Omaha daily bee., 1922-05-21

much obliged 10 yeu feF-fsF ksspins ll teF me-
feu see, rested it on the window ledge last
nlght while iighlsa my eigaEet"
Yes III found it a few minutes later when
III took the screen out" Lefty explained, stii
tsitsring. "bnt I'LL thought that Paul. my
brother ,ihslaw. had left u there"
Il sorta-hated-te Lose H." the boy explain
si "My--Iny sister save IL 60 me las, Christi
mas"
"Irs avfulIy pretty" Lefty managed TO say
after long step. 'F-i just adore sanmetai
thlnss-ahywaY"
The tohsus.lisd feeling was Invading her.
Flultef, Chatter. Gssture' Why couldn't sheT
Why eouidnt she- Again there VAS pause
Then the lad broke u,
I'll missed it the moment ! sot home, but
~ knew ia left II on your window ledge,
III couldn't seem To remember what part OF
the street IL was In. though. That's why came
10 look for Il so early, III Was afraid people
weuld take me for burglar OF s-or luns'ie'
of-of-somethine''
Ills hating speech came TO an end, Lefty
tried TO think OF something 10 say, but the
tnnsue.tied feeling had all OF her now, The
lad took the conversation up with new ana
freer impulse,
'Resides. my last eisafet was in H. My-my
mother made me promise that I'd only smoke
three eisarets a day until was 81. IL cant
tell you how I have been thinking OF that
smoke as I walked along" lie came 10 a pause.
Letty's silence was n frozen one but very
fever began 10 invade her cheeks. lie seemed
TO east about him for more talk. found none.
and In default Of IL pressed the spring OF the
eifaret case. The cover flew open
Letty's blush was a crimson that paled Pnurs
Harvard banners hanging in the hall behind
her. Her merclful lids dropped over her horrl-
fled eyes.
"why, IT'S gone" the lad exclaimed, That's
funny. I was sure there one here" lie
slipped the case into his pocket.
Lefty faced him full. All the spiritual
temptation OF a long line OF Puritan ancestry
looked out OF her eyes, but all their triumphs
over those temptations rang in her tone. 'fou
are mistaken" she said, there was egaret
In X. III smoked H."
The boy stared speeches. lie tried TO speak.
but words would not come. crimson flush
painted his cheek. that faded Letty's blush as
Letty's blush had paled the Harvard flag. Some
trained impulse in Lefty took up Its instructive
work. walt moment. please!' she dropped
r. faiting voice. She turned and fled up the
stairs In an instant she was back again. her
white skin still showing banners Of crimson.
She held out her trembling hand 10 the boy.
IN It was case OF silver opened TO show files
OF cignrets.
please take one" she begged. Take a
lot! They're my bother Paui's."
The boy doclely took the case from her. ex
and tried to light it. His fingers made awk
ward work with the match at first.
"Ths Is a pretty cigaret case he finally
breathed, but he said It one who Ia uncon-
scious OF his own words.
YES" Lefty answered Paul bought Is In
Nuremberg" For an answer she surveyed
mental blankness In which was no word. Then,
as an inspiration. "It's-it's very old
Ensued a hollow pause in which neither
cgaret nor cgaret offered conversational
Inspiration to Lefty.
"Do-do-you know" the lad finally broke
the silence in a voice that seemed to have alb
sorbed some of it's hollowness, 'of any--any--
place around here where I-I-could get my
breakfast? Pm--Fm.--a stranger in Boston,,
I'm so sorry" Lefty breathed, but Ii
don't Fm--T'm a stranger, too.
co." The lad removed his hat. Thank you
for finding my cigaret case. Goodby"
"Goodby!" Lefty said-and closed the door.
Lefty fell after breakfast into an orgy Of
work. She washed her dishes. She made her
bed. She busted the entire house. But these
tasks took only small portion Of her morning
--and through them all that scarlet shame hot
ly scared her consciousness.
In the afternoon she wandered futilely about
the West End streets for while. But walking
alone was an unsatisfactory process. Her eye
did not contemplate what 1t fell upon. Her
memory kept going back to that fatal cigaret
She returned to the house, tried again to read,
again failed, fell into revery. Flutter-chatter
laughter. To retire from the world Very
little babies and old, old people. That cigaret--
If she could only see him again to wash away
the impression of the social horror she had
committed. She would ask nothing more of
fate---the chance to talk with him once. She
invented nimble wonders of repartee and epi-
gram to scatter along the conversational way.