The Washington herald., 1922-07-06
continued from Yesterday,

To. you. .OeauI-lI-ul ldugs
was singing as he turned on the
Il raise. my. eyes;
To. you. beautiful la-a-dy
My. heart. cries."
Tie raised his voice to compete
tn the food Of water pouring
-to the tub. and as he looked at
tSe picture Of Hazel Dawn upon
TIE wall he put an ina ginary violin
% his shoulder and softly caressed
4 with a phantom bow. Through
his closed lips he made a humming
noise. which he vaguely imagined
ressmbled the sound Of a violin.
After a moment his hands ceased
their gyrstions and wandered to
his shirt. which he began to un-
fasten. stripped. and adopting an
athletic posture like the tiger-skin
man In the advertisements he re-
Earded himself with some satisfac-
tion in the mirror. breaking of to
dabble a tentative foot in the tub.
Readjusting a faucet and indulging
in a few preliminary grunts, he
slid in.
Once accustomed TO the tempera-
ture of the water he relaxed Into
a state of drowsy content. When
he finished his bath he would dress
leisurely and walk down Fifth ave-
nue. to the Ritz, where be had an
appointment for dinner with his
two most frequent companions,
Dick Caramel and Maury Noble.
Afterward he and Maury were 60
ing to the theater-Caramel would
probably trot home and work on
his book. which ought to be fin
ished pretty soon
Anthony was glad he wasn't GO
ing to work on his book. The no.
ton OF sitting down and conjuring
up. not only words in which TO
clothe thoughts but thoughts
worthy OF being clothed-the whole
thing was absurdly beyond his de-
sires
Emerging from his bath he pol
ished himself with the meticulous
attention OF a bootblack. Then he
wandered into the bedroom, and
whistIing the while a weird, un-
certain melody. strolled here and
there buttoning. adjusting. and en-
JoyinE the warmth of the thick
carpet on his feet.
He lit a cigarette. tossed the
match out the open top OF the win
dow. then paused in his tracks
with the cigarette two inches from
his mouth-which fell family ajar.
His eyes were focused upon a spot
Of brilliant color on the roof of a
house farther down the alley.
II was a girl in a red negligee,
silk surely. drying her hair by the
still hot sun of late afternoon. His
whistle died upon the stiff air of
the room: he walked cautiously an
other step nearer the window with
a sudden impression that she was
beautiful. Sitting on the stone
parapet beside her was a cushion
the same color as her garment and
she was leaning both arms upon It
as she looked down into the sunny
areaway. where Anthony could hear
children playing.
He watched her for several min
utes. Something was stirred In
him. something not accounted for
by the warm smell OF the after
noon or the triumphant vividness
of red. He felt persistently that
the girl was beautiful-then of a
sudden he understood. II was her
distance. not a rare and precious
distance OF soul but still distance,
IL only in terrestrial yards. The
autumn air was between them, and
the roofs and the blurred voices.
Yet for a not altogether explained
second. posing perversely in time,
his emotion had been nearer to
alteration than in the deepest kiss
he had ever known.
He finished his dressing. found a
black bow tie and adjusted 1t care
fully by the three-sided mirror in
the bathroom. Then yielding to an
impulse he walked quickly into the
bedroom and again looked out the
window. The woman was standing
up now: she had tossed her hair
She was fat, full thirty-fve, ut
terly undistinguished. Making a
clicking noise with his mouth he
parted his hair.
he sang lightly.
Il raise my eyes
Then with a last soothing brush
sheer gloss he left his bathroom
and his apartment and walked down
Fifth Avenue to the Ritz-Carlton.
Three Men
At seven Anthony and his friend
Maury Noble are sitting at a cor
ner table on the cool roof. Maury
Noble is like nothing so much as
a large slender and imposing cat
His eyes are narrow and full OF in
cessant. protracted blinks. His hair
Is smooth and nat. as though IL has
been licked by a possible-and. II
so. Herculean-mother-cat During
Anthony's time at Harvard he had
been considered the most unique
figure in his class. the most brill
liant. the most original-smart,
quiet and among the saved.
This is the man whom Anthony
considers his best friend. This is
the only man OF all his acquaintance
whom he admires and. to a bigger
extent than he likes to admit TO
himself, envies.
They are glad TO see each other
now-their eyes are full of kind
ness as each feels the full effect
OF novelty after a short separation.
They are drawing a relaxation from
each others presence. a new sereu-
ity; Maury Noble behind that fine
and absurdly catlike face Is all but
ourring. And Anthony. nervous as