The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-07-05

played the part of the bigigunS in that
nevere-ending campaign.
The next moment the woman,
obviously awakening toG the fact that
she was in a public place where all
display of private emotion was tabu.
closed her hand on the pendant and
with a ghost of shrug dropped II into
her highly ornate little handbag Then
his hand, already slinting with many
rings, reached out across the table.
anu the mans hand took possession of
IT, closed about IT. and retained it.
It was a love-scene. but could find
nothing idyllic about it., 1t had. in
some way, a SAVIOR OF wildslife about It.
L made me think of pursuit and cap
ture The trap was sprung. The web
was woven about the moth But who
can feel sorry for the downfest captive
when, she. wears a smile of sleepy con-
teutment, closes the incident by snap
ping fortune shut in a Powered hand
bag, and imperially consults a menu
card printed in cream and gold? Yet
as they played out their version of that
sordid cid drama It suddenly became
so repugnant to ME that I was glad to
turn away to. another quarter Of that
midniRht restaurant
AS I did so my gaze fell on what
"tango-rat," a white-faced man thing
paid to caper while other people ate.
giving an exhibition-dance ON the high
| ly polished floor. He was doing this
with what must have been his profess
sIonaI partner. About the pair. too.
| there. seemed something abnormal,
something hectic and unhealthy. some
: thing which left a vague ache for the
sanities OF open air and sunlight.
Tho face OF that, tWo-legged dancing
rodent was almost cadaverous in its
| leanness, his waist looked as though
If were corseted. and his mouse colored
| hair, sliclSed straight back from his
high and narrow forehead. made me
think Of grass that had been trying to
grow up -Inder a board. His face.
bleached t by too many midntshts
in smoke poisoned air, was the color Of
billiard ball-white, family tinssd
with yellow. His feet inj their narrow
toed patent-leather pumps. IooIxsd
mincing and under sized His hands.
too. were white, white IS a BARRIERS.
and az no posed and gyrated and
pranced he smiled down at his partner
in chiffon with smile SO fixed that 1t
became leer..
rrided myself on knowing the type,
and further prided myself on loatning
| and Authorizing Il. 1 abhorred in fact
the whole scene.
They called it The Byzantine
Room" I remembered. And It was
barbaric enough for its name. And
I was on the point Of making an effort
to escape from Byzantium back into
modern View York by migrating into
the Annex whose simpler walls OF
white and green 1 could see through
the open windows beside me, when a
movement IN another part of the room
caught and held my attention.
A uniformed page pushed his way
| through to the table where Cappie
Cairns sat watching the bare shoulders
Of the woman across the table from
4 him. could see that the man had
been called to the telephone. He came
back, in a minute or two, looking
serious. L could see. as plain as print
that, having been called away, he was
adjusting himself to q hope deferred
that he was explaining anu expostulat-
ing and doing his best 20 soften a mis-
fortune which gave no promise OF
crushing the lady confronting him.
Once he had passed out of the room
noticed Verfyn vachen went on with
her meal She went On with it indus
triously and abstTacted1y, putting her
J beside her when the waiter with the
} eyes as ezprsssionIess as a muIlet
\ bruught In her tray. with a steaming
n Casserole enclosed in silver, a casserole
J which she contemplated with still abb
strzcted gaze.
Them L noticed something which
promptly took MY thoughts away from
that pictorial lady and err appetite
What saw was merely a white hand
saw it slip quietly along the hligreed
window-Iedse where Ter1yn VachelP'
handbag lay.
The owner Of the hand was crouchec
somewhere on the Annex side of tina
parteTre OF indoor easements.
The next moment saw the lean and
gf1ostliloe fingers close about the bae
and withdraw it.
got up quietly but quickly from my
table and stepped over toward wher'
Verlyn VacheH was sitting. 1 wa
! within three feet OF her table corne
when 1 saw the same white hand ap
pear once more at the window-ledge
saw it-return the bag to where it haC
b been resting At almost the same tim,
she too seemed to remember that thi
iimsy rettcule held much newly ac
quired wealth. for she turned quickly
looked at the bag. and then lifted /
down ana placed It in her lap.
Instead Of stopping at her table. a
! II had intended to do. moved OIL
: until came to the palm bordered arch
: way opening into the Annex. ha'
: done little more than pass through tn
: doorway when I met the white-face'
tango-rat coming out Of the all-but
empty Annex.
I quickly but eovertly studied hi
face as he came toward me- And
n knew. as saw that face. that he wa
n the man who had taken the HANDBAG
q from the window-ledge.
!, VIII you try this one-step with me
e brazenfy vet lispingly asked OF him a
= blocked his way to the floor.
4 1T would be q pleasure" he an
- swered with his purely commercia
d politeness.
i VIII you take me to my table
y please" I asked my partner as tn
4 dance came to an end For had Ger
2 tain things to find out from that tired