Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-10


| your own sister, but"
PLEASED" Miss Lamb had protested
quite unhappily to that. And here was
another and the sweetest difference of
all between the sisters, for Miss
Lambs was the prettiest American &C
| cent imaginable. where as the duchess
had long since and all too completely
achieved the cold and ironic monotony
of the mother-tongue.
To be with Ava Lamb, the duke had
gratefully reflected Mt that moment,
was to look on all the beauty of his
wife in atmospheric conditions undis-
| turhed by his wife's sarcastic habit of
| mind. Miss Lamb hadn't n touch of
| that irony and sophistication which is
so often mistaken by American ladies
for European culture; she was per
fecty that rarest of all visitors to Il
bored continent. Il fresh and simple
American lady
And Please" was all she had said
about her sister. But to the young
| duke that one word had meant SO
much, forced as II had been so un.
happily from her lips, as if half to
| shield her pert sister against the
consequences of her folly. half to
! prevent him from seeing how deeply
she disapproved of that sister. and
wholly and SWeetly 10 stay his tongue
from exploring further into that mis-
! guided sisters character-it had
! meant 50 much that he had been
| content to wait ON her understanding
even before she quietly added: 'Oh.
understand
But do YOU. do YOU" lie had
| cried emphatically. and she had let
| silence present him anew with her
| deep sense of understanding. She had
Il delicious talent for silence.
My dear"-it has just slipped out
! of him like that, quite naturally, quite
wonderfully-'If only other women
were like you. To understand. l mean.
! just to understand"
The music and the dance lay in
the halls behind them. They We're
alone on the formal terrace high
| above the marvellous sweep of the
! Champs Elysees
! Up and down the broad avenue be
tween the tres prowled the beasts of
the cosmopolitan night. these with
| two great yellow eyes. those with one
! small red eye closely searching the
/ ground. In the middle distance the
/ Seine shone like 4 black sword, and
the horrible gilt creatures that adorn
the bridge on the night to the dignity
| of fallen arChangels driving chariots
| To the conquest OF the heavens And
a three-cornered moon lifted up an
| eyelash from The beau quarter about
| the Place Victor Hugo
x = x
! A Nd as, over his coffee the next
morning. the young duke re-
| fiected on yesternight. he found him
| SELF enchanted by gay memory. Oh,
! TO he enchanted again. to he thrilled
to he eNatlted-and ali. by companions
| ship" What fun there was in life
when women didn't grow so confound-
| edlv familiar with ones habits To
| be with Ava Lamb was to renew all
| the JOY he'd once had of loving his
| wife, 10 renew it and to increase it
! for wasn't he now older and wiser
wasn't he now wise enough to ap-
preciate enchantment? Why OH, why.
| wasn't his wife like this girl, why.
! since they We're both alike in so much
| hadn't Leonora a little of Ava s warm
attention and quick understanding?
And again the duke cast hack to
yesternight, how he had warmed to
the beautiful stranger and had told her
! the legend of the house of Mall
| He said: 1T tells. sister, how the
| golden cock on the weathervane of St
James Tower shall crow thrice at
| the birth OF the greatest of the Dukes
of Mall. And. although / say it who
shouldn't, this -uery miracle attended
the birth of him who now stands be-
fore you. And the legend further
tells that when the golden cock again
crows thrice, the greatest of the Dukes
| of Mall shall die. Tonight l find my
| self in fear of my fate. | am troubled
with foreboding that the second crow
| ing Of that beastly cock is not very
| far distant. I've never but once be-
| fore been vexed with this depression
and that was on the night of the
| day fell in love with Leonora Lamb. :"
SO il happened that the Duke awoke
one morning TO recognize that he
could not, try as he would, do with.
out the one enchantment that was
called Ava Lamb. Those American
| sisters were fated. it appeared, to
| ravish his imagination to the exclu-
| sion of the whole race Of womankind
And he had all the more leisure in
| which to contemplate his dilemma
| insomuch as Miss Lamb pleading the
| importantly of friends. would some
times not see him for days at d time.
Impatiently the duke in Paris await
| ed the wire which would tell him that
he was no longer the husband of
Leonora Mall; and when it came he
delayed only long enough to instruct
his valet to telephone his London flo
ristS to send the ex-duchess a basket
of flowers before calling on Miss Ava
Lamb at her hotel.
However, she was not at home. Her
maid said she was resting before the
| ardours of the night journey to Cher
bourg, whence she would embark for
New York. The duke scarce awaited
the end of the astounding news. Miss
Lamb was lying down. Calm and
cod, she said:
What does this mean. duke? How
dare you force yourself on me like
this?"
Fair, tall, intent, the duke further
dared her displeasure by raising her
unwilling hand to his lips. Twilight
filled the room. Outside, the motors
duke said:
Il have dared everything on this
one throw. Ava, / love you"
Her face was like a pale white flow
err. But he could not see her eyes, be-
cause they were closed. The dress
she wore was black. The hand that
lay outstretched on her black dress
was as soft as a temptation, and he
said: IT have a ring for that hand
that has not it's peer in the world.
| love you. Ava, will you marry me?"
He could not see her eyes, because
| they were closed. But still the dusk
| lacked the courage to steal the red
from her mouth, and the duke saw
! that her mouth was parted in a queer
sad smile.
why DO you smile?" he whispered,
and he said unsteadily: Il know why.
You do not believe I love you; you do
not believe L know how to love you;
| you think me the shallow, vain brag-
CART that have shown to you in the
guise of myself until this moment. But
I love you, Ava, more than life. I
| love you, Ava, with all the youthful
| love I had for your sister increased