The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-11-10
By HI. l.. Gates
rrADTCD WITT
A Shattered Dream


A Shattered Dream
TOR one brief minute Joanna
II stood at the foot of the
stairs, just out side the draw
ing room door The eagerness, the
exhilaration which had wrapped her
face as in an aura, had gone out OF
if. She closed her eyes tightly, the
gold of their over-plucked brows
making thin, straight lines. She
steadied herself with her hand
against the newell post. All the
doubts. the confusions, the myster-
les and the stupendous wonders OF
the day crashed down upon her. A
little while before she had revelleo
in her own beauty, and In the glory
of Johns surprise, his eestacies, all
the questions he would ask her and
she couldn't answer. They would
plan; she would be glad with him
over every thought Of the future
either of them could conjure. up.
There would be no more tempers and
insipid quarrels; no more fighting 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 val
legs of jazz.
That had been what she had looked
forward too Now, as she faced the
door. with John just beyond, wait
ing for her, and with the other man,
whose very manner toward her was
like a caress, also waiting for her,
a premonition stirred her nerves.
She felt, somehow, that her fate. the
fate that had been so strangely
brewed for her by unknown hands,
was in there, in the hands of those
two men, and that she was going
in, now, to met it face to face. Fool
ish. of course! She braced her
shoulders, and brought an arrogant
dimple into her chin. Smiling, visit
fully, she stood in the doorway. She
had rehearsed, upstairs, pose,
something graceful after the fashion
Of one of the especially bred man
nequins in the exclusive shop where
she had found her gowns, but she
forgot to use it.
John and Brandon had been talk
ing; that is, Brandon had been talk
ing to John, easily, lightly He was
very handsome and graceful, in his
full evening clothes. He appeared
to be as much at home in the hum
BILE rooming house parlor as he
would have ben in a ballroom. Jo-
anna sensed this; John, whom she
had never seen in evening clothes.
appeared to be i'll at ease. She
sensed this, too.
Both men gazed at her, silent for
a moment, fascinated.
The 1.-the, slim figure and slim
breasted girl, with the deep gold
bob and the full-shaped Cupid lips,
who blushed fuliously and wondered
what the strange sensation was, was
very lovely. 1t was a fulltoned love-
liness that still was characteristic
Of Miss Twenty Seven of the silks,
but Brandon's appraising sense es-
timated quickly the effect that re-
straints would leave-the restraints
that would come naturally to the
girl-or that wouldn't come, accord
mig to the sort Of her.
f7T was Brandon who spoke
first. He moved over to her
and bowed low, with an ex-
aggerated homage. There is moth
ing so beautiful" he murmured, "as
the bud that is bursting into bios
somp' 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't ap-
pear to. be silly, with this man, who
completely dazed her with his al
ways new gallantries. Each move
he made seemed to have the thrill
Of kiss In it, She laughed because
it was so unexpected and so wholly
outside the sentimental amenities to
which Miss Twenty-Seven" had
been accustomed.
Her laughing eyes turned to John.
They sobered Immediately. John was
not coming to her; not coming to
take her hand and squeeze it, and
say: Some looks you've got on
Jo!' or something eloquent, like that
She took her hand from Brandon
who had held it so that her senseless
fingers rested on his, and went UP
to John. When she reached him
she realized that he kept his hands
in his pockets; that he did not even
go through the slight formality she