The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-09-29
CHATTER 695.

Amazing as was the effect Manuefo Ortiz produced on Mabel Storrs. found something still more astonish- ing in the fact that he didn't seem in any way conscious of it.
 This puzzled me for some time after he and Rosa and I had left Jim's office, and continued to worry me until we had almost finished our lunch of steak Mexicaine and frijores llnd srange salad Of pineapple and green peppers and spiced cabbage. It was while I was struggling with a particularly peppery bite that the so- lution of at least part of the mystery came to me.
 Senor Ortiz had ordered the lunch without once consulting Rosa Cor dova or me. He had made no effort to discover my tastes or pre1ud1ces. He had smiled at Rosa. and with an air of certitude had ordered what evidently he knew would please her.
 There was nothing Intentionally rude about it. He simply didn't know I was there. And up to the end of our lunch he never altered his man. ner of intense devotion to Rosa ana automatic gallantry to me.
 So realized he hadn't seen Mabef with a conscious eye. She was part of Rosa's background to him. And so, I fancy. will every woman prove to this, absorbed and uurespon young Mexican.
 It was all of five o'clock before Rosa would let me go. I had to drive with her and Senor Ortiz after luncn. and I barely escaped having tea with them. Her manner to me through out was intimate. warm, almost ca ressing. Her treatment of young Or tiz was inso1ent. She was sure or I,; do1f foH iv,y y1o ing him out to the full length of the line of fascination on which she held dl.r1l. But what her game was in throwing us at each other couldn't see.
 It was all of fifteen minutes past five when I got back to my office. Miss May had obeyed instructions and the place was empty. Smiling at her eagerness to be charming tonight at her dinner party as proven by her leaving so early, did few neces- sary bits of writing and te1ephoning. Then I arranged few notes for to- morrow's revision, and allowing my self an hour to drive home, bathe and fress, flung off in the now almost routine luxury of taxi.
 I'd made up my mind to be Hsba ck- ground' tonight. So put on a dress of soft ashes of roses sarfn- It was neither so deliberately dull as gray, nor so given to lighting mo up as my favorite orchid shades. But it would go very well with Miss Mays wonder fuf electric blue and silver. And it would leave for her the dominant color note of the evening. =
 The question of an evening coat puzzled me. I had no idea whether or not Miss Mays purchases included one. From my days of afluence I still retained two magnificent affairs -one of black and gold brocade, col Jared in smoke fox, and one of cherry velvet, with bands of chinchilla. Both were gifts from Jim. And as the mortgages on our home hadn't cover ed my wearing apparel, retained both, holding on to them with cer- tain grim romance even through our darkest days.
 It would be easy to telephone Miss May and suggest that I'd be glad 10 bring her a cloak. But I felt that would make her the "poor relation of the evening, when she was cast for heroine. So I conquered the tempta- tion to make myself luxurious for my first gaia evening in many a long day. With 9 little sigh for my forbidden finery, I slipped resolutely into a practical coat of soft brown veIours which had been my best in the happy fong ago before Jim and I were rich -or pretending to be-or separated by the need of trying to be again.
 And when I came downstairs in response to Berthas announcing our guests. there were Park and Ralph Lacy, such commanding figures in their perfectly tailored dress clothes that I felt little bit like a scep-szs- ter of their perfectly turned out selves. Of course the only comment I heard was favorable. Ralph Lacy contented himself with cordiaT Ereeting, but Park grabbed both my hands, tipped back an edge of my boat, exclaimed that I looked like his favorite strawberry ice cream and that he'd bet was some dancer. Ana then we went out to the waiting Parkington motor.
 The car-zwas a magnificent high powered ohe of world-famoi1s make. It's long. low and somewhat square lines were magnidcently graceful in their glitter1ng steel with enamel of a gray to match. And the lining was of corduroy m narrow wefts of gray just shot with blue. All the fittings were of blue enamel with g1ints of gold. And irLs a vase Of blue enamel ringed in by gold were richly fragrant jack roses.
 ''I'd sell it now if it didn't mean such a lot to my cousins and my aunts. I borrowed 1t back from one of 'em tonight to do Aunt May proue. It's a silly car for grown man. No wonder the friends of guy who'd select such a thing for himself think he ought to be put to work-digging ditches or peddling apples-or some thing with a little dignity and real meaning to it.
 Gro Be Continued.)
  o--~rI-~-