Evening star., 1923-10-21
THE KIMONO ! 4;:;:;;

answered briefly.
! He considered. ~
Look here" he answered eagerly.
Suppose / got you something to--to
wear, you know; couldn't you send
for some one then? Wouldn't that
be all right?"
"Oh! Could you?" she breathed.
| Easiest thing in the world! Wait
a moment" He hurried into his
room and seized the bath robe from
| the chair, but paused, thinking.
That was a mans bath robe. Would
she be wearing onei normally?
He opened a closet door, foraging
| with his eyes. Only an umbrella in
the corner and shapeless something
depending from a hook marked 1t for
n closet at all. He grabbed at the
shadowy folds and found it a soft,
acknowledging wrapper of a dull.
/ faded pink. He returned in triumph.
! Here" he cried. "Will this dor
She had slid her hand through the
/! wide, tapping sleeves. Folding the
robe across her, she confronted him.
and became in that instant another
| person.
| "Thats very nice. thank you." she
said. and calmly laid the bottle on a
/ shelf beside her. She seized thick
braid with either hand and bound
| them about her head. She looked
now like a Madonna. gentle, self
poised. trusting.
Just look out moment and see il
| it's all right. will your she asked;
and Roddy peered out.
| "All right" he whispered. Just
step out and ring this back bell--I
would. And
"Yes. yes, yes" she interrupted, "1
know. Close your door. please" And
picking up her bottle, she glided past
him.
! Even as he shut the door he heard
| her short, sharp ring at the service
elevator, and in another moment the
! rumble Of the ascending car. Then
her voice:
Can you send somebody UP with
a passkey? / shut myself out"
"I got them right here. miss. Out
for the milk, was you? That was too
bad"
YES. 1t was silly. I'm much
obliged"
A slight rattle, soft slam. and it
was all over.
| The heart-warming rise Of three of
| his pet stocks put everything else
| out of Roddy's mind and sent him
| posthaste to a congratulatory broker.
A successful evening at bridge kept
! him childishly happy till he fell asleep,
and the morning found him feverishly
assembling his odds and ends into L
suit case and unexpected Bob walt
| ing in the car outside.
| Sue packed them off on a two
weeks fishing trip. from which Bob
returned to her. Roddy roaried on
| through Canada with u chance-f found
| college chum, and turned up In
! October, glad OF Bob's invitation TO
use Roberts Noah's Ark bed for n
| few days while his own rooms, to be
shared with the Canada chum who
had grown suddenly into partner
| in new law firm, we're getting
settled.
! 4 FTER dinner the first evening
Sue remarked, "I have some bills
to go Overland by the way, ROddy.
YOU old idiot, where's the bill for that
kimono? l want TO pay it, you know"
| "Bill?" he repeated vaguely. What
bill?"
/ She went to her room, returning e
| quickly with Il long paper box.
| THE bill for this" she said, ex-
| tending it. open, so that he gazed at
a rose-colored strip OF silky stuff.
| What is it?" he asked blankly.
ITS mine" she admonished him,
! "and you were perfectly welcome to
use it IL you preferred 1t to the bath
| robe 1 left out for you: but if you
! felt that you must have it cleaned.
, why not let me do it when l came?
send everything to q woman uptown; !;
! Renee's awfully expensive.
! "Reenee,' he repeated; what's
| that?"
! THE cleaner over here" she said.
"I suppose it was the nearest, so you
went there. And as for having IT
it's an old thing"
You're crazy, Sue" he said. "I
| never saw the thing before
F, 'tYou never saw this?" she cried,
and lifted It out. You never wore
| it?"
| Great Scott, not"
! "Then-whc did?"
/ ASK me another, Sue. l never saw
! the thing in my life protested
! Roddy.
"Then some one has been living in
! this apartment" she declared, soiemnly.
! some one who used my things and
knew my name"
| Roddy grinned lazily.
! Sorry 1 can't help you, my dear.
Shall we start at those papers now,
Bob?"
Clean out Of cherry dreams, Roddy
woke that night with start
| THAT girl" he thought "Those
pajamas! That wrapper! was-was
! that kimono?"
| He had never thought of the thing
since. OF course she would feel that
! she had to get 1t back. Doubtless.
she had thought this clever way to
| do it-quietly, anonymously. Funny.
| his forgetting the whole thing so.
| But-but would Sue believe he had
| forgotten? Nonsense; she'd have to.
He scowled, and slept uneasily.
| -