The Washington times., 1931-02-21

Guully III sou BTayS anu CtedE
green's with odd little touches
Of mauve and rose.
Mary Lou stood rlesitant.
She had never been as bewil-
dered in all her 20 years. She
said, aloud, "Oh, what on earth
shall 1 do?"
She was talking, perhaps, to
herself. But Peter answered,
deferentially, but briskly.
If 1 were you, Miss. I'd sit
down and-reSt. You've had a
shock" said the elderly man,
quietly. Mr.. Travers. -" He
stopped and said no more, real
izing that it was not part Of
his duty to discuss family mat
tiers with an outsider. He in
dicated the chaise-longue, the
comfortable, deep chairs. the
many books, scattered on small
tables and housed in bullt-in
bookcases, the silver and enamel
boxes of cigarettes. IF you'd
take q chair, Miss" he sug-
geSted, and make yourself at
home?"
Mary Lou reached up mechan'
ically to take off her hat. Her
head ached. But then she re-
membered that the hat lay on
the floor where Lorrimer had
cast it. She remembered that
her coat was downstairs and
her pocketbook. There was
nothing to do but wait.
Peter went out and closed
the door softly behind him.
Mary Lou stared around her
unseeingly at first, and then
gradually absorbing the really
exquisite surroundings in which
she so amazingly found her
self.
She rose and, at first a little
timidly, wandered about the
big, rather oddly shaped room.
"I suppose it's what they call
a boudoir," remarked Mary Lou
to herself with a half giggle, her
courage, color and spirits begin
ming to return. I've lead about
'em and I can pronounce 'em,"
she informed herself further.
"but it's the first time I'VE evec
come into contact with one OF
'em!"
There was nothing lacy or
overcrowded, perfumed or be-
decked about the room. 1t was
simply a comfortable lived-in
sort of place, restrained and
beautiful in coloring and ap-
pointments and filled with
books, old and new, shabby and
fresh.
The Only Picture
Over by one corner of the
bookcase, near the great double
windows which looked out over
the lawns and had for its pleas
ure a silver glimpse Of Sound
as we'll, Mary Lou lifted her
eager, book-loving eyes from the
rows upon rows of volumes and
looked straight into equally
eager, laughing eyes which
looked down on her from a
photograph framed in heavy,
dull silver which stood where
two bookcases meeting made an
angle. 1t was the only photo
graph in the room.
For a moment Mary Lou
stared, conscious Of a. slight
shock. She knew the eyes, she
thought, and the face
a lean, laughing face under the
jaunty cap Of the Royal Flying
Corps. She knew, too, she
thought, the tall, broad-should-
cred uniformed figure, sitting
very negligently on some excel
lent photographers bench. Knew
and yet did not know. And it
was a full minute before it
dawned on her that here was
Travers Lorrimer, the man
downstairs, the man who had
exposed her to so frightening
and inexplicable a scene, a
scene of which she was trying
hard not to think, lest she be-
come terrified again.
Lorrimer, as he had been,
Lorrimer very young. Lorrimer
in early nineteen fifteen, so
many years ago, Lorrimer just
turned eighteen years Of age,
a laughing. delightful boy.
Her heart hurt her with pity.
Half unconSciouSly she reached
up and carefully lifted down the
big heavy frame and went to
the couch and sat down, still
holding the picture, looking at
it intently, wondering about it.
For whom had he mistaken
her? Someone named Delight?
Odd name. pretty name, she
liked it. Someone he had not
seen in a long time. Someone
he loved .. and called
his wife. Who was
she and where was she? Was
she dead, were they trying to
keep it from him, or had she
deserted him? Where had he
married her ? and when.
She came back again and
again to that incredible and
breathleSs moment when she
haG been caught up in arms
grown suddenly strong, when
she had been held close to this
strangers heart, when she had