Evening star., 1921-12-04

through supper she studied his face.
whats the natter" he asked
finally. half impatiently. you're
lookin' SO funny, kid. Anything
wrong?"
MARIE shook her head and tried to
Az smile. All through the movies
they went out at half past eight for
the second show-she wondered when
he would tell her. He would have to
| tell her; it had all been so public
But the evening dragged through with
never a word out of him. A panic of
helpless irresolution swept through
her. She wanted to cry, to laugh. to
scream She let him kiss her good
night in the vestibule. and again he
asked what was wrong with her.
| IF you don't know she said. then
I don't"
| Kellis was tired out. He had spent
the afternoon on his feet. getting a
line on a job where q prison record
he had been moodily turning over the
! unpleasant steps that must be taken
next day in his handling Of Quodner.
| His reply, in consequence. was mas
culine rather than indulgent
~How should I know" he asked al
most curtly. Forget it, kid. Here
good night" And he kissed her again.
Upstairs Marie did not even undress.
There was q funny comfort In look
ing out of the window, and little by
Meantime in the dingy back room of
a certain saloon heavy. thick -fea-
tured man sat slouched in q chair,
milling now and then for familiar
push button. On his face was pasted
a sort of smile.
"Eila's an actress" he told himself
for the twentieth time. she's an ac-
tress, all right. And EmiEhe's a gem
| ius. that boy. Every time l looked in
a mirror 1 couldn't get over feelin'
was seein' Kellis himself. Some Job"
He yawned. Got away with 1t cold,
too. And believe me-" he sat up in
| voluntarily. Il can get away with II
! again. Just once! but once is enough" J"
/, He paused; his face changed, the
smile was wiped out.
The fools!" he jeered. The fools!"
There are certain parts of New
York-to find them one needs merely
to start from 5th avenue and walk
far enough east or far enough west
where each long, shadowy. window
faced block is as much a community
in itself. as much self-contained.
self-sustaining village, as any town
anywhere. In these lusterless long
blocks people are neighbors. And
neighbors talk. More than that
they know things.
It was with some surprise. there
fore. that the next afternoon GER
tain city block took note Of two per-
sons who were walking slowly up
the street Daylight vss, was almost ost
but ana the spe ssese wsre wedf%s Se dusts
street lamps. The block was crowded
with women and children. Not ev-
erybody stared. Of course, but a few
did, and those few were enough.
Marie and Watt 2uodner walking
big bully whom Marie had told every
body she hated and feared and de-
spised! Watt Quodner and Marie!
Tongues buzzed. Something was
up. all right. Her new fellsr. the
seen yesterday with another Jane?
And now here was Marie showing
him something on her own hook. She
had ''noive," that girl. She wasn't
going to let herself be walked on by
anybody. Too bad. though! That
you never could tell.
The couple hesitated momentarily
at the stoop of Marie's fiat. then
the next corner they got into q taxi
and drove of.
At $40 a taxicab slid along the
curb and stopped midway between
Mrs Eggers' grocery and the stoop
of Marie's fiat. Nobody paid any at
tention to 1t: taxicabs came and went.
Nobody noticed. therefore. that its
curtains were drawn; that the chauf-
feur kept his motor running.
At 6:36 Marie herself turned into
the street. She was alone. A dozen
persons saw her and marveled that
she looked as il nothing had hap