Show r W W U or fiT VtVLi Hf Ut qffji2jjpjifi A A > V vV VAKVJVLVtHA J V it F v V sw j rI t BffB xw xw x xxww NX w v v v r I j IiI iI MADEMOISELLE1 i i I i 1 I 1 1 I j J = tK rSr r11 A is > JIclk ac8c tt J ta s ru a A Bc11c1 i a r s1 fI ut ft nn 4k Fit < e r ttr ft + ttua A ft a firj1L J < cr i eo A J < t A x < = = f Copyright by 1 S S McClurc Co I I I Justin Sturgis had missed the Peen dial by an hour The next vessel ofrihe line would not touch at Uoulogrc 1 SurMfr until Saturday lIe had still JireO days to wall and he vas already i 1i joic3 with the town Tiic Casino van Tloscxl o after whiling away the most Jf the morning at the fish market he I md smirk out for the beach and walktd Zion ho sands below the Boulevard ti 1 hill mile beyond the deserted bailing l j i baili-ng jnachlnes he sat down on the shingle ° nd abstractedly watched the bulls I circling about a huge rock which roc i from tin water between the limit ot I ebb nnd flood tide f f Ills wmdcrlnj eye vas arrested alter I a time by a pinch of red that apjiearcd full l disappeared In the breakers which lazily unshod the beach After a closer examination Justin rose and waded Into the water to retrieve this bit of ilotsam It was a ml Kill parasol caught by the lIslns tide filled with sand and laced nth the foam of the billow I lIe opened It set It upright In the unto un-to dry burying its Ivory handle In the iebblc and then walked curiously down the bench inspecting the sands A little beyond whore he had been sitting sit-ting lie encountered a double line of footprints leading to and from a con uscd Impression In the beach There Was a small hole scooped out by hand half filled with water and from this ibnndoned resting place the footprints led down to the foamy seaweed us If tic owner had escaped by WilY of the open sea As the fide was rising Justin surmised that the owner of the parasol had boon there some time before and would probably return to seek her lost property and he saw in this chance hope > of an adventure It was how over < < by this time nearly noon and the thought of luncheon constrained him to ilde his discovery nnd + return as soon as possible lie concealed the sunshade hercfore beneath a ledge find made his way back to his hotel l Tie found the palle a manger occupied by n party of two who wcio taking their dejeuner at a table not fnr from jib by an open window The elder wo nan m was dressed In black and her I nanncr and conversation betrayed the patient chaperon of a whimsical ward Justins eyes slipped l over her 1 face and UU1C lazily and passed on to the young girl opposite her Only her back was visible unfortunately but from its Hues the curve of her cheek mill 1 a coil of welldressed hair he formed tn Interested In-terested estimate of her channs which was soon justified by the reflection reflec-tion of her I face In a conveniently placed ulrror 1 It was not long before the young woman who had not been altogether ether oblivious of his entry discovered this gobetween also and site sent a swift glance occasionally Into the class r lot one of which shots missed its mark i Her fact nnd expression l save her IL mischievous original I sort Qf beauty t ro much her own as to preclude any hints is In her nationality The two women were speaking French engaged an animated conversation plainly audible from where the yoiinir man sat Never did India Sturgis more pain = fully regret his Ignorance of the French language for he could not read cvon rt miiiu A few words Indeed he knew and ombrelle founds remarkably lute nn English wordof similar significance It was not long then before he made sure that his find on the shore might be put t to good advantage and he swore to himself that It would be redeemed l only at the price of the girls acquaintance As soon an he had made mire that she had left tho hotel Justin set out himself nnd making a detour at a rapid pace reached the shore and recovciedd the parasol Then opening It he stretched himself at full length under Its shade and pretended to fall asleep Int few moments he heard the crunching of pebbles and turning cautiously he paw the young woman from the hotel jiUklnjr her way 1 among the bowlders Uy the lime he had composed his features she had come up to him Pardon < monsieur she m said in excellent ex-cellent French but I perceive that you have my parasol The words of courpc were Incomprehensible Incompre-hensible to Justin lie wan moreover supposed to be asleep Ho lightened Ills grip on the Ivory ring In the handle ind tried to keep from smiling but an Imp of mischief was torturing him Internally In-ternally Monsieur the girl exclaimed Impatiently Impa-tiently and that was as muchas Justin understood though there followed a number of sentences volubly spoken and emphasized with a 1 stamp of the HUll foot whose shoeprints ho had ad jnilrul that forenoon Tustin rose now made her an elaborate elabo-rate bow and handed her the sunshade sun-shade These signs however seemed to him to IlIadllJ ale that he spoke in Bng llsh on the chance of her understanding understand-ing him I beg your pardon nwdcmi > Ielle for a ralhur poor Joke hut us I have only Just found your property T was waiting to see If you Would have the courage to claim it Do you speak Ijngllsh The girls eyebrows had risen for a second anti she bit her Up Her browns brown-s gave him a swift look over from his shoes which were pointed to his hair which was parted In the middle Won she said swallowing a smile monsieur no parle pas lrancals r No Justin answered In his turn t and at this Illumination of the situation l they both broke into laughter than