The Seattle Star Newspaper, September 5, 1921, Page 9

PAGE 9 THE SEATTLE STAR DOINGS OF THE DUFFS Tom Is Accommodating BY ALLMAN WINDS OF THE WORLD” ByR (Continued From Saturday) the telephone ebriily, tyre roused himself, went and took down the recetver A woman's voice spoke to him Jaughed, ‘ ‘t you know my volce?—Oh ‘unkind, Just rung up to congratulate =I only heard half an hour ago from Ralph's wife. I could hardly pelle that you'd really done it at at, Cigt I do hope you'll be happy.” tyre did not answer. you doing anything wh she asked. wilh you come to the Des “with me this evening?— get a card party or some: after dinner; they don't want nine. Some man they ex- has disappointed them, and hes Fang up Sixt now to know if 1 kat ek GC 1 thought of y to- you'd come.” ty racked his brains fn m to think of an excuse; he was Mood for company. "@ wealthy sister-in-law {9 @ to be there.” Mra Machen : em. “Do you know her? Oh, Mt ef course you do! I forgot.” * 1 know her.” she'll be there, and she to be the great attraction of * @ @ort of star turn, you #w.. All the men are quite mad ‘her. Will you come?* 1 delighted. & fool to go, and yet meet her again; his “Teced as he dressed: he felt was be to UBY M. AYRES HA Rights FR rved Machen’s house he would have gt & great deal to have turned back, Mra, Machen greeted him ef fusively; she was beautifully dressed, and her fingers blaged with din monds; she had wrung a good al Jowance from her husband before he and she finally parted company. Money was her god; had she spoken the truth, she would have said that she cared for nothing else in the) world, She gave Tallentyre her hand, which hespromptly kissed. “Silly boy!" she looked up at him from beneath her darkened lashes, “What would Birtea say if she knew?" she teased him. ‘She won't know,” he said. He sat down on the couch and stretched his long legs weartly. “We're early; have a cig.?" “Thanks.” re, She Mt it for him, and another for herself; she looked at him critically thru the whiffs of amoke. “What's the matter?’ she asked abruptly. “Matter?” Tallentyre flushed be- neath her quissical eyes. “Nothing is the matter,” he sald shortly. “Why do you esk? She aprugeed her white shoulders. “Weilf) yeu look rotten,” she said frankly. “If you were a woman I should expect to see you burst tnto tears. “You'd be disappointed then,” he told her serenely, He rose to his feet. “I've kept the taxi waiting; hadn't we better go?” Everything jarred him tonight: as a rule he liked this woman and found her amusing: but tonight he did not want her company; he helped her into her cloek, and followed her jailently downstairs to the taxl. They dfove away together. “What do you think of Ralph's sisterinlaw, Cig? Mra. Machen ;} asked him euddenty. “You used to be rather a friend of hers at one time, didn't yout’ “I knew her rather well.” “Is that all?—-Ralph seemed to think there was something ¢lae — something rather special, you know,” she looked at him interestedly, but | ite. his face conveyed nothing of hie thoughts or feelings. “Really!” he eaid indifferently. “Yea . . , she's yery handsome, fn't she?” “I suppose she ts.* She moved impatiently, “Don't be so guarded. I can't un derstand you; don't you ever admire *} one woman more than another? ment as “Prequentt She laid a hand on his arm; there was an unwonted kindliness In her worldly eyes. “Cig, something {s the matter, only you won't tell me.” “My deer girl—" She frowned a little. “I suppose it's this engagement you're worrted about. Don't be angry With me when I say that I know you "t care for her; we all know it; and I'm sorry: but...” she laughed Mirthieassly. “I've been thru it. my- self, you know, after the first little while you get used to It; so used to it, Cig! and you don't mind.” ‘Tallentyre sat very till, as if he heard; he knew that she it to be kind, but her sympathy got him on the raw: it seemed so much like an open avowal of pity, men hate to be pitied. Prenently he roused himeelf, he n his arm so that her hand fell to the seat between them. “You're very kind,” he said lightly. “But this time you're wrong, quite wrong. my dear: There's nothing the ‘TOM SEEMS TO BE GIVING MRS SPENCER ALOT OF ATTENTION TONIGHT- HAVE You NOTKED ITP A | ueRE TAG, Mace | rr could never traverse to overtake her again; that would be there, stretching between them, until the end of her life or hia! Presently they all went Into an other room, where a long green- covered table ran almost the entire length. Jill's eyes sparkled a little; every thing was new to her: lately she | had enjoyed every moment of ‘The firet shock of Henry Sturgess’ tragic death had begun to pass away; she had never cared for him; and she was young: but she always thought of him with