The Ordway new era., 1920-11-19

have good old-tlme talk while do
my hair
He stared at her. speechless. She
had on kimono of soft pink silk EN-
broidered with gold flowers. In one
hand she held silver-backed hair
brush.
Where are your manuers?" she re-
proved. and she weht to set two chairs
before the full-length mirror on the
wall opposite the bathroom passage.
Come. ! don't want to have to shout
to you over there. Sit down and be-
have"
He started to obey, and blushed as
his stockinged feet appeared from un-
der the edge of his robe. But she had
perched on one OF the chairs and was
studying herself in the mirror.
He seated himself In the chair close
beside her. She handed hirl the hair
brush and PUT up both hands TO her
head. The loose sleeves OF her kimo-
no slipped down. barring her dimpled
white arms He stared. fascinated. at
them and at her shapely fingers, which
were nimbly drawing the pins from
her hair. Soon the thick coils began
to sag.
She shook her head. All the glossy
brown locks came tumbllng down
about her slender shoulders. She
turned sideways. with her back to
him. and, clasping the hairpins in her
lap. sat waiting. He .gazed In Won
dering admiration at the wealth of rip
pllng hair and the shapely little head
from which 1t flowed down.
"Why don't you begin?" she impa-
tlently demanded. you'll never IN
lsh unless you start
"Start?"
brushing. stupid !"
"You-do you mean you wish me to
to brush your hairT"
"Oh, no; I'm merely sitting here for
you TO look at" she bantered. Don't
be n goose"
She caught the brush from him and
made half dozen vigorous strokes.
each time running her free hand under
the brown maze. He took the brush
from her MISUNDERSTANDING hand,
and asked in u deep low tone: Am
| to hold 1t that way with my hand?"
How else can you do it riSht?" she
replied.
He cautiously took full stroke
from her forehead back across her
dainty head and down the ripping
mass of hairs His smile was now that
of man completely lost in blissful in
toxicatlon.
That's better" she said; only still
harder. Don't be afraid. I'm not a
paper doll-There. that's the way.
Now can settle down and talk. First
of all, Tn going to tell you the bad
news and get through with it,"
"Yes?" he asked, inhaling the deli
ci0us fragrance of her hair.
you're not listening. and it's very
| important. 1t has made me dreadfully
| cross at Charlie"
He stiffened at the name, instantly
attentive. THAT fellow? What about
| him? Has he-?"
ayes. But that's not the trouble
the bank has been making fuss.
| 1t can wait. The horrid thing is tndt
about those bonds you lost. They
claim that you have lot of money in
Chicago bank"
Yes. What of it,"
THAT proves what I told Charlie.
OF course you don't realize-you can't
realize"
.'Realize what?" lie asked. pausine
in the midst of long brush stroke.
''Why, about the bonds"
You mean the bonds lost by your
brother?"
Charlie knows some one who has
found out all about them. 1t must
have been detective. He found the
key of the safe deposit vault in your
pocket"
''in my pocket?"
Charlie said the tnan said the key
WAS found in your pocket, and-Oh,
forgot. He said 1t was all secret yet
But of course you're my brother, and
you ought TO know, and you won't tel
will you?"
"Why should l? Please go on.
fail to understand about the key. Bui
how about it? II it was detective
that found the key. he must have dis
covered where it belonged and fount
the missing bonds"