The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-02-15
aEzI
When A Girl
 MarrieS
By ANN LESLIE

At about o'clock 1t stopped rain ing decided to rorsake my lonely big char in the lobby of the Inlet House and go out tor walk It seemed 10 me that the poker players must be tired and headachy now from their long confinement in Lane Cosoy's room- and that Valerie oE even Jim might like to go with me for breath of air So I hurried around 10 the door and tapped gent | ly- No answer. Then I rapped smartly. and after a minute or two L-ne Cosby came to the door. His coat was off and his sleeves ! rolled above his esbo~s- The room was heavy with smoke Every mai. | but Jim had removed his coat Val | was in their midst, narrow-eyed ana | nonchaiant. smoking a cigarette and a slim forefinEer. There was a tray | of sandwiches and ginger ale on | side table
 l waning enthusiasm "I thought yol. might have noticed it So. I'm call ing your attention to it. Who's for .
 Before anyone else could answer. Jim looked up. the crease between his eyebrows folding in and the brows l themselves stwitchinE as I'd never be- fore seen them do. His fingers beat d tattoo on the table. his shoulders hunched-his gambling posture
 u,5ars,snd M it's charm" he eSpiained jerkily. while I stood humiliated at | having him explain me to the three strange men who were in the room. | The games not over, Anne Probably won't be-till when did we say2 oh. yes. 6-SO- Run along. child. and take your walk
 ] Valerie looked up. smiled at me. waved the hand holding her cigar cite Then the door closed to a murmured, I'm sorry" from Lane Crosby
 When I got to my room found that I no longer cared to take a walk
 ''Of course I can't go out" I told myself. walking over to the window | and stretching my eyes wide and i holding them fixed and solemn a slim. white spire-topped church far away How could I go out in the wet without rubbers2 And haven't any So of course I can't go out None of us can possibly today"
 Then I flung myself down on the bed to rest for the evening But had no physical weariness from which to rest. and no refuge from my
 own thoughts.
 All day long no one had paid the not counted That dreadful break fast in Valerie Cosby's stuffy unti-
 room: myl unch alone; the drag gins hours How different 1t would have been if I'd stayed with Betty,
 Betty would have thought of me III and suffering. she would have been
 kinder hostess than the spoiled
 beauty few doors away.
 Contrasting Terry tall and trim
 and perfectly groomed. with Lane
 Cosby. whom his wife called a 'T6iE
 brown bear. was almost funny. And
 there would have been Tony. loo
 kind, unself.sh. patient, dependable
 Tony with his steady ice-blue eyes
 under heavy brows that didn't txitch.
 I brought myself back with a
 ing Tony?
 Then I must have dozed. for all of
 a sudden I heard Jiu's voice crying:
 Haven't you started dressing yet
 It's seven and dinner will be in half
 an hour Val left us an hour ago. Now
 try 10 look halfway decent, Anne
 So I got up and tried But I'd only II my old gray and rose dress-and a
 feeling of being abused because
 hadn't been given enough notice tc Il send down to Wicllham's for the stun
 ming lace and jet dress they could
 probably have finished up in a hurry ' And when we got downstairs zher, Il was Valerie in a slim girlish thing IL white brocade draped softly over I
 girdle of black velvet She was pale
 but crimson-Epped. and her hair had
 an enormous amber comb in its bIacp waves She looked like . new hybrid | fiower-a cross between gardenia ana | pOinsett.a-
 :. How dear you Iook-like straw. y- ly. That made me very conscious ot n, me contrast we presented-ice cream as and flowers.
 ar All through the dinner she wa. of smoothly sweet to me and crearniI, ol deterential to her husband anf of flashingly brilliant when she turn ne ed to Jim the mauy-raceted naturi In she chose him to see
 CT had a bad time of it holding rn- he end I was dull. I couldn't manage ; m gracious manner. My head ached ans he ideas wouldn't come. Presently tha n- ordeal ended like a bad dream in Then dancing had paartner-
 but they didn't matter In the fore
 ground of my consciousness was in of fact that I hadn't seen Jim and Val in l erie since the third or fourth dance as kept going till midnight Then nr found Lane Cosby and told him tn. p- had a headache and was going t I5 bed
 ho Little Val was tired and went lon, m ago. he replied indulgently. m Then you don't think me rude- -b said gratefully.
 Not a bit of it Run along" .r. stairs it occurred to me that 1t rnich ,ir De only decent to stop at Valerie 1t door and see if there was anythini
 the corridor. stopped at her room e ana knocked ever so lightly. N - answer.
 he Mrs Cosby-it's Anne. Can I d se anything for you 2" I whispered ,,r Still no answer In a sort of str, ,5 ! DOT l turned the knob. It gave Tn ,a door opened and I stepped over in
 threshold The room was empty. -, (To Be Continued)