Evening star., 1924-09-14

Mac and the gray girl were getting
supper together now, in that apart
ment of his in which they were going
to wait--togethcr-unt the day .of
their belated honeymoon should ar
rive. Only three years ago, Mint and
Kirk
Mimi choke back a sob.
What did the gray girl have that
Mimi hadn't had-to begin with?
What was Mac that Kirk hadn't
been-three years ago?
kirk-when he didn't ruin his keen
black eyes with a Scowl-hiS beauti-
full sensitive mouth with a sneer-
was better looking, oh, by far! than
Mac.
She had thought to herself more
| than once in those first mad days,
Romeo must have been like this-'
That was how she had thought Of him
then. He had had a way of smiling
| at her, neutrality-suspicious. ten
der.
Where had it all gomez Where
and when-and. in the name of all
lost heavens. how"
No one had meant to be faithfuller
than Mimi. No one had ever sworn to
be trEer than Kirk.
x x * !:
a QUARTER to seven. He was
going to be late. as she had
hoped. For once she wanted him to
be late. She wanted time to have the
! table perfect. his coffee just strong
enough. Coffee, She hadn't made
| the coffee
At the back of Minis mind an
aching thought persisted: It's me.
It's my own fault that we've got
away from everything like this. 1
haven't tried hard enough He's
come home tired and nervous and
edgy from working-for me-and I've
been cross with him. | haven't held
up my end of the line. If we've
strayed out of the lovely place we
were in, it's more my fault than any
body's. But oh. I'd give my soul to
get back. To have Kirk look at me
the way the man on the bus look
ed at the girl in gray. He
| used to. Kirk used to. He had a
lovely smile. Funny-Im talking as
If he We're dead, Well
he might as well be. | might as well
be, too, if we don't mean any more
to each other than we did this morn
ing. Just man and 4 woman-tied
ogether-snapping and snarling-
and we used to believe"
She set her soft mouth hard to stop
its trembling. She measured coffee
| into the top Of the pot and water into
the bottom of it. She lit another
burner and set the pot above it.
Then she lifted the lid from the
bubbling stew and leaned to stir it.
Steam arose in an airy mist. Not for
nothing had Mimi ransacked her cup
| board; it was good steam, d tan
taliZing steam.
She thought. absurdly relieved: It's
going to be all right. Kirk II like II ,
I'll just about have time to powder
my nose now, before he comes in
She turned and the lid clattered
from the stew-pot to the floor, by
which, all at once. she was aware of
badly shaking hands.
I'm like somebody cropping for
something she's lost-feeling around
in the dark--trying to get love back
with mushrooms in stew. | don't
care. There must be a way.
Lid retrieved. she stirred and peered
into the pot once more. murmured
| like an enChantreSs above a love-
philter. But all she said was-sur-
prisingly: ''God-Iou know I've lost
| him. Give him back to ne-please.'
| And all she stirred into the mess
was tear, which slid glittering down
| one cheek before she could dash it
! away.
| Steps in the living room, steps pass
| ing the table with its unaccustomed
! grace of roses in a black glass bowl
] Kinks voice from the kitchen door
way, Il rather tired voice with vague
| touch of irritation:
| Gosh it's hot in here, Dinner not
ready YETI"
| Mimi faced him swiftly. crimsoning
to her hair: stified a sharp retort that
| in that moments surprise almost
| winged its way to freedom. Hello
| she said a last. Il didn't hear you
come in. Go on and sit down. I'll
| have it on the table in half a second
! about I. now Kirk muttered.
! He east dark, dissatisfied glance
about the kitchen and turned away.
a tall, slim, almost -looking <
| young man, Kirk, with wickedly
| irascible line between his level, black