The evening world. Newspaper, December 24, 1921, Page 16

i } Y 4 . THE EVEN\NG WORLD'S FICTION SECTION, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1921. en ee “What?" he cried. “LT sent him for the carving knife,” said Flame. From the outside danr the sound of furious knocking occurred suddenly. “That sounds to nre like—Hke par- ents’ knocking,” shivered Flame, “It sounds to me like an escaped Lay Reader,” said her host. “I'l try to,” quiverod Flame. “Don't worry, little girl,” whispered the young stranger in the dark hall. “I'l try not to,’’ quivered Flame, They were both right. It was Par- ents and the Lay Reader. All three were breathless, all three excited, all three reproachful, they swept into the warm, balsam-scented Rattle-Pane House with a gust of frost, a threat of disaster. “F—lame,” sighed her father. “Flame!” scolded her mother, “Flame? implored the Leay Reader “What a pretty name,’ beamed the Master of the House. “Pray be seated, everybody,” he gestured graciously to left and right. “This is certainly a very great pleasure, I assure you,” he affirmed distinctly to Miss Flamanda Nourice, ‘Returning quite unexpect- edly to fmy new house this jlonely Christmas evening," he explained very definitely to the Rev. Mlamande Nourice, “1 can't express to you what it means to me to find this pleasant gathering of neighbors waiting here to welcome me! And when I think of the effort you must have made to get here, Mr. Bertrand,” he beamed, ‘a young man of al) your obligations and --and complications’-——— “Pleasant—gathering of neighbors?” questioned Mrs. Nourice with some emotion, ° “Oh, I forgot,” deprecated the Mas- ter of the House with real concern, “I was told at the railroad station how you and Mr. Nourice had been called tway by the illness of a relative.” “We were called away,” confided Pirs. Nourice with asperity-——‘‘by a very sick relative, to receive the present of @ piebald pony.” “Oh, goody!" jumped Flame and col- lapsed again under her’ mother’s glance. “And then came this terrible tele- phone message,” shuddered her mother. “The implied dishonor of one of your father’s most trusted—most trusted associates!" “T was right in the midst of such an interesting book,"’ deplored her father, “And Uuecle Wally wouldn't lend it.” “So we borrowed Uncle Wally’s new automobile and started right for home!" hurried her mother. “It was at the Junction that we made connec- tions with the Constable and his pris- oner.”’ “His—victkn,” intercepted Reader cokily. His mouth was twisted very slightly to one side, It gave him a rather un- pleasant, snarling expression. If this expression had been vocal instead of muscular, it would have shocked his hearers, the Lay NEXT SATURDAY’S “Your father had to go on board the train and identify him,” persisted Flame’s mother. “The Constable was most unwilling to release him. Your father had to use every kind of ar- gument.”— “Every—kind,” mused her father. “He doesn’t even deny being in the house," sontinued her mother, ‘being in my closet—being caught with a solid silver carving knife and fork in his hand, Yet all the time, he per- sists," frowned Flame’s mother, “that there is some one in the world who can give @ perfectly good explanation if only—he won't even say ‘he or she’ but ‘it(—if only it’ would.” A sudden flicker of suspicion dark- ened the mother’s eyes. : “You don't know anything about this, do you, Flame?” she demanded. “Is it remetely possible that after your promise to me—-your sacred promise to me-——?" To the Lay Reader's face, and right through the Lay Reader's face, to the By SINCLAIR LEWIS A Quick-Action Love Story—A Record Smasher in a Car and a Fast Worker in a Lifting Love Affair— By the Author of ‘Main Street”’ ORDER YOUR EVENING WORLD IN ADVANCE fate of the Master of the House, Flame’s glance went- homing with an unaccountable impulse. ITH one elbow leaning casu- ally on the mantelpiece, his eyes faintly inscrutable, faintly smiling, it seemed suddenly to the young Master of the House that he had been waiting all his discouraged years for just that glance. His heart gave the queerest jump. Flame’s face turned suddenly very pink. Like a person in a dream she turned back to her mother, There was COMPLETE STORY a smile on her face, dreaming person. “No—mother,” she said, seen Bertrand—to-day.” “Why, you're looking right at him the smile of a “I haven't now!” protested her exasperated mother. With a gentle murmur of dissent Vlame's father stepped forward and laid his arm across the young girl's shoulder, ‘“She—she