Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-08
The Woman Halter
BY Ruby Ayres

trese HnOt into Trnnterg eyes,
He rushed into the conversation.
| Where Is that confounded waiter7
WHY. the deuce---there he is. I'll go and
He left the table, and for. moment
There was a little pause. during which
| she leaned back In her chair and con-
'idered him with an anxious line between
her soft eyes. Then she said deliber-
"Y9u did not know was Mrs, Dun
me; otherwise should not have
She leaned a little forward forward, her her honey home
pee brown eyes fixed on his face.
Forgiven your" He echoed her world
disPasslonsteiy. II am afraid don't
She caught her breath with a sharp
"oh. do you hate me so much as that1"
| she asked.
~. Hate your He laughed m,rthlessly.
dun feeling at his hearth he wondered.
| he looked at her steadily for q moment,
| not answering.
had once borne her, 30 now could his
hate be measured -
Tranter came back with an apolosetic
waiter. He was irritable and impatient.
| so was uiICattliHH 10 btHu IOT Ine
manager and to dine elsewhere In future.
You know you don't mean II. Come
cheer up. It's not much Of a compliment
to Mrs. pundas to scowl like that"
Tranter's frown relaxed. He looked
at Mrs. pundas alphabetically
I'm sorry, but the attention here Is
| getting hopeless However, I've scared
him into good behavior for this even
He laid his hand lightly on her hand
| Tor moment, and Miles looked quickly
away.
What q fool Tranter was, he thought.
Tranter went on talking. He was
| gradually recovering his cheeriness.
| We'll, Lallie, Is Miles at all as I de-
scribed him?' he asked.
1t was obvious that he was desper-
ately anxious for these two to be friends.
and II hurt him to feel that his friend
ship with Miles Faversham might have
to suffer for the sake of the woman he
was determined to marry.
drew her hand from beneath his.
| He Ia just exactly as you described
him anywhere"
boyish In some ways. He turned to
"There you are! See how faithfully
I described you !" he said. triumphantiy.
| miles nOOQeO.
You must have for Mrs Dundas to
say she would have known me anywhere,
seeing that we have never met before"
Have we not?" She held her pretty
head little to one side, considering
HIM DO you know. ! % seem TO think
der where II could have been7"
Faversham mot her eyes squarely.
| Il have not tho remotest idea, he
said. II have spent a great deal OF my
1 oh l,,Etv taa at faxU
and I 60 very little into what I suppose
Is called society"
She laughed amusedly.
| "Oh. of course, forgot! Philip told
think It's too bad Of you. Mr.. Faver-
"Philip has rather exaggerated the
case" Miles answered, evenly. He knew
rouse him to some show, Of emotion
II am afraid I am too Indifferent to
Philip moved uncomfortably He was
tive concerning his friends affairs.
You know what they say" Mrs.
Dundas went on lightly. that to be in
different to all women q man must once
have cared too much
Miles laughed unconcernsdly.
agreed. Certainly. In my calf days:
I t,, once made ,,S, complete idiot Of myself
"And YOU have never forgotten herr"
He shrugged his shoulders.
Forgotten herl Well, one would
hardly do that any more than one would
when S fGr ,sst Ute asw w'iv her =" :" 1snd now @
he looked her sauarely in the eyes) my
| only emotion was sheer amusement that
I had eyer lost nights sleep on her
"You mean she had changed so-had
grown ugly?'
Miles laughed grimly.
| "She had not altered at ALL" he said
I'm fact, / could hardly believe that so
many years had passed since she wiped
her shoes on me and walked away. No !;
am afraid the change was In myself.
was was simply Indifferent to her. that Is
whioh he had been studying. He rather
fanoisd himself as an eptcure.
ssRsd sss vasasy sIy 'TG Me ooasS at Mrs.
Dundas, and his eyes grew concerned.
Are you ill7 Is the room too warm
for. for you" he asked you are 80
She forced a smile. shaking her charm
II am always pale. No, am quite
we'll. thank you, and ENJOYING myself
.aSS.nf fhMP M yss ssSss tod aons
TT knew you'd like one another"
Philip said Enthusiastically. why not
on sv Nth Us to ,h. the concert on tss
to have you, oh, Lallier"
"Delighted---there is third ticket.
WIN you Gomez" She turned to Faver-
'tth pretty eagerness.
attitude toward her. She hated to feel
that her power over him was gone.
The boy she had played with and then
thrown aside years asS had sc6,saa srSwn into ths
fact reluctantly. She liked the steadi-
ness OF his eyes and the hard fold OF
his lips. Here was q man whose con-
quest would be a thing to hold secure
Beside him. Philip Tranter seemed In.
significant and embarrassing, Surely u
was fate that had thrown Miles back
into her life, and who still had card
to play In the game she had believed
finished all those years ago
DO come with us. won't your she
urged softly.
Faversham shook his head.
Thanks, I think not Concerts are
Hssides. I've an engagement; some other
He was thankful when the dinner was
ended and he was free to 80. He felt
presence. It was as II some hand were
dragging him back to the past and fore
| ing him to open the graves OF memories
long dead and buried: And he did not
wish to open them. The sIas past was noysr over
ing to him any more.
f'Who's the engagement with. old
top?" Tranter asked him as they waited
In tho vestibule for taxi.
GLAD Miles had refused TO accompany
them to the concert although he had
given tho invitation. Mrs. pundess