Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-07-07

about that. You see. dear. men do
know the world better than"
"Oh, Chummy, I'm sick 10 death
of hearing thatl' Judy interrupted
rather wildly. Il don't care II they
do. | can mind my own business,
and / say let them mind theirs. I
hate Mr.. Gideon and the whole lot
of theml"
With that she flung herself out
of the room.
Chummy was decidedly wistful
and ~preoccupied that evening.
Steyne was in an agony lest she
should suspect what had really
passed between himself and Judy.
He would have told her. if Judy had
allowed him. That would have been
fair and honorable, and he was
sure II would have been for her hap
piness. as well as theirs; but the
thought that she might find out
was hateful. 1t CALLED him beyond
bearing. IL would make him seem
low and mean, like being discovered
in an intrigue, and by this splendid
girl with her noble nature and her
faithful heart.
But he need not have feared. for
Chummy had not made the diScov-
cry he dreaded. She merely saw
that Judy was unhappy about some
thing or other. She jumped at a
conclusion, not altogether erroneous.
which she impaired to Alan.
Il believe Judy has quarreled with
MI. Gideon. This evening she said
hated him"
This. at least. was good news.
As the meal proceeded. they both
tried TO cheer up. Afterward, as the
Cafe Turc. Bastien Dumont joined
them and made things easier.
There happened to come in that
night a man who had been IN the
South Seas for some years. He had
left America just before Steyne, and
they had been great friends. He had
given up painting. and had become
n OF the foremost novelists OF the
day.
AS was usual IN that inconven-
tional crowd. there was a great
deal OF moving about from table to
table. and Chummy and Bastien
found themselves alone at theirs for
a few moments. Steyne had been
drawn into a heated argument at
the big table opposite. where the
eager faces Of the di-putants were
all but blotted out by clouds OF
smoke.
Chummy suddenly asked the
young artist a question.
"Bastien, I wonder why I should
remember you best of them all dur
ing these years! You have always
seemed a real person to me
Dumont did not think the sub
ject a safe one. SO he brushed the
question aside. but in doing SO he
made an unfortunate admission.
NV dear girl. you can't account
o these things. When YOU come
10 think Of IL. why didn't YOU know
Alan when he first came back?"
The moment he had spoken. Du-
mont realized his mistake. Clarissa
stared at him with large. uncom-
pretending eyes.
Didn't know Alan. Bastienl OF
course I knew him."
He tried TO cover his tracks.
Yes, OF course. ! didn't mean"
But he was not dealing with an
average intelligence. The girl saw
clearly that he was trying To get
out Of what he had said.
You said when he first came
back, Bastien-" She spoke kindly
and gently, and as II II were a very
ordinary matter. Please tell me
what you mean"
Nothing, my dear girl-noth-
ing"
Dumont was not versed in diplo-
macy.
"Bastien." Clarissa went on, you
must have meant something. You
were talking about my condition.
You said I didn't know Alan when
he first came back"
"Oh. ask Alan himself" pleaded
poor Dumont.
Chummy shook her fair head.
mo. Bastien-he would hate II.
II would be painful to him. We
try to forget all that-he and I.
GAAAG a AAA41A hAAQMs 4AAAAAhF oANN4GA1s
how 1t would affect you If you
thought you had behaved In some
strange way that you don't remem-
Der! Please tell the truth"
He was caught. and could not
wiggle out. He told her about that
first meeting, when she had not
recognized Alan when he was
brought up TO her room. He sketch
ed the whole episode in very light
colors. but her swift questions
brought out the reluctant admis-
sion that she had several times
dined and gone to the play with
Alan before the day on which she
had first understood that he had
come back.
She took ii very naturally. smil-
ing, and looking across the table
where Alan sat fri d cloud az smoke.