davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

ieVed. It was only too evident.
She lit a cigarette, sat on the
edge Of a chair and leaned for
ward. elbow on crossed knee. She
smoked. gazing blankly ahead.
She was remembering how expect
ant, how excited she had been
on the ship coming back from
Europe. thinking of Tom Sinclair,
Of Peter Newton. of Punk wyman.
of half a dozen former beaux still
unma FRIED. and of the rush they
would give her again, now that
she was free.
She had visualized new era
like the old sweet vivid era Of
her teens. Another year or two
of moonlight and young nonsense.
of dates and florists boxes and
wild little notes. OF telephone
ringing. ringing all day, of fra
ternity pins and proms.
She was not too old. Only twenty.
two. And she was beautiful still.
OF course, there were the scars.
the thin white scars which sur
geons on both sides of the water
had confessed their powerlessness
10 eradicate; but against those.
there were the gowns she had
chosen so cleverly in Paris. The
daytime gowns with the smart
small collars that Rugged the
base OF her throat or fitted
choker- tight about her neck. The
evening gowns that rose high in
the front and were cut to the
waist in back.
With these gowns, this beauty,
this new freedom, she had thought
TO recapture the glamour OF sea
sons gone.
She could have laughed at her.
self now-she could have laughed,
IL she had not felt so much like
weeping. There had been no.
rush. They had failed her. Tom
and Peter Newton and the rest.
They had forgotten her. Oh, they
spoke, they said hello, and asked
about her trip; but they did not
call up afterwards, or write, or
come to see her. They were
worshipping at new shrines now.
And when they looked at her their
eyes were critical. and somewhat
cool. you gave good old Pom
eroV pretty raw deaI"--that was
all their eyes seemed to remem-
be-
She had been forced. out OF
sheer boredom, to fall back upon
tbs companions Of men newly met
and little known. Chance &C.
uuatntances. Young men about
town. Men like the brown-eyed
broker. Men like Carter Thayer.
with the mammoth diamond on
his little finger. Men in whom
there was no glamour. with whom
nothing one did was very much
fun.
Thought of Carter Thayer
The Washington times., 1928-06-14
By KATHERINE BRUSH

He paused, standing beside his
chair. do you mind ?"
Not at all, = Gay replied. She.
didn't mind particularly. She was
accustomed to it. Everywhere.
always, Carter Thayer hoped
over and said hello to people.
He knew everybody. Actors, &C.
tresses, singers, dancers, NAME
quins, boxers. bali players, jour
nalists, jazz composers-everyb body
who was anybody in the noisy
little world that was his world
. Carter Thayer knew. And some
of them knew him.
BE right back" he promised
now. And went. Idly. from
her seat at the table, Gay
watched him go: a stout, short
, young man OF perhaps thirty,
with dark hair already quite
sparse ON top, with face un-
healthily, unpleasantly pink
barber.shop pink-and a strutting
walk. The walk expressed him.
1t said very plainly, I'm Carter
Thayer, I've got a lot OF money.
/ started on a shoe string, and
made it myself, and / could buy
this night club If wanted to-"
Gays red mouth curled a lit
tie. Her lashes dropped down,
yelling the half-amused scorn in
her dark eyes. She tapped her
cigarette on the grouved glass
ash tray, continued to tap 1t long
after the ashes had fallen frcn
it's end.
CTc Be Continued Tomorrow
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

again, inwardly relishing the joke.
Row lead me to him, If you
please"
FiIomene shrank back, aghast
tt te-by revolutionary canons."
In your own. interests hope
you'n prove 50. You've offended
tia child by your reluctance, and
she declares that you shall not
marry her now IL you would. But
that's to be overcome by q little
persuasive wooing. In your place,
should offer it. You'll find her
arms warmer about your neck
than the collar of the guillotine.
Blu It's for her to choose between
maid and widow"
You repeat yourself. citizen.
much. and youH not dare 1t where
Tn concerned"
But of course not. II you say
So"
Il do say so" Her voice grew
shrill. She had wrought herself
into q fine mimic passion. YOU'D
betfer understand me clearly, and
The Washington times., 1928-06-14
SINS.