may be looking at him," he said, ‘but I’m almost per- fectly sure that she doesn’t See him.” “Why, whatever in the world do you mean?” demanded his wife. “If there was only another woman here! A ma- ture--sane woman! A——"' With a flare of accusation she turned from Flame to the Master of the House. “This Miss Flora that my daughter spoke of—where is she? I insist on seeing her! Please summon her in- stantly!"" Crossing genially to the table, the Master of the House reached down and dragged out the bulldog by the grindled scruff of her neck. “This is—Miss Flora!” he said. Indignantly Flame’s mother glanced at the dog, and then from her daugh- ter’s face to the face of the young man again. , “And you call that—a lady?” she demanded, “N—not technically,” young man, For an instant a perfectly tense si- lence reigned, Then from under a shadowy basket the Cat crept out, shining, sinuous, with extended paw, and began to pat a sprig of holly cau- tiously along the floor. “We all,” broke in the Maste¥ of the House quite irrelevantly, “seem to have experienced a slight twinge of ir- ritabilitq—the past few minutes. Hun- ger, I've no doubt! So suppose we all sit down together to this sumptuous— if somewhat chilled repast? After the soup certainJy, even after very cold soup, all explanations, I'm sure, will be —cheerfully and_ satisfactorily ex- changed. Miss—Flame I know has a most amusing story to tell and’’—— “Oh, yes!” rallied Flame. “And it's almost al! about being blindfolded and sending poor M~ T,aurello"—— “So if by any chance, Mr.—Mr. Ber- trand,” interrupted the Master of the House a bit abruptly, “vou happen to have the solid silver knife and fork still on your person— I thought I saw a white string hanging’’—— “T have!" said the Lay Reader with his first real grin. With great formality the Master of the House drew back a chair and bowed Flame's mother to it, Then suddenly the red setter lHfted his sensitive nose in thewair, and the spotted Dalmatian bristled faintly across the ridge of his back. Through the whole room, it seemed, swept a curious cattony sense of Something- About-to-Happen! ~ With a little sharp catch of her breath Flame dashed to the window and swung the sash upward! ao SMyY Delcote!" she called. In an instant his slender form sil- houetted darkly with hers in the open window against the eternal mystery and majesty of a Christmas night And THEN the snow came! THE END. admitted the Copyright. A rights reserved Printed by arrangement with Metropolitan Newspaper Service, New York. WEEKEND TRICKS*PUZZLES Clip Out; Paste on Cardboard or Heavy Paper and Save With Olhers for Binding in a Book The Prisoner’s Escape. garg need three yards of string and a willing spectator. Ask the spectator to remave his ‘ coat while you knot the ends cf the string to- gether. Hang the loop thus formed over hisright arm and ask him to put his right hand in the lower right pocket of his vest. His problem now is to get the loop off without re- moving his hand frym his pocket, unbuttoning the vest or untieing the knots. If he fries to solve the froblem, a gocd fmo will be had y all—exccpt the victim, ‘ After he has failed, here is how you will do it: Grasp the hang- ing end- of the loop with the left hand and push and pull it through the right armhole of the vest from the outside. Take great care that the strands of the loop do not cross. Lift the upper strand of the loop over your head. Swing the lop @round so that it hangs in front. Reach through the left armhole of the vest and grasp both strands of . the loop and pull them through. Still taking care not to cross the strands, put your left arm through the loop. Now reach up under the west and 6rasp the strand which lies across your chest. Pull it straight down. You will now have to push the strand which lies over your lef shoulder back and down. You will now dis- cover that the loop encircles your body. Pull it down and, stepping through it, show that you have com- plied with the terms of the problem. Before trying the trick in public practise it until you are certain that you understand it. I¢ the release is effected rapidly those to whom you show it will be unable to duplicate “Heads and Tails.” QOS SECOND POSITION GOO wave C) ERE is a little trick that will test the quick thinking prow- eos of your friends and will also test their powers of observation. It can be done with either coins or huttons. If pennies are used, six are placed in a row, first three with “heads” up, then three “tails” up. If buttons are used, three