Omaha daily bee., 1921-05-29

me, not exactly as Of danger threatening, as Of
sorrow ready to pounce upon our little band.
Must I be honest?-I consumed two glasses of
porto blanc before I Joined my friends again for.
dinner. Perhaps 1t was this port wine, perhaps
it was the golden moon that rose, even lovelier
than on the night before, behind the tower and
flooded the little town with beauty and magic,
perhaps it some inyeterate and inherited
belief in goodness-and possibly in Ohio; at any
rate, something at length abated my gloom. had
l not for day become too, pilgrim the
way that led through France back from the little
cross under which Jim lay to Brest and the
blue water that stretched westward to America?
And were not pilgrims always sheltered from
harm?
We entered the Cabaret Mondain at the
height, If there were one of it's dismal gayety
Monsieur Tic-Toc, dwarfish little creature who
am quite sure, cleaned the establishments pots
and kettles in the morning, singing, with
pathetic winks the story of young lady named
Angelique to whom had happened things which
would quite certainly not have happened to her
in Lanesve, Ohio
party of French drummers whom I had
earlier observed at the Ecu de France were 60
ing as far as a bottle of cheap champagne and
la crosse Mathilda. powerful brunette, was
making considerable play with them at a table
nearer ours than I might have thought BEST
but fortunately the dark and somewhat over
blown beauty recalled to the small stage,
where a slightly sentimental ballad, rendered In
a deep, hoarse voice might perhaps have made
her seem more serious person--had not re-
membered suddenly that Of course my Stanleys
could not understand word of it.
My seeming Inconsistencies of any incon-
gruity in the presence at the Cabaret Mondain
of respectable and respected Ohioans was Of
course elaborate enough, yet watched furtively
the effect upon them. Mr.. Stanley let me be
honest, would, left to himself, have experienced
some Of the thrills which go through the ordi-
nary middle-aged American male at his first
meeting with so-called pleasure, possibly vice, in
France. / thought the lid of his left eye trem-
bled almost n it would have winked at me.
Let me again be honest--he exists in our story,
but he is not of 1t. 1t is story of his wife,
God bless her, and ever SO little of me-and Of
Miss Sunshine"
To the resort where had inducted her my
friend brought her innocent gayeyty. She ap-
plauded the songs which she could not UNDER
stand. She urged cigaret upon me. She even
let glass OF beer sit in amber glory In front
Of her and once took sip from it with some-
how the air of a bird drinking at sunlit wood
land pool. She seemed all crystal, yet somehow
as watched her wondered If there were not
such a thing as crystal mask which might
make face look smiling while heart was
breaking in it's wearer's breast.
II wonder" she said slowly-it was after that
amazing sip at her bock-"which of these girls
knew JIM"
Perhaps none of them," answered after a
short, for me slightly awkward, pause. 'There
may have been other singers then. Probably a
well, higher class when our boys were here u
Perhaps she replied. And she looked
quietly at Ia crosse Mathilde. who had returned
to her commits voyageurs and her cheap cham.
payne. Monsieur Tic-Toc was consuming "a
grenadine with two poilus. 1t was Miss Sum
shines turn to sing
The footlights made the paint less tawdry, lii
up the yellow hair with a glow almost Of real
gold. On that wretched little stage the theatel
again wrought its ancient miracle and the rem.