The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-05-09
CHAPTER TEN

ME anterOOm IN which Peryl
l. waited was more in the nature
of a central hall at the top floor of
q spirel-hke building than a mere
part of the suite
Through the many doors people
came and went in varying degrees
Of preoccupation. But all seemed
10 have one thing in common-an
utter obliviousness to her.
She sat quietly withdrawn in a
handsome but uncomfortable chair
and watched them with keen inter-
est, particularly the gorgeous wom-
an who came in with her chauffeur,
the latter carrying a pet dog, and a
maid as Gallo as Paris.
In few minutes the maid re-
appeared and went at once to a
door opposite where Beryl was sit
ting.
She was careless in closing the
door behind her and Beryl could
see, through the crack she left, the
remarkable quickness with which
she extracted cigaret case from a
pocket in her smart black uniform,
drew out c!garet and applied a
match to it.
She pulled it greedily and Beryl
guessed that the indulgence was a
stolen pleasure
Then, after the maid had crushed
out the burning end in an ash tray,
Beryl saw her hold the cigaret case
TO her mouth in the manner of one
using a throat spray
Hurriedly thrusting it back into
her pocket she came out of the room
leaving the door wide open behind
her. and went to reioin her mis-
tress.
TINE room exposed to Beryl's
Il view, was a dainty sitting
room. She was charmed by it and
decided to have a closer look at its
perfection.
But she'd never seen anything
like it before and admitted she'd
need postgraduate course in in
terror decorating ever to think OF
doing one similar
From the white and gold mantel
she turned to a small Florentine
piano and found herself unable to
resist the desire to run her fingers
over the keys.
The tone of the instrument de-
lighted her. She sat down on the
rose and blue striped cushion of the
bench and began to play very soft
ly But the music she wanted, the
romantic music of long ago, was
not at her command.
She was not an accomplished plan
ist-having had neither time nor
money to develop her talent-so
she turned to playing the things she
knew-the chords and runs of her
song accompaniment.
This set her to singing but she
had not forgotten entirely where
she was and that she might disturb
some one if she made any noise"
as her musical efforts were called
at home.
So she smothered her voice and
sang in a velvety monotone.
Always, when she sang con-
Scl0uSly, she sang 10 an auQlence.
Mostly it was an audience of one
her father as her fancy pictured
him.
He'd have liked her music, she
thought, and just for him she'd
learned a tender ditty or two. Now
she sang them with her head on
one side and dreamy light in her
soft gray eyes.
n
PRESENTLY the dreamy light
Il faded in tears, but she sang on,
her voice a bit choked, yet vibrant
with the wish in her heart-the
wish to have known her father.
There was loneliness in it, too-the
loneliness of one who walks alone.
When she stopped, her hands re
manned poised over the keys and
she stared away into space beyond
the silk-lined walls of the room
into the smiling face of her father
You liked it?" she asked, and
was startled to hear voice behind
her say, Very much"
She turned in a flash and the