Williams news., 1917-12-20


 significant faces at Quoio over her shoulder.
 Permit me, Betty" Quoin suggest ed. q think know the trick-'' In another breath the box was open, the necklace in it's owners hands.
 Merely my foolish delight to see you again so soon, my dear" A hand patted affectionately one of Lydia's flushed cheeks as, released, breathless, and wondering, she stepped back to readjust her hat. You're awfully good to me, Mrs. Beggarstaf9 But can't stop a minute. I've another errand to run for father he's very busy tonight"
 Another errand!" Betty Merrilees parroted out of a mind perhaps par donably confused.
 ''Yes-T sha'n't be long. Father asked me to bring that to you; but promised to call for me within an hour. So was to attend to the other errand first, and wait here with you for him. But my taxicab broke down and"
 "Craven coming here?" Betty inter- rupted incredulously, but checked sud- denly at look from Quoin.
 'As soon as he can get away" Lydia affirmed. "I mean, of course, wher- ever you're really stopping"
 ''The Plaza"
 "That's just across the way, isn't it? It's odd of him to make such a mis- take. He said the Margrave distinctly. But I'll ask for you at the Plaza in half an hour, if you don't mind."
 Mind! On the contrary" Mrs. Mer- rilees said pleasantly, 'rn be delight ed. Tad, too. That will be fun rather! We'll have supper together all of us.''
 "And so-good night for thirty min- utes,'' Lydia laughed. '1 must hurry"
 'Wait minute," Peter put in. 'rm off too, you know, and going your way"
 "How do you know you areI' Lydia demanded, smiling back from the door way.
 Because that's the way Pm going"
 "But don't want you now, MT. Traft-though I shall hope to see you again in half an hour. Good-by."
 The hall-door closed, leaving Peter as dashed as Betty Merrilees was thunderstruck, as Quoin was thought full, as the smile of the Dowager Drag on was satiric.
 There was little pause.
 What" Peter demanded, 'what do you know about that?''
 After her, you loon," Quoin snapped, waking up with a start. eff Craven told her to go somewhere else first, be sure he never meant her to bring that necklace here. Don't you see?'
 "Ass!'' Peter groaned, smiting his forehead. "Why didn't think?' Seiz- ing hat and coat, he threw open the door even as the elevator gate changed.
 The car had dropped from sight be- fore he reached the shaft Planting a thumb on the push-button, he educed only a thin, persistent grumble from the annunciator bell, steadily dimin- ishing in volume as the car continued wilfully to descend.
 Infuriated, the young man commit ted the soul of the elevator attendant to the nethermost depths of damnatiLn and, turning to the stairway, plunged down the flights in breakneck haste, three steps at time.
 Across the lobby he sped as one bounded by furies, and gained the car
 
 tadcab pulling away from the curb.
 Peter gave chase, affording midnight wayfarers the diverting spectacle of a beautifully arrayed young man-coat- tails fiat to the wind and rain, top coat streaming wildly from one arm, the other brandishing the dernier cri in toppers-in mad, mute pursuit of a self-contained taxicab proceeding stol- idly about it's business.
 Happily for Peter, it's business in- volved observance of traffic regula- tions; and when it paused to give pre- cedence to a Fifty-ninth street cross town car Peter caught up-if some thing more rudely than he had thought to. Unable to check quickly on the greasy asphalt, he skidded against the door with a crash.
 Hold hard! !'' he begged between breaths. "Give me a chancei"
 "What the" commented the chauf- fear suspiciously.
 But at the same time Peter jerked the door open, and-a crawly, sinking sensation deserted his. midst: the fare was Lydia. after all!
 She greeted this breathless appari- tiOn with an inarticulate cry.
 'You forgot something,'' Peter gaSped in response, climbing in.
 "What?"
 ''Me !" he declared settling into the place by her side; then thrust his head out of the door and panted, "It's all right, driver. Cut along-and don't go too fast-slippery pavements-"
 "But, MT. Traft-' Lydia expostu- lated.
 Peter shut the door with a bang, and the car, with an unobstructed way, picked LID wary heels and stnIe on In