could 1 ask? Dad hasn't a penny.
Jerry's gone-not that I'd ask
him, anyway. Allah
Quickly. decisively. she shook
her head, so that the crystal
pendants hanging from her ears
hanged lightly against her cheeks.
She would never appeal TO Alan,
never. That one thing the ghost
of her pride forbade. Well.
who. then? Ted Matthews? Ted
was an old, old friend. And
millionaire. But she had not seen
very much of Ted. nor of Irene,
lately, and Ted's attitude toward
her when they did meet was
little strange now, a little hard
ened.
Upon her return from Europe
after her divorce she had noticed
it at once; and she had under
stood it. lie sympathized with
Alan. All the men who had been
her friends and Alan's sym
pathized with Alan.
Her thoughts were diverted mo,
nentarily from her financial TO
her social situation, which irked
her almost as much these weary
days. The Crowd had dropped
her. Definitely. Undeniably. Thew
were inviting her Alan to their
gatherings and leaving her out
at least she presumed it was on
account OF Alan. She could think
of NO other reason why she
should be excluded.
They certainly were not such
mid ,Nictorians as 70 let the fact
that she was a divorcee weigh
with them: they were surely not
such snobs "a to be influenced
by the fact that she had moved
from the Plaza to less expensive,
far less fashionable quarters fur
Their downtown. No. II was be-
cause of Alan. They liked him
better. Now that q choice had to
be made. they chose him in pref
erence TO herself. She could a.
most hear the recurrent ques'
ton: "Shall we ask Alan? Or Gay?
We can't have them both, Of
course" And the answer: "Oh,
let's ask Alan" With adjectives,
probably. Good old Alan" Or.
in subtle criticism Of her. Poor
old Alan"
it was CALLING. TO Gay
Leonard, accustomed TO homage,
imhued since childhood with the
notion that no party given by her
friends was really a partv with
out Ter, 1t was so calling as to be
aln4c tntolerabls She could not
understand 1t. Why did they pre-
fer Alan? Oh, Of course the girls
would; she had never been popular
with girls. But the mem Men
with whom she had grown up,
boys who had kissed her, fought
over her. proposed to her---that
they should enjoy Alan's COM
pany more than hers was not to
be believed. Yet 1t must be be-
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

Perhaps / am not . man Of
Is that the only purpose Of your
visit?"
Chauviniere's light eyes grew
narrow. Here was one who dealt
In a mockery that was deadlier
than his own and just as elusive.
"You mIsapprehend me" His
tone was dry and crisp. "It is
tn fault OF ytur class to want
for understanding 1t is the
emptiness of aristocrat heads that
has brought so many Of them to
tt. basket. / am here, my dear
ci-devant, to exhoFt you in the
fra.ernal spirit -"
He broke off. A slight move
ment in the corner on his right
drew his giancs aside, to discover
there a slim lad in peasant blouse
ana pantaloons
Ito Be Continued T0nOrrow.)
tCOpyright, Isss, By MetrcpcIftan
Newspaper Service, New York. Copy
right, 1925 and 1897. By .@Rafael
SabatinI. All rights reservoir
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

sionately, In a spirit of critical
detachment.
Does Corbal perceive. your
graces yet. my dear, this fastidious
ci-devant? Faith, in his place, |
should not wait to be. hidden
twice. III make a ci.devant vi
comtesse of you yet" he prom
ised, and kissed her by way OF
sealing the bargain. Detachment,
after all, may be pushed too far;
and he had a way with him, the
citizen-representa Chauviniere.
He released her chin and babe
her conduct him to the reluctant
bridegroom. But Filomene re-
membered her orders to detain
him, and he. himself. had afforded
her the pretext. More than this,
1t was suddenly revealed to her
how she might even save the
viconnte for whom her affection
was of the exalted kind that
desires to express itself only In
service.
TITS not only the bridegroom
who IL reluctant" said she, her
The Washington times., 1928-06-14
A GlamOrOus Narrative of the French
Revolution By the Author of
Many Romantic Novels

The vicomte nodded. He
was smiling.
But how very good, How
very condescending of the
citizen representative to
honor my house again! And
so very opportunity! Almost
it is as if he had guessed my
need to see him, and desired
to spare me the trouble OF
going in quest of him. Let
him wait a moment or two in
the hall, Filomene. Detain
him there if you can. Then
bring him in. -
Between surprise and re-
lief at the vicomte's manner,
Filomene departed.
Before she was out of the room,
Corhal was at a tall cupboard Of
polished mulberry that stood
against the wall. He found Made
moiselle de Montsorbier at his
elbow.
He lost a second in staring at
her. Then he smiled and shook
his head. IT have no thought to
hida YOU" He took a mahogany
case from a shelf in the cup
board.
Rut il he finds me here!
III Is what l desire" He took
up powder horn and a little
linen bag, and closed the door of
the cupboard. 1.-THE confident,
OVerbearing fool"
He crossed to his writing table,
and opened the box. 1t contained
a brace of dueIling pistols bedded
In its red velvet lining.
CHAPTER XVIII
Filomene' had her attractions,
and man Of so enterprising a
nature as ChauViniere does not
allow feminine attractions to go
unheeded.
When she returned to him
where he waited in the hall, he
took her softly rounded chin in
his lean hand and considered her
approvingly His words, however,
suggested that he did 80 dispas-
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

