Middletown transcript., 1917-09-08

lConxrght 1917. by the Mcclure Newspaper syndcatel

norant girl to go prying through my
things?"
"Prying?" famed Helen.
you couldn't have waited until I
got homer"
Were dining out-Mr. Curtis is
! waiting to dress"
The coat and vest Helen had taken
from the hanger, and now while Mrs.
| Gordon looked on in contemptuous
silence, with burning cheeks and bun
Cling fingers she was trying to free
the trousers from the obstinate patent
holder.
AS Mrs. Gordon stood haughtily
aside to let her pass, there was a
heavy step in the hall, and Mr. Cor
don blocked the doorway.
In unaffected masculine amazement,
he gazed at Helen, an incongruous fig
ure in her airy evening gown, awk-
wardly holding mans dress suit.
"Mrs. Curtis was exploring our
closets when l came in," began Mrs.
Gordon maliciOusly. 1T seems the
! tailor left her husbands suit here,
and she inveigled Jane to let her in
while we were out"
''Oh, 1 say, Blanch. I'm sure Mrs.
Curtis didn't mean"
'Tve tried to apologize" quivered
Helen, ''but Mrs. Gordon persists in
misunderstanding The maid couldn't
find the suit-she suggested that 1
come in and look for it. l suppose 1
shouldn't, but"
"Why, that was quite all right"
Mr.. Gordon was following her down
the hall. Pm sorry you've been in
convenienced. Wait, allow me-" as
he opened the door.
ooh, thank you," in murmured con-
fusion. But IL shouldn't have gone
I'd stopped to think"
"Please don't let it distress you. I'll
explain to Mrs. Gordon, I'm sure she
didn't understand"
In her own apartment Helen flew
into the bedroom, where Warren was
waiting in fuming impatience.
Without a word she threw the suit
on the bed and ran into her own
room. The modification of that scene
was still too acute; just then she
could not rehearse it.
In the rush of getting off, there was
no time for discussion. But in the
taxi Warren's keen glance rested ap-
praisipgly on her flushed face.
whats wrong?"
"A1rs. Gordon came in while l was
there-while l was going through her
Closet" dramatically.
Huh, that was a trifle awkward"
Then with chuckle, "Mustve given
her jolt How'd she take it?"
"Don't laugh" tensely. ''It couldn't
have been worse. She said 1 took adj
vantage of an ignorant girls permis-
sion to pry through her things"
''She did, eh?" angrily. That's put
ting it pretty strona"
THAT wasn't half. Then Mr. Cor
don came in, but he was very cOur-
teous-he tried to smooth things
over"
cent sort-but that's the difference in
mans attitude. You and Mrs. Cor
don have it in for each Other-yOu two
are always squabbling."
"Squabbing?" Indignantly. "Tve
hardly spoken to her"
A moments silence as, swirling a
corner with reckless speed, they just
missed co1liding with a heavy motor
truck.
"Guess that did look pretty bad"
muttered Warren refectively, ''yOu
rummaging around in there Don't
much blame her for handing it to YOU"
"Why, you suggested it," smarting
under this injustice. "You had to
stand on ceremony"
"Oh, well, it's over now." putting
aside the unpleasant incident with
masculine Indifference. Forget it,"
'If only they didn't live on the same
f1o0rr deaf to Warren's careless phi
losophy. "Fm always meeting her in
the hall. And now-oh. it'll be un-
speakable meeting her now"
'.Yes, you're in Dutch with her, all
right, but what's the diff? Don't want
to be too chummy with close neighbors
anyway" Then as the cab lurched up
before a pretentious apartment house:
"HOpe we get decent dinner here
not a lot of fancy samples. l feel like
some real nOuriShment."