Evening star., 1923-04-22

young-young-youn Nelson sud
denly filled with curious hot resent
ment against the very qualities he
longed for-youth, and gay-hearted-
ness, and spontaneity.
x X
ssN IIND if sit down a second:'
NI Nelson scarcely turned his
head. "Of course not"
She curled up in the other chair.
and settled herself into comfort. Nell
son went on smoking. There was a
silence.
You're an awfully funny man."
she said. eventually.
I'm what way?"
She inclined a degree or two toward
him. "Oh, it isn't only the way you
act: it's in your eyes. and the way
you talk You talk off the top Of
your mind all the time-just so no.
body can possibly tell what you're
thinking about. Yesterday morning
and then again today you made me so
provoked l wanted to throw some
thing at you-but now I'm just sorry
for YOU
Nelson raised his head. Sorry for
me-"
She nodded Just as sorry as I
can be. Because / don't think you'd
ever behave like that if there weren't
some good reason for II. You're not
a humorist, really. What is it: just
that you don't like people,
He continued to smoke, and to med
itate. mo. that isn't it but why
should you bother?"
She hesitated. Il don't know il I
can even trust you not to be facetious
about this. &. Well, anyway-ever
since / was a little girl I've been
crazy to see Europe, and I never ex-
pected it. Then it fell right into my
lap. Right out of a clear sky. And
now I'm going to have ten weeks
ten of the most wonderful weeks I'll
ever know" She drew a long breath:
her eyes were shining. I'm the luck
lest person on the whole boat. And
1t isn't fair for me to be so happy all
alone: I wanted to share it with some
body. And nobody else seemed to
need any of my share. And yester-
day morning, down in the salon. you
were playing something that fitted so
exactly everything I was thinking
and feeling. and you had such queer
look on your face well, that be-
gan 1t. And then you squelched me.
And then today you did it again, and
I loathed you-until I'd had time to
think about it. And then I watched
you
The only sincere minute you've
spent on this boat was when you
didn't know I was looking at you!
I'm trying to help you"
TIE stared at her for a long half
/ / minute. MY guess" said Nelson,
irrelevantly, "is that you come from
q small city somewhere and you've
lived in the same place all your life.
Isn't that SO?
you see, girls like you," he went
on. don't grow up very often in big
cities. They go there afterward
sometimes, but they don't grow up
there-not often. You haven't
been snubbed very much,' he said
thoughtfully, land you've always
been surrounded by people who loved
you and trusted you and believed
that whatever you did was quite all
right, simply because you did it.
show it.
You mean I'm too personal?
suppose I am. I suppose I never
ought to have been interested at all.
I'm sorry"
mo, that isn't it at all" He
cleared his throat. II meant that
it's rather-startling- have any
body so-direct. It's-refreshing."
His voice, however. was badly reg
ulated-the old, defensive note OF
raillery had crept back into it.
You said something about wanting
90 much to come abroad. Well,
you're not even In my class. I've
been waiting and working and plan
ming for this trip for almost as many
years as you are old.
You take that thing you liked
yesterday--Tll tell you the idea. /.
Did you ever build up in your mind
q picture Of what Cairo must be like.
or Alexandra or Tunis? -. You
go out OF that smashing sunlight into
. shadow that pretty nearly blinds
you-into a bazaar. a shop-and
there are all the treasures of the
world spread out before you, and
over 1t all. bowling and salaaming
and rubbing his hands, and as Pic
turesque as can be. -. oh. he's an
old bandit, Of course, but still, he's
the seller of dreams-that Is. II you
think OF 1t the way do, and 1t takes
hold OF you. -"
II like the picture" she said. Il