The Washington times., 1923-08-11
By Charles G. Norris.

wwYHEN she and her mother
" had finished their din
ner, and had risen pre-
paratory to leaving the dining
room, Philip saw, with a sud
den pounding Of the heart. that
they would pass within arms
reach Of him. He bent over his
plate, pretending to be engrossed
In excavating the interior Of q
walnut. The blood reared In his
ears, he felt his face flame hotly.
Lucy nodded to the ladies cas-.
ually as they passed, with one Of
the polite little smiles she be-
slowed on all acquaintances in
the hotel, but Philip only bent
lower over his plate.
Another Glimpse.
Later in the crowded hall, out
side the dining-room, he caught
sight OF the girl again. It SEEM
ed a characteristic pose for her
to stand with downcast eyes and
lightly clasped fingers when she
was not speaking. Her elderly
mother was evidently garrulous
soul, but the girl stood patiently
at her side, her face suddenly
tightening with a pleasant warm
expression If she were addressed.
But she herself, Philip noticed,
volunteered few comments.
He could not drive this girl
from his thoughts. He saw her
face in his cigar smoke, in the
darkness that companionably be-
came his when he switched off
the light in his small bedroom,
in wonderful dreams that pleas
antly stole upon him in his sleep.
Something in the face Of every
young girl who passed him in the
street oddly suggested her. He
was obsessed with an hallucina-
ton that this or that woman was
she. frequently he caught HIM
self turning around to satisfy
himself he had been mistaken.
The following Sunday he spent
the entire afternoon over his
toilet. soaking in his bath, study
ing his clothes, celebrating over
the color of his scarf. At the last
moment he telephoned Lucy. he
could not come; he had developed
q bad headache. But an hour
later, declaring he had taken
some bromo and felt much bet
ter, he joined his sister and broth
er-in.law over the tail-end of their
dinner.
1t was inevitable he should meet
her. Wilbur introduced him to
her one Sunday evening. He
told Philip he wanted him TO
meet a real stunning girl" one
that he considered a ''corker,"
Philip Immediately knew whom he
meant, and flushed at the famil-
iarity in tone; dumbly he allowed
his partner to pilot him across
the hotel foyer to where she
stood.
Her name was Rowland-Mary
Rowland-and she had only re-
Gently returned from England,
where she had lived many years.
and where she had been edu-
Gated. But she was a Califor-
MAN, she declared with a grave
smile and a touch Of pride; she
and her mother had at last come
"home." She talked directly,
without affectation or feminine
artifice. raising her dark eyes
occasionally to gaze frankly into
the face of the person addressed.
Her voice was low, a little husky,
charmingly English. Philip, at
the moment of introduction, felt
suffocated with embarrassment
Hands, neck and forehead Were
covered with fine moisture, his
face burned, his tongue grew
thick and leathery, his feet SEEM
ed suddenly enormous, to weigh a
ton. But whether her dark eyes
held his, and she smiled in so
friendly a fashion, placing her
small hand in his damp palm
with simple directness, his con-
Etraint left him as completely as
II from his shoulders there had
suddenly dropped a mantle He
found himself presently talking
easily to her without self-con-
seriousness, and when Wilbur eft
them he turned about quite I'M
concernedly, and strolled with her
q little way apart from the noisy
groups that filled the wide hotel
foyer.
A Statuesque Figure.
She was a type with which
Philip was unfamiliar; he had
known women only of small
stature heretofore. His mother,
Lucy and Marjorie were all short,
but Mary Rowland was tall, with