The Washington times., 1928-12-24

He had lost, oh. so definitely,
that capacity for pleasure which
had been his score of years ago.
Work, work, work aiming for
success which, achieved. seemed
no triumph at all. Everything, in
this cessation from labor, that he
saw, or did, or heard but served
to remind him of some past joy
which could not be regained.
As now, the action of that
pretty little chit-flapper, sub
deb or some other grotesquerie
she probably termed herself-re-
minded him of a stern aunt at
whom his sister and he were wont
to giggle surreptitiously.
Ladies'" she would say harshly,
do not cross their legs. Gentle
men never rest elbows upon the
table,"
Involuntarily he smiled, and
the grimness left his mouth, and
a surprising gentieness cleaned
momentarily from his hard eyes.
He saw clearly that aunt, saw
her despairing evaporation at
some antic of his, and heard his
sisters mirth gurgling across the
years. His smile widened, and
through his lips came the sound
Of a chuckle.
He stared at the little flapper,
or whatever she called herself,
who had unwittingly given him
moments gayety. He was CRATE
fuI to her, as he would have been
grateful TO anyone or anything,
that made him laugh.
She was lighting cigarette
now, and as she tossed away the
match she shifted her position in
her chair. As she wriggled back
into comfort, lifting both feet until
they were beneath her, she fum-
bled moment at the edge of her
scanty skirt. She was seated di-
rectly below an electric light, and
Lessing caught a flash of some.
thing pink.
'Tucking," he said to himself,
her stockings into her boomers.
The age of economy. Why wear
garters when boomers have elas-
tics and two birds may be killed
with one stone? At that, though,
why wear stockings that are so
exactly the color of the skin that
He smiled again, although this
time his expression was cynical.
But the girl who sat only 20 feet
away only knew that a most per-
sonable man, of that age which is
frequently more attractive to
youthful femininity than its own
was smiling, and smiling at her.
Her own lips, brilliantly red,
a n 1sst " I
attention though he ever paid To
women-to anything. for that mat
ter, except to the Law journal
was flesh and blood, not wholly
machine. He cast a quick glance
to either side of him. Yes, the
girl wag smiling at him.
Involuntarlly, the cynicism, the
impersonality, left his eyes. He
was bored, was trying to kill an
evening, and If this sub-deb
But, Of course, she wasn't that.
Debutantes, or their younger sis
ters, were not 10 be found, at
night, alone, unchaperoned, in the
public casino of Newport Beach.
Well, they might he unchaper-
oned. but certainly they'd not be
alone. Not at night. In the day.
time. possibly. for n lark, or be-
cause the bathing was said to he
better here than at the private
beach known as Bailey's.
But not at night.
Not that he was anything OF a
snob. The public casino. where
he was standing now, probably
entertained just as moral, just as
respectable, just as admirable peo-.
pie az any private house in New
port. Only. like went with like.
The persons who lived in the dig
nified streets of Newport found
too much to do with their own
crowd to spend time in the public
sastnc. This girl, then, whose