The Omaha morning bee., 1922-11-28

learned 10 laugh uproariously at tn
utmost delIcacies Of indecency. /
made an earthquake In Mems soul 4
sit alongfislde Ned Ling and lister
10 the scene where the heroine horri
fies her parents by announcing hel
marriage 20 a handsome young man
horrifies them not because she wished
10 marry hiehwayman. but because
she wished to marry Mt all. except pos
slbly some old man for financial rea
sons.
Mem was agfihast when they ridi
culed their daughters talk OF love: al
length the father protested. ''Do you
think your mother and should have
lived comfortably together 80 long II
we'd been married?"
This was as terrifying as n scarlet
snake. but Mem shook with laughter
then collapsed into dismay. II she
could laugh at that. what decency
had she left?
Her soul groveled In itself remorse.
fully until the next epigram Jared
Il out Of Its oppossumism, and she
laughed again.
She had so lost her orientation by
the finish OF the seductive vlllainies,
that she did not faint when Ned
Ling said
I've laughed myself hungry.
haven't ordinarily any appetite Let's
go to my house and have a bite"
ITO your house7"
"Yes. It's all right. I'm quite
alone there. just Jap. Very
secluded"
She wanted TO say: "You tell me
not why should 90, but why l should
not. And I won't"
But II seemed a silly little.girlish,
oldmaldish, prunes.and. prismish thing
TO say.
Wasn't she an Independent woman
now, voter, free and equal self.
supporting citizen OF the United
S .ates? In her imagination she could
h ear the wild crew of the "Beggar's
Opera" laughing at her for a shy lit.
tie hypocrite. Lacking the courage
to obey her instinct and her training,
she said, "All right" and got into
Ling's car.
When he said. Home" to the driver
she almost swooned. but not quite.
The Jap showed no surprise at the
late arrival Of his master with lady.
Evidently 1t was the ordinary thing
Men longed for mask or fire escape
or a gun. She glanced about for
weapons Of defense.
But Ned Ling said: Some scram-
bled eggs and bacon--some wine.
Would you rather have red or white?
or a little champagne? Let's have
some champagne--yes? Yes. wen
have some champagne-native Cali.
fornia--but good"
She felt as Jack of the Beanstalk
felt when he found himself among
ogres.
But Ling turned out to be an infan.
tile ogre, IL ogre at all. He was more
like an art.gallery guide at first. He
showed her his treasures. He knew
something OF art, or 10 she judged
him from his talk, for she knew moth
ing h 1t herself; but his manner was
impressive. He was especially proud
of portrait just painted Of him by
one Of the California artists. Ling
spoke Of him as of the California
school"
Ling had brought home some jades
from a voyage to China He was
addicted to jades, of certain deep.
dark, emerald hue. He hated the
sickly pallor of the usual iade Mem
decided 10 take I'm Jade hunting as
n snort when she rot rich.
At the table Ling resumed his play
with her fingers. She felt only curl.
osity. She could feel neither alarm
nor anger. She was hungry. but he
kept one OF her hands prisoner and
preferred to talk.
Afterward they went into the beau.
tiful living room, strange room for
a clown; more like what she imagined
a millionaires room to be, judging
from what millionaires' rooms she
had seen in the movies.
He put a Caruso record on the vic
trola, the old wall from "Pagliacci,"
the heartbreak OF the clown who Is
human in spite Of the powder, and
feels red blood beneath the grease
paint. Caruso was just recently dead
and honored with the funeral of
church dignitary, wild minstrel that
he was, singing his way round. the
world on rubber wheels the way the
filmers Travelled in celluloid spools.
"A few years ago." said Ling, "and
n singer,s voice died with him. And