The Washington times., 1931-01-12

Carson looked at her stead
lily, his dark eyes speculative
as he spoke.
Come here" he said, softly.
He retreated to the further
most darkened corner of the
veranda where there was a
long, upholstered wicker seat.
Connie struggled eternally to
refuse, but her will weakened
and she followed him.
sit down."
She obeyed and he dropped
down beside her.
Lets get this all straight,
now-you're not yourself. Tell
me what's the trouble"
II don't know" she said, and
her voice. even to her own
ears, sounded strange.
A Wise Guy
II know a great deal more
about men than 1 do about
women" he said. What might
be going on in your mind is
pretty mucn of a mystery to
me-but I'm wondering if you
are foolish enough to give
room to any lingering, silly
jealousy on account Of Kitty
and Tracy?"
mo; you know that's not
true" she told him.
And you're not worried or
excited over what I told you
about that weakened butler,
Higgins?"
Il forgot all about him"
Then what is it that has
changed you?"
She felt, she knew, that Duke
Carson was aware of the
malady of her senses that drew
her emotion toward him. Previ-
ously, she had seen his eyes
light with recognition she
thought she had-and now he
affected puzzled ignorance.
Surely, she imagined. a man
must know it when a girl begins
to care for him. Could such
things, ever, be concealed?
There we're byways of human
affections, quirks and turns and
twists that eluded her under
neutrality-suspicious., after all.
Carson had not fathomed her
feelings. But to sit beside him
here in the dusky light of a
summer night made her tremu-
louS all over: she was, positively
as silly as Kitty, yet she had
not the openness of desire that
could easily give frank express
sion to what she felt. Her
whole instinct, perversely. was
to conceal, to fight against and
refuse to acknowledge the mag
netic attraction that vibrated
through her so dangerously.
II suppose I'm just nervous"
she defended herself. But
let's not talk about me; tell me
what you think about Kitty and
Jim. Don't you think"
Complex Creatures
why should either of us
bother to think about them?"
he asked. They'll find their
way right enough. After all,
they are fairly simple. You
and I've are different-We
are complex creatures. Haven't
you felt that we are similar
that we belong, somehow mysIe-
riously, to a world into which
neither of them could ever
enter?"
It felt something-I don't
know what it was" Connie ad-
mitted.
When I was telling you to-
day about the things I've done
and the crude and vicious men
I've associated with-it wasn't
easy for me. The life I have
lived is something like a diff
cult problem in higher mathe-
matics-only person with
a certain kind of mind could
see the correct solution of
it all. I was afraid that YOU
might get me all wrong, but I
simply had to tell you. It's not
my habit to talk so much about
myself. Tell me, now that you
know what I have been and
am, has it set me back any
with you; has it put me outside
the pale?"
Comics voice was almost a
whisper. mo"
Il bear all the appearances
OF evil. but I want you to un-
derstand-"
She looked up at him, her
eyes luminous with fear.
What do I care about the
kind of life you led?" she de-
manded. We're here together
now-call it coincidence, a mira
Gle, if you like. I just know
that all I can see and feel
about you is right here before
me. You are YOU. And /
L"
Her voice broke and she was
unable to finish.
INFAwn