Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-17

! sg Il 81 IS y
eve don't even know each others
names yet Mine is Lucille Davenant
--Mrs.-a widow. you know.
So she wasn't Brett Pathways wife:
And now the white brow was knit
ding in perpleXity.
.Richenda Peterson: I've heard
that name before. NOWHERE?
And it's curious, but your face is very
familiar to me. know I've seen you
before your photograph. won
der where it could have been. She
paused in a moments thought.
II think" said Richenda. you
probably saw both my name and my
face In the newspapers" She had
been inclined toward the idea that
she would tell as little as possible of.
herself to strangers In Africa. She
had not reckoned on people refnem-
bering the winner of the blind ballot
in this way. But. faced with such q
remembrance as this woman showed,
Richenda realized that to refrain from
speaking would seem odd to Mrs.
Davenant when later she remembered
the things which now temporarily
evaded her.
Luciile's eyes danced. How per-
fectly Iovelyt'' she cried. ITS like
meeting Cinderella come out of her
kitchen! Have YOU come to Kenya to
find a fairy prince2,'
The girl Redeemed. II don't want
fairy prince, = she replied a little
brusquely. II came out-well, j
don't quite know why-but, but every
one talks SO much about East Africa
nowadays. and Thought might
spend my holiday here just as well as
in Siberia or Japan Not for a bag
of sovereigns would she have told this
ing out from the page of an evening
newspaper, that calm, stern face and
all it had led her to do,
And the little Scotsman I saw you
with last night?' Lucille put the
question with disarming franl1ness.
He has gone up to his farm" an
swered Richeada. IT don't know a
soul in Mombasa now"
why, neither do Is-or scarcely a
soul. It's bit comforting to hear of
some one else in the same boat. We
might do shopping together
I'd love to- Richenda felt a thrill
of mixed gratitude and excitement.
The boom Of a brass gong suddenly
reverberated through the hotel.
Time to dress" cried Mrs. Dave
nant. 20, by the way. are you sitting
at a table alone for dinner tonight?n
Richenda nodded with a smile.
Why, that win never do" cried the
fair woman. Come and dine at my
table. I'll introduce really charming
man to you.,'
Richenda's feet literally danced
across the corridors and down. the
stairs to her own room. Al really,
charming mani That could only be.
Powers above. Destiny had her
by the nose with vengeance. East
Africa, too. with its mystic allure, it,
quiet air pulsing with romance, had
her in the hollow Of it's hand.
The East-the East 1T changed her
from the sedate typist 81 those past
years into star eyed, crimson Tipped
soul thrilled little girl. She had never
had romance yet. She wanted it,
wanted II by that turquoise sea which
swished singing through the man
groves up to the weed draped coral
rocks along the shOre--wante ii UNI
der the Tremendous silver moon which
shone down through the swaying
palms. Something new sang in her
biOod--romance the East.
She didn't know what It meant
She didn't know where 1t was leading
her. She didn't want to know. The
silver-bathed singing night allure OF
the East--it got into the soul of her.
Outside the window q cricket set up
chirping love chant. Richenda
Peterson trilled little song III
chorus.
And not a hundred yards away
Lucille Davenant was smiling. too d
different smile.
'Bowled first time, she whispered.
Five thousand pounds Five thou
sand /. and she hunted for cock
roach, the blessed babel"
She dabbed big 9wansdown pun
reflectively into pot of purplish yell
low powder. Yes. this stun really was
effective under electric light.
Richenda took longer than usual
over her toilet that night. She
brushed her wavy hair to greater
glossiness, powdered her burning
cheeks till their daInaslk showed more
softly through the light film, then
pinned scarlet flower to the left
shoulder of the plain. slim, satin
dress. TO match the bizarre lacquer
red earrings which hung low below
the bobbed side pieces which, In mod
ern fashion, hid her ears.
One last look she gave into the
mirror before she switched on the
electric light. y Ell do. 9 she said. r. III
do. Then with 4 giggie. Now,
Brett Fairways. wen just see what
part fate means you to- play In my
life. I'm not feeling the least little
bit III love with the real you: II does
Efaf,f attract ~ ~ much q the dream