The Washington times., 1920-08-23
The Restless Sex
A Romantic Film Drama With
MARION DA VLES
BY Robert w. Chambers
By Robert w. Chambers.

light. OF retrospection did he now
mean what he had said last nighty
MENTAL INTOxICATION.
or had IL all been due to the place
and the hour-the relaxing OF con-
vention in the shattering din OF
music and laughter-the whiriwind
OF gayety and excitement--the girls
beauty-the sudden thrill OF his
contact with her? Was that what
had accounted for what he had done
and said ?-brute impulse loosed by
passion born out OF nothing more
noble than the moments mental In
toxication-nothing more real than
ephemeral emotion. excitement
sheer physical sensation?
Ii was not like him. He realized
that. Hitherto his brain had been
in control of his emotions. His was
a clear mind. normally. Impulse
seldom tripped him.
He had never been In loye-never
tried to persuade himself that he
had been, even when he had, In his
boyish loneliness in Paris, built for
himself a bewitehing ideal out OF
very familiar Stephanie and had ad-
dressed to this ideal several reams
of romantic nonsense That had
been merely the safety valve work
ing in the very full and lonely heart
OF boy.
Even in the gay ephemeral, ir-
responsible affairs that occurred
from time to time during his career
abroad-even when in the full tide
of romantic alteration for his mum
dane countess, and fairly wallow-
ing in fattered gratitude for her
daintily amused condescension, did
he ever deceive himself into belieV-
ing he was in love.
QUESTIONS If HE IS IN LOVE.
And now. in the lurid light of the
exaggerated. bewiIdering, dispuiet-
ing events of the preceding day and
night. he was trying to think clear
Iy and hone estly-trying to reconcile>
his deeds and words with what he
had known of himself-trying to
find out what really was the mat
ter with him.
Stephanie had exasperated him even
more by not responding to that pas
sion. He had declared his love for
her: he had attempted to drive the
declaration into her comprehen-
reiteration. The tranquil. happy
loyalty, which. always had been his.
was all he evoked in her for all the
impulsive vows he made. for all his
reckless emotion loosened with the
touch of her Iips-so hotly un-
governed when her gray eyes looked
into his, honestly perplexcd, sweet
ly searching to comprehend the
source OF these fierce flames which
merely warmed her with their
breath.
'It's a curious thing" he thought.
that a man. part Of whose profess
sion is to write about love and
analyzc it. doesn't know whether
he's in love or not"
1t was quite true. He didn't
know. Accepted symptoms were
lacking. He had not awakened
thrilled with happiness at the
memory of the night before. He
awoke dazed and doubtful that all
these things had happened. worried.
searching in his mind for some
reason for his behavior.
And, except that a man had taken
her out of his keep, and that re-
sentiment and jealousy had melted
him to recover her. and, further. in
the excitement of the attempt. that
he had suddenly found himself in
volved in deeper. fiercer emotions
than he had bargained forl he could
come to no conclusion concerning
his actual feeling for Stephanie.
He spent the day hunting for a
studio-apartment.
About 5 o'clock he called her on
the telephone; and heard her voice
presently:
Have you quite recovered, Jim?
! feel splendid"
Recovered? ! was all right this
morning when I woke up
II mean your senses?"
(To He Continued Tomorrow.)
1917. 1918. by the international
Magazine Company