The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1921-09-22

nothing typicaily Spanish In her ap-
pearancs. Indeed shs Impressed me
ss t.ic-,ughly American In features,
dress and manner. somewhere In the
,tNsntiSs ! should 3sdse. with brown
eyes and fuce decidedly piea,ant TO
LOOK upon. although with dimne2s
| toit, expressed by mouth and chin, not
10 be mistaken. ! noted these things
| nurredly. never venturing to stare at
ner. though she apparently gave me
no attention whatever. Somehow the
girl seemed strangely out of place In
that dingy saloon-she did not In any
sense belong. She was evidently not
tnere seeking company, nor was she
drinking; and yet there must surely
De some meaning to her presence.
The proprietor approached me, lean
ing one hand on the table.
There fs nothing moref" he asked.
NO. this will answer very WELL"
He fingered. tempted to question me.
"You have not been In before? Per-
maps you do not live nearf"
Il do not" l replied frankly. ~
travel out of Boston. and sell lumber.
l have been doing some business with
the yard down below"
Il see. You are not from New York.
l make 1T"
mo: Boston has always been my
home"
"Once l live there. too: when I first
come north from Rio. What you think
about this wari We lick Gerpany-
heyf"
"Oh. don't know; she seems to be
more than holding her own"
"Ach. yes. But now this country 20
In; what then3"
looked up quickly into his face,
with . swift desire to test his real
sentiment.
This country! Why should II 20
In! There are Germans enough over
here to stop that"
mot Germans-no. But Interna-
uonals, revolutionaries. They are
more than you think. 'Tis time for
them to strike q great blow"
You are Polish. are you notr"
yah, from Warsaw. / come over
six years."
"Naturnlixedf"
II have first pspers-why you ask ?"
suspiciously.
II merely questioned from curios.
ity." My eyes wandered once more to
the girl across the room, and he no
tced the glance.
you wonder what she do In here1"
he asked. II tell you. She was my
niece, an sit here to wait for a friend
to walk home with her. 1t is not a
good neighborhood. this. for q woman
alone In the dark"
Her home IL some distancef"
tve-s!S hiecks. Il is e dark. bad
way"
He moved back toward the bar. ap-
parently satisfied with his examination
OF me. as well az his explanation. I
wondered grimly why he had taken
the trouble to tell me all this, and or.
dered another glass Of beer as an ex-
cuse to linger there q while longer.
What was the party like who was to
call for the girl1 did not have to
hnger long to crafty my curiosity.
The side door opened silently, and q
man stepped briskiy inside, shaking
the rafndrops from his coat a. he
greeted the barman chesrfly.
"A dirty night JAMS" he said, gianc-
Ing swiftly about, his eyes sweeping
over me sharply. Business not very
good. supposel"
dead. It's no good now any more,
with all the factories closing I'D be-
cause OF the war. Just some salesman
drops In for q beer. That makes ma
nothings."
The newcomer laughed, evidently
put quite at ease by this quick expla-
nation. I was watching him. A rather
thick-sst fellow with q turned-up mus
tache and .. dishguring scar on one
cheek. which gave to his eye peculiar
expression. Watching the fellow
must have missed some signal, for he
whiried about suddenly and confront
ed the GIRL. who had already risen to
her feet and stood expectantly, one
hand yet resting on the table.
"Ah. senorita! You were waiting
for me to come" he exclaimed. "Yer
have not kept you long"
~Oh. no." she answered quietly in
Spanish. her voice 50 low the words
barley carried to where sat. "You
were delayedr
"A car blockade at the wharf. No,
thank you, Jams, nothing tonight. You
would 20. senorita?
There can be nothing to remain
longer here for. surely"
1 watched them disappear through
the side door. marking his grasp on
her arm and her quick glance aside
into his face. There had been some
thing wrong about this meeting. some.
thing undeniably awkward and con-
strained. These two were not what
they pretended to be--old- time friends
meeting incidentally to walk home to-
gether. They were strangers. coming
together there for the first time by
appointment. Neither had previously
known the other. had even detected
fear. doubt. In the expression Of the
girls face.
Yet ! dare not move. or attempt to
follow them. could only sit quietly,
tVNx<