The daily morning oasis., 1920-10-27
Nv. RISTORPS.

parent kind entered what had once
been a dwelling of some pretentiOus-
ness. but now was dedicated to the
decadent uses of-according to its
painted signbOard-''R 'RiStOri'S Table
d'Hote-Dinner with Wine 75c.-
Luncheon Soc"
In the corridor at the head of the
first flight she turned to the back of
the house and laid confident hand
upon the knob of the furthest door. It
turned. but the door was stubborn
With a movement of impatience she
knuckled the panels with a triple
knock of peculiar timing A hum of
voices in the closed room died away.
q heavy tread became audible. key
grated. the door swung open. She
went in. ,nodding lightly TO the man
who had admitted her and. finding
herself under the concentrated regard
Of eleven pairs of eyes, paused in the
middle of the floor and struck a spir-
ited pose.
"Good evening, folksl Pipe my new
ragsi"
The silence that answered her was
broken after little by Red Carnehan.
who said heavily: Hello, kid. Sit
down."
Ignoring his invitation to an empty
chair on his right. she dropped her
stopped, lifting her brows a little and
reviewing the company with quizzicai
gaze.
Though both windows were open.
closed shutters prevented any draught
from vitiating the stuffiness of the
private dining room"-a bed-chamher
IN the intention cf the architect In
an atmosphere sitting with smells OF
food, alcohol and truculent perfume.
the smoke of imitation Turkish tobac-
CO hung in lazy, lilac reefs. Discol-
ored paper of morbid pattern was
parting in reluctant spirals from the
walls. Dust of decades weighed down
an elderly carpet and obscured its
fiorid design. Scorbutic paint disfig-
uroO the me OlO WOOuWOrk.
The man who had let Leonora in
having resumed his chair, twelve were
seated at a table Uttered with debris
Of a meal, unclean earthenware plates,
and those high-shouldered bottles Of
dark glass, guiltless of labels, which
seem to be the sole habitat Of the vim
du pays so generally known as "red
inks that to name it by this alias no
longer excites smile.
Because of the heat all the men but
one-Mr Harry the Nut-had put off
their coats and collars, while the wom-
en- had loosened their blouses at the
throat. Sweat beaded faces Of various
compilations, ranging from the SAN
guine countenance of Red to the pasti-
ness of Charlie the Coke. Leonora,
looking from one to another, found
each, with the exception of Reds, sui
len of cast if not openly hostile. She
sketched lofty smile.
"What's the funeral?"
Red Carnehan-red Of head and
hand-an Italo-Celtic product, as slen-
der, supple and sinewy as a snake, and
as deadly-repIied sufficiently, "No-
body's-yet." and again waved hand
toward the vacant chair. 'sWhyn't you
sit DOWN. He added: you're pretty
late"
"What about it," The girl fiounced
to the table and threw herself side
ways into the chair.
English Addie, blonde, blousy and
full-bodied, sprawled half across the
table and, without removing the ciga
rette from her mouth, spoke in accents
Of cloying affection fatty denied by
her semi-sober stare of jealousy:
maybe you won't mind tellin' Us
wat mide you lite, dearie :"
Leonora experienced a qualm of mis-
givings. Had somebody spied on heI
and Mario and hurried ahead to tat
tie? :. Even so, that was matter
between Red and herself, nothing tC
excite ill-feeling in the others. But
Red was apparently unruff1ed, although
unusually subdued for him, and per
haps shade suspiciously impartial ir
his attitude.
She lied readily, without a quiver
naming two plain-clothes men she hat
noticed in the Street of Strange
Faces.
"Ennis and Corbin lamped me or
the way here-if it's anything in youI
young life, Addie dear-and l had t.
chase all over to lose EN-"
"YOu did shake 'em. kid-sureF
Red demanded with keen interest.
"Sure. If hadn't wouldn't be herr
now"
Maybe So" Charlie the COX
drawled In q voice as colorless as th'
flesh of his face-"maybe not"
"Where do you get that stuff
What's all this, anywayf. / want t
know"
Her eyes ranged again the array o
faces, challenging each In turn, AM
getting no satisfaction; for each II
turn averted his gaze with an expires
aien more or less sheeDish and disceO