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Show Ifrried Life the WKird Year $ ' " Dawsons Invite .- iem for Dinner, But c Not at Home When iey Come. a; t fa,, feEL HERBERT URNER. . if, I'm ao sorry. but wc V yant we're dining out to-H to-H 1 night. ' " Isn't- It, wo BtA F bad? ' should love to go!" t ci s "3 don't know, ?c4 b'I. 'hold H phone I'll aHk en was putting his pearl studs ngj' Tfi lllrl wi,?n 11,en ran KliJ Iri'car. the Steven? have a box iJC i 'Lost Illusion' for tonight! 2r rant uk to rome-cven If wo et then? until la to. Could we"." Uj lalnlj not. frowning at u flu-uvu flu-uvu rk or hi? shirt front. "Mce 1 ' j invito us." iTllie box wns Just given them "?V vcnlng-thcy couldn't Ask us ,B li II If wc dine with the Dawson?. 0 M p'end Hie evening there. Don't ' mi going to rush off right after fdo you'"' I suppose not. murmured y-cluctantb. aa sho went "back Sill fphonc to tell Mte. Stevens they rait, P?1 s' allj1) iiriens Friend. 'ty '"Mrs Stevens' Insisted that she leave a couple of feats at the a tii, fee In case they rould come. M? dhurry hp there."" called War- -Helen went h:ick to her dress-' dress-' lm. "Dawson said seven wc n-ant to be late' leui iDawson whs h new business m rof Warren s and while Helen V. Dawson had exchanged kcalls. ?w as their first dinner. .Dl 're not going to wear a lint V" Wfft led Warren, as a few moments 3ft ti Tclf-n crime out drawing on her (A r., ovee 4 I Mii v- yes jchi'. Us only a dinner. lun't go formally, need wc?" llitti f' this Is one of the place 'IkA ;binp to right. Take off that &3i ye ordered a taxi." . inI! Oh. I'ouldn'i we have gone .v.n jubwas V" IVairen did not .deign to n- i IiIf. Helen went back, took itotbi Hiat and threw a light scarf afti'n ii' ba- Sllc also chanced her .klJi '0I' 11 t5l"' ,,f evening pUp- Silch she had thought too dree-Kti dree-Kti itho subway. But since they Hit iinp In a cab she might as well tlifi iem. It was evident Warren Itsi her to look as well ae she bment later the tuxlcab was r , iced. "I ( too bad Hint eveivthlnp vH vomc In one night " murmured Ilia as Ihrv drove off. "'That was itwmI 0' 1 vns .so anxious to see Illusion.' nnd this is the as., l tUl i; it'r, a davn sidht more im-dtii im-dtii to dine with Dawson than iatt!i h' play. Ho'3 pulled off some ,.kTi Sbig deals lately, and If T can ' t' him in our comonny. it'll , m' wliol" lot. While I think of IfllHI Jfgot a fine collection of old roqti: rit luu's his hobby. He'll prob-Pw prob-Pw thcni. so for heaven's sake bm:ii Interested. Don't act iu did Uic oth'ev nlg'.it when Mini 'iphowi-d ub those coins. By Oty's ffcyon looked borrvl to death." itI? f. dear. I didn t!" Indignantly. ,J'j:i I don t know anything- about liZ i"nd I thought it better to keen 01 in to make stupid comments." wt know anvthinp' either." ad-oWja ad-oWja IVarren "but I faked it, and i,; n too. if you want to." - riti idld not add to Tleletrs dio.x- f.,fi pleasant evening. It was 'I1 nough for her to dine with flilvp strangero, but to feci tatwo must try to talk and pre.-trtw pre.-trtw "knowledge of somothinpr about i.5 "she knew nothing always 6Tnw Cab drew up before the im-bBi- ;entranco of the "Kensington ijtijji A uniformed hallman opened . l, and .Mrd. Curtin to see Mr. 10 ar m -al.IY.n announced briefly PoWP "boy at the switchboard. S ire Not In." I"" iDawson is not in. sir," the jerTtf rnied then) a moment later. W(l, imice us to "Mrs. Dawson. (aid Warren, curtly. (t(s fcr moment's wait and then 'EWJ Ssaid. stolidly ""Hg iind Mi-? Dawson have both panto t." 3iy tS rout?" munnured Helen, in lent. ;T)ru: wurne not," scoffed Warren. Jtitt t ' mistake. Now you got this onuH iSlit," severely to the boy. BOiif ytni to announce Mr. and eil. jirtlu lo Mr. Dawson's apar't-tbesi3 apar't-tbesi3 8 hcv& i- nR' their maid on the Tiullcnly. "She fays they're 1 JrtTat to dinner, I'll ring her back, wp talk to her yourself." rOltt1Bn turned to a desk phone UB&iii ifand the boy connected him. ,AimP' Is tbia Mr. Dawaon's 