Show I TODAY'S TODA YS Y'S SHORT SNORT STORY F Fiction iet by Americas America's Greatest W Writers r I I ion rf tT h Uw W a A A. GO ml I WOOING DESDEMONA By Clarence Lindner Tongues 4 s In trees so 50 sans sang the bard banI I I If books In hl the the running brooks and sermons ser ser- erI ermons er- er I f mons mons In stones Anti And 11 by the same amo toI to- to I k j romance in finger nails I The The TC Idea Is not so absurd Stella will cor corroborate min inc I Drop Into hito ton tonsorial parI parlors par par- I hors lors some sonic da day Co Go right through Into the little room I curtained off at the rear Seated at al a table with bowls a of warm arm water jars of oC red paste past and various te instruments set out r before her fur you ou will find Stella placidly munching caramels As you ou ent enter r sho will look you over jmJ Impersonally sigh if It you ou arc aro tall and dark t and saturnine or smile sadly but kind kindly 1 If you are what arc what you ou arc are Say 1 something original that she has heard twenty times Umes a da day for three years and offer aUcI her your our fingers to play with When she has fondled them a 3 few minutes and md you ou think that your our soft sort glances Inces havo c quickened the tho beating of ar h heart rt ask her about this romance i business She will gaze silently at you for a q quarter jarter of or a n. minute a a. pearly tear will hasten from Crom beneath a quivering eyelid Sho She will swallow a sob with her caramel And nd if It you ou are arc not tall and dark and ands s saturnine she ma may tell you ou the thc stor story It Is not much of or a 3 story as stories go so But Judge of or it yourself His ifs entrance was soundless Stella was not aware of him until his shadow fell across the page pas of her book bool Sho She started nervously and looked up to find him seated opposite S' S gazing at her gravely Her heart thumped violently as she sho looked into his eyes She blushed Her lIer glance fell She Sho sighed Without looking looking- up again she sho be bean began began be- be gan an to operate on the hand which he offered for her ministration Her lIer fingers fingers fingers fin fin- gers gers trembled she sho almost stuck him with the cuticle scissors There was was silence for five minutes s. s She She knew before ho spoke just what would be tho the tonal quality of or his voice knew k cW it would bo soft and low and c compelling At Ills his first word l she he hep p peered ered Into his black eyes timidly fearfully rul entranced His speech was like 1110 the purling of or a aw w woodland odland stream It soothed her to a state slate of ot pleasant quiescence All other sounds were stilled She abandoned herself herselt to 10 a drowsy ecstasy Mayhap It was hours he talked Mayhap Mayhap May May- hap only on minutes The world of or beef beer and cabbage of or bills obesity cures and cabaret c. had hatI faded all away Only ho he remained of or all the earths earth's millions and sheIn sheIn she In Madrid he murn absently near the Plaza del el Toros lives a soft eyed maiden malden whom you yop o t remind me mo of oC much He lie flinched as the scissor point penetrated penetrated pen pen- a l tender lender spot But nut she was I far away from cuticle and scissors And An once in Delhi Deihl as the tho regiment i marched out I s saw w you ou waving WI m me goodbye from Crom the gates of oC the town town town- From land to land ho skipped H Ho lie balanced tho do south pole on tho the tip athis of at his tongue derided the hemispheres twisted the tho equator In a l. l knot and flipped tho time top off Mont Blanc He mopped up the tho Pacific ocean with his left lert hand and with his rl right ht taught backgammon to an Eskimo In Green Green- land From Front Vandalla Vandalia Ill Ili he Jumped to Constantinople pulled tho nose of ofa ofa ofa a pot bellied pasha at the door of a harem and turned up next day to pla play poker with a barber of Seville Ho lIe negligently of ot Rudyard I Kipling mentioned Lloyd George by I his first name and told a funn funny story on tho czar You must know pretty prett nearl nearly every everyone i ione one Stella whispered admiringly lie considered a moment while he hc adjusted the green jade jado pin In his red redneck neck necktie tie Not quite was his modest sion slon Sho She sighed and