Evening star., 1923-11-18

his pocket for sugar, Then he
eranlSed the fiivver and drove p.i-ily
cut of the yard.
Aithea moved quickly about her
kitchen setting it to rights. She was
wearing pink gingham apron, clean
and crisp. Her step was crisp too.
But she remembered her day-dream
1.-The dream of the dashing stranger
land as she went deeper and deeper
into the dream her step became more
languorous, until she was quite lost
to the world around her.
X X X
"A SHARP knock on the kitchen
1 door aroused her She stiffened
ever SO slightly and opened the door.
There he stood. He was tall man,
young, but older than she was, with
Keen face and a quick smile. He
was wearing the rough clothes and
nigh boots of driller. But she saw
instantly that he wasn't a driller-
an engineer perhaps, or an expert
for one of the big oil companies 1t
was in the way he wore his clothes,
the poise of his body, the look in his
eyes. He had the manner-the man.
ner she had been dreaming about.
1t was as if the dashing stranger
had actually come.
Hello, there" he said-and when
he said the words they were not too
familiar. only friendly, as If they had
known each other before. MY car is
stuck in the mud-may I borrow a
couple of those planks you've got out
there by the barn?"
h. 80
She wss not quite free of her dream,
not quite willing to give 1t up in
order to deal with an actual man.
He smiled at her, and his eyes swept
past her and surveyed her shining
kitchen.
Don't tell me-" he said-and his
smile was boyishly engaging-"don't
tell that there is some coffee left in
that pot on the stove"
Althea smiled back at him. Are
you hungry?" she asked.
You bet ! am he said. II haven't
eaten since last night"
I'll get you something to eat"
He looked at her. He was the kind
of man she had been dreaming about
That's awfully good of you," he
said. 'I'll have a try at the car"
he paused.
"Tl call you when breakfast is
ready"
He went off to the barn for the
planks. and Althea put water on to
boil. She was glad she was wearing
the pink gingham; she was glad she
knew how to get a breakfast that a
man like that would appreciate.
Altlea laid cIaap cloth on tho
small table in the kitchen and got out
cream and new-laid eggs and straw
berry jam and cut some thin slices
Of ham. She made fresh coffee and
toast and broiled the ham. When
everything was ready except the
eggs she went to the front of the
house and looked out. His car was a
powerful roadster, so heavy that she
wondered how he had got it that far
in the mud. While she watched, he
got in and drove it out of the hole
on the planks. Althea opened the
front door to call him.
The pan came striding up the walk
and paused. He looked at his hands
ruefully and then down at his muddy
boots.
Althea pointed to the iron boot
scraper that was screwed to the lowest
step. She watched him while he got
the mud off and then she led the way
into the kitchen and gave him a clean
towel, and while he washed his hands
and face at the sink she poached the
eggs and made the dish Jimmy was
So fond of-a piece OF toast and a
slice of ham and a poached egg.
The man looked at the table and
from the table to Althea. His look
was a compliment and a caress and a
question, all in one.
How he asked, as he sat down,
do you happen to be here?'
Althea flushed under his gaze.
How" she asked, boldly, do you
happen to be here?"
The man helped himself to a piece
of toast.
That's simple" he said. IT go
where the oil is, whether it's to
Mexico or the Black Sea-or here"
Althea had picture of him, fol-
lowing the trail the world around,
by ship and train and car and horse.
He was a soldier of fortune. That
was his air.
aren't you going to eat with me?"
he asked.
Althea sat down at the table.
I've had my breakfast" she said.
The man rose quickly, got a cup
and saucer from the shelf, and set it
down in front of her. He poured out
coffee.
do at least have Coffee" he said.
TITS so very good"
Althea smiled up at him. She was
not, she reflected, used to being
treated like that. Jimmy was always
abstracted at breakfast.
1T must be-sort of-glorious," she
said musingly. ITO go about the
world like that" He laughed.
Sometimes it's glorious and some
times you're cold and wet and
hungry and disgusted. Sometimes
you're SO glad to get back to Paris
or New York or San Francisco that
you swear you'n never go out again.
But you do.
II envy you," Althea said, looking
into his eyes. II envy you seeing
all the cities. too"
He looked at her gravely, en-
couraging her to go on.
II was in Kansas City once" she
said. And that's ALL"
He smiled. ut would be fun to
show woman like you all the cities"
he said.
X * X
VITHEN he had finished his break
w fast and lit a cigarette he
smiled a little grimly.
'I certainly am stuck now" he
said. I've got that car out of one
hole, but it'll be in another before
I've gone mile. need a oliver
or a horse"
He got up and walked over to the