The evening world. Newspaper, October 22, 1921, Page 15

THE EVENING WORLD'S FICTION SECTION, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1921. 3 “T'll trip over the string,” he thought, mopping his forehead. He did it better than ne had ex- pected, and after he had picked him- self up, it was only natural that he should help to recapture the frightened dog. “I hope you didn’t hurt yourself,” said the girl, with a glance in which gratefulness and formality were agree- ably blended, : “Not—not a great deal,” said Mell. She made a precise little bow with her head—a bow which apelled “‘dismis- sal’ in unmistakable letters—but blush- ing to his eyebrows, Mell settled him- self to the task before him and walked along by her side, “I hope you won't think ['m a hounder—or anything of that sort,” he began, “but I-—I have a reason, Of course I know that it absolutely isn’t done, but I wish you'd let me introduce myself—until we can find some mutual friend. My name is Melville Scrymser —my aunt is Mrs, Van Rensselaer—she Yves on Park Avenue just around the corner here—and she likes your pic- ture very much"-—— Molly, her cheeks as red as Mell’s, * had been walking along with a sort of icy disdain, but this ast stammered re- mark surprised her in spite of herself and she gave him a glance that 4 quite as much curiosity as dig- nity in it. “Til tell you about that later,” he went on hurriedly, “but in the mean time, please don’t think that I'm any- thing that I shouldn't be. Nearly everybody around hero knows me. This florist, for instance—my aunt trades here——and this property on the corner —she owns it nearly down to the next block”-—— £ They had come to a baker's shop and the girl stopped at the doorway. “Can I come in with you?” he pleaded. They looked at eac h other then with that silent intentness with which most of the important things of life are de- cided, and what they saw In each oth- er’'s eyes no one could tell you but their own two selves; but when the glance was finished, it might be said that they both seemed unconsciously satisfied. The baker knew Mell, and the respect with which he spoke to his landlady’s- nephew might have helped a little; and when they left the bakeshop Mell was carrying the cake which Molly had bought. At all events it wasn’t long before they were sauntering along and chatting, as young people have saun- tered and chatted since time imme- morial; and every time she spoke, and especially every time she smiled in her wistful way, Mell felt his admiration fur her growing deeper and deeper, as a swimmer walking out from shore gradually approaches the place where the depth of the water will carry him off his feet, “Nine o'clock!” she gasped at last, when a neighboring church «clock chimed the hour, “I must run home now —— - “At least you'll let me see you as far as your door,” said Mell, O, no; you mustn't!” she objected before the words were hardly out of his mouth. “You—you mustn't come—and you mustn't follow me—or [ shall never speak to you again.” “But when shall [ see tested Meili in his turn, She considered, giving him that glance which is mentioned above. “I generally go to the baker’s—at the same time every evening,” she said. And the next moment she was gone. The more Mell thought it over now the more the sense of adventure filled and thrilled him, “A&A queen—oh, a queen!" he told him- self, “but | wonder why she didn’t Want me to know where she lived, . . .” The servant's gossip at the board- ing-house recurred to him. “A lot of rot!” he scoffed. “As if a girl like that could be mixed up in anything wrong. . . All the same,” he thought with a slight frown, “I wish there wasn’t any mystery about it—because Aunt Agnes will want to know all about her,” That noon he lunched again at the upstairs restaurant, and there he saw Nicky Manning, one of their Park Ave- nue neighbors. Nicky was evidently in a state of considerable excitement. “Our house wag robbed last night!" he said breathlessly. “Yes! Somebody simply unlocked the door and walked in—and nearly every locked door in the yout pro- AS THE LESSER OF THE TWO EVILS, MELL CHOSE THE POST house was wide open this morning, Opened mother’s jewel-safe, too, but she has everything with her up at Bar Harbor except an old ginger-bready diamond ring, and they took that. Didn't take anything else. Wait, ll show it to you.” “But how can you show it to me?” asked Mell, “if they took it.” “That's the funny part of it,” ex- claimed Nicky—the ring came,back by mail this morning with a label fas- tened to it. Here! What do you think of this?” He drew from his pocket a smali cardboard box, The ring was evi- duntly an old engagement token, and fastened to it was a tag bearing the following remarkable caution, “You ought to have better locks,” Mell’s eyes chanced to fall upon the address written on the cardboard box in which the ring had been returned, and in- stantly his indifference fled, It was unmistakable. “Good Lord!" he thought, with a sinking heart-—‘‘it’s Molly’s writing!” ELL met her again that night— and the next—and the next- and although a number of times he was perilously close to asking her about Nicky's he could never quite get it out, “And anyhow,” he tried to tell him- self, “it may not be her writing after all, and she'd never forgive me if she knew that I had ever associated her in my mind with a bunch of crooks... It's a crazy notion, anyhow,” he added, with a gianco at the wistful-eyed girl by his side, “It must be somebody who writes a lot like her; that’s all.” Besides, there w3 so much else to talk about, and the more they talked, the deeper Mell found himself in that swift current which catches every man at some stage of his life’s journey. ring, Order Your Evening World in World-oll dreams surrounded him Ike fleecy clouds around a moon. World- old wonders filled him with fears and doubts How was it that no one had ever Snapped her up before? That seemed incredible to Mell—a puzzle for the oges. “I wonder if she could ever got to love a dub like me!" This bothered him more than you might imagine, He was on his way to his aunt's house—‘'to air the second floor’’-—this being the afternoon of her arrival in town on the 4 o'clock train. “Of course it’s too soon to ask Molly to meet her yet,” he told himself as he hurried along Park Avenue, “but I hope it won't be long. And if there’s anything about Molly's family that Aunt Agnes doesn't like—well, I shall marry her anyhow-—if sho'll have me. There must be some way in this bi¢ town that I can earn a living.” As he approached the house, boarded and closed for the summer, he met Molly strolling with the Pom, but for some reason Molly seemed einbarrassed when she saw Mell. “Don't and talk to she pleaded. “Please go on.” “Of course if you don’t want mo’-—~ said Mell, with a mere Molly he turned stop me now,” and glance at into the area-way of Perhaps you can ime- when Molly hand wpon his arm, and a look of terror ta the his aunt's house, agine suddenly joined his astonishment him there, her deptha of her eyes ‘What are you going to do?" she gasped, and he noticed that her breath came quickly “I'm going in, of course,” he replied. “This is my aunt’s house—she’s coming into town this afternoon.” "Oh, L dida't know But ple don't go in now,” she added "Let's - go for a walk I want to ghow you something-—over on Fifth Avenue Advance