winsome face grown sullen. You
make very free with a poor girl,
you gentlemen of the Revolution.
airy Tribunal You bid a man
marry me without 50 much as a
'by-your-leave' to me. You take
it for granted that I've no mind
in the matter. Marry Filomene
on Thursday, or we guillotine you
on Friday" And shifted her
angry scorn. "You think that's
ali there is to 1t. And what IL
Filomene doesn't want the man
you order to become her hus-
band?"
Chauviniere was scowling at her.
He remembered the soft glanccs
he had seen her bestow upon
CORDIAL which had first suggested
10 him the course he had taken.
His scowl became smile Of
mockery.
What game do you play with
me, my girl"
mo game, citizen-repnesentative.
It's deadly earnest az you and
you1 Tribunal will discover. I'm
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

say yourself the trouble Of push
ing this inlbecile business any
TO find her weapons 50 easily
shfvered. She choked down her
tear Of rage, cycling the citizen.
representative with malevolence
that but increased his secret mirth.
Then, nothing else being left to
do. she conducted him in silence
and announced him to the waiting
viconte. 1.-the, and active in his
long grey coat, tricolor sash from
which a saber now dangled, and
cockaded- plumed hat which he
lid not trouble to remove, Chau.
viniere staggered into the library.
Within the threshold he halted.
irony In every line of him, to sur
vsy the viconite, who with hands
-sehlnd him stood placidly by. the
empty fireplace He jerked q
thumb after the retreating Eilo.
n1Gne
"A Juicy pullet, my friend; not
to -4e boggled over by a man Of
taste.
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

IS it exactly. can you tell me?"
He had looked it up for her,
Twenty eight thousand five hun.
dred and thirty four dollars and
fiftv-twO cents.
She had not hesitated to argue
with him. There was some mis-
take. The bank was mistaken.
Almost half her capital vanished
why. that couldn't be, She col
ored a little now, remembering the
things she had said to the. white
haired man. What fool he must
have thought her! But OF course.
She had been fool. A child
about money. Utterly ignorant,
grossly incompetent. A fool.
She had gone from the bank at
last, convinced, and quite dizzy
with shock and panic. She had
gone without any further talk Of
sale investments. 1t had seemed
to her that in this emergency the
purchase of bonds paying per
cent was not sufficiently drastic
measure.
She had consulted a broWn-syed
young broker who loved her
lightly, who had loved her lightly
since their first meeting at a party
a month before. To him she had
entrusted twenty thousand Of her
twenty.eight thousand dollars,
upon his assurance that he would
double il for her lin no. time"
She had had incredible 10 think
~ ii nowD almost no nisgiVings.
The Young broker was trust
worthy; he was fond of her; he
would do the wisest thing for her.
Her father had lost his fortune
in Wall Street--yes, hut he had
made IT there! She would make
hers, and then she would get out
AMI stay out"
HIM" she said bitterly to the
mirror, "that's funny"
She stood up, overturning the
cane-topped mahogany bench,
which she let lie. She began to
roam about the bedroom distract
eddy rroWning at the floor. Her
face was wan and strained, the
eyes haunted. She had forgotten
Alan now, and the divorce. She
had forgotten everything but the
thing she was never able nova
days to forget for very long.
Money. The money thing.
The young broker had bought
her automobile stock on margin
five months ago. Almost at once
the stock had begun to drop: It
had dropped relentlessly, terri
tying, day BY day. In the past
two months she had been com
PEELED TO feed over $4,000 ad-
d,tional into the lnsatia BILE nav
Of the market, in order that it
might not wholly consume her
originally $4,000. Today, at this
moment, she possessed in actual
cash about $2,7OO. She had debts
tOtaling over $500. And if the
stock fell lower il it fell
lower.
She stopped pacing abruptly
and stood still in the middle Of
the room, gazing with unseelng
eyes at the maize-colored evening
gown that hung waiting across
the back Of a chair. Her mind
was off now. running swiftly in
too-familisr grooves. She thought
aloud: IF it falls any lower I'll
have to borrow from somebody.
/ cant put IN any more Of NV
own money. ! cant. What would
live on Somebody have to
lend me some. But whoT Who
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

