The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-21
CHNPTER No. 13.
ROSEMARY"

]
Once outside the restaurant. Freddie,
little new friend went straight acros,
The sidewalk to a cab. Apparently sht
dldn even turn to make sure that n,
stiIl was following her. Perhaps ali tina
she ever had been taught had gone Il
make her certain that-he would, Al
any rate, without a word the thinp
moved forward like a perfectly re-.
hearsed play. The starter went Il
his place at the taxi door and opehet
II for her; Freddie caught an astonish,
ing glimpse Of ankle as her silks flut.
tered into the dark, then he heard her
muffl"d giggle, and found himself be.
side her. And
Home, James" said she to the start.
err, with one Of her little gamin grim
acs. she CAV an address, that Freddie
did not hear, to the man who st5od or
the sidewalk. He repeated it to theiI
chauffeur and they started with q
lurch.
Came silence between them.
Presently Fred was conscious that her
hand was on his arm. He felt the soft
warmth through his sleeve. 1t seemed
a center of spreading poison; a weight
upon his will that was numbing his
pulslng resistance to her with every
throb. lie let his head lean back against
the cushions, Nothing seemed specially
to matter. He had been aching so for
weeks and weeks, Now it came to him
\ haZily that perhaps the trouble had been
a kind Of loneliness, That he might
have needed just-this. Slowly his other
hand closed down on hers. The quick,
raw flash through the cab window Of
q street lamp as they passed ii, touched
their intcrlaCed fingers. Hers were
gIubby and nervous and short; the claw
OF the little bird Of prey; his long and
| clean and firm, and made by God for
n lovely work and a still moro lovely
tenderness.
The cab stopped.
DO We get OUT lie asked a little
stupidity.
Unless you wantcr ride all night,
dearie," She told him. clambering past
him unaided and out to the steps of a
brOwn-Stone house.
Freddie paid the chauffeur and turned
toward her dgail. Already she had
opened the front door with her key;
stood waiting for him with the hall gas
fIaring greenIy i'm the draft above her
head. 1t shonc upon her all too golden
hair and made II glow about her that
was quite of this world. She looked a
tawdry artists idea of an angel on a
dirty Easter card.
And-once more Freddie followed her,
He found himself In what she called
the parlor." He never had seen a
room furnished In Just this way. There
was Il long mirror between the two
front windows. On a marble slab, be"
fore it, was an unCanny tree made OF
white coral Queer, dusty, stuffed
birds, with eyes and tail feathers miss
ing, pcrchcd in painful, ~unbirdlike at
titude on It's limbs, The chairs were
arranged squarely at the corners of the
rug, al facing the center, On the top
of the upright piano was a litter OF
cheap, popular songs some of them
cut from Sunday supplements. A red
rope curtain partly hid the additional
horror Of a room beyond. The dust on
the mantel was so thick-wtth It's conch
shells Variously marked Atlantic City
| and "Asbury Park"--that Freddie saw
ii at once. And over and through and
%perVading everything was the odor OF
| stale food; an odor that day after day
| had arisen from the kitchen to hang
in the air OF a house where open win
dows were looked upon obviously, as
drafts" Freddie gazed at the girl
nOnplussed. lie was completely at u
"Slt down-kid." said she, Hospitality
II gotta tell ma I'm home
In another instant he heard her
bawling in the hall outside;
"Oh2ma! Say-ma, | just come In
with a gentleman friend, I'm going
to play the pianper for hint
Freddie did not hear mas answer,
But the girl came b~ackwto him, her ma
off. and seated herself on the plane
stool. =,
WANT somethin' gay" she, asked.
lie said he guessed he did.
She began to bang out a tune en-
titled: When Just We Two, Begin 10
Woo-In-Xulu.' =.
Freddie watched her-unsmlllng' "
did not take her long to feel that looN
upon her. She fumbled, made one OF
two frightful discords, ana sl9ppeu
What's the mater, old ilum face,
she asked. Don't you like music
What's the mater? Wanter talk? wan
ter tell me the story OF YOU NE
He tried to speak.
'Not-specially," he managed to say.
Then he walked to the window, ah'
soiled window curtains to the street
And-with some new sense he near,
her ever so quietly following HIM; VIII
some new nerve he felt her weigh
against his arm. ,n
H'Nw-you're an awful good~looklll
kid" she whispered to him.
Stlll he did not move,
Come m-be friends she urged
"Tell us what yer do with yerseIt al
day? 30 yer live home-with-you
mother?' ~ -,
should use that word! rms SAD httl
sinner should speak n name tina
I nIt1lEhl W hibN "' 49,
nurC beauty; the feeling OF dear arm
about him to ward off all love less Ii2ly
Almost a cry escaped him. lie Whlp
ned around on the girl behind nun $
quickly that she stumbled back iror
him.
whats eatin' you?' she gaspGd' .
WANT to go," he told her. IL
\ took q step or two. He scarcely say
her now. Already like a child VINO near
! n loved voice calling, he had closed III
l book ON this story n was running |
answer. ,
was not to he too easy. she put ne
/, clenChed fists on her hips belllgerehtl!
4, "Sav, lookit here" she raped on
"You needn't think you can 90 any
' thing yer like around here. You can
; lest take me away from that plac
. where | was haVin' q good time an
then leave me-flat! No-sir' 1o
/ gotta ~
Q He was not too ignorant; lie kne'
tho answer to--this, His hand wer
9 down into his pocket, He brought
i out with every bill he had clutChe
I every which way. He let the money ia
. on the m~antel-down in the dust wit
n tho souvenirs of Atlantic City an
: "Ashury Park" But the light that wa
v guiding him away from her and he
: kind, touched his words and his VOC
n with n glow. a.
$ me, won't you?" he asked. don
[ know what you'd IKE or nuE IL i,'
Won. Buy" suddenly he laughed
q laughter with a surge beneath it a
i deep as the sea-'buy rosemary, sal