111 I.ntV Will you say. that Mr. Mfp. Curtis arc here. What's ce- llLB?I'nrply. "What meaeage did ran"' was standing by listening rtfrtfllfe"1' The Wa shrill voice rrtSsK01'0"53 tllP- Phone, but she r.Vot make out the words. ItUWjRa rmitlcred exclamation War-f War-f fflJprntned up the receiver and l0U5il"v'!rd to door. Helen fol-jfj,l"er fol-jfj,l"er Ilc:l''t i her throat. "What Kit wi jiec Warren stalked along, hi BWMmBon with rage. Helen had ,5Urf to run to keep beside him. m breathless questions were n fiMl"Ki hr?us,h llcr but she. liSl?!1 Mh them. She was afraid n u tlon him when he was in a. Mice thlH. i saplli!,nd R0"e almoat two blocks gcrrfIlV.e Pc. Then he snarled TodJ0.? will pay for this all Id fTf ' gct fluorc Just wait and AtHmt.' dId lho maid oay, vft'Kbrcathcd Helen, tnd J TiMi ,y hat could slie say, but nffaaK , P.one out." ;lWe'Lhaln l, ,lcft anv message?" jr lfl'E?1aY,be s?mc ouc was ill and Ol 'Stt them," suggested Helen fiOK 1 acc,dcnt 0r ao,T1c' 'M'" dlrfn't they leave a mcc nothing can excuse this." vl :TtK8cr 'hcru arc wc going?" lot'iftrBrV'hohbllnjsr alonjr painfully In .ffTfB-hlgh-hcrlcd slippers. Jf"01 going: home nothing to 1&-K&L Jvh're arc we now?" for c.SkVM$fi he liad walked blindly on. amjjBWng where they went. "We'll ?SW.r tRxlcab! But Helen did not lt put Bleat. And when finally they .jW in an expenslvu uuiown ,ut5 !ThL'.c b arren ordered an cx-AtfiiHK1 cx-AtfiiHK1 dlnncr- , It eeemcd as CPW16 WW tn-'ing io foothc hla Ckrt.BL1vanlii' by reckless expen-6CrP.uVi expen-6CrP.uVi obsequious attention a ,n. ftf? B.,R? B,VWi t0 - lavish or-HP or-HP a,E0 Boolhins. ntiv.-tB" hiB savao frown Kradu-w' Kradu-w' .(?LUndr h.,s Pacifylnpr ertecia TcirnidlvWlnc' At lenBlh 110 ,resl t??M couldn't wo go to the the-'i'.r the-'i'.r aJi? ?tr)3' Stevuns said PD'?W5Vo th0 Ucketa o.t the box 10 ,CK8 w trjuld come." ones' n slanccd at hie watch, "Sup- $xmi?F 11 as weU K t,iero 115 jMter.nrrcn ordered a tasicab. WiWrShlB time Helen was rc- signed a sort of desperate resignation. resigna-tion. They bad aJrcady spent, bq much moncv this evening a little more would not matter. Tho tickets, marked with their name, were at tho box oflice. The curtain wan up and the UBhcr led them through tho back of tho darkened dark-ened house to a box at the right of the stage. As they entered, Mr. and Mrs. Stevens roiic with whlHpered greetings. greet-ings. Then to Helen's horror alio realized that the two other people in the box were Mr. and Mrs. Dun-son! Dun-son! Fortunately tho thentev was no dark that her involuntary start and the expression of Warren's face were not noticed, 'No no, we'll sit back here." whispered Helen, refusing to lot Mr. Stevens place their chairs in tho front. . of the. box. Happily it was a long- scene, and Helen had time to regain her poise, "Act as though nothing had happened," hap-pened," she whlapcro.d pleadingly to Warren behind her programme. But hi: only growled a curt "Hush!" At last the act was ended and the light tlarcd up. "I'm so glad you rould come," smiled Mrs, Dawson, turning cordially to Hclett- "We hadn't honed to see you before tomorrow evening." "Tomorrow evening!" gasped Helen. "Why. yes: you haven't forgotten you're, to dine with us?" "Oh. no," broko In Warren heartily. "We're looking forward to that. And, by the way, Dawson, we drove by your place this evening1. Wc wore on our way uptown to a Bohemian club dinner and thought you and Mrs. Djiwson might like to Join Uf." Helen bit her lips, and bent lower over her programme. Warren had always aid ho stuck to the truth when ho could ns it was not such a tnx on tho memory, but that when it was necessary hu could "lie magnificently." And this wns a sample of his art. Whoso mistake had It been his or Mr. Dawson's? Ileren knew if it. had been Warren's ho would probably not admit lu But a:t least, the fault was not hers, for Mr. Dawson had phoned the invitation to Warrnn himsolf. For onco something had happenwd for which sho could not bo blamed! |
