The Bozeman courier., 1927-04-08

For all he knew she might have grown
bored and gone of to a night club.
So it went. Until, at last, he saw Ger
tain look in Minis eyes. She was over Dy
the door, and when she saw that he had
noticed her she went out into the hall;
Slowly he followed Pretty hands clutcheG
at him; he would have none of the slender
waists his arms were invited to circle IN
the dance
Il have he said firmly, ''to see a man
about q cat"
He kept an eye upon EscamiIIo. The man
was dancing. That was excellent. He haQ
manners-Of a poor sort, to be sure, put
sufficient. He must continue to dance, at
least, until the music stopped, and it had
just begun. Randolph got his coat; wait
ed, then, in the hall until he saw Miml'
clOaked and veiled coming down the stairs.
Then he went out and across the street. In
a moment there was Mimi on the steps.
He pursed his lips and whistled lie
whistled badly, but she could recognize
ROdOlfO's air, the one about her cold ana
tiny hands. And she crossed the street ana
Joined him. and took his arm, and he could
feel her shivering, though it was a warm
soft morning of late April.
Nice" said Randolph. Every, very
nice! I never maRaged moonlight fitting
better in my life"
said.
"Well. should hope as much" he said
"Theres still so much I have to do"
she said.
"We," he suggested.
She squeezed his arm, family
And we can't hurry too much, you see'
ooh. absolutely notr' he agreed. "That's
hat One Of the first rules"
First, we must get the diamonds"
THAT part of it's easy" They had come
to his house. "YOu wait in the hall, and
III cut upstairs and get them. Shant be
He went up. The bracelet was where he
had left it, and that, somehow! didn't seen
quite right. 1t ought to have been gone
hySterlogsly: C,S.t, But 1t wasn't, and he took !
doWn and gave it to her, and she clasped Il
on her wrist that being, she said, the
easiest way to carry it.
next?"
She held out her hand and showed him
key-the sort of key that unlocks a million
front doors in New York
Il got this" she said. "This is what
tnOught-that we'd wait till the party was
all over and then slip in and leave tn,
bracelet where they'll be sure to and it il
the morning, and go away again"
mail it back?"
h6 Oh 5oDt no! 1.-The They're y always tracing peOp
"All right. Give it to me, then-and tn
key. I'll put it back"
do you think I'd let you go in ther
by yourself? I'm the one who ought t,
Not chance! All right-wem both 90
if you insist. Let's see-if we give then
an hour? Yes--that ought to do. Hoy
about some fOOd?"
"I'm starvedw
Fine! Let's see-we're fugitives. sor
of. So we don't rate any of the place
people go after parties. l know. Over o
Third avenue. It's so improbable"
So they walked eastward, with the daw
Tightening the smoky sky above the rive
and sat presently, with a white tonne
table between them, and, in time, egg sand
wicheS and thick cups of brown liquol
said to be coffee. And he sat and locke
at her, and she put up her hand, first t
then she grew little pink.
"Oh, Mimi" he said. do you know ths
you're the lOveliest thing I ever saw"
/. Tears stood in her eyes. And: "Ohw sh
said. Il never meant-yOu mustn't"
Her left hand lay upon the table and hC
! So did his.
''Oh, / know" he said. 'I-you didn
think I thought / had a chance, did you
=" He was a little scOrnful. And thel
when he went on, he wasn't scOrnful at al
"B1t-oh; Mimi, must yOu?"
Must I-what?" she said, family.
Il don't come into it at ALL he said
know that But oh, Mimi. don't! n
matter how hard it seems, chuck this
Don't take this way. It's a blind allie,
It's worse than that. 1t isn't good enOug
e Not for you"
"Tm not so much" she said. "YOu don
know. I'm a worm"
"All right!'' he said. Maybe you are
don't care: never saw you till tOnigh
! but I'm fool enough to love you. YC
e know that anyway, so I can tell you. an
haven't chance, and that's why | ca
tell you, too. I'm not asking for anythiI
$ for myself It's you. Don't do it, Mimi
!. She didn't say anything at all. for a m
It ment, and when she did her voice wasr
= quite steady.
y ,You don't know" she said. "He-he
S splendid, really. YOu-Oh. I'm so sorr
: I've been such an idiot :"
He looked at her a moment. And
= know ne had said all he could.
: on, well" he said cheerfully, owl
mind"
She got up, and he gathered their chec
II-they are tactful about checks in plac
like this, and give two, lest the lady be
: FEMINIST perhaps-and paid them, and tn
went out. 1t was nearly eight now, and
8 was chilly, too, and something of the zC
e seemed to have gone out of the affair
4 DOth OF them. But they walked baC
: 9OggedIy. and crept arOInd the corner
laSt' peerlng the length of the long bloc
y All the cars were gone; they saw only
. milk wagon moving away from them. Ev
d Ine cats were still, being in a hCpet
), mood about an early bird or two. Tn
i 1ptoed up the steps; she fitted the key il
= went in.
The hall swas dimly lighted: down
stairs, from the upper hall, came me
y. light. But that meant nothing. most D,
q pie leave some light on at might. Th,
was no sound. Hand in hand thew ma
their way back, into what had been
- ball room. Here there was q Hght fr
u outside, coming grayly thrOurh' tbe W
~ doWs, and she looked about. and chose
le table, and laid the bracelet down.
= Il hope the maids are honest" Randol
.. whispered.
- "0h, they've had all their servants
be The word was frozen on her lips. FO
a. steps, descending. sounded on the sta
ty then In the hall. Randolph could See Min
rs. bioodlesS cheeks, her trembling liES.
of ITS all rtght-keep still 20 ne whisper
NOT that he thought it was all right: it Y
Il as wrong as it could be, if Won asked
But ne had to do the manly thing, e
H., though it wasn't likely to do much go
Mt ana 1t didn't. For the steps In the b
&c. ghaC had approached the front door. ca
. back, and some one came in. and there ,
=, a click, and all the lights came on. 4
n Ihere was EscamillO Bleeckmann. w
= ne saw them, first his Jaw fell. and t
ms race grew scarlet, and then he Ope
eas' :SO" he said, meaning to sneak
AZ r1bly. Here you are! Where have
M been? Who is this fellow 9''
- Mimi said nothing