed, but she
had little appetite for her food. A hot
wave Of shamed disgust kept coming
over her. She felt sick, physically re-
VOTED. Very likely Monohan had put
her In that class In his secret thought.
She was glad when the evening ended
and the Towards left her at her own
doorstep.
On the carpet where 1t had been
thrust by the postman under the door,
a white square caught her eye, and
she picked 1t up before she switched
on the light. And she got a queer lit
tic shock when the light fell on the
envelope, for It was addressed in Jack
Fyfe's angular handwriting.
She tore 1t open. 1t was little enough
In the way OF letter, a couple Of lines
scrawlcd across sheet Of note paper
Dear Girl was In Seattle n few days
ago and heard you sing. Here's hoping
good luck rides with You. JACK,
Stella sat down by the window. Out
side the ever present Puget sound rain
drove against wall and roof and side
walk, gathered in wet, glistening pools
in the street. Through that same WIN
dow she had watched Jack Fyfe walk
out Of her life three months ago with
out a backward look, sturdily, silently,
accomplishing. Hc hadn't whined; he
wasn't whining now, only 1inglng n
cheerful word out Of the blank spaces
Of his own life into the blank spaces
Of hers. Stella felt something warm
and wet steal down her cheeks.
she crumpled the letter with a sud-
den, spasmodic clinch!ng Of her hand.