The Washington times., 1920-09-24


Cieland smiled as he ran over
the pile OF penciled pages on the
desk before him, pausing here anq
there to cross out, intsriine,
punctuate. s..t H.. I,...
when Oswald Grismer was rich
and promised so we'll as a SCULPTOR
raid Better. ''Spink appeared as
usual out of clear sky, alighfed.
folded his wings, and hoped
gravely beside Grismer until the
poor devil came his cropper.
Now, he's always going JIome-
where in a hurry when hss en-
counters Grismer, but his HOW are
you! Glad to see you" en- y,assant.
is even more cordially ,effusive
than before. For Badger Sphinx
never willingly makes an enemy,
either"
"Poor Sphinx. He missey lot"
some loose pages. Tell rae. Harry,
how are things going with you?"
Better said, naively:
when a mans quite 'crazy about
his wife. everything else goes
we'll" =
Cleland laughed:
THAT sounds cony incing. What
a little brick she is! l suppose
you're lunching with her."
"Ratherw He looked at his
watch. God knows he added, 81
don't want to boro her, but IT
would take a ma chine gun to
drive me away. tell you,
Clcland. three years of what
l. went through leave scars
that never entirely heal.
l don't yet quite see how she could
- forgive me-"
HAS she?"
3 I'm trying to understand that
she has. know she has. because
she says so. But it's hard to com.
prehend. She's very,
very wonderful woman. CleIand."
81 can see that"
And whatever she wishes, |
wish. Whatever she desires to do
is absolutely all right because she
desires II. Burt, do you know. Clt-
land, she's sweet enough to ask my
opinion? Think of it!--think OF her
asking my opinion!-wiliing to con-
slider my wishes after what I've
done to her! tell you no. man can
study faithfully enough infinitely
enough, the character of the girl he
loves. I've had my lessm-a terri
/, bic one. / told you once that it was
killing me-would end me some
day. 1t would have IL she had not
held out her hand to me.
1t was the finest, noblest thing any
woman has ever done"
All fat men are prone to nervous
emotion; Better got up briskly, but
his features were working, and he
merely waved his hand in adicu and
galloped OF down stairs to be In
time to join his wife when she
emerged from her seance with the
white circus horse in Hekn,s outer
workshop.
Clelsnd, still lingering with nut
tering solicitude over his manu-
script, heard a step on the stair
and Stephanie's fresh young voice in
gay derision:
You're like a fussy old hen. Jiml
Let that chick alone and take me
somewhere to lunch I've had a
strenuous lesson and I'm starry
ed"
She lodged his demonstration.
eluding him with swift grace, and
put the desk between them.
No! No! I CHANGED, just now, to
witness the meeting OF the Belters,
and that glimpse of conjugsl re-
spectability has stiffened my moral
backbone. Besides, I'm
deeply worried about you, Jim"
about me7"
Certainly. II nils me with anxiety
that you should so far degrade
yourself as to attempt to kiss a re-
spectacle married woman"
She lodged again, just In time,
but he vaulted over the desk and
she found herself imprisoned in his
arms.
"J'll submit II you don't rumple
me-" she said. i've such n darling
gown on-bc very circumspect,
jim
She lifted her face and met his