Evening star., 1925-12-03

pens. although he has another notion
just now. This must be a secret from
him. your secret and mine, and its
just something l want that he mustn't
know about for a little while She
gave the landlady the full benefit of a
smile and a pleading from deep brown
eyes that were irresistible. Gruds
ingly the woman gave in, shrugged
her angular shoulders and agreed
that IL that's the way it Is, I guess
it'll be all right. ! don't think you II
find any love letters from other girls.
Mr.. Johns not that way with girls"
Joanna opened her handbag and
added to the bills which already
crumpled in the landlady's hand, left
there by the cha uffeur. much larger
one. Then she tripped up the stairs
10 the door through which John had
delighted in the past occasionally to
usher her.
When she crossed the threshold she
faltered. For an instant Joanna Man
ners, girl of mystery and money. was
Miss Twentyseven" again, violating
all the conventions of q more partie-
ular age. and stealing in with John
to cuddle up on his frayed sofa and
listen while he built wonderful strue.
lures that reached to the sky as
surely as ever did a castle that grew
she weuld have preferred to be out
dancing. They were: in way, her
sacrifices. Shed told him once that
If he'd put his drawing board away
/ and use the big roem to practice up
on his fox tret he'd make A bigger
hit with her.
Joanna brushed this reminiscence
away with the back of her hand, pass
ing 1t petulantly across her forehead.
She crossed the room to huge chest
of drawers In which John kept his
papers. great sheets of blueprints,
plans and traeings.
AS If she we'll knew the contents
of those drawers, Joanna plunged her
gray-gleved fingers directly in among
sheaf of papers in a middle drawer.
When she brought them out they
brought also a big blue square on
which there were lines and diagrams
| in a confusion that many times had
wearied her eyes. There were other
sheets that were similarly marked, as
| if they wers duplicates on which in
| fnitesimal altera tons had been made.
| 1oa ma had chosen one of them. seem
| ingly at random, and appeared to be
satisfied.
| Ruthlessiy. careless of her deadly
affrent to the smoothnls OF an archi.
| tect's drawings. she folded the blue
| print into a minute square and thrust
Ii, crumpled, into her bag. Then she
turned back to the door.
Just for a moment she stopped and
| dropped into a corner of the sofa
! She pulled her legs under her and
curled up. She patted a place in A
cushion and rested her elbow in II
and prepped her head on her hand
And. is IL she were talking to some
! one who sat or stood in front of the
drawing board over by the window
| she murniNred seftly:
"Jehn, dear, you're such tiresome
old thing, I can't get all that stuff
! straight In my head at all. Why
don't you come ever and tell me how
much you think you love me?"
When she had said this out into
| the empty room she got up from
the sofa and went swiftly out. closing
the door behind her seftly.
The landlady hovered about in the
nall. Joanna nodded to her and said
L found what I wanted. It'll be al
| right - seme day. Remember your
Rremise-it's to he a secret between
/ us-thst ] was here. John will never
| Miss what / took
| When her ear drew up at the sky.
scraper Brandon was waiting. He
climbed In beside her. paid his eera
pliments, and the cabriolet sped to.
| ward the avenue. Brandon caught
enc of her hands and gave 1t gentle
pressure.
DE yeu knew" he said. "yeu were
very nice to me last night. l was be-