which perhaps there could be no better bet-ter f H Now home premonition had warned iJuslin as ho descended the hill to mop 1 tat the patisserie and buy an assortment I lof cakes which he hud brought with Ihim down to the bhore So at a loss for 1 words In the hopes of detaining her I as long as possible he offered her the package seated himself on the nand and beckoned 1 her an invitation The i Klrl accepted frankly and spreading it Itlny handkerchief she arranged a little feast fc1stShen Wlicn tboy had finished eating the w young man act himself to the rather 4 difficult tarl of amusing her with an Impromptu 1 conversation without pcccli He pointed to the sea and sky r ijflth gesticulations of admiration and time girl evidently approved of the land cape raaiicapG and weather Site Helped on the dialogue In high spirits 3c > pointing to the gulls expressing a with to fly by waving her arms vertl 1 ally and her ability to swim by horl mal motions She called his attention Ufa th fishing smacks and sailing In ann an-n ln1ry boat of which she jeenuil s tom to-m Iwld wheel and tiller who made a moit Hcc < Bsful voyage across the channel Jfitln himself preferred riding l and ho jjlmlckccl a horKon gallop and trot till jAft girl wept with laughter and so thoy responded In kind one following the other Slur proved herself a clever actress ac-tress willing to amuse as well as to be amuicd by the drollery of their ridiculous ridicu-lous pastime The acquaintance j now well underway under-way by the adoption of this language or signs progressed J gayly I The young woman was evidently mistress of her own time and hn whim pleased her It was not long bofore the two were playing together like two children building forts In the and pelting each other with rags of seaweed and making rainbow mosaics of colored pebbles Thoy walked s mile or HO up the beach and back again frolicking ingeniously full of the joy of the warm spring afternoon I aft-ernoon sunshine and captivated with the innumerable absurdities of their original relation and intercourse One of their earliest attempts at diversion di-version was In the contrivance of a makeshift game of parchefi i the diagram dia-gram for which Justin drew in lines upon the sand The gill recognized the circles ladders and safety points Immediately Im-mediately and with her white pobbles for counters proved herself well fcklllod In the rules of the game and a dilllcult antagonist In the race mound the square into the home elide Partly on account of her luck with his wooden die nnd partly for want of a butter name since she would not tel him hers lie began to call leer Mademoiselle Parchcsl and thin pseudonym she kept as long as their acquaintance lasted IjOth Indeed had so entered into the spirit of the game and had devoted themselves with such energy to the contrivance con-trivance of new methods of communication communi-cation that t Com hours passed rapidly and G oclock found them by the fish market well fatigued with their romp It was lime to return for dinner but Justin had no Idea of letting the excitement excite-ment die here Much to his chagrin however the young woman absolutely forbade him accompanying her to the hotel and with a decided gesture intimated inti-mated that he must not even recognlxe her there This was a difficult l message to communicate com-municate and she accomplished it only after an elaborate pantomime requiring requir-ing many simulated scenes She acted out several possibilities taking his part with clever parody where she ip proed his behavioL1 she applauded enthusiastically en-thusiastically clapping her hands high in the air where she made him commit an IndlFcrctlou she stamped + her I foot pettishly I and hissed her condemnation of his role She agreed to come down to the beach every afternoon without full and In the mornings as will whenever rime was given the opportunity Justin however must ask neither her name residence nor age amid he must never jamais try to find out She liked him yes she liked him very much especially his hair which was dangerously curly and if he were good l she would give him a photograph to put in his watch though she Insinuated with a Muttering finger 1 that It would not stay there long l They were to bo good frlcndp for three days if he obeyed her I I wishes after that an affected little shrug of her shoulders a glance upward amt a handkerchief to very I dry brown eyes Intimated her despair All this In the most fjsKcinut Ing playacting distracting In the ex treme This was the beginning of a three Buys comradeship half childs play and halt flirtation more piquantly amusing that anything Justin Sturgis had ever before l attempted Mademolsalle Par chesl was ready + for any ellleltal nmen thc t-hc might suggest llthclinihed and i graceful delighting In constant action I and swept at times by agale of merriment merri-ment for which he could discover no reason They got on for the most part by means of the language of ylgns that they had first adopted and which they added to more and more every time I they met by the acceptance of significant I signifi-cant conventions Instinctive as the motions mo-tions of savages or deaf mutes The few words common to both French and English such as hotel train diner chocolat t poste telegraphc photo grarhle lottre voyage and FO forth they found very convenient and by these they aohlcd the ncecBhity of many a bug rehearsal in pantomime As a last resort Justin would sometimes some-times refer to his FrenchEnglish Eng lishFrench dictionary but this came to bo understood as unfair and against the rules of the grime they