Evening star., 1924-10-26

glance about her lovely living room.
She wore her sweetest gown, an airy
thing of powder-blue with butter
colored rufi1es-but no one was there
to see. She poured herself cup
and sighed over 1t. She was half
way to her feet with her eye on the
telephone when steps came down the
hall and paused in the doorway. May
1 come in." Richard inquired. "or
were you going out?'
Not now" said Linnet and would
have given him both hands. If he
could have taken them. His right
was swathed in bandages, snowy but
sinister.
Poor DEAR cooed Linnet. waving
him into a chair. rs the sprain still
bad?'
"It doesn't seem to-disappear-as
fast as one would like"
"Ah. well-oid bones, you know"
said Linnet sweetly. Tea, Richard? .?
Lemon and sugar. isn't it?"
Mice Of you to remember" said
Richard.
II thought I noticed-it isn't pos
sible I saw you limp as you crossed
the room?" continued his solicitous
| hostess.
"I-ah-I-in some way wrenched
: tendon in my ankle. the other
night"
Dancing. Richard?"
Richard lifted a leonine glare.
Yes. Linnet-dancing."
Dear me-dear me-" sighed Linnet
| caressingly. What shame"
| Il haven't had decent nights sleep
| in some time
How horrid. But after all, ones
young only once-or is it oftener?
You'll have plenty of time later on In
which to dOze by the fire"
II wish," said Richard abruptly.
you'd lay down the instruments of
| torture for just a moment. want
| to talk to you, Linnet. seriously. I've
made a fool OF myself. Your child
isn't happy"
HMM! said Linnet. who told you
so?"
''1've seen it for myself. she-isn't
happy"
Are you?" asked Linnet.
That doesn't matter In the least"
'Of course 1t does. If she sees
you're not
She can't possibly have seen any
| thing at ALL" said Richard with firm
| ness. II have done everything under
the sun that she wanted to do. Played
tennis till I dropped-danced. night
after night. till felt like stiff old
jumping jack-gone on ridiculous
when felt they were laughing at me
behind my back-cackled at jokes
| that had no point to me"
Linnet chuckled. "A difference Of
| taste in jokes" she said, lis the
! dead line between the generations.
Well. SO it is you who aren't happy.
after all?"
Richard said curtIy: I'm wretched.
If you will have it. Linnet, I've got
| -;-rl,t l,a,- hAr Ix-n, dor -f,,l
youth"
And you want me to save you from
it," finished Linnet. Am I right?"
LAS usual" said Richard.
LIE burst into desperate speech, ut
should have been Monty-or
somebody like him.
Really Linnet took a slim, white
envelope from the pocket of the pow
der blue gown and handed it to him
across the tea things. Read this.
dear Richard. I was on the point of
sending for you when you-ah-
limped in"
Richard took the envelope, drew out
Of it a folded sheet of paper and felt
for his eyeglasses. He read, with
slight pauses between the words:
Dear mother: Lynn and l were
married an hour ago and are leaving
for New York. Break it to Uncle
Richard for us. We hope to be for
given. but know we've no right in the
world to ask it. You might send us
q line at the Brevoort to let us know
If we're to come back or not.
your loving son-in any case
MONTY"
Richard flushed darkly. "A com
plete surprise" he said coolly. Had
you seen It coming?"
"Not-altogether," said Linnet, not
altogether truthfully.
80 far ~ know" went on Richard
Monty has about five hundred dollars
tto his name"
Linnet said: IT gave Lynn a check
for three hundred, day before yester-
day. It was-ah-my birthday"
"Well-it was my own fault-to
certain extent" said Richard. Il
rather showed him in her way when
ever the dancing and tennis and all
that got too strenuous"
Nonsense! They were lost the mo-
ment they saw each other"
"Really?" said Richard. You don't
mean 1t! You-believe in that sort of
thing?"
80 does Lynn-now," said Linnet,
| wiokedly.
He ignored the thrust. This will
make-oonsiderable local converse
tion, dare say"
Annst quoted, In . whisper, MY
dear-her mother eloped before her"
"H'm'mi" said Richard-and again
''M'm'm! I suppose you'd Taught At
mo II said that the first elopement
hurt me far more than the second"
Are you by any chance" inquired
Linnet. telling the truth? Richard
there was Hattie Ordway@
And there was Dandy" said Rich
ard. stubbornly. Hattie saw how 1t
was with me. She threw me over.
| Dandy saw-he ran away with you
before I had . chance. suppose it
never occurred to you that In Lynn
I was faithful to YOU"
"In Lynn, IL you were faithful to
| anything. you were faithful to Henry
Dandy" said Lnnet. shes no more
| like me than
II felt that even her name was al
most the 0AmA."
"It was quite the Same. Richard.
She ohang:A 4 - soon as she could.
| She said lnnet Was-mu0hy."
WELL" said Richard. and rose to-