The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-11-11
Eoening Story
The Gray Moth.
BY DORA NOLAN,

for you. Andy-and a month off to
spend it i'm
The brains of the concern ran a
hand thru the mop Of brown curls
/ that covered the spot where his CAPT.
tai stock found housing accommoda-
ton. 1--WE made use of everything
| from a black parrot to a blue mari
gold" he said, ito push Duchette's
toilet preparations SO far-and I've
come to the end of my rope. Why,
! man. I don't even know henna hair
! when see it.''
"I would suggest" replied the SEN
Tor member, highly amused over some
| thing not apparent to Andy, that you
| er over it, And so saying he left the
| office, closing the door behind him..
The girl at the typewriter desk
| by the window flushed and raised
/ hands to thick auburn braids which
encifcled her small head. Andy came
close to her-too close to suit Mrs.
Grundy's idea of the relationship be-
tween a member of the firm and an
employe. His hand rested on the back
| of her chair. She allowed it to stay
there moment before changing her
position.
"What in the deuce is henna hair,
Zona?"
you'll find a sample on your coat
sleeve soon, Mr.. Anderson, if you don't
keep a proper distance. I'm she'd
ding"
''Shades of immortal Venus!" etac-
ulated Andy, you don't mean to tell
me that old fakir is going to put on
the market something any dun-colored
female can slash on her topknot and
have it come out like that glorious
mop of yoursi And it's up to me to be
a party to"
81 believe I'd connive at painting
the Washington monument purple for
$4,000" interrupted Miss Gray.
vacation and all! What do you say
dear?" Now Andys arm found its
way around the girls shoulders.
With a quick shrug Miss Gray shook it
off. She stood up. ''PIl say, Mr.. An
derson, that I have a mornings work
to do which you are interrupting."
"And I'll say, Miss Gray, that your
duty to the firm owes me this much
Inspiration" "Ouch!" cried Zona, rub
bling her head-while Andy departed
laughing, holding gingerly between
thumb and forefinger a hair of the
color fashionably known as "henna."
Entering his own private sanctum,
Andrew Anderson laid his trophy care
fully on his desk, sat down before it
and gazed at it moodily. So far he
had put over ten of Duchettes toilet
preparations successfully but his ideas
for the eleventh bore a strong resem-
blance to a hens tooth. Instead, he
pictured the owner of one particular
head of henna hair alone with him
self in a camp he knew to be for rent
on certain mountain lake-pictured
her out in a canoe, tramping thru the
woods, and SO on without end.
Until the senior partner returned,
which was fully an hour, his secre-
tary's mornings work. seemed to
consist of gazing from dreamy gray
eyes down upon a traffic laden street
and desultory scrutinizing of morn
the society page caught her attention.
This won a second reading, which re-
suited in concentrated thought. From
the time when he did appear until L
o'clock Mr.. Andrews kept her busy.
Then Andy came in ready to go out
to lunch with the head of the firm,
as was his daily custom. 1t was while
the latter was making preparations to
leave that IONA inquired of Andy
whether the morning had brought an
| Inspiration for the lad" work on the
henna compound. Andy -sloomily
shook his head.
IF should offer a suggestion with
| in a week and you think it worth
while. would you consider that I had
earned one of the two thousands-and
the privilege of advising you what to
do with the other?"
you'd earn my everlasting graft
tude; everything else I have is yours
ply.
Late on the following Saturday aft
ernoon IONA Gray stood gazing down
on various articles of wearing apparel
| carefully spread out on her bed. They
| represented hours of patient toll on
| her part-and a nearly empty purse
But if she should win out! Zona
| closed her eyes, then opened them
determinedly The time had come for
action, not for dreams!
| At 9 o'clock that night there stole
| out of Zona's room a becloaked and
beveiled figure. On the street it hailed
taxi and gave as its destination a
popular inn some miles outside the
f, city. The doorman at the casino con-
nected with the inn listened, to the
accompaniment of the throbbing nu-
sic within, to the murmured explana-
| ton of fair lady who had been pre-
vented by circumstances from arrfv-
| ing with her party. And on Monday
| morning Andrew Anderson found on
his desk a folded sheet~of note paper
| and a copy of a morning daily.
| Andy opened the folded paper and
read: THE woman who wins the
prize for the most beautiful costume
| at the charity masque has my per-
| mission to call at my studio, 425 Mac
dougal street, at her earliest oppor-
tunity and arrange for sittings for her
portrait to be painted in said costume
by me. PAUL RENEE"
| browning IN perplexlty at the con-
| tents of the communication, Andy
whistled in surprise when his eyes fell
on the signature of the best known
artist of the dayl He picked up the
daily and perused the marked article
Fair Unknown Wrests Prize from
| Society Leaders" Andy's eyes rapidly
| followed the print down the column:
Beautiful girl appears from no one
| known where. Costumed as a gray
moth, with body. feet and antennae
of that popular color known as henna,
! she vanished directly after receiving
reward. Artist Paul Renee raves over
the beauty of her hair, which he de-
clares is true henna shade and all her
| own. He praises her skill in using it
as part of the color scheme of her cos
tune. Her identity will be revealed
when she avails herself of the privi-
! lege of having her portrait done by the
| Meantime the door to ASndy's office
had opened softly and a voice spoke
! over his shoulder. IF I allow you to
use that picture in putting over the
y