grateful affec tion, for it had been his hand that had turned the golden key in ° door of life and let her out of her prison, She was given a seat opposite to Tallentyre’e at the table; someone told her the rules of the game. “I've never played before,” she confided with a little excited laugh. ‘The knowledge that Tailentyre was watching her mado her reckiess. win #0 soon, you'll Mra, Machen said end by losing.” warningly. Jil gianced Gown at the money beside her. “Am I winning?" she asked sur. prised; she had hardly noticed. When she counted her money she was amazed to find that it was nearly Gouble the sum with which she had etarted. “A born gambler,” Mrs. whispered to her neighbor. “It's fortunate that she's rich enough to be able to afford it.” She was very interested tm Jill; ghe wondered if there would be any chance with her for her own impe eunlous brother; she determined to Invite Jill to meet him at an early opportunity. It was earty” morning before the party broke up; Mre. Machen had | on her fretful face. ¢ converaation, and Tallentyre her into the house with a she tetea-tete wel e Il-preserved woman on the wrong side of forty, greeted him warmly. “So kind of you to come; people are #0 tiresome as @ rule about mak Ing up to oblige. And, after it wouldn't have mattered if we had begn a man short, as we're going to play faro after all. Yes, I know it's perfectly shocking —"“ aa Mra. Machen gave @ little exclamation of pretended horror, “But really one must do something, and in o: house, don't you know! She led the way across the room 1% where a group of people were laughing and talking rather noisily. Tallentyre knew most of them: he sat down beside a girl with pale betr and pale eyelashes; she never ex pected him to talk, which was why he deliberately chose to sit beside her tonight. He looked round the reom for Jill, but she waa not there. ‘He almost hoped that she would not come; he almost hoped—and then he heard her voice, and saw her coming into the room. Once more the ol sensation of unreality came over him: he could fainted that day in the stuffy office; who had been so nervous when he | took her out to tea, He remembered her work-réugh- ened hands, and the hole in her glove, and the way she had tried to bide beth from him. ‘The gulf between them had been 0 small then that he could have | bridged it with @ word; but now it had widened into an impossibie chasm. He tasted the bitterness of utter ig as he sat there and watched r. When at last she met his eyes, she smiled and bowed in a little friendly Way as if he were nothing more to her than any other man; as if he never had been anything more. Bhe did not avoid him; when pres ently they found themselves to- gether she began to talk in the most natural way. ‘I've never played this dreadful she said laughingly. “I'm just longing to learn; it’s @ dreadful gamble, fen't 117” “It's an absurd gamble,” Tallen- tyre answered, “I hate {t myself.” “But you play?’ | that I do a great many other things.” “And that reason is?” she asked. “To kill time.” “Poor man!” Tallentyre set his teeth; he hated to hear her speak #0 flippantly; it brought home to him | many, many miles they had traveled him away from the little room in Acacia Terrace. Miles which he “Yes, I play—tor the same reason apart since that day when she sent | Bhe went over to Tallentyre. “Cig. do you mind if I drive home with the Laytons?" she asked ner. vously; she did net look at bim as she spoke. " Tallentyre sald that he did not: mind at all; the Laytone were rather | vulgar people, nouveat riche, who had been trying for a long time to) wedge themselves into the magic) circle known as society. Ie knew) quite well why Dora Machen wished | to drive home with them; knew that | she at last Intended to yield to their | persuasions and take them under/ her wing for @ consideration. In spite of a large income, she was always hard up: money slipped) ‘through her fingers like sand; thers! was a little cynical «mile in Tatlen tyre’s eyes an he watched her go out of the room smiling down into Mrs. Layton's vulgar face. He knew that Dora really hated the Laytons: he thought it extraor- | dinary to what lengths a woman would go for money. It gave him a shock to remember! to what lengths he himself had gone; | to remember that he was engaged to Erica for the same reason | Ji went away without saying! good-night to him, and he walked! home alone thru the epring night The future stretched away lon and uninviting; there seemed noth- ing to look forward to, nothing to hope for; and the fault was his own! He had had chances, many of them, and thrown them away: he had held the greatest gift of ail in his hand and allowed it to fall. He could see Jill's face there be- fore him in