Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-26

2bo way you Keep aDout
that portfolio. mamma. like it was
Il only say. Esther, what q grand
| thing it would be IL Abe would meet
us when We get to Paris. Like he
says. Esther. all what he waits for
is the word from you that he should
| come. Right to me on the pier. say
ing goodbye, he said those words"
NO wonder. the way you stuck
next to him. mamma"
HT>HINK, Esther. a smart boy like
Abe what is always so thought
! full of everybody to help US around il
Paris. where you got to be SO careful.
they say. you don't get cheated. ebr
Next to Niche himself. nothing could
give papa so much pleasure either as
Abe should be there with US. Here.
! baby. right here is the silver ring.
berth out Of the case get the port
| folio and write to him on the pink
writing paper. eh?"
| oh. mamma, you-you get me so
mad. Honest, I-oh. i could Just cry
the way you keep at me. Please,
mamma, let-let my AFFAIRS alone"
! All right, Esther. / let them alone.
Your old mother only wishes you the
worst. She wishes you to forget
grand. honest boy like Abe for
4 otCooSN-0p niA W nat you meet oh tHt
boat I'll let you alone. I'll let you
alone Right back in my bag goes
| the silver key-ring. I'll let you alone"
I That's what want you to do"
Il tell you. Esther. this pain what
] got over my heart yesterday and to-
day amt for nothing. 1 tell you the
! excitement when you nearly missed J.
! the boat this afternoon. and for a
| mother to see all of a sudden her
baby begin nonsense with a nix from
/ Chinoon xrho Ay Lrn
nothing about. except what he brags
| himself. is enough to give heart
failure. Better We had stayed right
| at him in
| tongue to hold in. That's how mad
you and your old fogy ideas make
me. What do you know about-ahout
| things that go on in the-the real
| world: about an up-to-date fellow
like him that's been around the world
three times and knows things? You
and your old fogy ideas don't count.
mamma"
| Esther"
"They don't They-they just don't
lin sick Of you always picking on
him when you don't know. I-Oh-
| oh-oh."
She was off into the rearward gloom
| of the deck examining her handker-
chief against her lips. inarticulatY
sobs escaping from it's lacy elge; down
| edge OF deckspread groups. skirting
1 their laughter and the froth of con-
versation, and in a deserted corner of
the oak balcony, generous ledge
overlooking the luxurious. bright
lighted homegrown. she found refuge:
| and trying to quiet the humping OF
her heart. curled herself in the great
| embrace Of a brown velvet divan. her
hot cheeks to it's nap in the hot tears
. Of inc hor nj
music f1oated up to her light and re-
motely. and the foam Of lighter
laughter.
From her balcony. sitting there a
small huddle of squandered emotions
! and bankrupt vitality. her hair fallen
awry and the red rims fresh about
her eyes. Esther Lefkovitch caught
I sight of that table. though directly
bneath her balcony, through one or
the long mirrors opposite. She Leaned
| forward: then farther. her lips open
ing. A tear dried and left a vitrified
glistening on her cheek.
Through the mirror and the gray air
Of cigar smoke, shirt-sleeved and
hunched over a fare Of five cards
lifted close before his eyes, she be-
held her father. And around the table
above open collars and vari-colored.
vanished stacks of chips. a circle of
mems faces, unrelaxed and as il
l carved from CneETy StOneS.
| First in the foreground the cool, col
Jared vision Of Mr.. Danziger. drawing
unto himself from the center Of the
table a great mass of the vari-colored
chips. In silhouette she could see
her parent stunning a fresh deck OF
cards. dealing them five times around
with q quoitlike motion. across the
| tabletop. Then her gaze returned
and fingered upon the figure beside
l 3; - I'm, hn fan
of his cards ever SO slightly. discardE
ing, tossing his offering of chips
lightly to the center of the table. and
every SO often and with great fire.
uuency scoopiAg in the center loot of
them.
Watching that vaudeville OF sight
without sound the imperturbable
breadth of his back. the imperturba-
BILE line Of his profile. the muscles
which rose on the backs of his hands
with each scooping-in. lights flickered
for q moment in Miss Lefkovitch's
eyes. then burned quietly in their
depths like altar candles.
: Suddenly. as she watched. chin cup
ped in PALM. head dropped into th4
bunch Of her shoulders. she leaned
forward, gripping the edge of the
divan; leaned closer. her quick breath.
too light to- flutter-- a leaf, coming
through her open lips. Passed quar-
ter-hour, a hail., an hour and stu
| she sat there immobile, her hyp-
Noticed eyes on She mirror. Two spots
of color came out round and burning
on either cheek and one heat wave
| raced another through her BODY.
with the great effort Of pulling her
strength together, she rose finally. out
trembled and grasped at the oalcony
| rail for support. Then. after last
interval. she tiptoed down a brief car,
neted staircase to the near door OF
the lounge, lifted q fold OF heavy
| hrown portiere and slipped into H'
| stood there an additional quarter
hour her hand at her throat.
t-EAcHING out from that fold, she
X might have brushed her fathers
sleeve. A waiter pussy-footed through
the doorway, almost touching her. AT
That moment, and with q deerlike
hound that landed her even farther
thon her gauge, Miss Lefkovitch III
| beside the card table. her small Ien.
fingers closing over MT; Dansisee
relaxed wrist. the wn1. 1. ,sce For q.
\ second and. wrenching It from ms
| surnriaed fingers, she danced back
ward from him. waving 1t.
| II got you! Got you! saw MN.
| pa. Saw him work 1t five times; saw
leaned toward her father: wavinS
the card higher above her head, the
tremoio Of hysteria in her voice.
always under his cuff he worked
1.-THE far side. Look for yourselves
and see what else he's got there.
H Hsks ,t the r axe Fl r., take it.
In the sudden upheayal Of chairs