Evening star., 1926-04-25

please! Do not waste theese min
utes," she said. II am vera nervous.
And 1 want you to go and come back
vera soon, my dear-friend. 1t will
only take you the hour. 1t is then we
may sit down and talk of what we
shall do. First l weesh to be sure that
Leone has come. After that
After that" exclaimed Baron, I'VE
can dine together" He looked at his
watch. "a little late, perhaps, but
then the evening. at least. shall be
ours!''
"Ah, yes, the leetle world of you and
me," she whispered and held out her
hand.
RARON felt tremendous sense Of
romance. adventure and RESPONSE
biity. He felt efficient, powerful and
able to make destinies. He felt new
vigor of blood coursing in his veins.
He ran down the stairs, failed to find
Miss Featherday who had disappear
| ed. He opened the door and closed
ii after him.
Somehow there were no taXicabs.
He turned several corners looking
down the long perspective of resi-
Dental streets with their Soldier-like
suddenly he came upon street car
line. He dashed and out swung onto
the platform.
Does this car go downtown"
"Yehr
They rocked along. Baron did not
look at the other passengers. His
ewes were CLASSY with his dreams. Not
until the car swung into the business
district did he awaken from his rev.
cries and suddenly spring up.
He knew the hotel. Once he had
been there acting as an aide of a pub
lie utility executive In a conference.
He addressed the information clerk
II wanted to ask" he began and
then he remembered Olga's caution.
So instead of finishing his sentence he
turned to the page on the register
lying on the marble.
"Ha! There 1t was. A recent ar
rival. Il. Abelardi. Washington. D.
c." The Countess villainous brother
in-law must have arrived In Baltimore
at about the same hour of her arrival
Get me a taxi" he said TO the door
man. The whistle blew; the cab rolled
up to the curb. Baron got In and
slammed the door
Where to-" asked the driver.
Appleby said, why l want TO go
to" He gagged Wait" he said
He began to search his pockets. No,
he had given the advertisement to the
other taxi driver. He remembered
that. He tried to visualize the adver-
the picture stopped. The street
perhaps was-weli. numbered street.
He tried to think. One hundred and
th-sixth-seventh.
II forgot" he said in a voice which
sounded to him childish and silly.
1t was already nearly o'clock
He was hungry. Olga Abelardi di
Vesta, no doubt. was hungry. He had
left his overcoat. He was cold. She
would feel sorry for him when he
came back. He would go to her. Alas,
How could he go to her?
Oh, yes; the paper-the newspaper.
He had no knowledge as to what
paper. so he found a newsstand and
bought them all. Rooms TO Rent
Rooms to Rent" Apparently every
one in Baltimore had rooms to rent.
And there We're columns after col
umns. The room he had seen was a
nice" room. 1t was a front room.
Half the advertisements spoke of
room-so many of the offerings were
of sunny rooms" Standing In the
light of a store window. reading down
these confusing columns, tracing his
way with a cold forefinger. he began
to be seized with a terrible panic.
This was not so funny after all. He
might never see the lovely countess
ever, ever again-nor his own dress
suit case!
He hailed another taxi. He said to
the driver. Il want to go looking for
a room. Now. you and l can take
these advertisements and we can mark
'em off in districts I'm terribly fussy
| about rooms. Sometime-I-er. have
to see dozen or two dozen before I'm
satisfied-especially as to price"
| Price" exclaimed the other suspi-
ciously. What do you think l am? 1t
will take us ten dollars worth on the
meter to see a few dozen places. You
could go to a hotel for that and get
the bridal suite!'
| Yes, 1 know. But I'm peculiar
Here's my money. I've got the money.
You'll be paid"
IN twenty minutes they had arrived
in surroundings which Appleby
considered hopeful. He felt that he
had been there before. The district
suited the description. The streets
laid out In rectangles were made Of
blocks and blocks and blocks of houses
and houses and houses.
They tried five. Four of them had
no white steps. The fifth one adver-
| door and besides. it had been divided
into two apartments and there were
| two bells instead Of one.
| well, let's go on said Baron
bravely.
We've finished this district. boss"
the other replied sullenly. If you
aren't satisfied here we'd better go
across town and start a new one
It was O'Clock. Appleby thought
of the Russian girl and to the empti-
ness of his stomach was added a feel
| ing of nervous goneness. lie SnlVered.
/ Go on" he said.
| This time. once more the same block
| of houses, the same facsimile repeti-
| tions of residence: the same round OF
! futiAe calls on numbers given In the
I advertisements And at last, one with
the white steps and the ground-glass
in the panels Of the door!
! He sprang out. The push-button
bell. He rang it. A light sprang up
| in the second story. Steps on the
+, stairs. Perhaps these were the steps
of the countess herself. The door
opened. Framed in it was huge
woman in q wrapper.
| "Does-does-Miss Featherday-live
here?" stammered Baron.
| mo. What number do you want?'
II don't know"
! We'll l say.' exclaimed the other
in a voice which echoed out In the
street. Are you crazy? Lookin' for
girl and don't know the street. What
is this anyway-some game?"
The door slammed. Baron faced the
taxi driver.
What Is this phoney business any
how?" said the tough individual.
"You keep still"' Appleby com
manded.
mo, I won't" the other replied. II
guess not. I'm through. Pay me the
thirteen dollars on the meter
Not by good sight! You're forced
to ride me. If you don't think so, drive