the darkness; her eyes sparkling, her cheeks flushed as she had looked when she took her win- nings from the green-covered table; he had hated to are her there gam- bling with the women of his set; hated the way the men looked at her and vied with each other for her favor. Hoe let himself into his fiat, | and shut and locked the door; he turned on the light and flung himself into a chair with a feeling of utter) weariness. Tonight he stood outside | the locked gates of what might have| been, looking across the wall of! eternal separation at the happiness | which he had lost forever, CHAPTER VI A week parsed away unéventfully, | Tallentyre hardly knew how the! days went; they were all so much | alike in length and boredom. He danced dutiful attendance on Eirica Héwing; escorted her to wocial functions which bored him. unutter: ably; accepted congratulations with a smile, and walked thru his part faultlessly, in the same way in which | an automatic figure moves and speaks correctly, but without con vietion. “J don't believe he'll ever marry when the subject was under discus- Hillyard laughed. sion. “LE feel ao worry for him—Ralph, VES, HE LOOKS LIKE BRINGING IN AN OCBAN LINER WHEN WE DANCES WITH FRECKLES AND HIS FR YOURSELF USEFUL © TAKE TUG BOAT TENDS 224 | GEE, vA DONT WANTA. 00 TWAT, DO YA, PopP ALY tard see EVERETT TRUE PotteD HAIR, JUST LOVE ‘To DANCE BUT 1ALWAYS GET SO OVER HEATED! STEP RIGHT OVER HERE MRS. OPENCER-THERE SURE! WALF-SoLep! DON'T You UNOGRSTAND? T WANT THOSE SHOES HALF = SoLeD! PexciceD eves = BEAVTY SPOTS, == PAINTED LIPS, = POWDER AND Rovuce IN PFULK, etc. THeRe ARE LADIGC S PRESENT * * Page floes 460 THE FooT 10a (Continued From Last Night) Peggy shivered and David look 4 serious as the story reached the point where the “big scare” came tn, and David said, “IT don't gee how your mother would let you go when it was so awfully dangerous and you hadn't any gun.” ‘The story-teller sighed. “Plo neer mothers had to do many things, David, which tore at their heartstrings and great as my terror was out on the lonely, danger filled trail, I doubt if I suffered os she did. “Well, I went on carefully and safely enough till I came to the hill, ‘There the mud grew sitp- pery and I dreaded the stream at the bottom of the hill, “1 walked slowly, steadying mynelf by the wet branches of the undergrowth till I reached the banks of the creek, “Now, as you know, there were no bridges anywhere in this Puget Sound country in 1865; when people crossed streams they either rode across on horseback, went In a canoe, or most com monly of all walked a foot log. “Walking a log in daylight was nothing to me, but to keep my footing on a log made slippery as glass by the rain and that in al- most total darkness was too much, “What's more, my knees trembled with fear and I was not nearly so steady as usual. 80, getting down on my hands and knees, I started to crawl across. “I was just venturing well out over the stream when right over my head I heard a weird sound— “"WHOO-00-00! TOO-WIT, TOO- WIT, TOO-WoOr “Jt fairly filled the night, long drawn: and shudderingly mourn- ful. “It was an owl, but never have I heard a more frightful sound, for my boy-heart was already #0 full of terror that {t would need only that to make It break, “No, I didn’t fall in the creek, and I didn’t run home, I went on and got John and we reached home without any further alarm, and John stayed till father got back. “All that year there was trouble with the Indiana and we were con- stantly in danger all over our state and Oregon.” Pegey said, “You must have been ‘bout as big as Aunt Ellen when the Beattle war did be fought.” And the story-teller said, “I was 12 years old and if you know tho year of that war, you know my age.” $9 Bnd can't you see how ill and unhappy he look#?” “I'm afraid T can’t... you're tm agining it all, little woman, Cig’s all right--he never did look partic ularly pleased about anything; he always wears that bored expression.” But Kathy knew better) she wan very sorry for Tallentyre, and trod) utely what) her,” Kathy told her husband again| to convey her sympathy to him in little ways When they met, But Tallentyre hated sympathy; it was the one thing he could not stand; be had a morbid dread that people would know of the muddle he had mado of his life; he avoide4 all the houses where he knew there was a possibility of meeting Jill—it he sa wherneut driving, or in the park, he deliberately kept out of her way. Sometimes he thought he would get married, and go raise an insuper able barrier once and for all between them; many times the impulse came to him to ask Elrica to marry him at once, but something always seomed to hold him back. (Continued Tomorrow) MN, THIS 1S rs SOME Reuer! ling ( Mi —— THAT BLOWS NOBODY SOME GOOD, MRS, SPENCER] AN ILL WIND On Goopness! ALL MY POWDER HAS BLOWN OFF! | MUST LOOK A FRIGHT! ze a BY BLOSSER Loox,Pop! t Gor 'EM HALF-SOLD =H RAG MAN BOUGHT ONE FoR A NICKEL! 