New Britain herald., 1923-04-20
The Way the Evening With Leila
 and Alfred Ended

and Alfred Ended
 How should I know !" burst from my lips with more force than l in- tended, although no degree of cm- phasis. no matter how strong, could have adequately expressed my aston ishment at Dicky's question, How should I know why Leila imagined another woman was Bess Dean and then ruined dinner for every ono Of us by burting out the name?"
 Look here, Madge v Dicky's tone was as cold as the look he bent on mo as we danced in the throng of walt2crs crowding that cabaret dance floor, You may think that I'm thick skinned--in such things" he hastily amended, but Leila fairly took the breath as well as all the happiness Of this evening out of mo when she made that blunder. Of all the little fools"
 Hush !" warned him in whis- per. 'Theyre right behind you"
 T should worry !' Though his words were reckless. his voice was dis creetly modulated, "Fll bet old AIT is even sorer than yours truly"
 Tt was just one of those little breaks any one is liable to make" l endeavored to soothe what l now realized was q keen hurt Had 1t been the name of any other girl, per haps-"
 "There you go ,'' he savagely ez- claimed. Don't rub it in all the time. Haven't I repented in sack cloth and ashes for even trying to make you jealous? That I proved you can be needlessly batty makes no diff ference to you"
 "But it does" I whispered under cover of the applause which rang out as the orchestra ended the waltz and the dancers clamored for more, Tt matters more than even you can realize"
 Leila is III
 Tt looks like it !'' Dicky snapped, as the orchestra hroke into a fox trot and we were off again. Look what happened tonight at the mere men fion Of"
 "Be careful" I warned again. for Alfred was leading Leila in our di rection and they were now not two feet away.
 Leila wants to make this dance Home. Sweet Home for her and me, If you folks don't mind" Alfred said. as for second or so we trotted along together. "Headache."
 That's just what Madee and I were going to suggest--I'm fagged.' Dickyi smiled at Leila. and I caught and understood the look of gratitude she shot at him and then turned on me with a wan smile
 Before I realized if, we were back at our table catching our breath be- fore leaving. for my mind was busy | with the possibility that Leila actually was not well Certainly. her feverish | manner when we met, her curious be- | havior during dinner. the abandon | with which she entered into the between Alfred and picky al the theater--making it Impossible for us to have the word alone together which she had begged--even her dis traught appearance at this very min ute were applicable only in terms Of sickness. "Anything I can Do?"
 But I had no illusions that the in ception of Lela's illness lay in physi- cal causes. I knew as clearly as though she had poured her story in my ears, that she was worried-had | long been worried about something which was happening either to Alfred or between Alfred and her,
 So it was with a flood of tender sym pathy flowing from my heart that I reached over and took Leila's hands in both of my own. They were hot with fever and trembling with ner- The grateful pressure she gave my hands in ret,rrn---though | she quickly released them and rose to her feet--in some measure treasured | me.
 But the almost hysterical way in ! which Leila and Alfred--his troubled | eyes leaped from Dicky to me with ! woe and apology mingled in their and almost frightened |