The Washington herald., 1920-10-13
The Marriage Mill
DIsILLUsIONMENT.
By Mildred 4. Bdr60tir
Copyright. 1920, By The Wheeler
Syndicate. Incl


where on earth have you beenr
demanded Osborne, ginning, as AL
ison walked in, closing the door be-
hind her.
The face she turned to him was
frozen with fury. She was too an
CRY to speak.
Neat little row we had down at
the station house" went on Larry
with an obvious effort to pass the
situation of lightly. Had the dew
il of a time convincing the sergeant
I was LAWRENCE Osborne and it was
my own house 1 was breaking into.
he held me on some nasty charge of
being Intoxicated besides. As II i
could be intoxicated on the couple
of nips l had before l left. BY
George, he fiattered me, and / told
him so. Finally got 1t all straight
ened o. X. though and dashed back
here. hoping to get you before you
left"
He paused hopefully, but still AL
iscn said nothing. She had made
no move to remove her wraps but
stood by the table, her head turned
away from him, handling a paper
cutter, with a curious air as though
she had never seen it before.
You were a brick, sweetheart, to
go rushing off that way to pull me
cut q a scrape," went on Larry
with a trace of uneasiness. Luck
lily the family aren't on at all
| They couldn't see me clearly and
| la y
when that damned cop picked me
| off. There wasn't anybody else
around; | guess one of James cats
causing the row"
He paused again and looked at
Alison a trihe wistfully.
It's been a hell of a night, old
| girl. Never again"
Alison flung down the paper cut
ter with a decisive gesture.
! You're right" she said Crisply,
never again"
/ She turned without looking al
| him and went into the bedroom.
Larry stared after her, his good
looking young brow wrinkled in
perplexity.
A curious sound suddenly gall
vanized him. He reached the door
in. two strides and looked in.
Alison was pulling out dresser
drawers and overturning their con-
tents into a couple OF suitcases that
I lay open on the floor.
For the love of Heaven, what are
you DOING"
She looked up at him coldly.
Il am going back to mother"
'What-again? he exploded.
1t was the last straw to her con-
troll.
She dropped the handful of lin
EcIie she held and turned to him,
white with fury.
"Oh, how I hate you" she whis-
pered between clenched teeth.
He gave a short laugh and turn
ing on his heel, went back to the
sitting room.
Then don't let me by any means
detain you he flung back over his
shoulder.
Alison looked after him a mo-
ment, then with little shrug. went
on with her packing. She threw
lingerie recklessly into the depths
of the gaping bags, stuffed toilet
articles into the pockets, and fold
ing a couple OF gowns, laid them
across The top. When she closed
them. there were ribbons luttering
through the fastcnings and with a
trown and concise little word that
is not considered proper by ladies Of
the best families. she opened them
again and jammed in the offending
ends.
Then she took off her hat, went
into the bath and dashed cold wa
ter over her face until her skin
glowed. touch of powder, a quick
redressing of her hair and she
conned the hat once more with a
critical survey of herself in the
mirror.
Tho effect did not please her and
she slipped out of her frock and
into a fresh blouse and a trim tailored
suit with immaculate collar and
cuffs. caught up her gloves and
purse and went in to Larry
He was sitting before the fire,
now burned to a few embers, with
his head in his hands. Through the
drawn curtains at the windows the
grey dawn stole, pointing out with
relentless fingers the disorder of the
gay rose-colored room.
1t seemed to Alison that there
was something symbolical in the
moment: the rose colored dreams,
the happy fancies which she had
woven into the very creation OF that
room-where they they?
Where had they fed?
ITO BE Continued TomorrovD