Evening star., 1925-11-21

| against the newell post. All the
! doubts, the confusionS. the mysteries
| and the stupendous wonders of the
| day crashed down upon her. A little
| while before she had reveled In her
| own beauty, and in the glory of john s
surprise, his ecstasies. all the ques-
| tions he would ask her and she couldnt t
answer. They would plan; she would
| be glad with him over every thought
| of the future either of them could con-
! lure up. There would be no more tenn
pers and insipid quarrels; no more
| ttghting at each other. This time,
when he put his arms about her and
| kissed her she wouldn't be restless and
wish that he'd take her out into the
| lights, as other boys did, and romp
with her through the narcotic valleys
of jazz.
! That had been what she had looked
! forward to. Now, as she faced the
door. with John just beyond, waiting
| for her. and with the other man, whose
very manner toward her was like a
caress, also waiting for her, a premo-
milton stirred her nerves. she 1elt,
somehow, that her fate-the fate that
| had been SO strangely brewed for her
by unknown handS-waS In there, In
the hands of these two men, ana that
/ she was going in now to meet 1t face
To face. Foolish, Of course! She braced
her shoulders, and brought an AFRO
CANT dimpIe into her chin. Smiling
wistfuIIy, she stood in the doorway.
She had rehearsed, upstairs, a pose
| something graceful, after the FASHION
| of one of the especially bred manne-
uuins in the exclusive shop where she
| had found her gowns, but she forgot
| to use 1t.
| John and Brandon had been talking;
l haa 10 IN
| John. easily. lightly. He was very
handsome and graceful in his full eve
ming clothes He appeared to be as
| much at home in the humble rooming
! house parlor as he would have been in
| a ballroom. Joanna Sensed this. John,
| whom she had never seen in evening
! clothes, appeared to be Ill at ease; she
| sensed this, too.
| Both men gazed at her, silent for a
| moment, fascinated. The 1.-the, slim
| figured and slim-breasted girl with the
| deep gold bob and the full-shaped Gu
| mid lips, who blushed furiously and
wondered what the strange sensation
was. was very lovely. 1t was full
toned loveliness that still was char.
, ac+eristtc of Miss Twenty-Seven Of the
silks. but Brandon's appraising sense
| estimated quickly the effect that re-
straints would leave-the restraints
that "OOlQ COlIle any W tiS SAi ~
or that wouldn't come, according to
| the sort of her.
| It was Brandon who spoke first. He
| moved over to her and bowed low,
| with an exaggerated homage. There
is nothing so beautiful" he mur
| INJURED, las the bud that is bursting
| into a blossom He lifted her hand
and kissed it's slender fingers. Joanna
| could not help laughing. Shed always
! laughed. at the, movies. when men
kissed the hands of women. 1t seemed
| such a silly thing to do. But it didn' I
appear to be silly with this man, who
| completely dazed her with his always
new gallantries. Each move he made
seemed to have the thrill of a kiss in
| it. She laughed because it was SO
unexpected and so wholly outside thu
sentimental amenities to which Miss
Twenty-Seven" had been accustomed
Her laughing eyes turned to John
They sobered Immediately. John was