Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-04-27

number for you with-my people.
That's fair?"
Fair as can be, Louisa" He stretch
ed out elawlike fingers to receive the
thin sheaf of notes she counted from
her roll. Here comes the wine-the
wine I'm buying. Well drink to my
success at landing a job with-your
people"
For me no more tonight" the wo-
man answered. MY cape please"
She rose.
But, | sayI!' Capper protested.
Just one more bottle-the bottle I'm
buying. See, here 1t is all proper and
cooled. Marks the end Of my bad luck,
so it does. You won't refuse to drink
with me to my good luck that's com
ing?'
your good luck is likely to stop
short with that bottle, Billy Capper,"
she said, her lips parting in a smile
half scornful. You know how wine
has played you before. Better stop
now while luck's with you"
Hanged If l dor he answered stub
bornly. After these months of hand
to mouth and begging for a nasty pint
Of ale in a common pub-leave good
wine when it's right under my nose?
Not mer' Still protesting against her
refusal to drink with him the wine he
would pay for himself-the man made
that a point of injured honor-Capper
grudgingly helped place the cape of
web lace over his companions white
cho11Iloro ord aAoonanonia5 ha. 10 h4r
taxi.
"If you're here this time tomorrow
night and SOBER" we're her farewell
words, 81 may bring you your number
in the-you understand; that and your
commission to duty"
God bless you, Louisa, girli' Capper
stammered thickly. I'll not fail you"
The orchestra was booming a rag
time, and the chorus on the stage of
the Winter Garden came plunging to
the footlights, all in line, their black
legs kicking out from the skirts like
thrusting spindles in some marvellous
engine of stagecraft. They screeched
the final line of a Germanized coon
song, the cymbals changed "Zam-m-m!'
III lOlh aDOuI lAC SluoLClC0 LdDlC6 paw
tered applause. Captain Woodhouse,
at a table by himself, pulled a wafer
of a watch from his waistcoat pocket,
glanced at its face and looked back at
the rocco entrance arches, through
which the late corners were streaming.
Henry Sherman, do you think Kitty
ought to see this sort of thing? It's
positively indecentr
The high pitched nasal complaint
came from a table a little to the right
Of the one where Woodhouse was sit
ting.
There, there, motherl Now, don't
go taking all the joy outa life just be-
cause you're seeing something that
would make the minister back in Ke-
vance roll his eyes in horror"
Out of the tail of his eye Woodhouse
could see the family group wherein
Mrs. Grundy had sat down to make a
fourth. A blocky little man with a
red face and a pinky bald head, whose
clothes looked as if they had been
whipsawed out of the bolt; a com
fortably stout matron wearing a bon
net which even to the untutored mas
culine eye betrayed its proyincialism;
a slim slip of a girl of about nineteen
with a face like a choir boy's-these
were the American tourists whose
voices had attracted Woodhouse's at
tention. He played an amused caves
dropper, all the more Interested be-
cause they were Americans and since
a certain day IN the Calais-Paris ex-
press a week or so gone he'd had rea-
son to be interested in all Americans.
Henry, 1 tell you he does look like
Albert Downs-the living image!' This
from the woman, soto voce.
Ssh, mother! What would Albert
Downs be doing in Berlin ?"
We'll, Kitty, they say curiosity once
killed a cat, but I'm going to have a
better look. I'd swear
Woodhouse was slightly startled
when he saw the woman from America
utilize the clumsy subterfuge Of a
dropped handkerchief to step into a
position whence she could look at his
face Squarely. Also he was annoyed.
He did not care to be stared at under
any circumstances. particularly at this
time. The alert and curious lady saw
his flush of annoyance, flushed herself
and Joined her husband and daughter.
well, if 1 didn't know Albert Downs
had a livery business which he couldn't
well leave" foated back the hoarse
whisper, I'D say that was him setting
right there in that chair"
Come, mother, bedtime and after
in Berlin" was the old gentleman'S adj
monition. Woodhouse heard their re-
treating footsteps and laughed in spite
OF his temporary chagrin at the Amer
lean woman's curiosity. He was just
reaching for his watch a second time
when a quick step sounded on the
gravel behind him. He turned. A wo-
man of ripe beauty had her hand out
stretched in MelcOme- She was the