The Mena weekly star., 1918-01-10

girl leaned toward nm, speaKing ran ioly, pouting. Monohan nodded. drain Cd his glass. signaled waiter. When she got Into an elaborate opera cloak and Monohan Into his Inverness they went out, the plump, jeweled hand resting familiarity on Monohans arm stella breathed sigh of relief as they passed, looking straight ahead. She watched through the upper half of the care window ana saw a machine draw against the curb saw the besearfed yellow head enter and Monohan's silk hat follow. Then she relaxed. but she had little appetite for her food. hot wave of shamed disgust kept coming over her. She felt sick, physically re- yolted. Very likely Monohan had put her in that class in his secret thought. She was glad when the evening ended and the Towards left her at her own doorstep
 On the carpet where it had been thrust by the postman under the door. white square caught her eye, and she picked 1t up before she switched on the light. And she got a queer It, tie shock when the light fell on the envelope, for it was addressed fin Jack fyfe's angular handwriting.
 She tore 1t open. It was little enough iL the way of letter. a couple of lines scrawled across a sheet of note paper.
 Dear Giri-I was in Seattle few days ago and heard you sing. Here's hoping good luck rides with you JACK.
 Stella sat down by the window. Out side the ever present Puget sound rain drove against wall and roof and side walk, gathered in wet, glistening pools in the street. Through that same win dow she had watched Jack Fyfe walk out of her life three months ago with out backward look, sturdily. silently, accomplishing. He hadn't whined: he wasn't whining now, only fiinging a cheerful word out of the blank spaces of his own life into the blank spaces of hers. Stella felt something warm md wet steal down her cheeks.
 She crumpled the letter with sud. den. spasmodic clinching of her Aal4d A lump rose chokingly in Ter throat 1 She stabbed at the light switch and } threw herself on the bed. sobbing her hearts cry ill the dusky quiet And she could not have told why, except that she had been overcome by q mis- erably forlorn feeling All the mental props she relied upon were knocked out from under her Somehow those few scrawled words had flung swiftly before, like a pit ture on q screen, a vision of her baby toddling uncertain ly across the porch of the white bunga- low. And she could not bear to think of that
 
 When the elm before her window broke into leaf and the sodden winter skies were transformed into warm spring vista of blue Stella was singing a special engagement in local vaude- vile house that boasted "big time" bill. She had stepped up. The silvery richness of her voice had carried her name already beyond local boundaries, Gs the singing master undsz whom she studied prophesied it wor% In proof thereof she received during April a feminine committee of two from Van couver bearing an offer of $500 for her appearance in series of three con certs under the auspices of the Wom- ans Musical club. to be given in the ballroom of Yancouvers new million dollar hostelry. the Granada The date was mid-July. She took the offer ma- der advisement. promising a declslon fin ten days.
 Tn. money tempted her. That was her greatest need now, not for her 1 daily bread but for an accumulated fund that would enable her to reach New York and ultimately Europe, if that seemed the most direct route to her goal She had no doubts about reaching it now Confidence came to abide with her. She throve on work. And with increasing salary her fund grew. Coming from any other source, she would have accepted this further augmentation of it without hesitation, since for comparative beginner it was liberal offer.
 ITO be continued next wsek.l