The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1919-11-20
CONTINUED From Previous Issue. }

glance upward 10 assure nerSelf that
, the man couldn't possibly look. undid
certain fasteners with fingers that
could see in the dark, and subsequent
ly removed one of her best party,
heavy silk champagne-colored stock
ings. This done, she sat back with the
stocking in her lap and stared long
and pensively at the man sitting be-
fore her intent ON the business of go
ing somewhere at the rate of a hun
dred miles an hour. That thought cleo
trified her. A hundred miles an hour
meant fifty for every half hour, and
thirty minutes had certainly passed
since she had delivered her person into
the trap of kindly smile that was not.
She took long breath, leaned for
ward, slipped the stocking deftly
around the mans neck, tied 1t in a
single slipping knot and pulled.
The results were immediate. The
man headed the airplane up for last
grab at altitude, started it on a long,
straight downward glide and cut off
his engine. The blessed stiffness that
followed was so ineffably sweet that
Andrea had to give vent to one great
sigh before she spoke, and while she
was doing that the man calmly drew
hunting knife from his belt and
severed the restraining strands of
stocking that only a moment before
had been almost worthy of the ankle
IL had clothed and adorned.
"Oh' gasped Andrea.
as that all you had to say7" asked
the man. Into the vast and rushing
stiffness his calm voice dropped words
as cool and hard as pellets of ice.
Andrea choked with rage. She had
to swallow lump in her throat before
she could gasp. Il want to go back
at once"
me-" said the man In the same calm
voice, land don't happen to be going
back"
"Not going backl" suffered Andrea,
trying valiantly to appear collected.
II did ask to c-come, but it's ev-
cry womans privilege to ch--change
her mind.
when / first looked at you / saw
smile that was kindly and chival-
rons. How could l know that your
smile Is nothing but camoufage made
up Of lines of di sipation, and your
hideous goggles nothing but a mask
for hard eyes2 l thought you were
man, but you're nothing but beast,
willing to torment girl who has fool
ishly put herself in your power"
MY dear GIRL said the man. you
asked me to bring you with me, and
like fool / did. Now, like woman,
you are crying because didn't bring
you and leave you at the same time.
Same old story. Women are forever
wanting to eat their cake and have it
STILL"
II am not crying" said Andrea. land
my name isn't my dear girl but the
Honorable Andrea Pellor.r She paused
on that weighty announcement.
"Really?" said the man. unmoved.
Brother in the Flying Corps. Nice.
humdrum noble family, as remember
it. Well7"
'Dont" cried Andrea. "Don't start
that horrible noise again. want to
talk to you. I want to--oh, what are
you going to do with me2"
There was pathetic threat Of tears
in the question that should have melt
ed the rockiest heart, but it failed. Il
have no intention of doing anything
with you beyond what you asked for,
and no interest" said the man quietly.
He reached once more for the
throttle. stop cried Andrea. II
must know what you mean. How can
talk to you with that awful din go
ing on?p
"Oh, you'll have lots Of fine to
talk said the man. and NO sooner
were the words out of his mouth than
they were almost wiped off the slate
of memory by the sudden roar of the
engine.
Andrea sank back in her seat, crum-
pied up in body and mind. and cried
like baby Great big sobs came tum-
bling up and out of her swelling
throat. For the first time in many
years she felt that she wanted her
mother and at once.
"Oh, mummy I mummy !" she sobbed
like little child. and moment later,
just exactly like a little child. she
stopped crying, shifted rwice, blinked
her eyes dry and presently smiled for
no special reason. Just as dawn
smiles when its sun breaks out from
the dewy clouds of morning. What
mad happened? Why, a most impor-
tant thing. She had suddenly realized
that no one coulo near her crying, moi
even herselfl
Every person one meets" thought
Andrea, following the line of her dis
covery, .'has to be climbed. Some
people are insignificant mounds and
you just walk over them; others are
nigh cliffs that it takes a long time
to climb but that give you fresh and
Wider views the higher you go. AND
then there are Others" she continued
with vindictive look at the stolid
back in front of her, "that are just
great round hard powders"
Her mouth drew down at the cor
ners, but she would not succumb again
to feeling sorry for herself. Instead
she shielded her eyes once more and
took stock OF the various handiworks
of God The xuorfS xuoc oood RI look