Evening star., 1924-07-13
Eyes and q Fly
G..

were, he continued to google dumbly.
| And then his eye, wandering aside,
collided with the following objects;
fluffy pink dressing-gown hung
over the back of a chair, an entirely
strange suitcase, and, on the bu-
| reau, a photograph in a silver frame
of stout gentleman in evening dress
whom he had never seen before in his
life.
/ X X X
jNEUCH has been written OF the
AVA emotions of the wanderer who,
returning to his childhood home, finds
it altered out of all recognition, but
poets have neglected the theme-far
more poignant-of the man who goes
up to his room in a hotel and finds it
full Of somebody else's dressing
gowns and bulldogs.
| Bulldogs! Archie's heart jumped
sideways and upwards with wig
Cling movement, turned two somer-
saults, and stopped beating.
The hideous truth at last pene-
trated to his brain. He was in the
rooms belonging to Miss Vera Sill
verton!
He could not understand it. Yet.
below par though his faculties were
at the moment, he was sufficiently
alert to perceive that it behooved him
to withdraw. He leaped to the door,
and, as he hid so, the handle began
to turn.
The cloud which had settled on
Archie's mind lifted abruptly. Good
fortune had brought him to within
easy reach Of the electric-light
switch. He snapped it back. and was
in darkness. Then, diving silently
and swiftly to the floor. he wriggled
under the bed. Then the door opened,
the light was switched on again, and
the bulldog in the corner gave a well
coming woof1e.
"And how is mammals precious
langel?"
Rightly concluding that the remark
had not been addressed to himself,
Archie said nothing. The question
was not repeated. and from the
sound Of a patted dag.
did he think his muzzer had fallen
down dead and was never COM
ing up?"
The beautiful pictures which these
words conjured up filled Archie with
that yearning for the mighthave-
been which is always so painful After
a prolonged period, he heard a drawer
topen and noted the fact as promising.
AS the old married man. he presumed
that it signified the puttingaway of
hairpins. About now the dashed
woman would be looking at herself in
the glass with her hair down. Then
she would brush it. Then she would
twiddle it up into thingummies. Say,
ten minutes for this. And after that
she would go to bed and turn out
the light, and he would be able, after
lgiving her bit Of time to go to sleep
to creep out and leg it. Allowing, at
la conservative estimate, three
quarters Of
Come out" Archie stiffened. For
an instant, a feeble hope came to him
that this remark. like the others,
might be addressed to the dog. Come
out from under that bed!" said a
stern voice. And mind how you
come. I've got gun"
We'll, I mean to say, you know
said Achie, in a propitiatory voice
emerging from his lair like a tortoise
and smiling as winningly as possible
'I suppose all this seems fairly rum
my. but"
For the love Of Mike" said Miss
Sill, erton. What are you doing In
my room?"
:, We'll, if it comes to that, you know
haunt brought the subject up in the
course of general chit-chat-what are
J you doing in mine?"
''Yours?'
well, apparently there's been z
bic omer of some species somewhere
but this was the room 1 had last
J night" said Archie.
i. But the desk clerk said that he
! had asked you IL it would be quite
. satisfactory to you to give it up to
me, and you said. Yes l come here
every summer, when I'm not working
and 1 always have this room"
by Jove! I remember now. The
chappie did say something to me
about the room, but I was thinking
Of something else. So that's what he
was talking about, was it?'
Miss Silverton was registering dis
appointment.
Nothing breaks right for me il
this darned world" she said regret
fully. "When 1 caught sight Of youl
leg sticking out from under the bed
1 did think that everything was all
lined up for a real fine ad at last.
could close my eyes and see the
things in the papers. On the front
page. with photographs. 'Plucky Act
ress Captures Burglar Darn it!'
"Fearfully sorry, you know" SAID
Archie sympathetically.
"I did think that, for once, my
guardian angel was doing something
for me. Stage Star and Midnight
Marauder.' murmured Miss Silvertor
wistfully. Tootlight Favorite Foil:
Felon.'"
"Bit thickr argeed Archie sym
pathetically. WELL you'll probably be
wanting to get to bed and all thai
sort of rot; so I may as we'll be pop
ping-what? Cheery-o!"
A sudden CLEAN came into Mis-:
Silverton's compelling eyes.
"Wait!'
En-"
Wait! I've got an idea Tht
wistful sadness had gone from hel
manner. She was bright and alert
"Sit down."
"'Sit DOWN."
Sit doup tho,,rbf n