Evening star., 1925-05-26
Continued fr1m Yesterdays Starr

And it's time for bed" said Roy
Martel. "off with you. boyi I'm sc
busy these days trying to find some
light in this reparations mess that
need all the sleep l can get"
AS young Anson went, mutterins
against the incivility Of his host
which he described as lavish and
lethal. all the clocks of Paris began
the lengthy business of making il
midnight. But Roy Martel, who sc
needed sleep to rest a brain that was
bed, for he knew it would be no use
Slowly, slowly, he paced about his
aim, wide rooms, the rooms Of a man
who liked fine, simple things, shining
old woods, ancient colds and Somber
carpets that stole away the noise OF
footballs.
The narrow hours struck, and still
ne paced, gaunt shadow among
dancing specters. for the draft through
open windows and doors played furi
ously with the little candle flames
And from above, from the fiat of the
golden American, ever and again came
the rustlfng whisper OF sliding feet
ever and again came the shrill wall
or the shining thing called a saxo
phone, and the beating of the drum
and the song of the violin, and the
bass viol. too. And the saxophone
played. it played and played. "Oh
God, oh Cod" muttered Roy Martel
for he longed for the silence that
would wrap him in sleep.
But silence did not come, and his
tired brain grew livid with the noise
of folly that sobbed and droned and
yelled and walled; and then, like
lightning against a tortured sky,
flashed a voice, a voice that waved
and laughed, syncopating, syncopat-
ing.
A voice among voices:
Dance, you all. Why don't you
dance? What is there but dancing
to dance and dance, and then to die?
oh, you weak -kneed NUTS, don't you
know! There's dancing-and then the
Deluge! After dancing-the Deluge!
And so we dance"'
And 81 they danced, on the shining
parquet of Consuelo's white-paneIed
salon. Frenchmen, Americans, Eng
llsn and the dark ct ceteraS that col
iect like smuts on all great cities
thew danced. And Consuelo danced.
And the saNophone played. And Con
suelo. hair like a golden halo round
an ivory face, eyes shot with violet
laughter, Consuelo sang, and as she
sang her 1.-the body throbbed with
grace.
She sang with arms outstretched
long white arms that swayed like
white snakes, and she sang to the
young man who had the shining saxo.
phone throbbing between his lips.
And suddenly the voice of the
swaying white arms was still, as
though cut by a knife, and the white
arms f1uttered irresolute, and the
saxophone gave a silly wall and walled
no more.
In the doorway, as on the threshold
OF carnival whose name TO him was
boredom. stood a tall, dark, lean fig
ure, with deep shadows round his
eyes. He stood there as alone as a
cypress in garden. And he looked
straightly at the queen of the garden,
who stood alone on the shining par
quet, as alone as a queen, and into
her poise and look suddenly crept
something of the calm dignity which
poets have found in queens of olden
time, so that her motley guests Won
dered at this Consuelo of grave de-
meanor and imperious carriage; and
they stared curiously at the tall man
in the doorway, and they recognized
the red mark on the black silk lapel
of his dinner coat for the roSette of
the Legion of Honor of the first class.
than which none is greater among
the great QlSIlnctlOnS OF the World.
And he stood there, without a smile,
as alone as a cypress in a garden,
and he said:
II hope that you will pardon my
Intrusion"
II hope so, too" said Consuelo
gravely. And fool somewhere
laughed.
You see," explained the tall man. and
he spoke as if he and the golden Amer
ican were quite alone, and he spoke
low, as though the sweep of parquet
that lay between them was no more
than the length of a cigarette. You
see,' he said lever since you honored
the fiat above mine with your pres
ence, some weeks ago, your activities
have been such that I have been quite
unable to get any sleep. And 1 thought
Miss Cox, that I would just come up
stairs and mention that to you
And the fool somewhere laughed.
"Quel dommage" whispered a
French voice.
Say" cried the fool, that's some
gall! Who the hell are you anyway
Consuelo swept very white arm
round the room.
People," she cried softly. "allow me
to introduce you to Sir Roy Martel.'
The man in the doorway bowed like
an absent-minded courier.
please to have you meet usr'