applied the nail naU buffer buffer fer with feverish fe assiduity When Then he ho had gone gono ono she wept softly and tried to recall what he had looked like lie was tall tali she remembered and slender and dark Ills His no nose e was was his his chin his chin his hair was It straight or curly curly curly cur cur- ly But she could recall anI only his eyes These were black melancholy and hypnotic That nl night ht she cried herself to sleep and dreamed she was waR the heroine of Loves Last Word Vord He Ho came cam again many times There were more tales tales-tales tales of hair raising adventures In the tho crannies crannies crannies cran cran- nies of or tho world The heroes of or them all were friends a of his nameless men mentioned casual casually though sho she knew all the time that It was ho he who really figured I In the leading roles Ills His visits became more mom frequent so frequent that his nails nalls could not possibly possibly pos pos- sibly have grown between times Ho lIo led her to L talk lk of or herself of or her r ideals Inspired by tho the best magazine literature of ot tho loveless life Ure of oC a plump manicure lad lady In a deserted city of or five rl million population He lIe learned too loo of oC tho the three hundred dollars she sho had hall hoarded up against tho traditional da day of or Inclement weather And before ho he left on that occasion slon the they kissed furtively across the tho table during which process ho spilled a bowl of or warm water Into his lap lall lie Ho confided his name name name-Montford R Reginald McShane She Sho smiled happily as he ho blew her a farewell kiss Five minutes later she slapped the face of ot a blue chinned drummer for calling her 1 though thou though h he had so saluted her once a week weel for a year ear Monty ns as she fondly thought of or him visited her always alwa's in the morning Whether hether ho he had an occupation she had hadnot hadnot not courage to inquire of or him Suffice I she bho was loved and loved and to love Jove is to trust says the tho heroine of a sonic some best seller Perhaps he was a war correspondent Or maybe he ho had hatI private means and and went about grinning at the bright taco face of or danger merely to kill time She liked most to think of ot him in that role Ho was brave who she knew knew because because ho he had practically admitted that such was tho the case casc Sho She confided In Rose Hose her hor lady friend a statuesque statue que blonde blondo who circulated circulated circulated cir cir- comestibles in a Twenty third street lunchroom Rose was skeptical I having proy proved d to her grim s satisfaction that the stomach route Is the only way to a a. mans man's heart Maybe so BO and then then m maybe not she declared This romance business is Is all very well for them as can do sleep What's hals his name 2 Montford breathed Stella And what for dessert 1 n Reginald McShane Too flossy K Keep ep your our eye eo on the cashiers cashier's desk and dont don't l let t him get et b by without punching his Isis check This Romeo game gamo wasn't Invented for or us liS working working- girls Good providers Is what we wo need Remember what happened to tome tome me 1 Sho She dabbed a furtive tear Sho She was in arms Immediate Immediately Monty s different Ther Theres There's s 's something about him that that cr cr well II you Oll know hes he's cr erI erI er- er I know lenow that was Horaces Horace's weak point 1 I I couldn't lay my firmer er on Just what it was till hed he'd gotten off oct with my stocking silk fund Does Docs ho lie take you ou out much Ho yet et she confessed lamely lameh then flared He He well he well love 10 doesn't need such things timings to show its it's true No maybe not but It helps some Dont Don't let mo me throw on the tho damper though I aint saying lies he's not all right decry deary I hope so 50 but but but- Stella burst into tears and flounced to tho door Youre horrid she sobbed Bobbed and Jealous I wont won't listen to another word against him trim On his next visit however sho she met his life advances austerely Whew When I was In Al Algiers he b began g an reminiscently after a few silently re received received re- re words about the tho weather Theres a new show at the tho Lyceum they say sat Is awfully funny Her tone tOile was dreamily wistful He