get tight tonight, to celebrate
because a year ago today / got
my divorce =
rs that 4 fact!" said Thayer.
Well" He leaned down, crop
ing under the table; for a moment
Cay could see nothing OF him but
a shoulder, an arm, five fingers
that steadied him, and a slant
wise portion of his chubby face.
the eye cleaning roguish1y. Then
he was sitting erect again, u11-
corking a brown quart bottle.
That calls for q little service
He strengthened her highball
nightly. and poured himself half
a glassful of straight liquor.
There now! Drink up! Many
happy returns!"
They both drank.
81 never met your husband"
remarked Thayer after he had re-
placed the bottle. What sort Of
a seed was he, anyway"
"Oh--I don't know. / don't
know just how to describe him.
He" She broke off, her eyes
fixed thoughtfully on her COM
panion. You wouldn't have
liked him." she said What she
meant was that Alan would not
have liked Thayer.
"Why not?'' he inquired, but
without interest. His everest.
less small black eyes, wandering
away from Gay, had spied
friend at 4 nearby table. There's
Ruby Rinehart." he announced.
And shouted, "Ya.ay, Ruby!"
A stacy brunette in q shred OF
crimson gown turned her head
languidly, smiled without any
marked enthusiasm, wiggled long,
lazy pale fingers with lacquered
nails in a little salute.
That's Harry Farron with her"
said Thayer. "Farron, he's a big
financier, friend of mine. Pardon
me just a sec, Gay. / want to
hop over and say hello to them "a
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

not to be handed over like cow
or a sheep, and l don't belong to
you to be bestowed by you. Lib
erty, Ell? That's your notion OF
Liberty, is 1t? Why, the aristo-
Gratis would never have dared so
further. I do not take a hus-
band at your bidding. and GER
tainiy not the Citizen CORDIAL.
refuse to marry"
Chauviniere was smiling toll
erantly upon the vehemence.
lyon dor" qnoth he.
"F'latly," she announced, not
without flash of exultation, con-
caiving that thus she had check
mated Chauviniere and saved her
beloved vicomte from the peril
that assailed him.
Chauviniere, still smiling, fetched
sigh. "A pityp's he said. "A
thousand pities, He will now, II
he wishes to live, have to find
some one for himself; and I can
not hope that he will find anyone
halt so agreea BILE" He sifhed
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

ing, her closed eyes squeezed
tighter shut, and her hands slid
together and covered them. Still
she could see. Still she could
not help seeing. There was the
garish little hotel in the Forties
to which she had gone one even
ing by appointment, accompanied
by her lawyer and her Witnesses.
There was the door with the
number that corresponded TO the
number scraw on paper
crushed in her hand. Eleven
thirty-three. She knew It yet.
There was the room with the
sickly carpet and the curtains
Of net dyed with dust and the
corner washstand supported by
a pipe like a green snake stand
ing on its tail. There was Alan.
There Was the hired corespon-
dent with the hennaed hair.
The case of Pomeroy versus
Pomeroy, carefully cooked up in
accordance with the law Of New
York.
She went abroad as soon as the
divorce was granted. She had fifty
thousand dollars; two-thirds Of the
money Alan's mother had left
him. "I want you to have it,"
he had told her simply that day
in her lawyers office. You've
got to have something. Fifty
thousa nd dollars invested in good
reliable bonds will bring YOU
an income Of three thousand
year or more. That's not a lot.
Bnt it'll keep you fairly com
fortable--unttl you marry again.
Il shall never marry again"
she had put IN positively. And
added in a tone at once curious
and somewhat hurt, Shall you,
Alan?
Certainly not" Alan was just
IS positive. But you will. OF
course you will. I'd gamble on
that" He had eyed her reflec-
lively for AN instant. However.
That's neither here nor there.
About this money: ii you'd
rather not have it in one lump
II you'd rather get 1t in install
ments. like slimony-with che
interest. Of course-we can fix
it that way. Or any way you say"
She had elected to take it all
in one lump.
A faint sigh escaped her, She
uncovered her eyes, end her
lashes lifted heavily. In the mir
ror the eyes were OPAQUE now.
Dull. and little old. FIT"
thousand dollars. It had sounded
like A tremendous sum. She had
thought she could do SC much with
II, and that it would last SO
long. She had thought, TN take
trip first. need TO get away.
She had gone TO Paris. and
stayed four months. Returning
to New York, she had taken A
suite at the Plaza. She had
bought a car.
In a burst of unwounded gen.
erosity. inspired by one of the
whimpering, before-we-lost-every-
thing letters that came to her
biweekly from Chicago. she had
bought a grand plano for her
mother. And one day. one -Oc-
tober day, she had said quite
casually to the white-haired man
at the big desk in her bank, "By
the way. I've been meaning to
ask you. What's something safe
can put nv money into"
mean some good reliable bonds
~ something. I've got So theus-
no. l guess it's about a. thousand
now, I've spent some. How much
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

