Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-03-16
LADYFZNGERS
Bv JACKSON GREGORY
copvriOht, I9aL Dv Charles Sgribncr's Sons


were dreadfully poor, believe, but
there was always something, a stick of
gum or an apple or piece Of candy.
She always put them under my pillow.
Let's go in while Ronnie's aslccp----'
isn't It wonderful? Why, the
fnirics bring Ronnic things like that,
too! And | always put them under his
pillow while he's asleep"
SO Ashe, making her promise that
he'd come back. allowed her to run
away to the house and play fairy to the
sleeping Ronnie.
He is a great little scout thought
Ashc And don't know but that
she Is fairy after all! \ fairy in the
old Black .Witch's house !"
Evelyn ran for Browdy and demanded
glass Of water. With 1t she sought
also bit of information.
curiosity under a most admirably man
woman and child who asked. for
auntie this aftcrnoon?"
Oh" said Browdy, "they're Enid
Camden and her little brother Ronnie." "
"And who," and Evclyn's second
yawn was in no way inferior to the
first, "arc they?'
Browdy looked puzzled
They're just the Cam
dcns, miss"
Are they staying to dinner,
Hadn't you hcard?" Browdy was
quite evidently pleased with the op-
portunity to gossip. They've come to
stay! Mrs. Stethcril's bought their
place and Mrs. Camden's gone to. San
Francisco to have an awful bad opera
tion and Enid and Ronnie are going to
live here"
Evelyn lifted her eyebrows. Then she
sighed. What was her aunt thinking
OF?
''Bcsidcs.' went on Browdy, who
had assmilated hcr news with mys.
terious swiftncSs, "Enid's going to get
paid Amt she in luck?"
,,Oh.' said Evelyn, upon the whole
relieved. 'Auntie has generously
taken her in as a servant OF course .
That's all, Browdy."
"lou were gone an hour" an
nounccd Ashe as Enid came back into
the summer house. 'Ronnie didn't
wakc?"
Enid shook her head
''lt'S been an exciting day for him
and he's tired out. He'll sleep the
whole afternoon away. 1t was good of
you TO remember him.
Nonsense" laughed Ashc. Hes
not the kind to be forgotten"
You were going to tell me-" sug-
gcStcd Enid brightly, "all about being
lost again. She surveyed him with
eyes altogether too happy to be made
quite serious. "You don't look lost ="
"Don't |? Well, | am Lost in the
sense that, while knowing where | am,
! don't see the way out like
being lost in the woods the other day ."
Now, he had never been in the habit
OF splitting his troubles with other
people and he was not going to do so
today. Because he couldn't. Not be
cause he wouldn't like to. were it not
so madly. utterly insanely impossible
to do so. All day long he had been
between the devil and the deep sea
liaddon was the devil. the deep sea was
the unknown toward which IIaddon was
forcing him.
The chance word. lost :" had brought
all Of this almost up to his lips. Know
ing that he must not talk with her
about himself, Still he found an absurd
reIlcf in the near talking
End looked at him curiously. sensing
something or seriousness under his
banter.
What is it," she asked.
1t is nothing" he told her readily.
'Don't YOU have days when YOU re lost
IN sort Of mental mist?
"Whcn you feel like ferryboot drift
ing. IN heavy bay fog? And after a
while the fog clears"
i nndcrstand. she said quietly. Il
wish that ! could help you lind YOUR
SrIt as ! did the other day. Tho world
is so bright for me today that | want
1t to be bright for everybody"
Into Ashes brain flashed n sudden
detcrlnination He would force from
!iaddon an explanation he would force
1t somehow. He had. in sheer content
with things as they were, through the
rcrkIeSSncsS which was part and parcel
OF MS being, gone on CarrlcSsly from
any TO day Now came sudden horn
bitterness toward IIaddOn now n hnt
desire TO shake off the hand which un.
III th's moment he had tolerated good
naturedly now he was ready to fight
Tor the thing which was his for this IN
slant, tins suprcmcly satisfying con-
tent.
lie would scarcely have sought to
anaIyzc this natural enough emotion
mad 1t not been for trhing incident
which cleared his brain magicnlly. Star
ing out through the sunlit gardens he
mad un"onSclouHly moved his hand a
littlc upon the back of the bench. 1t
rested brief second upon Enid hand
II hand at once wonderfully soft omd
warm, strangely feminine. At the con
iact II thrlll went dancing through his
blood, lie jcrkod his hand away, his
eyes going swiftly TO Ends, Il strange
surg" of color in his face.
Just their hands that had touched
lightly, and yet his blood was singing ,
Just the brushing Of hand against hand
and yet Enid, for n brcathlCSS instant,
ana not give him her eyes canlidly,
only that, and Ashc, at least. saw
something clearly; only that. and a
girls hrnrt was fluttcr.ng strangely.
Gee - said Ashc, And then he said
nothing. And then the two Of them,
Ilkc two children. stared at the roly.
poly puppies and sought vainly for the
natural thing to say. When it had
already been said in silence
The musical tinkle Of a gong. was
compassionate. Ashe got to his feet
hastily.
"Dinncr"' he announced trium.
phantly.
And talking mcrrily now they went
up the long flower bordcrcd walk to the
house. AS they mounted the steps
Evelyn nodded brightly to Aslc. She
hadn't failed to note anything that was
to be seen from the porch. TO her So
phlStiratcd mind it was quito plain that
MIR. steel" had been taken in, gulIbIc-
man IKE, by a common pair Of dim
plies. aud mnn-likc to the end, he had
not even noted that Ends dress was
merely Of ginghHm and homemade at
TINT. Shn MnN Mnrrlu hninr hnr hn1r