Evening star., 1926-03-27

Hilary was communicating with her
Good Lord, Ny poor Celia. ejacu-
lated he.
Don't you worry. sir" soothed
Donovan. "Ill just give her dose 81
aromatics and she'll sleep it off like q
lamb"
Hadn't better call up Dr.
Harjes?"
"I.awks. No. sir. Why. YOU don't
want no doctor man. knowing the
poor things got bit lit, do you?"
NO. That's true" said Hilary.
He listened at Celia's door until
Donovan had coax xed her TO take the
aromatic ammonia, undressed her and
tucked her in. Then he returned TO
the library. He had meant TO write
all night. But it was not TO he
thought of now. An immense tender
ness and anxiety for Celia drove out
all else.
He stalked to and fro. his old brier
n,irrIng under his vehement puffs.
considering things in the new aspect
given them by her cry of, Il don
know whether I love him or not.
zone thing is certain" he decided-
"The. fellow shan't get her unless she
loves him absolutely. He shant
wheedle her into it. damn him..
For. though he had no great opinion
of Padraic himself, he did not under
estimate the young Irishmans powers
of persuasion.
Padraic called up next morning
al 10 o'clock. lie knew that Celia
wakened early and he could not. wait
to see her again before speaking with
her. But it was the buffers voice
that answered. saying that Mrs
Fraser's boudoir telephone had been
switched off. as she was IndlSposed
and not yet awake.
is it serious?' asked Padraic
alarmed.
II think not. sir" replied Jenkins
in his staid, Coloriess voice. 'MereiN
a chill caught at the theater last eve
ming"
please send word TO Mrs. Fraser
when she wakens that I'm sorry and
will call up later
Very good. sir" said Jenkins, who
wished that he were free To disregard
this request.
As an Englishman. he disapproved
of Irishmen in the abstract, and rs
IIilary's servant he disapproved OF
PadraiC in particular.
Il wish the master wasn't so much
Of Il star-gazer," thought he. IT'S
! better to see what's going on under
yorir nose sometimes
Padraic went straight from the tele-
phone 10 a florists. lie selected him
self each spray of flowers for Celia
and superintendent their arrangement
in bronze wicker ba sket. The de
licious fragrance Of the warm, moist
air i'm the shop. that was at the same
time woodsy and urban in its minglinS
Of wet moss and the breath of forced
roses. tickled his fancy. and he
thought how Celia would be just the
nymph 10 emerge from such surround
/ ingS.
The exquisite modernity OF her type
with it's blend of mystery and arti-
fee. would show so well against this
background Of dollhouse orchids and
/ blossoms of unnatural size.
He chose orchids as the most fitting
gift for her. pale and dark purple
ones, white ones splotched with red
as though handled by pricked fingers.
small yellow ones. like butterflies
| poised for fight. a heavy. fleshy one
recommended by the florist as ey
! tremely rare he refused with repul
sion Its very odor was that of hot
flesh masked by patchouli.
One stem OF rose-cream blossoms.
delicate as her own ears-he had seen
/ them by noW-CTowned the whole.
/ she is an air plant herself he
! thought, gazing at his offering thus
completed with approval.
| she has no roots in the dull, com
1 monplace world in which she lives
| now. She will live on my love just a.
an air plant on air
! And he fell into muse, there in the
! florists shop, while n practical clerk
! fidgeting with note pad and pencil he
side him. wondered how much longer
/ this queer young man was going L.
| keep him there before paying his bill,
which was considerable.
PadraiC went quite a journey into
| the realms of fantasy before he re
! turned to the workaday world.
| More and more he had become fas-
! cinated by the elusive quality of Celia
! Her eyes under her strange head
| dresses. her long fingers in their
! strange rings. her long body in its
1 strange garments that We're now filnv
and rare as these orchids. now heavy
with Eastern embroideries and furs
! she was like a Princess Lointaine
mysterious princess from far Cathay.
! with her slanting. jade-green eyes
! Her love-he was sure now that she
/ loved him-Would be as mysterious a.
her looks. They two would wander
| in occult ways of delight together.
/ teaching and taught-they would sail
10 the Isle of Bran.
"SiXty-seven forty-eight." murmured
! the clerks voice at his ear.
| Padraic jumped.
"Forty-eight WHAT" asked he, catch
/ ing only the last words.
! The clerk politely rendered the item
! lied bill.
''Sixty-seven dollars and forty.eight
| cents" he glorified
/ Padraic laughed. the clerk thought
/ rather unnaturally, and paid the re
/ quired sum with u Cheerfulness thai
seemed TO him also exaggerated.
! "A young donkey pays $67.4S for
| basket of cut flowers and then brays
| over it. Gosh" thought he, and he
| turned TO wait on another customer
| with the proverb about Fools and
| their money running scornfully In
his head.
Celia did not awaken till O'Clock
| that afternoon. She had slept the
clock round. She had no headache
Hilary's champagne was too good and
| light for that-but her eyelids felt stiff
and her whole body. as well as he
mind, had bruised sensation.
| She lay quite stilk trying to recall
what had happened the night before
but after the first few moments at the
supper table all was blank. She re,
membered taking the champagne and
| how we'll it had made her feel. bur
! how had she got to bed? She had no
memory of undressing. of saying good
night TO Hilary. All at once her heart
| gave a sickening plunge. A hot wave
| swept her. She felt that she had
blushed from head to feet. Could It
be that she had taken too much cham
| pagne? That she had been-drunk
| If that was So She turned over.
hiding her face in the pillow, pressing
! her eyes so hard into it that daZzly
wreaths and patterns began TO swim
upon the darkness. She lay there let
| ting them form and melt--form and
melt. A light, lilac semicircle edged