Evening star., 1923-04-22

mot always" he said significantly.
After all, 1t was true. She had been
a beast of prey all her life. Only
sentimentalists like Frances Wilmot
could have held out q hand OF pity
and regret.
She got up at last. He had given
her time. She fumbled with her gold
jeweled bag. She laid three guineas
on his table THAT is YER little for
| so MUCH" she said. IT think-when
I can't 60 any more-I come to your
| 'ospital. You take me in, helm?
ave a fancy"
II can't prevent your coming II you
| want to. You would -be more in your
element in your own home. Besides
| there are regulations. You-your
friends--won't liAe them"
She looked At him quickly, with a
amts-I ave 30 many-they won't un-
derstand. They say, That's one OF
Gyp's little jokes They won't be-
lieve 1t. They won't dare"
She gave him her hand, and he
touched 1t perfunctorily.
It's as you like, Of course. You
have only to let me know"
You are YER kind"
He showed her to the door and
rang the bell for the servant The
next morning he received a note from
her and a. ticket for the frst night
of .Mademoiseile Pantalonne-'
LIE went. He was driven by a curl
i i osity to which were added an
| ger and disgust. He told himself
with a solitary, inhuman pride, that
theater could taste the full flower OF
her performance. He was like God
seeing behind the scenes. He forsaw
the moment. perhaps before the foot.
lights, she would break down. It will
be in all the papers. She would make
use OF her own death IS she had used
Keith Mchlanus' miserable infat.
uation.
| And vet he was sick in heart and
brain. He had begun to realize tina,
no man can tr1mple on his stronges,
Instincts. with impunity. Frances
Wilmot's face dfckered before his hot
| eJ0e ih0 tu0 iiSuI oh u WIZ the
wisp.
Gyp Labelis stood between the cur.
tains at the back Of the stage in the
familiar attitude. smiling with tina,
foolish friendliness.
He found himself clapping with the
rest. He grew angry and afraid. Hs
had worked too hard lately. The
whole business had got an unnatura
hold over him. He got up TO go and
then realized that he was trying tc
escape.
1t was jolly music, too. And She
was still the gutter-urchin, fiinSing
herself about in the sheer Joy OF life
With death capering at her heels! Hs
watched her. waiting for some sign
the hrst faltsring gesture. Or waa
it possible that she was too empty.
hearted to feel even her own tragedy
| too shallow to suffer, too stupid tc
foresee. And yet he knew that In
that heated, dusty atmosphere pain
itself had set in-and he became
aware that there was sweat on his
own face. She was facing what every
man and woman in that audience
must face sooner or later. How? She
at any rate, danced as though there
was nothing in the world but life
At the end the band broke into the
old doggerel gallop.
| I'm Gyp Labelle-"
| She catherine-wheeied round the
stage. sweeping it with her plumes
just as she had done that first night
| And in two months time she would
| be dead.
| As the curtain fell she stood there
in the footlights. He could see the
pulse OF pain in her throat. Her
arms were raised joyously.
And the next day he had a little
note from her, written in a great
aprawling hand. She thought she
had better reserve rooms in his hotel
In about months time for about 8
month. After that no doubt, She
would require less accomm odation. A
silly, little, fatuous note-in execre-
able taste.
Uloth took y months leave and
spent it in the deserted house amons
the moors tramping the hills In .
haunted solitude. The live things
| that ran across his path-the quaint
furry hares and scurrying pheasants
the silhouette Of . stag against the
gray skyline-had become the broth,
ers and sisters OF an Infamous WON.
an. His gun, leveled at q rabbit sit
ting in CHEEKY alertness amid the
heather. sank under the pressure o,
inexplicabls pity. He had taught
himself to stand aloof from life. Ant
now he was being dragged down inte
it. It's values. which he had learned
to judge coldly and dispassionately
were shifting like sand.
In these days the papers, in thei,
frivolous columns, were full OF Cyl
Labelle. It seemed that Gyp hat
quarreled with her manageable hat
torn up her contracts and nunE tn,
scraps in his face. There were gay
doines nightly in the Kensingtor
house.
A last fling perhaps-the reckless
Igesture Of a worthless panic-stricker
soui-without dignity.
lIYE returned to town. He fount
j that she had arrived at th'
nursing home with tho hidsous oil
woman and the macaw and a phono
|graph. She had signed the registe
las Marie Dubois.
ITS my NAME" she explained
l"But one couldn't ave a good tim
with a name like that, voyons"'
She was much nearer the end tina,
he had supposed possible. The las