Evening star., 1924-08-03

screamed that she had only arranged
the match IN view Of Mr.. Rehan'S
attractions as a millionaire and no.
as a man, Maria AnnunzIata merely
said:
Il am sorry" and her words were
like separate frozen icicles.
And the child was of age, and as
OBSTINATE
Aunt Juana tried swooning but
that also effected no cure in docility.
Decidedly .tling-had got into the
clockWorl,
A'A was a suppressed uuaver, his
! features were more rub'curd than
| usual. as that evening he joined his
bride Of the morrow in a deserted
| sitting room of the hotei.
| Il havr brought you little present,
u wedding present. Yes. Here you
are. L hope you will lik. It. All
/ could afford. of course. under the
! circumstances" He seemed to be
! bubbling with intense excitement.
| barely stitied. as she listl essly said
| Thank YOU and opened the fat
| oDIohg parc"t.
Inside was a leather cas-. And in
the case a necklace of pure snImmer-
| ing pearls lay languidly on its bed Of
| blue velvet. Maria Annunziata
glanced up in dazed inquiry.
! They're not real. of course she
| began. but the pearls themselves
| mocked this solution.
| They are real" The millionaire
! rodded and laughed, and shuffied his
! feet in a species of dance that ex-
! pressed huge enjoyment of the situa-
/ ton.
! "Then--?''
I Il can tell YOU now. You. dear.
! dear child. it never occurred to YOU
| Gid it, that sometimes very rich
! men-men like myself" he puffed out
! his chest, get loved. well, shall We
say not quite for themselves alone
1 / desired to test You, Maria Annun-
/ z;ata,' the millionaires voice doomed
! out solemnly. II could not be salts
! fled till l had tested you. You
seemed an innocent. straightforward
| little girl when YOU accepted my
| ah-proposal: but you might have
J been sly-sly. or YOU might have
! been Influenced. 1t was only when 7
| was on a journey. away from Your
| eyes. Maria. fatuously. that this
ah-possibflfty occurred to me. ] am
4 simple. kind-hearted fellow, full OF
J illusions, full of dreams"
| Maria Annunziata interrupted the
| long rigmarole. Her apathy had AL
| dropped from her like a cloak; she
was taut, starry alive again
| Rehan started at the stamp Of her
| pretty imperious foot:
stop talking. only tell me. Did
| you make it all up? About being
ruined? Was it just to try me?"
| He was too pleased with life in
| general. and the success of his ruSe
| in particular TO resent what seemed
| at this climax ner very natural ex-
! altation. Il did, indeed. Now, isn't
| that Il nice surprise for sweet, little
unwordly. loving Maria Annunziata
| on the day before her wedding? Yes
| made up the whole story And
| acted my part tolerably we'll | think
/ Yes. yes. ,olerably well. II you had
broken our engagement then and
! there. I should have known you were
! just an avaricious doll. But, as 1t Is.
there's no need to keep up pretense
| any longer"
You arc still a nillionaire?" His
| fiancee's voice was like a silver
thread drawn to swapping point.
Doesn't my gift prove it?' He
removed the pearls from the box, and
| dangled them temptingly towards
| her.
| Maria Annunziata, with one swift
| impetuous movement, sent them
! spinning across the room.
/ Damn your gift" she cried, joy
F.! fully.
Her one thought, now that she had
! broken or her engagement, was to
| find Dick--and Dick might have re-
| turned to England already and left
no address behind. She had never
met him except at Miss Robfnson's
tea shop. julius might go to Aunt
Juana now. at once; and then
! Maria Annunziata snatched up a
hat and cloak and rushed out of the
| hotel, through the shimmering heat
/ OF the Casino gardens, and up the
street past Quinto's restaurant. Miss
Robinson alone, in all Monte Carle.
might perhaps be able to tel Der
where Dick could be found
Impetuously, she dashed into the
little shop, dcpressinglY empty sase
! for the proprietress.
| ooh, Miss Robinson, do you know
| where--where-my friend. the Eng
| lishman--?" she faltered ana
| stopped.
Miss Robinson smiled her faded
smile. Hes here now" she said
He comes in every day for his tea =
And she opened the door of the
back parlor.
Copyright, la24.)