The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-06-29

/ just a little DIT ahead OF the game
/ One person in particular in the group
interested her as she endeavored intui- I
/ lively to take their measure. It was
! Haddon Halsey, Immediately garbed, !
with all those little touches of smaTtness !
which women like to see. /
: Once she caught HaIsey looking intent !
{ " at her Was it he who wa 8 letting her
I win at his expense? Or was his attention
to her causing him to neglect his own
game and play it poorly?
She decided to quit. She was a few
dollars ahead For excuse she pleaded a
I headache.
Bella accepted the excuse with q cor
dial nod and a kind inquiry whether she /
might not like TO lie down.
! NO, thank you" murmured Constance.
/ But the cards make me nervous tonight. /
Just let me sit here. III be all right in a
minute"
AS she Iolled back on a divan near the
/ players Constance noted, or thought she
noted, now and then exchanges of looks |
= between Bella and Watson. What was
the bond of intimacy between them? she
noted on Mrs. Mobiles part that she was
keenIy alive to everything that Halsey
! did. 1t was a peculiar quadrangle.
Halsey was losing heavily in his eff
forts to retrieve his fortunes. He said
nothing, but accepted the losses >grimly.
| Mrs. Noble, however, after each success
sive loss seemed more and more nervous.
/ At last, with a hasty look at ner wrist
watch, she gave a little suppressed
scream.
How time nles." she cried who
would have thought it as late as that?
Really I must go. I expect my husband
back from a directors meeting at ten,
and it's much easier to be home than
to think UP an excuse No Haddon, don't
disturb yourself. shall get a cab at the
door. Let me see-two hundred and TWEEN
Ity-eight dollars She paused as If the
lloss staggered her. "Ill have to sign
lanother I o U for it, Bella. There"
She left in a fiutter as If some one
had wfnked out the light by which she,
poor little butterfly, had singed her
wings and there was nothing for her
but to fly away alone in the darkness.
Halsey accompanied her to the door.
For a moment she raised a questioning
face to HIS, and shot a half covert
glance at Constance. Then, as if with
an effort. adhering to her hrst resolution
20 go alone. she whispered earnestly: II
hope you win. Luck must turn"
HaIsey plunged back into the game.
} now with Bella holding a hand. He
played reCklessly, then Conservatively.
It made no difference. The cards seemed
always against him. Constance began
ITeally to feel alarmed at his manner.
% Once, however, he CHANGED to look UP
T at her Something in her face must
; have impressed him. Turning, he flung
/ down the cards in disgust. That's
= enough for tonight" he exclaimed, ris-
ing and draining another glass on the
. tray.
Luck VIII come your way soon again"
] urged Bella. 1T all averages up in the
end. you know. 1t has to-
How did you enjoy the evening"" in
situated Bella.
, Enthusiastically. 1T is so exciting, you
t know"
, You must come again when more Of
my friends are here"
4 u should like to. But tonight was
, very nice"
- She had risen to 90. As she took a step
or two toward the door, stiH facing
a them. she found Halsey at her side.
70 Shall we go over to Jacks for a bite
p to eat?" he whispered.
3 There was as much of appeal in his
It undertone as of invitation.
Thank you. l shall be glad to 60,
Z / & Constance, assented quickly.
o There was something about Haddon
s Halsey that interested here. Perhaps
BELLA and Watson exchanged a knowing
10 glance as she crossed the hall for her
a wraps. Whatever It was, Constance de-
+ termined to see the thing through to a
finish. confident that she was quite able
s to take care of herself.
Outside the raw. night air smote dankly
on their fevered faces. As they walked
along briskly. too glad to get into the
open to summon a cab, Constance hap
d pened to turn. She had an uncomfort-
g able feeling She could have sworn some
t one was following them. She said moth
!, ing about a figure a few feet behind
k them
s The lively. alI-night restaurant was
y thronged. Halsey seemed to throw him
self into the gayety with reckless aban-
d don, ordering about twice much as
they could eat or drink. But in spite of
o the fascination OF the scene. Constance
d could not forget the dark figure slSulklng
= behind them in the shadow of the street.
e Once she looked up. At another table
l. she could just catch a glimpse Of Drum
a mond, Of the Burr Detective Agency,
clone. oblivious.
a Never did he look at them. There was
l. nothing to indicate that he was even
* Interested. But Constance knew that
q that was the method of his shadowing
Never for a moment, she knew, did he
E permit himself to look into the eyes OF
e his quarry. even for the most ieeting
glance,
'e She knew, too. that there must be some
Ar psychological reason for his not looking
n at them. as he otherwise must have done
II only by chance. 1t was the method
/ followed by the expert modern trailer
t. She knew that II one looks at person
'e inteptly while in & public place, for in
lie stance. * will not be long before the
IN gaze will be returned. Try as she would
g she could not catch Drummond's eye
D. however.
Halsey.- now that the strain of the
NJ Eaaae wac of. was rafting along abou
N q osses IN an undertone to her
''fut what Of it, he concluded. ANY
ID day luck may change AS for myself.
go always on the assumption that I an
le the one xception-unlucky at cards and
love. If the event proves I am right,
@ am not disappointed. II I am wrong.
g am happy"
* There was something in the tone o
I'd the whimsicaljty that alarmed her.
I'd covered a desperation which she felt in
as stnctively.
Re Why was he talking thus to her. al
most a stranger Surely if could no
''- have been for that that Bella lie Ma
he had brought them together
b. . Gradually it came to her. The maj
e had really. honestly been struck by he
nd from the moment of their introduction
ar Instead of allowing others. 20 say moth
H. Ing NJ himself % lead in tn