Charlevoix county herald., 1921-02-18

foot under herself, and waved the
other in the same fashion as had Miss
Van Teller earlier In the evening.
Now talk" she said.
DO you like meY" asked Mr.. Ran
dolph
She nodded her head.
you're not afraid to be hersr
She shook denial.
Have you ever been in q mans
room before?"
She looked him straight in the eyes
and made no other sign.
1t was Mr.. Randolph's turn to flush.
"Then," he said, "if you like me and
If you're not afraid, please begin at
the start and tell me all about It."
The girls eyes fell and sought the
fire. Her face slowly paled to the
shade of her somber thoughts. She
was no longer pretty; she was beauti-
full, with revealing transparency that
made her seem unfleshed, a disem-
bodied spirit of sincerity and truth,
Individually pure.
81 had nurse once" she said, In q
low voice, land a wire-haired terrier.
a show-dog and a darling His name
was Sport" She raised solemn eyes
to Randolph's face as though measur-
ing his powers of understanding MY
nurse died and then, one day, had to
sell Sport; wasn't old enough to sell
myself"
She stopped speaking with an un-
mistakable finality. Randolph was
overwhelmed by the flood Of informa-
ton that this slip of girl had packed
into two-score words A life-story In
four lines and revelation Of the
Eeart thrown I'm for good measured
over and above that, he had to reckon
with the confirmation Of a suspicion
which had been slowly establishing It.
self in his mind that he had met her
before, that not for the first time this
night had those soft lips, curved for
merry words, cried, my, what q
bump!" within his hearing.
So many considerations pressed to
his immediate attention that he
awOke to the actual present too late
to stem the tide Of tears that sudden.
ly rose to the girls eyes.
"Oh," she sobbed, "what Is to be-
come Of me? / was so happy here. II
you hadn't made me think -
IF anything has been said In the
course Of these pages to give the i'm.
preston that Mr.. Randolph was mod
eled after Joseph or hewn out of Ice
or packed with probity to the exclu-
sion Of red blood, forget It. At the
sight of those tears. he slid the length
of the couch to fret base, fielded the
girl in his arms, switched her round
so that she lay across his knees, drew
her face against his shoulder, and
rocked her gently.
"You poor kiddie," he said softly.
"what a devil Of time you've hadi
But believe me when / tell you It's oil
over. This is the night that starts your
old happy sun into the blue sky again.
Don't worry"
She stopped crying and looked up
into the honest face so close to her
own, puzzling as to how just those
words could have come from IL; but
the world had taught her a hard les
son In varying standards. She drew q
long quivering sigh.
IF you could only walt until love
you, body and SOUL" she breathed.
what on earth do you meanT
asked Mr.. Randolph.
"Why, then 1t wouldn't be so bad
so ugly"
81 don't get you" remarked Robert
Hervey.
"A man told me just little while
ago that he was making q catalogue
of reasons why women give them
selves" she continued. "He had eleven
already. and yet he was one Of the
incest men I've met. He talked to me
as though he were showing me a way
that must travel alone"
"ReallyT said Mr.. Randolph, stiff
fleming perceptibly.
1.-THE lowest reason Of all was for
cold cash." she went on, AZ though he
had not spoken. "Then came the gilt
ter of precious stones, and, after that
silk underwear"
CTo BE CoNrINUEDJ