were playIng play-Ing and the girl would vigorously protest pro-test against the consultation Juatlnt notebook played n good part too In their interviews and before he left her It 1 tan completely filled with their almost al-most impossible sketches All this did well enough for the simpler sim-pler conditions of their friendship but Justins increasing admiration for his playfellow engendered many ideas i too abstract for this limited means oC communication com-munication even when he wished to confess his thoughts lie revolted occasionally oc-casionally against the obstacle of his ignorance which shut him out of her thought ashy an Insurmountable wall and at IhChc limes he relieved his mind with a few sharp sentences In English expressing himself wlthL force he might not have dared use had he thought were understood Youre the most delicious sort of a gamin he would say a new kind tome to-me T dont know Just where to place you 4 I wonder how many of the girls I know would stand the test of not being allowed to lilk for three whole days 0 a r If could s you speak Kngllsh I wonder what youd say Youd probably bore me to death or else insist on talking personalities It What sort of funny things would come out of that funny face 0 Its always al-ways a sun prise to men when people appear to like me but Im pretty sure you really do or wouldnt take MI much trouble to come down here with mea me-a ° a Perhaps Its only the novelty of the thing though Im sure I wouldnt get J tired of you though for a long time ° I suppose now you think you dress well but you dont Ton oughtnt I to wear read You ought to wear blue ° ° ° Youve got such a funny mouth but its u good generous gener-ous one ° 0 1 wonder if you blackened black-ened your eyebrows this morning 9 Mademoiselle Parchesl schooled her self assldlijusly when he talked she paid close attention and always laughed as If she was sure he 1 was saying say-Ing something amusing In fact it seemed to Justin that she laughed more at his remarks seriously as they were spoken than at her own which by the token of her expression muat have been decidedly witty She attempted a little English occasionally mouthing the words vcr prettily with a French accent ac-cent but sometimes she would also PpiMik her mind and deliver a few rapid Incomprehensible sentences quite dcllb t 1 Mr r t r t 1 1 ll asfo 5 1 1 m iifvv s < x v a YfeL k 1 i f t r I I r 1tOpmtilt3 1 1 I t ws if 1 v o t 4 ar h i 1 IT k Il Itit l I 4 I I 1 t I I 1 1 t o r ty 1 t1 c il L Q u l Ji t J I G I HE ROSE AMD PACED UP AMD l 1 I > SI TFt ID A 1 F tid I 0 EIiTcS11 I erately looking at him through half I closed lids and smiling as she turned away Her eyes wrinkled pleasantly as she did this and her mouth was apt to become unmanageable while her eyebrows eye-brows 1 went up and down what Mademoiselle Parches was thinking of Justin would have given a good deal to know The tender meeting the Obdnm was to leave the Jetty at 8 oclock Saturday evening that afternoon therefore was the last time that the two could meet and the three hours on the beach below the Boulevard were well filled with I their snorts and nonsense It seemed rather cruel to Justin that such an experience ex-perience as this new friendship should come to nn end without some trace of regret on tho part of his newmade friend but nothing ha could do siccccd ed in drawing from Mademoiselle Par cheal any expression of concern at the approaching separation and she obviously obvi-ously parried his advances in this direction di-rection This hurt him a good deal It was inconsistent with the estimate he had formed of her character to be so unfeeling for she had always been frank and sympathetic before in all their meetings They walked up the beach more quietly quiet-ly than usual and by 5 oclock reached the place where they had first met The shore was deserted and they sat down together with a little embarrassment the tension of their approaching farewell fare-well asserting Itself In spite of Mademoiselle Pnrchesls nervous at tempta at raillery These she gave up after a while and sat quietly gazing at the sea Justin looked at the girl narrowly and wondered what was behind her silence It was some time before he could pull himself together enough to suy goodbye good-bye and then the old difficulty confronted con-fronted him the barrier ot language never so exasperating never no Insurmountable Insur-mountable as now alone with her in the gathering dusk of sky and seafor the last time Again the temptation to free his mind was too great to be resisted I cant stand It I wont stand It he said The idea of being here with a girl like you whpm I shall probably never see again In my life and not able to talk to you I By Jove I will talk to you whether you understand or not Youre my kind we are of the same caste I know It by every gesture you make There ought to be a universal language for people like ns I ought to be able to understand wnul you say If lOU l-OU spoke Arabic on a day like this And I could make myself worth your while Im sure of thllll feel remarkably remark-ably Interesting and Im not afraid to tell the truth about either myself or you But whats the use Youre a mummy youre a ghost youre deaf and dumb Grrrr he growled the last ejaculation of dissatisfaction through clenched teeth Mademoiselle Parchcsl certainly did not look like either a ghost a mummy or a deafmute for she up straight clapped her hands and cried Encore encore laughing nervously It Homncd foolish to Justin to go ono on-o talking to himself In this ridiculous way but there was something In the girls attention that encouraged