Evening star., 1917-09-09

posite him, yawned iagranuy In his
face.
.Nsieur should have brought his
breviary." she said.
En- waring started; his eyes
twtnkled and he smiled at the dancer.
..Mademoisellse will honor me by
drinking another glass of wine?
The little dancer arose from her
chair she shook her scant skirt about
her trim legs.
"Zut. M'sieur is as entertaining as
a saints confession" She shrugged
her bare shoulders; man at the next
table eyed her, and she smiled provoc-
atively Waring watched them glide
off together. unresertfuI at the i'm
pertinent moue she made at him over
her new-found partners shoulder.
Then he forgot all about her,
He sipped his wine, looking about
him with va que eyes. 1t was the usual
sort of thing in this sort of place me
same sort of thing that might be found
In any of dozen Montmartre cafes at
this hour-midnight- OthcerS nome on
leave bright-eyed Parisiennes. a
sprinkling of Russians, hnglsn aho
Americans. 1t was quteter thali ne1ore
the great war and there was less eX-
trayaeance The fact that the French
were not spending their money on such
entertainment as this might perhaps
be one reason why Waring had attract
ed the attention of the little dancer.
waring wished that he had stayed at
his hotel and got a good night s rest
against tomorrow's railway journey 10
Cherburg. For at least the dozenth time
he cursed the breakdown OF the E'arls ex-
nress-from the Riviera-that had made
him miss connections for Liverpool and
the White Star liner that sailed tomorro"
morning Even though ii dldn natler
that the liner sailing from Cherbourg 10
morrow afternoon would land him in New
York two days later than his planned
sailing; even though by rare GOOD fortune
he had secured at the booking once thls
afternoon excellent accommodates on
the French liner he was irritated.
He had wanted to sail on a White star
liner: he wanted to land IN New ork
seven days from now It was nuisance
that one couldn't do exactly as one
wanted He had not intended TO spend
a night in Paris: he resented savagely the
railway accident that interfered with MS
intentions.
The little dancer who had so frankly
forced her acquaintance upon him and as
frankly left him circled, with her more
complaisant friend close TO Warlns
table. She lifted one shoulder in anected
fright at him Waring knew that he had
been scrowling. and at the girls mockery
he grinned infectiously- The dancer 1elt
sorry that she had so early decided that
WaT1ng
fed her first opinion--that h!ue-e3 ed red
haired men are by no means dull
But Warnings grin disappeared quickly.
II was a tiresonle world. and Paris was
not the least tiresome of places in II.
There had been time. six or eight years
ago when Waring had loved Paris. Wei,
he loved the city now, but he didn't wish
it forced upon him. Paris was like rare
and heavy vintage; one must De eHactlE
in the right mood to appreciate it, 10 de-
sire 1t.
And Waring was not in the right
mood He wished that he were; Paris.
when one felt right, was so gay. But
tonight all the gayety seemed artificial.
forced This was the fourth cabaret
he'd been in since leevng the hotel
He wondered If he were grow
ing old. Thirty-onei Where did mid
die age begin, anyway? Had he lost
his capacity for enjoyment? What
meant all this late restlessness?
He caught his waitress eye. Lad
dition," he said.
He paid his check. tipped the waitress
and rose from his chair. He faced the
entrance and stood. half-straddling his
chair. for a moment Then he sank
back into il.
Bring me coffee-with cognac." he
With a shrug of her shoulders-but
incomprehensible, these Americans
were,-the waitress departed to fulfill
the order
il he were growing old. Now he knew
that he was not-at least not so old but
that the sight of a pretty girl stirred
his pulses. and she was pretty, this
girl who had just entered the cafe
More. she was lovely, The long coat
tina. half veiled the outlines Of her fig
ure could not disguise the supple, de-
licioUs youth of her; and beneath the
iaunty hat tendrils of brown hair, shot
with gold. peeped tantalizingly out.
Her ewes were dark, but Waring could
not tell their exact color. Her face was
oval. with a short, straight nose, per
hsps the least bit tilted, with ador
able chin and a sweetlv curving mouth.
A lovely face, and despite its intense
femininity strong face. And mis-
chievous. too! There was the promise
OF raillery in those dimples.
Warfng was frankly entranced-and
bewildered, So evidently lady. what
on earth was she doing, alone. in
Montrartre restaurant at midnight?
II needed no second glance to tell him
that she belonged TO a class far remote
from that of the pretty dancer who had
SO vainly tried TO intrigue him. War
ing had not Knocked around the world
thirty-one years without learning to
tell, al glance, the demimonda:ne
But this girl
She sat down at table near him;
he heard her order: lithia water. He
noted the color in her cheeks and. now
THAI she was closer, the sparkle in her
thought, the long lashes had treated
that effsct: they We're hazel
Naring found himself looking right
into those eyes. with \ queer impress
sion similar to that wh .ch he had often
experienced when staring over the side
OF a small boat Into deep water-one
pierces shadow and thinks that the
secrets of the deep are solved, when
one discovers that it is another shadow
one sees: mystery turks beyond.
Then he noticed that her color had risen,
and he himself flushed He had been
rude. though Unintentionally He half
lifted his hand to signal the waitress:
then he dropped II 10 the table Without
the slightest firtatious intention. he did
not propose TO leave the cafe just yet.
From the able about him sounded hand
clapping. Warins looked toward the low
stage al one end Of the room. Upon it
had Just appeared couple shabbly at
tired. They began to dance. II was the
usual Apache dance. The woman was
slim. graceful. clever. But the nlan-de-
grading as Waring thought the dance 70
be. he YET was forced TO involuntary ad-
mira ton of the man.
little above the average height - he
would scale within inch of Warnings
hve feet eleven-well built. the man was
not only a graceful dancer, but was
wonderful actor. He threw himself into
the spirit of the dance, he was pantherish
savage. ruthless. barbaric-Waring could
not help himself; he found himself ap-
plauding
He ceased clapping his hands as he
looked at the girl at the near table. Had