Evening star., 1923-11-04

Are the others late ?" asked Nelly
Lou. little nervously.
Hero comes Miss Stanton now" aAin
Larry.
And he and Nelly-Lou went to-
gether to meet Miss Stanton.
Miss Stanton greeted Nelly-Lou with
extreme graciousness, Larry with pos
sessive informality.
The three followed a waiter to a
table In a far corner of the room and
sat down.
We'll. Larry" said Sara sweetly,
why did you ask us so early? Half
past four-that's almost indecent"
Sorry" said Larry.
Who's comingg persisted the lam
quid inquisitor.
on' Just few-the usual crowd"
! think he's very tiresome. Don't
you' Miss Johnson" said Sara, lean
ing over to pat Larry's sleeve with a
provocative forefinger. Nelly-Lou
achieved smile. She was watching.
Larry's face.
Don't ask Nelly-Lou what she
thinks OF me-" Larry was saying
coolly- And personally, I'm Just as
| glad the rest Of the party is late. I'VE
got crow to pick with you, young
lady!'
with me?" drawled Sara caressingly.
| why, Larry!"
with you,". said Larry pleasantly.
| What do you mean by telling Nelly
Lou all sorts Of romantic nonsense
and pinning it on to me?' Nelly-Lou
swallowed gasp. Miss Stanton looked
| deeply injured.
Larry. are you out of your head"
Il am not" said Larry. But l
want to tell you. Sara. you're likely
! to get me into serious trouble in my
home town with this stuff about ice
| water in the veins instead of blood
and all the rest of it." Across the
little table Sara's eyes and Nelly
Louis met briefly with an almost
| audible clash.
Larry sat smiling oddly.
These girls II be expecting all
! sorts of sobstufr from me-" he pro-
| tested. land 1 won't be able to de-
liver 1t. I want you to tell Nelly
Lou you were just kidding, before
! she spreads 1T all over town and gets
me a reputation I can't live up to-"
A* y
NdISS STANTON met his smile
lVl with a long inscrutable look.
She threw back her head and lowered
her eyelids. The gesture was one of
her best.
well. il it wasn't you," she said,
indolently amused. lit must have
L
I can't be expected to keep a card
index Of all the silly things men say
to me. Did I tell Miss Johnston you'd
said something when you hadn't? So
sorry!"
"It doesn't matter in the least"'
said Neily-Lou iciIy. Her cheeks
were burning.
"Yes. darn tit does matter" said
Larry. 'T can't do this Romeo-in-a-
balcony thing. and Sara won't be here
( to coach me-so I don't want 1t re-
ported that / can" asses
| you're too deliciously absurd" OBJ
served Miss Stanton.
| "Tell her / didn't say it." suggested
Larry. but there was quiet insistence
In his laughing look.
'It must have been Jimmy"
| "It was Jimmy"
| "oh, don't dare say 1t was-to
your
Anyhow. you were kidding about
me-"
Miss Stanton began to laugh, a
| tribe deliberately, but it grew into a
| cadenza Of uncomfortable mirth.
| "You know it is too funny" she
! sighed at last. HE takes himself
| very seriously. doesn't he, Miss John
ston? OF course. it couldn't have been
you, Larry. dear. Now. are you hap
py? And have you any more crows
to pick with me? Because. II you
haven't, you might run and inquire
over the telephone where the rest of
your very amusing party is."
Coming in the doorway, at the
| moment, most opportuneIy." said
Larry.
did you ask US for half after
Stanton.
II did," said Larry.
A moment later the party began in
earnest
Want to dance, NelIy-Lou?" asked
Larry. He had stood with his hand
on the back of her chair, significantly
waiting while Jimmy Wythe and
Sara, Julia and a man from out of
town drifted off together. The music
was q waltz. seductively muted.
"If the party is for Miss Stanton.
you ought to be dancing with her.
said Nelly-Lou. She rose. neverthe
less.
"Well." said Larry, smiling. lyon
see. Nelly-Lou. nobody but you thinf7i
tho party is for her."
He held out his arms and Nelly
Lou went into them-as one naturally
does at the beginning of a dance. But
her hand was rigidly impersonal; she
averted her face and there was no
yielding in the contact of her slim
| shoulders with his.
Larry began to sing in a coaxing
whisper while they danced: "Oh,
how want you, dear old pal O.
mine"'
old pal o. mine.'
The music sang it and sobbed it in
a variety of pleading nuances. So
"Nelry-Lou," said Larry. didn't you
have any more faith than that in my
SENSE of humor@
"She said you said It," said Nelly
Lou stubbornly. 20 s
"Sara's a. man eater" said Larry;
he drew Nelly-Lou masterfully closer
to avoid the impact of reckless
Young couple behind them.