Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-16

after another on the table was the
only sound.
her luck had broken. Back and forth
1t went Taylor was at it again-and
again and again. Was the man never
going to lose They were even at
last-Nancy lost her last five collars:
will you take my check" she said
quickly. for fifty. and we'll shoot 1t
all" Her voice was a little unsteady
and her hand shook as she reached Tor
the money.
Peter exchanged an uncertain but
alarmed glance with Ben.
Taylor shot again. He had Nancy's
| check.
How bout another" she said wild
ly. "Jes any bankIl do--money
everywhere as a matter OF fact
Light dawned on Jim-the hot
room-the drinks he had given her
| the ones she had taken since: He
wished he dared interfere girl OF
| that age and position would hardly De
| likely to have two bank accounts.
What was the matter with Merritt:
Jim saw him start to speak. but so
thoroughly had he applied himself to
a new bottle that had appeared from
nowhere that his attention was wan
Z! dering.
| When the clock struck Jim could
contain himself no longer.
May I-can't you let me roll EN-
for you?" he suggested anxiously, his
low lazy voice a little strained.
Suddenly sleepy and listless Nancy
flung the dice down before him.
"All right-old boy! AS Lady Diana
beam My luck's gone"
"Mr. Taylor" said Jim. carelessly,
"we'll shoot for one of those cheeks
against the CASH
Half an hour later Nancy swayed
forward and clapped him on the back
nodding her head sagely.
Jim swept up the last check and
putting it with the others tore them
into confetti and scattered them on
the floor.
Some one started singing. and Nancy.
kicking her chair backward. rose to
her feet.
Ladies and gentlemen" she an
nounced. 'Ladies-that's you Evylyn.
I want to tell the world that Mr.. Jim
bean Of this city, is an exception to
a great rule-lucky in dice-unlucky
in love- He's lucky in dice. and as
matter of fact II love him. Ladies
and gentlemen, Nancy Lamar. famous
dark haired beauty often featured in
members tn younger set as other girls
afe often featured in this particular
case. Wish to announce-wish to an
nounce-anyway, gentlemen She
tipped suddenly. jim caught ner anu
restored her balance.
MY error" she laughed. "she stoops
to-stoops to-anyways-We'n drink t
Jelly-bean-Mr. Jim Powell, king Of
tn Jelly-beans."
A ND few minutes later as Jim
waited hat in hand for Peter in
| the darkness Of that same corner of
! the porch where she had come search
| ing for gasoline. she appeared sud
denly beside him.
Jelly-b beam" She said. "are you
here, Jelly-bean? 1 think" and even
her slight unsteadiness seemed part
| of an enchanted dream-"I think you
| deserve one of my sweetest kisses for
that, Jelly-bean.'
For an instant her arms were
J around his neck-her lips were press
| ed to his.
I'm a wild part of the world. Jelly
bean. but you did ME a good turn"
Then she was gone. down the porch,
| over the cricketloud lawn. Jim saw
Merritt come out the front door and
say something to her angrily-saw
her toss her head and turning away
walk with averted eyes to the car.
| Evelyn and Ben followed singing a
drowsy song about a Jazz baby.
refer came OUT anu JOlneu jim OH
the steps "All pretty lit. 1 guess"
he yawned, land Merritts in a mean
mood. He's certainly off Nancy"
Over east along the golf course a
faint rug of gray spread itself across
the feet of the night. The party in
the car began to chant a chorus as
the engine warmed up.
Good night, everybody" called Peter
Good night. Peter"
There was a pause. and then a soft,
happy voice added.
Good night, Jelly-bean."
The car drove off to a burst of sing
| ing. A rooster on a farm across the
way took up a solitary mournful
crow and behind them a last negro
waiter turned out the porch light.
Jim and Peter strolled over toward
the f1ivver, their shoes crunching rau-
! cously on the gravel drive.
"Oh. boy" sighed Peter softly,
| How you can set those dice"
1t was still too dark for him to see
the flush on Jim's thin cheeks-or to
know that it was a flush of sudden
and unexpected shame.
over Tilly's garage a bleak room
| yawned all day to the rumble and
! snorting downtairs and the singing
/. of the negro washers as they turned
F.; the hose on the cars outside. 1t was
cherries square punctuated with
bed, bureau and green topped table.
On the table were half a dozen books
Joe Miller's Slow Train thru Ar
| kansas" Lucille" in an old edition
very much annotated in an old-fash-
Toned hand: .'The Eyes of the World"
by Harold Bell Wright, and an ancient
prayer book of the Church of England
with the name of Alice Powell and
the date 1881 written on the fly leaf.
The east. gray when the Jelly-bean
| entered the garage, became rich and
vivid blue as he turned on his soli-
| tary electric light. He snapped it out
again and going to the window rested
! his elbows on the sill and stared into
! the deepening morning.
With the awakening OF his mind
! Jim's first perception was a sense of
; futility, a dull ache at the utter gray
+! ness and insignificance of life. A wall
; sprang up suddenly around him hedg-
ing him in, a wall as definite and
tangible as the white wall of his bare
wall all that had been the romance
f; of his existence. the casualness, the
; light-hearted improvidence. the mi
| raculous open-handedness OF life fad
! ed out. The Jelly-bean strolling up
Jackson street humming lazy song,
known at every shop and street stand.
, cropfull of easy greeting and local
it, sad sometimes for only the sake
of sadness and the flight of time-that
Jelly-bean was suddenly dead. The
very name was reproach, a. trivial
| ity With a flood of insight he knew
| that Merritt must despise him, that
| even Nancy's kiss in the dawn would
have awakened not jealousy but only
| a contempt for Nancy's SO lowering
herself. And on his part the Jelly
bean had used for her dingy sub
terfuge learned from the garage. He
had been her moral laundry; the stains
were his.
AS the gray became blue. bright
ened and filled the room he crossed