The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-02-25
An
Adventure
Romance

| and get away with II. She won't look
over her shoulder and read the record
Of an endless losing run on tie black"
Miss Van Il. smiled.
I'm already beginning on my re-
ward,n she said. you've never talked
80 well before In your life"
Its more than talk said Bobby.
tlushing angrily, "And the ways OF
access TINT YOU have inagInedw he
continued you read happy stories
20 the public taste OF midInettes, show
room girls, and dress-models. and per
haps YOU Think they mirror the life.
Why, Madge, the tannts that those
girls fling indifferently at virtue and
sat vice are so vile that they couldn't
be repeated even among half.aecent
men. And the other way, the private
door for the private secretary. That's
q road Of burned bridges. Every
man, decent or Indecent, feels d queer
sinking Of the heart when he hears of
q woman taking IT. He looked at her
shrewdly, ..And vet You may doAit,'
tf@ tfaAtAt nun w II HOu dfE
one OF the hungry women, God help
you, for they all walk blindfolded'
They don't walk said Madge,
flushing. and her eyes cleaning
strangely. That's just the point they
rush, whlrl. and
And crash finished Bobby.
That's the very word" said Madge.
IF you'll only keep ON the way you've
started. I'D love to talk to you all
night
mo chance Of that" said Bobby,
straight-lipped. I'm through, and I'm
going" He turned toward the door.
met without kissing me good-by,
BobbyW cried Madge.
He looked over his shoulder with a
polite but impersonai smile.
I'm not much on kissing strange
women" he said lightly. ut would
take me years to learn to kiss you
again ~
He left the room and the house.
With his. top-hat pushed back on his
head, the ends OF his mufiier flying
loose, his overcoat half unbuttoned,
he swung up the deserted lower
reaches of the Avenue, punctuating
his thoughts with the solid rap of his
stick on the pavement 1T might be
supposed that he WINS thinking and
mourning over the sudden demise OF
the Miss Van Teller he had thought
he had known for many years, but
such was not the case.
MFR. Randolph was not built on
mourning lines; MT the moment under
review, he was thinking about himself
and the strange fate that had made
him foster-chifd of fortune. He pro-
ceeded to look back ten years. Just a
decade ago he had had his one meet
ing with the young lady whose dIsap-
pearance had brought him an unstable
affiuenee. 1t had taken place on this
very avenue and less than forty short
blocks away. He had reason to re-
member the encounter. for 1t had
brought into sudden conjunction a
lovely Persian eat, a lovely wire-haired
terrier, lovely chil@ AID himself.
The cat had dashed from proud
front door to cross Forty-sometlfing
street under the nose OF taxi-cab ;
the dog had flown in yapping pursuit
and In the act, yanked his young mis-
tress on her pins, He, Mr.. Randolph,
had seized one OF her flying feet,
hauled her and the terrier back to
safety, and no sooner placed her up
right and smoothed down her absurdTy
short skirts than he, she, and especial
. " 1t, the dog, became the center and
circumference Of an animated pin
wheel.
Her mistaken determination to hold
to the leash, whatever happened
brought disaster. The said leash
wound three times round her ankles
AMI those OF Mr., Randolph, bringing
them both down kerplink and facing
each other. "My, what bumpl' she
had cried, In startled tones, and then
thrown back her curly head and
laughed.
Il was SO that he remembered her
a child of ten or eleven summers and
no winters, merry as a sunny day
dark-haired, dark-eyed, checked
pampered but unspoiled, She had
risen and taken his hand. told him
her name, thanked him, ordered d
tlnrrled nurse to thank him, shaken
her finger at the terrier, and said
"Good-hy" and Come on, Maggie" all
while he was attn rubbing the seat Of