The Washington herald., 1922-01-08

FlenQS WONDERED. DuI LOT tuc must 49,
he did manage to keep it to herself. Time
;ent on. and after a couple of months Nancy
rs able to 90 about as usual without eH-
sting any comment. and without being asked
ontnually to tell the story of her adventure.
But one evening at a'fairly large social
altering she found herself talking to new
uan. who had just been introduced by the
hostess, and realized that the queer ments
tate was back again..
There was not the slightest reason for q
lat she could see. The mans name v"
David Rodgers. and all she knew about hi
as that he was in business in a neighLor
.ug city, and happened to be mere on vi il
lie looked like any we'll dressed man might
look, and he talked easily enough. as they
danced and afterward walked a little on the
porch. There was absolutely nothing about
him which should have stirred her, and he
gave ne sign of being in any way disturbed
himself. But she could net rid herself Of the
feeling.
NATURALLY enough Nancy Dsrte had
~ not lived to be twenty two years old
without having some experience in the line Of
love affairs. And she was not without som"
feeling to guide her when she asked hersclf
whether this might be what was called love
at FIST sight. But she could not find a sin
gle one Of the symptoms commonly suppose
to indicate that malady. No explanation
she could think Of. and she thought Of 4 COOL
many. seemed to fit the case at all, and She
was forced to GO home at the end Of the
evening without being any wiser.
David Rodgers had not done anything to
help her solve the mystery. Like a hundred
young men she had met before. he had been
pleasant enough, but he had apparently said
good night without regret. and without any
looking forward to tomorrow She would
probably never see him again.
But that proved to be a mistaken notion
Not that he did any of the things q smitten
youth is supposed to do. such as sending
around an armful Of flowers. and following
that up with other approaches to a cali. The
average man hardly seems to realize that he
might just as well wear his intentions writ
ten out on a bulletin board around his meek
as to 90 to see a new woman ACQUAINTANCE
in the wake Of a huge bunch Of roses He
knows, and she knows that he is coming
around to see If she will do II that had
been what happened in this case Nancy would
have known exactly what to do, as every
other girl knows. But there were no roses.
and no candy, and no call. Just another
puzzling circumstance.
One afternoon, about a week after the
encounter at the party. Nancy took her car
and drove alone into the country. without
knowing why or where she was going. 1t
was q brilliant day, and the sunshine seemed
,fat
peace. Suddenly q horn sounded behind her
and she pulled to one side to let another car
pass on the narrow road. 1t shot by, ran
for little way, and then to her astonish
ment pulled up almost squareiy across the
road. She managed to stop in time and in
dignantly leaned around the windshield to
ask what the other driver meant by such
actions. when her voice died in her throat.
The other driver was David Rodgers and
there was q queer set look on his face rs
he got out and came toward her. She had
q feeting wonder about what he was going
to say, but even the widest Imagination
would not have told her. What he did say
. was, Would you mind not blowing that horn
just nowP'
Nancy could not have blown the horn. or
done anything else, at that minute. She
was too dazed and bewildered. The scene
on the night of her hold up had flashed be-
fore her eyes. and she was just beginning to
understand that it was reproduced here in
the bright sunlight. The words were the
same as those the mysterious man had spoken
in her ear, the voice was the same. But
the man-why, this was the David Rodger,
she had met at Mary Hollis party She
Ill lkal
and since then had wondered a little about
him. What on earth did it mean?
And with that she found her voice and
demanded as he came closer, What do you
mean by stopping this way? Don't YOU
know I might have run into you and smashed
us both up? Haven't you any sense at alp
But the excited words seemed to have nc
effect on Rodgers at all. He simply walked
little closer and said "Wil you please
drive your car slowly after me a little way
and be ready to stop when do?" and with
out waiting to hear her answer turned away
and started his own car.
Nancy intended as she shifted her gear
viciously to do nothing Of the kind, but t.
shoot past him as quickly as she could
Nevertheless she found herself driving alon,
behind, and when he drew up under som,
trees by the roadside, came to a stop, shut
of her engine and waited
LIE CAME toward her without hurry, but
IL with the same set look on his face, anc
as he came Nancy found her mind racing
with the sudden knowledge which she had
not been willing to have before. This wal
the man who had held up her car that night
And with equal suddenness there came an
other certainty, that she didn't want him to
tell her it was true. There was no time tc
ssk herself why, no time to do anything but
try to stop him. So she broke into auich