Evening star., 1925-12-01
10 A IN IN A
"'The Gracious Gift of God"
By ii. L. GATES
BY IL. L. GATES

! from champa gne. cried. Bravo" An
other echoed the cry, and then a bah
/ ble of voices called out to Teddy and
| to the. girl Men crowded to the stairs,
! each eager 10 perform some share of
the task of helping Joanna out "
/ 'feddy's arms onto the floor. y
/ woman. who stood behind John and
/ Bra ndon. said To her compa Mon, loud
/ enough to be overheard:
"One of Teddy's best points is that
he can love a woman. as he has car
| ried that one, without muSsing her.
! Johns face grew a little winter, and
his fingers twitched nervously. lie
/ saw that when Teddy had put her
! down. his arm fingered for moment
around the girl: that he held her
close to him while he whispered and
j that Joanna brushed his cheek with
/ the back of her hand, playfully. The
+, Noman whom John had overheard
/ spoke again: Teddy is beginning a
! campaign. He always does it with a
! whisper. Whoever this girl is, and
1 whatever she is, there are some peo-
! pie here tonight who will hate her-if
/ Teddy shows signs of following up
! that little tahleau.
/ John turned to look al the speaker.
/ She returned his glance and started
! At what she saw in his face. Then
! she was amused She id something
! to her compa nion. man who quit 2
evidently would not be her huSba nd.
4 lie surveyed John curiously. tie
spoke to his compa Mon in a low tone:
/ Yes. You prohab bly, are right He's in
( love with the girl 0dd.lookinS chap.
I Int one who would make trouble il he
! iet like it
( Both BRA ndon and John sought to
! L. lait- tn Ny ~ N y
/ stood. the center of Il thronC of men
( and women, some ia Scinated as was
/ Teddy DorminSter. by her amazing
/ beauty and freshness. and others pay
! ing their sycophantiC dues to TVonpe
/ by fawning upon her protegee. But
/ neither reached her side before she
! was whirled into dance by Lord
! Teddy. He surrndered her. after a
1 few turns, to others who pressed for
/ ward for the privilege.
Men were fulSome in their compli.
ments The mystery OF her was the
! Intriguing subject to which every
Y one led along the routes of intima te
personal things. things the men muir
INJURED softly while she swayed close
with them to the music, or whispered
! SO that her ears alone caught them.
/ 1t had been decided by YVonne that
] the history of her sudden shower cf
. Solu from an unknown benefactO.
should not he told. i<enilworth and
( Bra andon. and the few others OF
/ Yvonne's intimates who knew, agreed
/ to keep the secret. Dorminster had
not been taken into any ones conf
! dence as to Joanna s wealth. The men
who made their devotions 10 her. and
/ the women who We're curiously pleas 8
! ant. soon gave up their efforts to faith
/ ON her after failing in such hints $
Have You known Yvonne Coutant
/ . very long time? Do YOU belong in
] New York. or are you from else.
/ where" The men returned gleefully
| to their sentimental venturingS.
| When n score of toaSts in punch
had been drunk to her. and she had
! fitted from one pair of arms to an
/ other in the dancing. Joanna became
/ conscious of an unfamiliar quality in
! the murmured admirations heaped
! upon her. She had been accustomed
to the tentative prohings of the boys
| in her old crowd and their frankly
said and usually sincerely meant fiat
teries. You're a swell girl was
what she had learned TO expect.
Her acknowledgement customarily was