404) Tw MA — WHEN A WOMAN TELLS By RUTH AGNES ABELING (Copyright, 1921 “You're not going yet?” Mrs. Ames’ voice checked me as I started toward the door, “You know, I was just getting really interested in this my-brother’s- keoper-business, Now, I'll tell you what you do" with decision; “you go back there and tell that little fool to stay here, tell her I said so— and I'l break her neck if she leaves now! But this isn't any feeling that I should, join @ reform move. ment, ming you, nor any foeling that I am responsible for what any one else does. 1 don't like that theory.” It was really not the apology that I had promised which I could take to Grace Cameron, but I at least had assurance that Mrs, Ames would not discharge the girl. Thus I knew that if I persuaded Grace to stay she would not be subjected to that humiliation of humiliations—being fired, Someone was coming upstairs as I stepp¥d into the hall. At the land ing Philip Ames and I met. “You are wearing my flowers, I 6 said, jot yours—-Mrs, Ames’," I cor. rected him. “Mrs. Ames?” he repeated ques. tloninglt. “Yes, she fastened the one in my hair and Insisted that 1 take these,” “How the devil did she happen to have them?” “I suppose because some very thoughtful and repentant man sent them to her.” I was purposely caus- tie, “What do you mean? you at all,” impatiently. “It shouldn't be difficult to under: stand, Mr. Ames. I happened to be in your sister-inlaw's room just after these flowers came for her and she was nice enough to divide them with me—tho I wasn't at all happy to take them.” “They were deltvered to her? The dickens they were! They were order. ed for you! he said, “For me?" “Yes, for you! I ace thru the whole thing now, IT used to buy a load of flowers for Lila,” he started té ex. I don't get plain, “and 1 simply left her address with the florist so he always knew where to send any flowers I ordered; he must not have noticed the address I wrote and gave to him today. But —they were meant for you.” beautiful,” sincerely, I'm glad they were sent wrong piust as they were, It bought some . by Beattie Star.) |CHAPTER XXVIIL—GRACE CAMERON STAYS FOR TOM’S SAKE thing for me that nothing else could have! “I don’t understand, but I am glad to have been of any little service,” |said Philip Ames, and then he spoileé it by adding, “I would buy anything in the world for you.” I found Grace waiting for me. “I was just about to leave—promy ise or no promise,” said she, as K entered her room and thrust my yee low pansies into her hands. ‘ “Well, you're going to stay,” made her decision for her, “She wants me to?” desc “Yes—she sent that wo! she wants you to say!" ae Grace was digging at the end of © her suitcase with the too of her © shoe. Then: “I guess I'm—glad. IF wouldn't want him to think I couldn't be straight,” she said. “Very well!” answered Sprinkle-Blow in a relieved tone. Nancy and Nick and Sprinkle Blow took Loony Locust up to the house ‘ef the Nuisance Fairies and shoved him in, but hot before the fairy weatherman had tied his wings so that he couldn't waken Jack Frost. If Jack should waken and see Loony around he would know that fall was not far away and start in to practice his old tricks, And soon as he got his hand in again, down he'd gimp to the world and that would be the end of every- thing. “Well!” said Sprinkle-Blow. “I do believe that T can take my vacation now. I've made weather for every- body all spring and summer, so sure- ly everybody is supplied. I've put off my vacation until everybody else j has had his, 80 now I think I'll pack |my magic umbrella with all my clothes and a tooth brush and skip off to fairyland to visit my relations, Do you think you can get along without me, kiddies?” “Ol, gs Ma SprinkleBiow, m Nancy assured him, “I can tidy up things a bit while you are gone, and _ Nick can help me. Can't you, | Nickie?” ' “Sure! answered Nick eagerly, “and T can attend to any mall orders | that come to your letter box, for I know how to make all kinds of | weather now, almost as well as you do, Mr. Weatherman,” “Very well!” answered Sprinkle Blow in a relieved tone, “but be sure to keep the door of the house of the Nuisance Fairies locked tight, I'll hang the key up on this nail so. it will be safe, and don't) take it down for love or money until I get back.” The twins promised and the fairy weatherman went off to pack his magic umbrella, which he used in- stead of a trunk, But already Nancy's busy lttle brain planning things to dg while he was away. (To Be Continued.) (Copyright, 1921, by, Seattle