lie sidestepped warily warI This w weather ather ath er reminds me a lot of at L Labrador I haven't seen a good show for along n a long time she sighed Not that Its It's FO so cold in Labrador you ou know but but If Have you ou seen it What hat Labrador No The Girl and the Czar Czar m H Not yet Jel You see Im I'm ver very busy now nights my dear I I Im Im I'm en entertaining entertaining en- en 1 a couple of or English bankers this week Ver Very Important you ou know Sometime though ho said gald va vaguely Well cIl His Ills words faded into a murmur murmur murmur mur mur- mur that lost Itself Itsel In the tho puffing of or a n ablack ablack black ci ciar ar Sho She melted Monty was Important Sometime soon ho promised as the they kissed behind the curtain Ah b by tho wa way ho he fumbled In his change pocket I r forgot my money this morn morn- ing Stupid wasn't it Have you a dollar hand han handy my rnY dear for tor caro fare arc I till I get bet a check cashed 1 Sho gave avo It gladly receiving a hand- hand squeeze as receipt Sho She did not mention tho the circumstance circum circum- stance stanco to Rose that evening as HS th they y sat satIn satIn satin In the little restaurant where three- three courso course meals are arc exchanged ed for ter ler Not ol that she feared what Rose might think or had an any misgivings about Monty Sho She easily understood how a aman aman aman man so negligent ent of or dun dangers ers and privations privations privations priva priva- as ns he could overlook o so small a athing athing 1 thing thin thinas as car fare show how Rose Want ant to see a picture j asked aske an after l' l supper Stella agreed lan lan- What to her was one ono form of or entertainment against ag another Tho The memory of or that kiss and squeeze hand lIn lingered erell with herShe her She had but hut to close her eyes and she could feel Ceel his lIp lips on hers the trusting pressure pr of at his liis grasp Thc They dropped Into Tho The Travelogue where for tho the sum of or ono one dime you Oll Ollmay may sit in a stuffy room and partake of or all tho the pleasures of oC a Jaunt around tho the world without the bother of oC officious officious cious clam customs inspectors of ot the emotional emotional emotional emo emo- unrest of or seasickness They found seats scats well to tu the tho front and op opened nd a bag a o of caramels tp fortify themselves against tho the fatigues of the tho Journey The JI lights went out An automaton I began harassing a Ilia piano no There was was wa's a abuzz abuzz buzz of aC expectant whisper I A square of oC white light flashed on Ithe the curtain then the legend letend A A Trip to the time Orient personally conducted b by byone byone one of our lecturers The audience repeated It to each other in low tone tones A Turkish street scene cene appeared on the can canvas vas I Some one coughed in tho the wings The whispering ceased A husky y voice proceeded proceeded proceeded pro pro- I from train out tho shadow at the left of or tho the stage Ladles and night to-night night to hie to n to night ht wo we shall have havo the pleasure of or leading leadin leading leding hie leading you ou through the the the-the- Where Yh ro wo we gonner onner lead em cm Mr i Mos Mos- os- os cowitz A red and yellow mosque that was Just peeping Into Inlo the house stopped suddenly in UK Its course couro and withdrew There was whispered colloquy In the shadow Another cough th the tho voice Ladles Ladies and resumed re resumed resumed re- re more huskily to nl night to ht were we're going to No you No No no you ou chump clear and grating from behind tho the wings Tho Time Orient Orient Orient-ORIENT ORIENT You I j I told you to study It It Youve You've been drinking drinking drink drink- ing ins again Gol Go Coll drInk I so 30 Time Tho hu husky ky ono one was evidently evidently evidently evi evi- evi- evi dently aggrieved Ladies Ladles and mon men weve weve we've changed our minds were minds I were we're golm to tho Orient A whistle sounded Bounded shrilly The canvas canvas canvas can can- vas suddenly went blank blunk The lights flashed on blindingly to reveal roveal an unresisting figure being drawn behind the tho wings wines Stella uttered a little shriek before she aha collapsed Its Ils Monty sho she blubbered muttered Rose hose tensely Its Horace I |