Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-05-22
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WLOuIS JOSEPH WANG
eD,n b Ieaia JosrANma

(Continued From Our Last Issuc)
1.-The man I've got in mind to di-
rect you in your first picture. Mrs.
Lee: that is. if you can get hold of
Barry. You couldn't do better. but
his salary's ee-normous I'll give
him a ring and find out for you"
There's no hurry, Mr.. Summer
lad. Remember, Mr.. Lontaine hasn't
taken the first step toward forming
company yet"
"Well but I'd hate to have you
lose a chance. Barry's a wonder.
Even Griffith takes a back seat
when Barry Nolan picks up the
megaphone."
.Lontaine interposed a question Of
technical nature, and as Summerlad
answered him at length, Lucinda's
attention wandered. she began to
think more about the speaker. less
about what he was saying. Un-
deniably a most satisfying creature.
at least to look at. Bending over
the table, his ACE glowing as he
illustrated his meaning with an an
mated play of hands; though his
words were all for Lontaine, Sum-
merlad,s consciousness was con-
slant 70 Lucinda, his quick eyes
were forever seeking hers . . d.
Hard hit and making no secret OF
It.
Not that It mattered, more than
] for the good 1t did ones self-esteem
10 be respectfully If openly adored
by q personable young man whom
one found agreeable. Vanity had
been sorely sprung by Bellamy's
sacrifices of his wife's love to his
appetite for flirting with women OF
cheap emotions. Neither had Daub-
eney's devotion meant a great deal.
being something too familiar
through old acquaintance not to be
misprized. 1t had needed some new
conquest as this to make Lucinda
think well of herself again; this AT
least proved her charms not yet
passee.
Lucinda inclined I o approve the
atyle In which Summerlad main
tained himself. The bungalow. Sc
cluded in wide and well-kempt
grounds, might have served as the
warm-weather retreat of a grand
duke.
BY merely turning her head she
could look out through an open
easement to a lawn where moon
light like LIQUID silver slept between
mysterious, dense masses of purple
shadow. The breath of the night
was bland and fragrant. In Chicago
the Thermometer had shivered in
the neighborhood OF zero: New
York, according to telegraphic
news, was digging out from under a
snowfall second only to that OF its
legendary blizzard.
at want to purr." Lucinda con-
fessed, finding Summerlad's eyes
upon her. Il am enslaved by Cali
fornia."
moments, then. Presently wen
! both be busy, you in especial far
like this"
"I'm not at all afraid of being
doomed to ennui through any lack
of ingenuity on your part"
IF I'm not mistaken, that's q
dare"
"It's as you care to take it,"
He accepted with a smile the
smiling gage of her eyes. They I'M
derstood each other perfectly.
When 1t was time to return 10
the Alexandria. Summerlad insisted
on driving them home himself.
Lucinda fell asleep that night TO
dream of coursing a will-o'-the-wisp
through a land whose painted illu-
sion failed and faded as she fed.
till in the end there was no more
beauty, only the bare grin OF the
desert savage and implacable.
She started awake with her hus-
bands name trembling on her lips.
XVIII
The room the Lontaines occupied
in the Alexandria adjoined Lucin-
da's, and while she was lazing over
breakfast Fanny tapped on the
communicating door and drifted in,
en- n~egligee. with a cigaret and an
airy nonchalance oddly at war with
a problematic shadow that lurked
in her eyes.
my amiable first husband" shs
announced, has charged me to ar
range for an audience at your con
v~enience."
"As soon as you like" Lucinda
laughed