Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-23
The Firm Offer

th the .hsorr HISs half.fanciful. half.
This tnsv' v ss out Of date as the cor
tEtsr, is now Own Of its epoch. Today
- ana - s""b "tbat loves beginning Is
eople av.% a,.t olnnce Of courtship at all,
the nls. ~. Srst tender thought. Long
IT even se s.,e =" host OF deep down i'm.
wore 'ns unacknowlctlged wayward
clss, - - .raits suppressed. OF item.
wishes, o.,,,t;ss" o, not recognized. must
consciously combined to pre-.
Dlve ~ ~ her conscious personalities
! pare ~ " thcy call "That time when
Nt s'"t knew we cared
xe Grs'. .his affair Of Clover and larry
II Iasss.soi Iass. Take the day they saw
n.So. for the first time alone
&C, ,.S S' mnrromising circumstances.
p susn su.n h.d & seen each other, though not
Ine', ',ust once already.
sene' SS;s SS way back to his rooms anu
V ,Sen he woke up next morning.
lein " "rsrmichael's mind (quite ,in,
Aeiy wondering about woinen) hnd
ssed ed,d 70 Extraordinarily about this
cacrs.,,et;cujar girl. Please realize that
Sns p.s No question Of being at.
= W.. no tinge of that feeling
1aeiSeua 1a.Ssa him. He just wondered, re.
so'u.ssdiy. oussddHi "why did she look at me ike
tnat! tnast first he had thought that he had
a. .ho H. cirl before and had forgotten
S.. - ~" bor 30 that he had to be rein.
.s.UsSncsl. sUC%. Her first glance at him IN
!,oo9Wii, 4 W,i,s, drawing room had conveyed
tne s. 'i;,n,,rcsion. hut then. why hadn't
!S.' y. aid III 80 instead Of suddenly lifting
nIt III face that searching, puzzled look!
e ~ ". baJ looked at him, even mt the
.mt ~ of their hostess murmuring
..mo I"This is Major rmichael
she the girl. were saying to her
~. "Hb At last. This is more like
Il. Much more the sort OF man. lie
might do ,. lao, ,o,,.
He'd way OF not catchins
vomen's names.) lie hnd not not'GsI !,.',
~ face faces of women ne never u,u
sotice, or what she had on, except
that It was dark. prOably Diack.
sninst white bare arms. But even ne
csuld not help noticing that she had
looked at him again. still in that Qua,
stock. taking way. several times during
dinner. He hadn't taken her in: dim
Holt. their host, had taken her IN.
Carmichael had taken one OF Jim s
sisters. Opposite to him had sat this
ether girl and her eyes.
Afterward in the drawing room there
had been music, and this girl had
Nlayed accompaniments. Once during
: cong she had looked across the piano
a she had looked across the chrysan.
themums Of the dinner. table. search
\inrly at Carmichael. The sort of look
one feels even when one is standing
with ones back to it (as he wasl. But
they hadn't spoken word together: he
lad been talking to Mrs. Holt.
Then when everybody was going
away, this gazing girl had done some.
thing odlcr still. Carmichael though hit
ohe'd gone. ITc had seen her in the
hall. with a big fur wrap thing on.
Alone, he was coming downstairs in
sarch Of Jim. who had offered him n
GOOD night peg. Suddenly. on II land
ins. he had found this girl at his elbow {;
and again she'd turned that look upon
him. Hc had been sure she was going
to speak to him. She had actually
opened her lips.
a Then Jim Holt Zone of the world $
worst buffers. in. by the way) had
loomend into view. The girl had darted
past them both upstairs again. Her
skirt and ankles. fitting swiftly up.
ward. a glimpse through the banistcrs ;
That was the last he had seen of her.
But that had not been the last he'd
heard Of her.
This morning. the morning after the
dinner. his telephone had rung just
o. hc was half way through shaving.
With muttercd grunt he'd put dowa
bis brush. and in his pajamas had
raced down the wooden steps from his
bachelor room into the Chelsea garage
below where the telephone stood on
bracket among other peoples motor
cycles and caches Of oily rags. petrol
Itins, lock.up boxes Of tools. He had
expected to be rung up this morning.
though scarcely as early as this. by n
man he knew in the Air Ministry. lie
|)tock up the receiver.
'Is that Major Carmichnel?" a
gentle. extremely feminine and self
Possessed voirr had asked
Yes he had replied. He hoped
1shat the invention which allows the
person speaking through the telephone
to sec the person at the other end would
never. actually come into being. What
|the girl now ringing him up would have
esheld wonld have been the chin and
laws OF snow man talking into
fecelver smothered in shaving .lather.
This is Carmichael; who Is that,
Dlease:'
Expecting to hear mans name
!1ven by typist, he was taken aback
BY these words.
"Clov"r Elrhinstone. You met me
.ht night at the IIolts'. was on the
ta,rs when YOU LETT
"Oh-Oh yes"
Ian You see me this morning at
P2 o'clocki"
49, "Er-will you hold on minute,
Miss Elphinstone: III look at my
book Er-Yes. I can. Where"
TAI" 1t down, please Followed
|sh address in the city. Near the
osnH' t"ad 1t out, please"
!, That is quite right" he was told.
|"At IL. Good.by."
.. Not another word. Receiver hung
Internally odd. He had bcen--yes,
,.urprised into making the appointment
She was friend of the Holts'
Roo BUT
Near the bank. OF all places on earth,
~ ~ o'clock of u filthy, foggy january
nn,orhing: What did she want To drag
nm down there for: She liyed-hr
Thought he'd caught some one saving
so-on Richmond Hill. WHY wasn't
|Ie 70 meet her lif at alD at Richmond,
ns'rad OF in the heart of the cityY he
.%Snder'd .Sa as he finished shaving. Did
"n. n"e WORK IN city Office all day, dine
VuL anu dance Mt uiCht ,h,t ,,,, e