Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-23
a Strange Encounter

.THAT night after he had left Cleo
= at her home. Carey found himself
dlled with conflicting emotions.
A they had been leaving the theatre
the surgins crowd in the lobby had flung
Cleo up against him. She had boeu
pressed close to him an intangible fra
grance from her hair had drifted up to
his .n0strils. Her white evening coat
had clipped back ana he saw the slen-
der Herfect line Of her young shoulders
and the fresh wonder of her skin like
j faint pink velvet.
His fingers had closed with unneces-
sary force around her arm where he
held 1t above the. elbow. and he had
seen her catch her lower lip suddenly
between her small white teeth
1 She loved him. He was sure Of it,
She was his for the ask king. this delec.
table bit Of omanhoOd. this siren who
had been desired by many men, and
suddenly there stirred in Carey some
thing that he had never felt before.
He realized the emotion as dangerous
~ might have swept him away II he
hadn't been so sure of himself. so cer-
tain Of what he intended to do. But it
twas an emotion born of the fact that
he had carried Cleo beyond any desire
ION her part to play tricks, TO lead him
s0n as she had led on her victims in the
tpast.
She was in his power. He might do
sas he liked with her. but because of
ffhis sudden feeling that had been born
Gin him he must watch himself care
fully. Frank with himself he was
sforced to admit that if circumstances
chad been different. If he could have hon.
sestly respected this girl. il he had not
tknown her for what she was. he might
least discretion 10 the winds and make
sa fool of himself
He was thinking of all these things
las he strode along. and suddenly he
sbecame conscious Of the fact that a
sman stood in his way and was delib
ferately barring his progress. 1t brought
Thin to himself with a start. and in tLe
s1fSht Of a nearby street lamp he rec
soGnized the white angry features OF Bob
sMlsworth.
Il For a moment the two men stood
Sfacing each other. and in that moment
sCerey realized that Bob was NOT him
,eelf.
.'You thcf" - Bob burst out suddenly
S''I suppose your congratulating your
skelf on having taken her away from me.
shut you'll find out the truth. You re
aonly another victim like the men who
shave gone before you. She doesn't love
syeu, she's not made that way. But il
u thought she did, Id kill YOU, do you
hear that? I'd kill you 80
Z Carey hesitated for only minute as
10 what course he would take, and tnen
the suddenly slipped his arm within that
of the boy : and forced Bob 10 walk
talong with him.
''See here, old man" he began
= equickly. "You don't mean that. yoI
thave no real grudge against me. What
good would it do you to get me OUT oi
Ithe way! 1t wouldn't make things anv
tbetter for you.
For two hours the men walked
through the city streets, Bob at frs,
sullen and hard, until finally under
Carcy's influence his cailOusness dropped
away and only his misery was left II,
twas only hurt boy and Carey fel
( toward him very much as he had te
toward Dick. When they finally sep
nrated Carey WAS certain that BoI
was no longer ao:uated by any desir
1or revenge, hut all the harshness tina
De had felt from the beginning towar'
Cleo had returned to Carey fourfold
He had forgotten that vague stirring
bf emotion that had come TO him Garlic
Sn the evening, and there remained &
aim only the desire to make her suffer
10 hurt her, to make her pay for t.
Nnisery in Bob Ellsworth's eyes, and th
\ feven greater suffering that she ha'
Sraussd Dick.
ts,