The Washington herald., 1922-08-28
The Beautiful
And Damned
corfi..ss from Ysstsrdoy.

ing her teeth to get rid Of that in
toierabie taste; then back by the
bedside Listening to the rattle Of
Rounds key In the outer door.
awake up. Anthony" she said
. sharply.
She climbed into bed beside him
and closed her eyes
Almost the last thing she remem-
bered was . conversation with Mr..
and Mrs. Lacy. Mrs. Lacy had said,
Sure you don't want US to get you
aTtaxi!' and Anthony had replied
that he guessed they could walk
over to Fifth all right. Then they
had both attempted. imprudentiy,
70 bow-and collapsed absurdly into
a. battalion Of empty milk bottles
Just outside the door. There must
have been two dozen milk bottles
standing open-mouthed In the dark.
=. She could conceive of no plausible
explanation of those milk bottles.
Perhaps they had been attracted by
the singing in the Lacy house and
: had hurried over agape with won
der to see the fun. Well, they'd
had the worst of ft-though 1t
seemed that she and Anthony never
would get up, the perverse things
rolled so.
still. they had found q taxi. MY
meters broken and it'll cost you
s1.50 to get home" said the taxi
driver. WELL" said Anthony, I'm
. IL .A nj
you'll come down here I'll beat you
till you can't stand up" At
that point the man had driven on
without them. They must have
found another taxi. for they were
in the apartment.
What time is it?" Anthony was
sitting up In bed. staring at her
with owlish precision
This was obviously a rhetorical
question Gloria could think of no
reason why she should be expected
10 know the time.
"Golly, / feel like the devil"
muttered Anthony dispassionately.
Relaxing. he tumbled back upon
his pillow. Bring on your grim
reaper"
Anthony. how'd we finally get
home last night?'
Taxi"
OH Then. after a pause: Did
you put me to bed?"
Il don't know. Seems to me you
put me to bed. What day is it?"
Tuesday"
Tuesday? I hope so. II it's
Wednesday I've got to start work
at that idiotic place. Supposed to
be down at . or some such ungodly
hour"
ASK Bounds" suggested Gloria
feebly.
-Boundsv' he called.
Sprightly, sober-a voice from a
world that 1t seemed in the past
two days they had left forever.
Bounds sprang in short steps down
the hall and appeared in the half
darkness of the door.
What day, BoundsT
February %, think, sir"
Il mean day of the week"
Tuesday, sir" Thanks" After
a pause: Are you ready for
breakfast, sir?"
Yes. and Bounds. before you get
IT. will you make a pitcher of
water. and set IL here beside the
bed? I'm a little thirsty"
Yes. sir"
Bounds retreated in sober dignity
down the hallway.
'Lincolns Birthday" affirmed
Anthony without enthusiasm. "or
st. Valentines or somebody's. when
did we start on this insane party?"
Sunday night"
After prayersr he suggested
sardonically.
I'VE raced all over town in those
hsnsoms and Maury sat up with
his driver, don't you remember?
Then We came home and he tried
to cook some bacon-came out Of
the pantry with a few blackened
remains. insisting 1t was fried to
the proverbial crisp"
Both of them laughed, spontan-
eously but with some difficulty.
and lying there side by side re-
viewed the chain of events that
had ended in this rusty and chaotic
dawn
They had been in New York for
almost four months. since the
country had grown too cool in late
October. They had given up Cali
fornia this year. partly because of
lack of funds. partly with the idea
of going abroad should this in
terminable war. persisting now
into its second year. end during the
winter. OF late their income had
lost elasticity; no longer did it
stretch to cover gay whims, and
pleasant extravagances, and An
thony had spent many puzzled and
Unsatisfactory hours over a deusely
figured pad. making remarkable
budgets that left huge margins for
"amusements. trina etc % and try-
ing to apportion. even approxi-
mately. their past expenditures.
He remembered q time when in
going on a party" with his two
best friends, he and Maury had in
vsrfably paid more than their
share Of the expenses. They would
buy the tickets for the theater or
squabble between themselves for
the dinner check. 1t had seemed
sitting: Dick. with his naivete and
ais astonishing fund Of information
ibout himself. had been q diverting.
ilmost juvenile. hgure-court tes-
:ereto their royalty. But this was
ao-longer true 1t was Dick who
always had money; IL was Anthony
Ehel entertained within limitations
always excepting occasional wild.
rine-inspired. check -cashing par
:ies-and II was Anthony who was
IoIemn about Il next morning and
old, the scornful and disgusted
Gloria that they'd have to be more
.areful next time"
In the two years since the publi-
.ation of The Lemon Lover" Dick
lad made over $4,000. most of Il
ately. when the reward of the au-
hor OF fiction had begun to swell