The Washington times., 1938-01-01

the room. There was a radio STAN
on which stood a telephone an,
the large single bed on her left.
dresser over which hung a wal
mirror.
Directly in front of her was tn
window, looking north. BetWeel
It and the dresser was an eas,
chair and a shaded reading laml
with two large bulbs.
- The bellboy set down her suit
case and opened the window will
a flourish and The sweet, washed
fall air swept in!o the room, bring
ing with it a hint of ice.
She took a coin from her purst
and handed it to the bellboy anc
he went out, softly closing tht
door behind him.
She stepped to the window ane
looked out to the north. At tht
tall spires of hotels in the FiftieS
She searched the caves of the
building. dropped her eyes upor
a vista Of flat roofs below her. II
that area, she Immediately founc
them, the pigeons. She watched
them for a long time.
EXCITING SIGHT
There we're six of them in the
field which was bounded by the
roof of the building to the north
Leaning out from her window
she saw corridor, sort of sur
bathing piazza, extending from
the floor below her and running
the north length of the building
And ner heart leaped. Fol
perched there, just below her win
dow, were two Blue Rock pigeons
Both were gazing inquiringly ur
at her window
With shaking legs, she moved
away, went to the mirror and took
off her hat, patting her black hai1
in place. scarcely glancing at hel
own lovely face.
She took off her coat and re
vealed her full-busted, slender fig
ure. Then she unpacked her suit
case and either hung the things
up or arranged them in the
dresser drawers.
The two birds on the railing be,
low her evidently had not moved.
She wished they would fly away
or into her line of vision so she
could watch them instead of hav.
ing to wait for them. 1t was easier
to watch them.
They were so interesting. Her
thoughts leaped back to the figure
which they seldom left, the figure
of John Butler. She picked up a
trend of thought she had laid
down only for few moments.
He was here, somewhere in the
city. Of that, she was positive
She had almost caught up with
him several times. Once at the
Alhambra downtown.
To her questions the clerk there
had replied he had seen such a
man. How was it she had de,
scribed him again? Tall and dark
with gray in the black hair above
his temples. A brown face, brown
eyes, a bitter mouth.
FAMILIAR SIGNATURE
Eyes, ma'am," the clerk said.
Such a man had lived here for a
week. But that wasn't his name.
His name vas He checked
back in the register file and came
upon it. His name was Elliott.
Charles.
Here was his signature. She
looked at it. 1t was Johns hand
writing, large and sprawling. She
knew just how he had felt as he
poured it across the card.
THAT is John Butler" she told
the clerk. II know his handwrit-
ing. Did he leave a forwarding
address when he checked out?"
The clerk looked at her, not dis
truStfully but speculatively.
''Why," he asked apologetically
"Why do you want to know"
''I am Anne Butler" she told
him, "his wife" The clerks face
became expre6sionless. "Oh, I
don't want to harm him!" she
said breathlessly.
HE needs me. He really does!
I am the only one who can help
him. If you noticed him at all,
surely you noticed something
about him"
She stood gazing at the clerk,
waiting for his answer. And his
eyes crinkled and he smiled.
yes" he said, "but I didn't at
first. It's kind of hard to detect
it in him. He sure carries it well.
You can smell it on his breath.
And you can notice it in the slow
way he talks. Like he breathes
between each word sometimes.
"And then" the clerks smile
broadened, when he gets to feel.
ing awful good he always buys a
lot Of those nickel bags of pea.
nuts. No ma'am. He didn't leave
his address. But he went away in
a cab.
Maybe some of the boys in the
hack stand would remember
where they drove him. I hope you
find him, Mrs. Butler. He's ar
awful nice guy"
And thus she had traced him
from hotel to hotel, all about the
city. For reStlesSness was one oi
the symptoms of what she per
sisted in considering his sickness
He could not stay long in on
place. Traced him by the hote
clerks and bellboys and hackmer
who had liked him on sight anc
now wanted to help her find him