Evening star., 1935-08-01
INSTALLMENT XVIII.

ly had she exiled him from
Il = her mind! 1t seemed In
credible that he-had ever held her In
his arms, this slender. golden-haired
girl. who laughed and danced so light
heartedly among her friends, un-
marked by the pitfall from which she
had been freed, exultant over the
timely rectlfication OF the mistake she
had made, grateful in her liberty to
find happiness anew.
The ignominy Of his position thrust
itself upon him. He had been fool
to come. To sink through the shadows
ike q pariah: to grind self-respect
underfoot in a surrender to an i'm
pulse that could hope to gain only
racking memories; to witness the
truths that his better judgment had
already portrayed. He had seen. He
must now-believe. The ensuing mo-
ments were the bitterest OF his life'
A rough clutch on his shoulder
brought him spinning to his feet
senses pounding! The shadowy bulk
of a man loomed indistinctly at his
side. petrifying him in his tracks.
What are you doing. there"
The voice was harsh. edge with
iustifiable wrath. Paul staggered,
taken wholly by surprise. For a mo-
ment, he was frozen, dumb.
Come on! Come on! What's the
eame?" repeated the man who con-
fronted him. The hand on his shoulder
closed with a grip Of steel.
Tim from the-the-caterer's, -
Qasped Paul. II was watching the
the lights, to SEE"
From the caterers, eh?" His cap
tor, a large man of middle age.
laughed shortly. well we'll see about
thatl I've been watching you for
some time, and-I don't think you're
from the caterers. I guess Wen both
lust step over and see Mrs. Haynes
about this"
Paul cast despairing glance at the
bright scene before them-and he saw
that Ina and the tall young man were
returning to the garden His jaw set
Like hell we will" he retorted. 1r
a naSn ne SI1OOh Vic ACSbA oAAAAe AAN@'A
from his shoulder and dived at the
other mans legs. perfect tactics on
any foot ball field. AS his antagonist
went down, he came up, and the next
minute he was crashing through the
bushes toward the wall at the rear
This he vaulted neatly and landed
running. Down the dark alley he fec
side street
and into the opposite alley. Here HI
was assailed by a wildly barking dog
but this only served to accelel ate his
pace. For several blocks he kept tc
the alleys running blindly, leapinc
Instructions, frequently endeavoring u
pierce the blackness behind him fol
sounds of pursuit.
Five minutes later he was hailing
street car, q half mile from the garder
party, breathless, and with badly
skinned nose, the result Of falling
over o box into a heap of tin cans
while in full flight along his fourth
alley.
Painting, he sank into a seat at the
rear Of the car, weak from the frantic
exertion, his senses curiously deadenec
by the imperviousneSs that comes wher
misfortune has reached its climax
He sat rigidly in the hard seat, eyes
fixed on the fieeting streets beyond
the window, the lights Of busy sub
urban centers. an occasional bright
spot. Every stop irked him; he desired
immediate and plentiful distance be-
tween himself and the gay gathering
upon the Haynes lawn.
The car finally emerged into q
crowded thoroughfare. nearing the cen
ter of the city, and the flaring sign o.
the hotel, far ahead, reused him Il
| the necessity of descending.
In his room, which he gratefully
found deserted. he changed clothe!
and attended his nose, somewhat wors,
for wear. When he assembled to tht
roof garden the band was already al
work. He accepted his reprimand in
a reproachful glance from Bunton, anc
taking his seat picked up the arrange
ment in the measure to which the
band had progressed. The number
ended with a vocal trio, in which he,
Davidson and Puny, gathered at the
| front, megaphone to megaphone. Al
the chunky bass player descended
from his perch his eye caught thu
battered Machanello proboscis and Q
moment of astonishing staring wa,
followed by snort Of unholy glee
The three-part harmony was marrec
by wholly involuntary snickers from
Puny's megaphone. At the end he
| burst into restrained spasms of mirtf
and called attention to the facial dis.
figurement with a rudely leveled fore
finger.
"OwI" he gasped. THAT snoozle
Been vampin' the wrong blond again
I betcha."
Paul retired coldly to his chair. He
bore, with sort of deadly calm, the
inspection of his SCARED countenance
the hazarded opinions, the gibing mer-
riment. He voiced no retort, felt nc
offense. His senses we're benumbed.
They were scheduled to leave Dallas
at IL o'clock that morning. At 1890
Paul rose from a chair in the lobby
where he had been sitting for some
time, staring at the floor. He glanced
briefly at the group nearby, wherein
Ray had the assistance of several OF
the band in deciphering the Sunday
comics, then walked swiftly to the
rear. His face was grim with resolu-
ton and he entered telephone booth
with unwavering steps.
The receiver buzzed. After several
seconds, during which his heart beat
swiftly and the air in the small in
closure seemed to become suffocating
there was q ringing click In his ear
and some one said, inquiringly:
.Yes?"
"Uh," he said. "Uh-c'n I talk to
Ina, please?"
This is Ina," returned the voice
pleasantly. Too pleasantly. He was
suddenly terror-stricken at his own
presumption. The promptneSs with
which he had gained his audience dis
concerted him, gave MIN no time to
think. Lines previously memorized
failed him.
Gs14ht. fI.;s ic DauI he cold folfnr