Evening star., 1926-06-13

TT was getting late and the Angus
I night had fallen long on New
York. Tfe crowds on Broadway
i and Fifth avenuo decreasing
nom torrents to trickles, hat
dwindled to an occasional pedestrian
The lights of Twenty third street hat
died down, although the heat Still
kept up. Even a high climbing moor
seemed to pour humidity into the at
mosphere.
Many of Sam Bakers nocturnal
neighbors had come back to their &C
customed benches. On the whole they
were a greasy gathering-nauseous
Sam had little in common with the
human flotsam which surrounded
him. A thick tan still lay deep on his
smooth olive skin and an open-air
clearness turned his dark eyes &c
crystals.
The tall Metropolitan Tower kept
sepulchral watch on the scene. Sam
consulted the town clock and found
II was 1890, Time to turn in, he con
c.uded. Turning in was simply a
matter of curling up on his bench
seat.
He could not have told just what il
was that drew him back from that
far-fiung eternity into which he in
stantly fell. For. with no prelimi
naries, he found his drowsy eyes open
and turned vaguely on the next seat
Who sat there? An angel?
The moon did not shine directly on
her. yet she seemed to simmer as
though she were swathed in "a rose
hued, glistening gossamer. Barehead
cd. her hair had a glimmer . it
fell like rippled gold from her brow to
her milky neck. Pools of purple quiet
IN, fh,a WbitnppSS of her f1Pa
Sans lids dropped again, but with
a definite effort of will he opened his
eyes again. He examined the vision
mnutely. Not an angel at all. Very
definitely a girl.
She was not swathed in rosy haze.
She wore pink gown of some sum
merry muslin substance. At one side
a white hat lay on a broad, fiat, shall.
low box. neatly wrapped in brown
paper. She sat upright. knees and
feet together: prim hands folded in
her lap. Human, decidedly: yet not
of the world, either. Sans first i'm
preston was riGht-angelic,
Curiosity stirred lightly. then strong
" in him. Who was she? What?
How had she got there? When? Then
apprehension arose. a girl like that.
Monstrous.
With a sudden rough movement,
he pulled upright. His movement
brought the girl out of her quiet. She
turned. 1t was as though a pair of
broad famed lamps, the blue of mid.
night, had turned their light upon
him.
Can you tell me. sir" she asked.
''if 1t would be all right for me to
sleep a little while? I mean" She
did not finish her sentence, but Sam
knew what she meant
Perfectly safe he answered. In
wardly he was not so certain as out
wardly he seemed. Finally he hazard
ed. There are probably plenty of
places where a young girl could go
for the night -
The girl shook a quick. vigorous
dismissal of this project from her
golden head as she said:
Il wouldn't like that--indeed.
wouldn't! I mean I wouldn't like to
go to those places"
They'd be nice and clean enough
:" But Sam did not go on. He
wanted to talk; but he could see
plainly enough that the girls
thoughts had suddenly concerned
themselves with other things. He
waited.
It was she who first broke the
silence All. she had been meditating
explanation.
"The Strangest thing has happened
to me- she began. with the directness
of a child. 81 came to New York this
morning. I have never been here
before. Indeed. I have never stirred
out Of Holiness Valley. 1 was alone;
and when I got off the train, a lady
came up to me in the station and said
she represented a society which looks
after inexperienced girls. She asked
me where I was going and 1 said
would like her to recommend a hotel
She asked me If l wanted a big hotel
or q little one. I said l didn't care