Evening star., 1925-06-28

i .
Cushmael
Nowhere answered Charles
Stuart discreetly.
We'll, you're fired"
Stuart WINGED.
Right now"
Cuchmael waved his hands apathe-
tically.
stay two or three days if you
want to, till I find somebody. Then
-" he made a gesture of expulsion
-"outside for YOU
Charles Stuart assented with a
weary little nod. He assented to
everything. At . o'clock. after a de.
pressed interval during which he
brooded upon the penalty of spending
night among the police, he reported
for work.
Hello, Mr.. Stuart" said Edna
Schaeffer, Sauntering curiously toward
him as he took his place behind the
desk, what become of you last night ?
Get pinched?"
She laughed, cfeerfully. huskily.
charmingly he thought, at her joke.
Yes, he answered on a sudden
| impulse. II was in the Thirty-tifth
street Jail"
Yes, you were" she scoffed.
That's the TRUTH he insisted II
was arrested" "
IitI Idtt gre" serious at once.
GO on. What did you do?"
He hesitated.
II pushed somebody in the face. -
Suddenly she began to laugh, at
first with amusement and then i'm
moderately.
It's a fact" mumbled Stuart. 81
almost got sent to prison on account
of it."
Setting her hand firmly over her
mouth Edna turned away from him
and retired to the refuge of the
Kitchen. A little later. when he was
pretending to be busy at the accounts.
he saw her retailing the story to the
two other girls.
THE night wore on. The little man
In the grayish suit with the gray
ish face attracted no more attention
from the customers than the whirrine
electric fan over his head. They gave
hlm their money and his hand slid
their change into a little hollow in
the marble counter But to Charles
stuart the hours Of this night, this
last night, began 10 assume a quality
or romance. The slow routine of q
hundred other nights unrolled with a
new enchantment before his ewes.
Midnight was always a sort of a
dividing point-after that the intimate q
part of the evening began Fewer
people came in, and the ones that did
seemed depressed and tired: a casual
ragged man for coffee, the beggar
from the street corner who ate a
heaVy meal of cakes and a beefsteak.
rev nlghtbound street women and
a watchman with a red face who ey-
changed warning phrases with him
about his health.
Midnight seemed to come early to-
night and business was brisk until
after one. When Edna began to fold
napkins at nearby table he was
tempted TO ask her if she too had not
found the night unusually short.
Nalnly he wished that he might i'm.
press himself on her in some wav.
make some remark to her, some sign
OF his devotion that she would re.
member forever
She finished folding the vast milo
or napkins. loaded it onto the stand
ana bore 1t away, humming to her.
sell. A few minutes later the door
/ opened and two customers came in.
lie recognized them Immediately. and
as he did so "a flush of jealousy Went
over him. One of them a young ma n
IN handsome brown suit, cut ava Y
raklshly from his abdomen. had been
frequent visitor for the last 10 days.
~~i4Ae All Civ a GI ABOUT TINS hour.
sat down at one of Edna's tables. and
drank two cups of coffee with linser.
ing ease. On his last two visits he
had been accompanied by his present
companion, swarthy Greek with soI,r
eyes VINO ordered in a loud voice and
| gave vent to noisy sarcasm when any.
thlng was not to his taste.
II was chiefly the young man
,nouGh, who annoyed Charles Stuart
I
wherever she went. and on his Ia 81
TWO visits he had made unnecessary
requests in order to bring her more
often to his table.
Good evening, grille" Stuart heard
hiin say tonight. 'How's tricks?"
~: X, answered Edna formally.
"Wat1l it be-"
hat have you?" smiled the
y1ung Srhai :, man Everything, eh? Well
Whatd you recommend?'
Edna did not answer. Her ayee
We're staring straight over his head
INTO some invisible distance.
lie ordered dnally at the urging Of
| ms companion. Edna withdraw md
stuart saw the young man turn and
Whisper to his friend. indicating Fdna
with is head.
STUART shifted uncomfortable n
MS seat. He hated that youne
man and wished passionately that he
"ouiu 20 away. 1t seemed as If his
last night here. his last chance tC
wa.ch Edna, and perhaps even in
some blessed moment to talk TO her a
little, was marred by every moment
TINS man stayed.
Half dozen more people had
! uruted into the rsstaurant-two n,
three Workmen, the newsdealer from
| over the way-and Edna was too husy
LOT Few minutes to be bothered with
attehtlons Suddenly Charles Stuart
became aware that the sour-eved
Hreek mad raised his hand and was
pecKonlnS him. Somewhat puzzled he
left his desk and approached the table
| Say, fella,' said the Greek, what
| Tune does the boss come in?"
| why o'clock. Just a few min
utes now"
"All right. That's all. I Just want
! ed to speak to him about something.
Stuart realized that Edna was stand
ing beside the. table; both men turned
toward her.
| Say, girlie,' said the young man
Il want to talk to you Sit down.
| "I can't"
| sure you can. The boss don't
mlnd,2 He turned menacingly tc
! stuart. She can sit down. CAM
she?"
Stuart did not answer.
! | say she can sit down. can't she?'
said the young man more intently, an6
added, Speak up. you little dummy.
Still Stuart did not answer Strange
blood currents We're flowing all over
bis body. He was frightened, any
! thing said determinedly had a way OF
frightening him. But he could no,
move.
"Sh!" said the Greek to his com
panion.
But the young man was angered.
Say" he broke out, "some time