The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-12-07
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! good copy, I think. I sketched it
myself from talisman of the
Graeco- Roman period"
"Then Cleopatra" he remarked,
smiling, may have worn the
original"
Ashtoreth looked on her ring with
quiet humor.
ooh, yes" she said. "She wore it
on her thumb the night she had
herself delivered to Caesar in a bale
of rugs"
Hollis Hart chuckled.
1--WE no doubt" he said, that
Caesar complimented the queen up
on her TASTE"
CHANGING sharply at his new
stenographer, he wondered who she
was. A society girl, probably, taking
a fling at business. Interested in
antiquities, too.
"Tm sorry" he murmured
alphabetically, "but have quite for
gotten your name"
miss Ashe," she told him. ASH
! toreth Ashe"
'AshtorethP he cried. why
Ashtoreth was the moon goddess Of
Egypt"
She flushed self-consciously.
at is a beautiful NAME" he add
ed hastily. Very beautiful e.
Well, now, Miss Ashe, will you take
a letter please :"
He dictated quietly. Half a doz-
en- business communications.
Leave then," he instructed, ION
Mr.. Higgins desk. I shall not be
in after luncheon. That is all.
Thank you, Miss Ashe."
EORTY pairs of curious eyes
4 watched Ashtoreth to her desk.
They noticed her heightened color
and exchanged glances.
She was wondering what sort Of
an impression > she had made.
Wondering if Mr.. Hart knew her
for poor girl. An impostor, with
a make-belieVe scarab. An igno-
-amus, pretending to a familiarity
with things of which she knew moth
ing.
Cleopatra and antiquities. She
pondered distractedly.
Could Mr.. Hart have guessed how
little she really knew of Egypt's
queen? Only that men called her
the Serpent of the Nile, and that
she vamped Caesar from a pile of
carpets? And killed herself with
an asp?
TN get book at the library"
vowed Ashtoreth.
And taking her mothers market
list from her bag, she penciled a
memo at the bottom: Find out
about Cleopatra and scarabs."
The library was next the chain
grocery store. She would stop there
on her way home. Maybe Mr.. Hart
would say something more about
Egypt tomorrow. Then she would
be able, if circumstances permitted
to throw in another observation OF
two Carelessly, of course.
That night Ashtoreth read while
her mother went to the movies
When Mrs. Ashe came home, she
made herself pot of tea and cut
some cake. She was one of those
women who 'like little smack Of
something" before bed time.
While she ate, she chatted with
of Greta Carlo and John Gilbert
There was nobody, she remarked
Economically, made love like John
Gilbert, especially to Greta Carlo
Finally she went to bed, smothering
yawns with her pink, plump palms
When she was asleep, Ashtoreth
tiptoed quietly back to the living
room to read, until the fiat grew
icy cold and dawn put gray fingers
whitley against the window panes
At a. m. Ashtoreth knew that
Cleopatra was immortal-not be-
cause she was a great queen-but
because she was seductive, like a
4 professional beauty.
And smart" decided Ashtoreth,
putting out the light, like the stem
ographer who vamps the millionaire
boss"
Caesar was the richest and most
influential man she knew-so she
vamped him. He died. And An
tony became old Egypt's sugar
daddy. Cleo forgot Caesar and
started running round with Antony
Just like gold-diggers today"
Smiling drowsily, Ashtoreth cud-
died under her lowered puff. And
slept, to dream of Hollis Hart, in a
robe of Tyran purple, with laurel in
her hair.
"Ashtoreth Ashe!" said her moth
er at breakfast. Look at those
circles under your eyes. thought ]
heard you up after went to bed
Reading, bet. Well, you're a per-
feet sight-that's all I've got to say
But Ashtoreth, studying her eyes
in the mirror over the kitchen sink,
decided that dark shadows were
dangerously interesting. And a bit
vampy, besides.
She had resolved, if Cleopatra
came up again that day, to inform
Mr.. Hart that the celebrated siren,
in her eyes, WIS no better than a
gold-digger. And Ashtoreth, for rea-
sons best known to herself, had a
distinct aversion to gold-diggers.
= =
THE electric buzzer on her desk
!. L hummed softly. And Ashtoreth,
slipping a pencil beneath the elastic
on her note book, entered MIR. Harris
, office.
"Ah, good morning, Miss Ashe."
He greeted her shortly.
"I've something here I'd like to
show you. A letter in the morning
mail. Most astonishing, upon my
word. I'd like you, please, to read