him he hardly knew why More than this a liner sense of the humorous ponalblltles of tit case awakened him He went on with his monologue speaking more to himself than to her Id like to know who you are I dont mean your name and residence hut who you really arc who you are tome to-me and what It means my meeting you like this Mademoiselle ParclicU did not at f tempt to reply but sat back watching watch-Ing his profile outlined against the sky She seemed more serious than she had ever seemed before more serious even than the occasion demanded She no longer said Vat cos eetl In broken Engljsh Her hands were tightly clasped together and her teeth were seton set-on her lower lip Justin gazed as if she were a portrait Youve got such a funny face he continued Youre not a bit pretty but youve got what not one woman In ten has and thats a personality Xo one would ever forget you Theres something in behind your face that turns the lights up and down and sets off rel nnd green fire and stageman ages your whole expression Let me sue your hand and he reached for It assuredly She save It him a little reluctantly and he Inspected it nt his leisure Hm he murmured in a manner that palmists use What a headline Youre in no danger Cram that two Inches of heart Youll live to be SO years old Yes youll be married How would you like to be married tome to-me 7 Mademoiselle Parchesls hand curled almost imperceptibly but Justin did not release It He turned it over fell of the phalanges tested the density of the llcsh and the smoothness of the skin There were little pads on the cOIl of her lingers whero the tactile nerves were concentrated There he pinched softly soWThese These fool palmistry books give you a sort of man with little mountains amid gulfs and rivers and peninsulas to guide one in exploring the human hand but they dont help one much about a persons per-sons climate and meterology storms and winds and lidos and currents and nil that Its all that that Id like to know I wonder what sort of a friend youd be 1 wonder how youd wear and If Id get tired of you or you of me There is no word Tor wonder In French if there were Mademoiselle Parchesl might have used It then also for she looked up suddenly as It to speak and her eyes were full of a message mes-sage she was trying to find the courage i to say But one looked down again I passively and vcclaipcd her hands saying say-Ing Encore under her breath I suppose said Justin through his teeth If J were n certain sort of man 1 would try 1 to kist you now arid If you were a different sort of girl you would let me after more or less stage business busi-ness Hu rose and paced up nnd down them the-m + and a few moments thinking over the situation ro intently that he was almost oblivious of the girls presence In her manner a few hints had begun to trouble him with a suggestion that at firat 1 he could not determine He turned to her and saw that she was watching him Intently Se had drawn on her cape as If preparing to leave He went up to her quickly with a flash of Intuition and standing still said dellhrately I believe I will kiss you and see what good thai t will do He had made no suggestive motion but as soon as the words had left his mouth Mademoiselle Parchcsl started up nnd took a step away from him and stood in an attitude of defense Her face had gone scarlet and her hands were raised to her breast With I a rapid gesture he seized her by both arms and looked her straight In the eye You speak English he cried angrily You have understood every word I have said from the very beginning and youve deliberately let me go on talking like a fool Youve tricked me and you ought to be ashamed of yourself Then with a toss of his head he left her standing i there her hands covering her face and i walked away There was a mistling of rllk skirts behind be-hind him and he had but time to resume l re-sume Ills mask of resentment when It hand was laid on his arm Im very sorry Mademoiselle Par chest wassaying very softly I nm ashamed of myself and I apologize She looked up at > > > him Fhyly through a little dew of tear Hut It was 50 funny it was so terribly funny I tried to tell yon so many many times really I did but you were so awfully sure I was French I couldnt help going on with the Joke And when you began saying things yon really meant uo frankly I couldnt resist the temptation to let you go on though lIme I was no better than an eavesdropper Ive been in Paris for three yearn at a French pension and its so long since Ive had anyone say real things to me You were so perfectly dear rind genuine genu-ine and absurd and I was afraid youd stop it all if you thought I understood I have never heard a L man really talk to himself before and it fascinated me I understood what you meant nil the time Im sure I did but now youll think Im a horrid little minx But I dont care It was terrible funny Wasnt it They laughed together as they had laughed when they first met Ill forgive for-give you Justin said as they turned down the beach If youll tell me whether I am to consider all this an epIsode or an event Youre going to leave tonight for New York In the Obdam arent you she said 1 Yes of course and I thought It was cruel of you not to be sorry to say goodbye good-bye Veil said Mile Parches punching little holci in the smooth wet sand with the end of her red silk parasol as long as Im going in the Obdam too perhaps this affair is only an episode But considering that Ive met a man I who lids told the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth for three whole days 1 think It ought to be regarded re-garded as an event |