Evening star., 1923-11-11

sk n y
A t s sigurd considered Helios. .suf-
"A fciently well dressed. At $3.50
Mr.. Bunt climbed into the Limousine
beside Nine. Olsen and genially said
well, Katie, It's black as pitch. You
couldn't see your shadow with a gas
lamp"
That's some comfort. Sit here with
me. Heel. Now, lamb, you're goin' to
do all right"
"Of course. he is" said Sigurd; but
stop pulling your tie, Heel
"Now, don't look at the audience,
lamb" Nine. Olsen ordered. I've got
on this fireman's bride dress and they
won't look at nothin' else for while"
The lamp in the roof of the limou-
sine revealed the scarlet robe and it's
girdle of folded gold tissue. 1t
warmed Helios. His mother let him
smoke cigarette. and the motor
went about the inlet to the inn
grounds lighted with Chinese globes.
Soon HeIios looked through a door at
the platform where the orchestra was
disgorging piled noises in the Prince
Igor'' dance. Suddenly he was sitting
at the piano. and the room ratified ap-
plause for his mother.
Helios saw his fingers darken the
keys, and Madame Olsen sang. The
emeralds rose and fell upon her
breast. She beamed and bowed. The
first song was over, and Helios
gasped in his surprise. He kept on
gasping as each song finished. Be-
tween times in the dressing room,
Madame Olsen kissed his nose and
told him he was doing swell. There
was a final heave of applause, and
the eager orchestra leader came out
Of the palms.
Helios scurried through the dress
ing room to the veranda. That. too.
was jammed with people. Helios
climbed a rail and peered over
heads. Madame Olsen had begun the
slow air Of Louise" She stood near
the edge of the platform, the emer-
aids softly blinking like tired eyes
on the white breast. She sang.
The violin crooned behind her. A
woman below Helios shifted violently,
and an odor of lilac arose. 1t came
from the purple eggplant in black
dress smeared with jet.
The song came to an end. People
stood up to clap. The hotel man
ager hurried down with a huge bale
of roses. Cap-chairs clattered. and
a man drawled, who'd OF thought
she was a farmers gurl out Of Min
nesota?" To which a woman an
swered: 81 guess those are the
em'ralds was in the paper"
Mr.. Bunt thought badly of the
supper in the managers suite after
the reception. The limousine con-
fined his grumblings until the party
reached the house and went to bed.
GLORY be-" said madame, that's
over. Heel. you were fine. You
weren't too loud once. And go to
bed. You're tired to death. Mercy"
she exclaimed on the stairs, ''ain't
it dark, You wouldn't know it was
a full moon. Pitch black"
With midnight, all the bulbs of
Pointe Carosse Were gone. Sigurd
turned out the bedroom lamps and the
universe DtCdlllo
IT'S joke on the moon" said
Helios. He giggled: Think of all
the hicks that were goin' 70 give
straw-rides and all the mush-heads
like Blonde that are scared Of full
moons"
go to bed" Sigurd said from his
corner.
i've gone" Helios yawned, on his
cot by the window, "but 1 don't
think I'll go to sleep. Tell me the
story of your life, Siguard.'
cIGURDS pillow brushed Helios in
~ passing. 1t topped on the ver-
anda roof. Helios tenderly said:
Hope you fall off the edge gettin'
it back, Svenska"' and shut his eyes.
His brother couldn't sleep without a
pillow. In ten minutes there were
rustlings Five minutes later Sigurd
groaned, and there was delicate
padding of soles on the floor. Helios
opened an eye but saw nothing. His
amusement was lost in the black
ness. He shut the eye again. ST.
curd climbed back through the win
dow, and very suddenly his hand
gripped the boys arm.
where's that gun of yours?"
Down in the hall. What?"
Man Just got out of a canoe. Has
n fiash-lamp. Shut up, Mustn't scare
Blonde. I'm goin' to plug him. He'll
run"
Sigurd was gone. Helios stumbled
ont of bed and crawled through the
window, down to the gutter of the
roof. and dropped a foot over 1t. The
boys blood pumped through his
heart. He sat on the gutter, glaring
down.
All at once the whole world was
visible in a shock of pale glory. He'll
os stared up at the moon through
slash in the clouds. He gulped and
slid off the gutter, whirled down the
awning and landed without noise on
the grass
He saw a shadow spread to his feet
al he sat up. A man stood there, his
fat cap bent forward. The shadow lay
like a painted shape on the turf and
stretched from its maker to Helios.
Helios sat and gaped. Then the man
lifted a hand and crossed himself,
saving: "Perdone." He turned and
walked across the grass. Sigurd came
hurting down the veranda steps. The
moon went out.
In the blackness Sigurd said, Here.
What the devil?" Helios began to gig
THERE WAS A HIDEOUS YELL.