Washington telegraph., 1926-06-11
THE
VAMPIRE
NEXT DOOR
By MARY B. WooDsoN
%. 1926. Western Newspaper Union)

! lndt DeIOre IN lneSe apartments
Crane moved uneasily. 1t was get
ting to be rather an old story.
"Aw shucksT" he grunted, after the
fashion of husbands.
81 don't care" said Crissa Crane.
TITS getting worse and worse. That
woman is awful. Why, she must be
forty If she's day"
"Supposlng she is, can't she love all
the same" Crane was facetious. But
Crissa Cranes eyes were harder, her
lips tighter.
"Well, if she's going to have af-
fairs" she snapped, "she might at
least choose men old enough to look
out for themselves"
Men !" Crane smiled crookedly
"Why, they don't make 'em any older
than they are at twenty or So"
Crissa Crane dropped into chair
and rocked violently minute.
college boys Every last one Of
EN-" she said "Why they racket in
there week-ends like they owned the
place, and they stay all hours, and
one of 'em camps there all the
time"
"Aw, for Pete's sakel" Crane
smoked hard suddenly. "Tve never
seen anything out of the way. She
always seems just jolly to me-the
sort of woman boys would like to
frolic wlth-college widow stuff. She's
awfully good-natured, always smiling
except once when l caught her cry
ing in the hall, accidentally. She
wasn't pretty then and-it hurts yet.
Let's let her alone"
LET her alone" Crissa Crane
stormed. "Of course we won't let her
alone She's married woman and
well, we've simply never had people
like that without tangible husbands
and we're not going TO now. Even If
there's no harm in what she does 1t
looks bad, and either she gets out or
we do, that's all-with her bobbed
hair and her painted face and fixing
herself up like she was twenty"
"And looking It," interposed Crane.
"Well, yes, and looking it. But that
makes 1t worse than ever. Fooling
those boys. romping around like a
high school kid, and forty II she's a
day. AS soon as / knew she had a
mystery and was an actress, l said
look out"
"And did," grinned Crane with a
swift glance at the window where
Crissa had stood and peered.
A hard, bright red burned in Crissa's
face.
Somebody's got to look after the
morals of this place" she said stub
bornly.
Ostentatiously, Crane rellghted his
cigar and opened his paper, but Crissa
was only started.
Alice Meyer was here yesterday
when this certain boy that stays
came" she said acidly. And she
recognized him at once. He's young
Gordon Hargreve-you know. His
fathers the millionaire. Just as
thought He's supposed to be at col
lege and here he's running into town
week-ends to visit this-woman.
Probably she got her clutches on him
because of his money"
Crane turned a page.
"He came yesterday-and he's still
In there" continued Crlssa Crane, In
sistently. "And you know the Har-
greves. There never was a good on
In all the world. Remember the scan
dal the old man got into? They are a
wild lot. His own wife couldn't stand
him and he turned her out without a
single cent to shift for herself, with
all his money. Don't you remember
Jaw. for heavens sake. Crissa !"
II can't help It, Fred. I've got a
boy OF my own. II makes my blood
boil to see a woman of her age vamp-
ing children like that-especially a
youngster who looks as-as dear as
this one does. / feel like telling the
landlord. / feel like writing his
father"
"Oh, you wouldn't do that"
'W0y WOuluH II ihdhh any
body II he was my SON"
"Oh, Crissa, for goodness sake mind
your own
Look here, Fred, this is more seri-
Gus than you think. Why, I'll bet
right this minute" Suddenly Crissa
Crane sprang up and went to the win
dow. Erred, II you'll look into that
room right now you'll be convinced.
You'll see for yourself. And If you
do you will admit 1t, and for Juniors
sake do something about it. Come
here, quick"
Hating himself, but knowing Crissa,
Crane reluctantly let himself be
dragged to the window to eavesdrop.
Inside his nelghbor's room 1t was
pretty and attractive. 1t was honey,
CHEEKY, welcoming. His neighbor, her
self, wore a charming feminine alb
| surdity. And at the moment she was
clinglng to young Hargreve with all
her heart I'm the caress
Evidently, he was just leaving for
college. And his boyish face beamed
with a deep look of sweetness as he
held the woman in his arms and kissed
her tenderly. There followed a play
full tap, a romp around the room and
/ A.. .nnpfnU of tho n1fpr door