She very slightly smiled, well,
one things certain; I'm not as
blue as was a year ago tonightr'
And then. something OF the an
guish of that night recurring to
her. she shook her head sharply.
closed her eye, proDped her ell
bows on the. dressing table so
that her palms might press tight
against her temples.
She remained thus nnotionless.
for a long time.
Her mind reached further back
into last year. back to the day
of her release from the hospital.
Alan in his roadster had come for
her, because she mad telephoned
the day before and asked him to
come and drive her horne. They
had talked scarcely at all on the
way. Alan had been very dear,
very solicitus and kind: but not
laxative.
She had Struggled low in the
seat beside him, rehearsing men
tally, for the hundredth time,
the things she would say
later. And later, in the
living room of their bungalow on.
the roof (having invited him 10
come up and talk little while'D
she had said those things.
She did not rene nber now what
words she had spoken, what gest-
ures employed. 1t was OF no
consequences she renenhe
Alan's words, almost every one,
ard his eyes, and even his voice,
Guiet ard even. But what would
BE the use, Gay? The things quite
hopeless. We could patch it up
but no hlown-out Iire runs very
BAR on q patch" That was the
sort Of thing he had said, so
quietly. '"You don't give a hang
for me, honey. You never did.
Davis In out of the picture now
but that doesn't really make any
permanent difference, does It?
He was out of it once before
and / didn't interest you. wasn't
even second fiddle. There were al
ways other men you like better
oh, 1 understand that now. I've
heard. don't blame you, it
wasn't your fault. simply
failed to hold you, that was all.
And now ] think it's best for us
both II I give Up trying TO hold
you and--let you CO."
Anger she could nave soothed.
Hurt she could have anoited with
tsars and healed with promises.
Reproach she could have defeated
By. vehement selt-reproach: II m
ali you say and more, ard I'm so
sorry" But against his calm
finaiity, his quiet, sad resolve,
she had no weapon. She tried
them all: tears, pleadings, protes-
tanons. But none availed. TT
wouldn't work nut, > he said over
and over. ''It wouldn't ever work
out" And once, half-smiling, he
said slowly. "You know. Gay, I
hated your loving Jerry Davis.
But think hate your ceasing to
love him-now that he's unfortu.
naie-more."
CHAPTER 46
The divorce took six months.
Pending it. Gay continued to live
4n-t the bungalow on the roof Alan
lived at Yale Club. She saw him
dgring that long half year, three
t,nes. The first time was IN her
A1aaaWyer,s office The third tins
aain court. Tas second time
emherinE that second meet
The Washington times., 1928-06-14

reused her to recollection OF the
hour. She glanced over at the
cloisonne clock on the little bed
side table. Nine-thirty. He would
be along at any moment now.
She crushed out her cigarette,
rose, returned 10 the dressing
table. She righted the over
turned bench and seated herself
once mora. She was ready, ex-
cept for her gown and the finish.
ing touches. Rouge. lpstick,
mascara. She began to apply
them mechanically.
Her pity for herself was al
most a physical ache. Her shout
ders dropped with it, her fingers
that piled the pencils and puffs
were leaden with it. Every
things awful, awful" she thought
Everything gone wrong. And
why? What did l ever do? 1t
isn't fair. can't stand 1t! Liv-
ing In this little hole. No
friends, no money. How am l
going to get money!" She was
back On the main track now.
Suppose the stock doesn't fall
any more Suppose it stays
right about where it Is for 8
while. StiIl I'm out of luck. l
can't live forever on a couple of
thousand dollars-with no more
coming in. I've got to get some
somehow, sooner or later"
Well. II you had to have
money, and you couldn't borrow,
there were two alternatives;
either you must marry It. or you
must earn 1t. She could marry
Carter Thayer-"Ach, no he's
terrible" she said aloud. in in
slant reputation of the idea.
Better to earn 1t. But how?
How did girls with no training
and no talent earn money in New
York? They started tea rooms,
tiny shops-ah, but not without
capital. They went on. the
stage-but not with sharp white
scars across their threats. They
worked in stores, at switch.
boards-but' for twenty dollars a
week or so. Drop in the bucket,
She was still debating the prob
lem exhauStiVely in her mind
when her room telephone jang-
led. and a voice twenty floors
below announced "Mr. Thayer."
She might have said, ASK him
to come right. up" One Of her
three rooms in this modest hotel
was sitting room. Instead she
said Tell him I'll be right
down" If he came up, hsgwould
expect to kiss her