Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-30
CHAPTER XXI.
THE BULBUL BUSH.


N YELLY BELAISEs abrupt an
N nouncement caused Nine. Fouche
NJ to suspend her tanning.
4 v Engage? Senorita Flores en-
gage? When have she tell your
The marquesa told me last night.
Juanita's flance is nobleman in Spain.
They are much in love"
! We'll / am gon' have trobble brek-
king this to Adrian. You have tell
Kirk?"
! mo. I've hardly seen Kirk. He got
in late yesterday, and he and Juanita
were singing all evening""
He ought to know"
"Juanita will tell him at the proper
time" Nelly answered. THE marquesa
said Juanita was not to know she had
told me, SO If you say anything to
Adrian"
Adrian is discreet" madame replied.
, But she should have tell everybody at
de first. My Adrian say to me, 'Maman,
for de first time 1 NIT a girl what
can give my heart to- 1t is sin what
| Ssnorita Flores have do"
That's absurd" snapped Nelly. "She
may not love the man at all. Who
knows but she may have come to
America to forget?"
Anal" Madame opened her fan
abruptly. "You thank she will fall in
love and brek her troth! You do not
know betrothals In Spain. But shall
tell no one but Adrian. He will be
keerful. Kirk mebbe cannot love so
hard as my Adrian, but"
Why should you diSparage Kinks
powers of affection2" asked Nelly, stifiy.
do not be hurt, Nelly. I mean
Kirk's eyes are 50 blue and his hair so
light brown"
fofl,ar .,,a. AYn,,,
Of English descent. He can't help being
blond" said Nelly.
"Eg-zackly. Adrians hair is black
and his eyes flash. Such men love
much. Kirk, he joke and smile, even
wild Senorita Flores. My Adrian"
Your Adrian can certainly love more
frequently" said Nelly, trying to re-
member that it was her sun par,or. I'm
any case. why tell a thing that con-
Germs Juanita first of all, and that she
apparently doesn't want told? The
worst that can happen to any man in
love with her is that he may propose
and be refused. Adrian will be better
off If you will let him take the knocks
that come his way
They both turned. hearing Adrian go
down the steps. Voices came from the
pier.
They've come" said Nelly. Nov,
poor Theoneste, you shall have dinner"
The bulbul bush had blossomed. Kirk
sat beside it in the dark garden, think
ing perhaps Juanita would come to him
there. He recalled how on Adrian'S last
visit she had come to him. how they
had walked under the magnolias.
But she was not avoiding Adrian to-
night. Kirk could see her through the
windows, laughing with Adrian. guitar
on her knee. Her voice came to him.
mingling with the perfume of the bulbul
bush. with the glow of the moon, Just
shouldering its way above the trees.
Kirk and Juanita had watched for the
moon from the Isle of Caprice. They
had forgotten how late 1t would be to-
night. How close she had come to him
then. Words were not needed. Then
the marquesa had come running, wav-
ing her gains, crashing a stone into
| their pool of silence.
"Look!" the maruueSa had cried.
Now we will go home"
She had sat with them on their trip
back, had prattled of her luck. of how
hungry she was. Kirk and Juanita had
both been very still, and now since din
ner Juanita had seemed farther away
than ever. Now it was Kirk she was
avoiding. singing to Adrian.
Kirk knew what the Spanish words
meant. IL was the song she had taught
him the night before. Adrian was lis
tening with all his gift of passionate in
tenSity, as If the song were a declaration
Of Juanita'S love. Nine. FQuche sat
watching them, tanning with what
looked to Kirk like disapproval. Nelly
he knew, was in the sun parlor, the
marquesa probably beside her.
There was another song Kirk wanted
her to teach him. She had sung its
sobbing melody with such fire and
pathos that he had loved it best of all.
Kirk hoped she would not sing those
| words tonight, even in Spanish.
Kirk started. She was singing them.
Not because / sing
Is my heart joyful,
But like the swan. in dying,
sing, I love you"
Kirk could not watch her singing that
song, Adrian beside her. He walked
deeper into the garden.
Nine. Fouche, in the house. wished
to. talk with the narquesa. The mar
quesa was coming to sit with her pres
emily, but first she must telephone the
Hotel Tijon in New Orleans. She had
broken her lorgnettes, she explained,
and they must send the other pair.
Madame liked the marquesa. The
marquesa had appreciated her old sill