The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1919-12-25

y The window beside him wa.
.iopen, and between the curtains
crept a sluggish, unsavory air-ar
air smelling of sun tortured
asphalt, horses and burned gaso
line He did not want that atmos
phere any more than he wanted his
breakfast. Disguised, out of hui.
NOR, he turned his head-and con.
fronted the girl who was not g
princess.
She was outside, of course, on
the sidewalk before his window
Of course, too, she had not stopped
to gaze at the dark faced young
man who scorned his breakfast.
Her red brown eyes we're intent
upon a glass show case which had
been moved to the door during an
elaborate cleaning of the approach
to the breakfast room-a door
opening upon the ross street i'm
stead of the avenue.
Her eyes were lovely in tint and
depth, but they were more than
hungry-they were avid. They
cleaned with eager desire. Noel
saw her silk gloved hands clench
expressively, saw her nostrils flut-
ter and expand. She wanted
what9 His glance traced her re-
gard.
The show case contained a
varied display. There were silver
vanity cases and urses, markers
for bridge whist, vases of silver
dreaded crystal, a gaudy cushion
If gift brocade, several fans, a
fancy lamp, and a French doll
gorgeously apparelled. The girl
was looking at the doll.
If she had been caught by the
allure of any trinket or ornament
there, Noel would not have been
stirred, except to cynical amuse-
ment. But the doll! Surely that
implied unselfishness, at Least,
since she could not want the play
thing for herself.
He wondered what a baby SIS
ter to this girls prettiness would
be. A sunny bit of mischief, prob
ably, and not unlike the French
doll. He glanced from the blonde
curls of the beauty in the glass
case to the bronze curls of the girl
on the sidewalk and smiled at his
own fancy.
At that instant the girl turned
and met his eyes across the barrier
of the window sill. Somehow Ell
tangled, their glaces fingered to-
gether. Noel's regard was curious
yet kinde than he himself realized,
The girls eyes were candid and
grave, for all their startled widen
ing.
And then to his enormous sur
prise, she spoke to him:
Il beg your pardon, but perhaps
you know-perhaps you will tell
mellow one gets those thingsa /
mean, does one dance for them?"
OF course she spoke of dancing!
What in all the world could seem
more natural to herf Her very
voice was light and came like
hurrying steps, with smooth, unex-
pected little glides and hesitations.
Eyes" Noel answered. "Those
are prizes offered by the hotel,
each evening after IL o'clock, to
the best pair of dancers on the
floor"
ITO the best coupled"
Certainly"
Disappointment clouded the
girls face, and a childish patience
crept into the farewell glance that
she turned toward the show case.
"Thank you," she told David,
with a bend Of her head.
But he was not minded to be dis
missed quite SO summarily. She
had priced his interest and curl
|osity.
"You like the dollf', he asked,
pleasantly impersonal. II believe
it is ticketed for tonight s contest,
lif you intend to compete
THANK you, she said again.
No, I cannot. I thought it might
perhaps be for one dancing alone
The originality Of the sugges-
Ition prompted Noel to. arrest her
departure by another speech.