should be light colored and three dark to rep- resent heads and tails. The stunt is to make just three ™moves and have the coins left in an unbroken rew, alternating heads and tails. Two coins must be moved each time and they must be two coins that are placed next to each other. If two coins are moved from the middle of the line and are placed at the end, the two spaces must be filled by two coins on the next move. These rules are important. The diagram shows the starting Position and the positions of the coins at the end of each of the three correct moves. OT The Strange Discovery. AND a number of matches to a spectator and turn your back o that you cannot see the ac- tual operation of the trick. Ask him to discard any number of matches he likes in order that the total number ef matches may have no bearing on the trick. Ask him to arrange the matches into three unequal piles. He is now to count the matches in each Pile. If any pile contains more than nine matches he is to discard the excess, : He ig to put one pile in his right trousers pocket, another pile he is to put in dis left trousers pocket and the third pile he is to wrap in a handkerchief. This may be placed on the table, Wour feat on cern eaten + Ask bi to write on a piece of $e . ae mnblecewiiaiaa a FIRST Postion AY START ecqjee, O06 O®@ paper the number of matches in the right trousers pocket, to multiply this by two and to add three. He is to multiply the result by five and to add the number of matches in the left trousers pocket. This he is to multiply by ten and to add the num- ber of matches in the handkerchief. The result of all of this figuring he tells you. Immediately you tell him the number of matches in each cket and the number in the hand- erchief. What you do is this: Subtract 150 from the number he gives you. The remainder will tell you what you want to know. The right digit is the Humber in the handkerchief. The middle digit is the number in the left et and the left digit is the num- rin the right pocket. — A Nickel Problem. ERE is a little problem that is sure to afford you more than a little fun. Place four five-cent pieces of the “buf- falo"” variety on the table and say: “The problem is to use these four nickels —nothing else — and form a square.” Many and various are the attempts which will be made, but the chances are great that those who try it will announce that “it can’t be done.’ If you have been looking at the il- lustration you already have a good idea of how you will go about it to accomplish the desired result. The buffalo on the nickel stands on a bit of earth that is represented by the designer by a straight line. These straight lines form the sides of the square. Do not be in too great a hurry to show how it is done. Let the spectators puzzle over it for a while, as it is very improbable that any one will observe that straight line or its possibilities, To catch ’em again, say: “Select any nickel and place it date side down on the palm of my hand and Il) tell you the date.” After pretending to concentrate very solemnly say: “The spirits tell me that the date is Dec. 24, 1921," or whatever is the date of the day on which the “stunt” is done, An Impossibility. AVING demonstrated a trick which you can do, it is a good idea to show one that no one, not even yourself, can do. Ask a spectator—ask all of those resent, for that matter—to hold his Her so that the tips of the thumbs and every finger on the right hand rest against the tips of the thumb and every finger on the left hand. Next he is to bend the two fingers which adjoin the index fingers s) that the middle phalanges press against each other. The important thing is that these phalanges must press against each other throughout the trick. The first thing to do is to separate the thumbs without moving any of the fingers. That is easy, Next return them to the original position. Just @s easy. Do the same thing with the little fingers. That is not difficult, Neither will any difficulty be experi- enced in separating the Index fingers and rejoining them, Now for the difficult part of the trick. Separate the fingers which ad- join the little fingers and replace them. The experimenters will dis- cover that, however slightly they separate the fourth fingers, they will be unable to prevent a separation of the bent fingers. If any one etrikes upon the idea of gently eli th: fingers apart ‘(instead ‘of litt! them apart) he will have made rogress because he will be unabl fo. Feplace them without separating me - ieiliewres j wot ‘ eater i