| Show GIRL in the y elizabeth jordan bevc CHAPTER VIII continued 11 jepson moved ponderously away to so while rodney opening his alfi box in the hall drew out the coln auja and chrysanthemums and proceeded to arrange them in a gorgeous gorge oua armful banes had unexpected taste la color and arrangement as biage had discovered in the past laurie watched with po etc la terest making R picture of yourself aren t you he asked going into the eack room with your little hand full of flowers but even as he scoffed he was unwrapping his own flowers bangs was right the act ot handing K pasteboard box to a sick lacked esthetic value jepson returned with ft cordial mes sage mrs ordway would be charmed to see both young men but she received only one visitor at a time would mr bangs come up now and perhaps mr devon would drop in gala during the afternoon or evening rodney grasped his floral offerings and mounted the stairs two steps at time he was excited and his brown eyes showed it it was most awfully good of mrs ordway to let him come up in this informal way standing by the chaise longue where she lay he told her so his auburn head shining among the flowers lie carried like a particularly large chrysanthemum then selecting some empty vases he sat down on the floor beside her and began to arrange his flowers while she watched him at first with surprise then with growing admiration rodney had no social airs and graces no parlor tricks it he had been formally sitting on a chair hold ing his hat he would have been a telf conscious and unhappy young man As it was ath hands and ees buby and wholly at his ease be talked bis exuberant best how about Laur teB romance louise asked at once bangs told hec about the vision in the mirror As lie did so luncheon was served and he was casually in voted to share it susanne Sn sanne moving shuttle like between the table in the licit room and the dumb waiter in the opper hall presently confided to a young footman a surprising piece of news which he in turn confided to the incredulous jepson young mr bangs who was lunching with mrs ordnary must be as amusing as young mr de von himself lie had actually made the mistress laugh both times he came she was laughing now as susanne had not heard her laugh for weeks to be sure this was one of her good days but it easy to amuse mra ordway at any time jepson summed up abo situation in an oracular utterance henny one a friend of mr devons his hall right when rodney was leaving jepson s mistress expressed the same thought to her guest in a different way come often she said you have given me ft new interest I 1 dont think you can quite realize what that means to me when sonya arrived at five that aft she found jepson still exuding reassurance with two doctors with in call a nurse in the house and mr dei on and miss Orle nelT to telephone to nt a moments notice nothing much could appen so reasoned jepson lie beamed approvingly on acona informed her that mr devon was in the sick room now and her through the hall with an effect of benediction phe found laurie just leaving and they had a moments chat on the up ier landing mra ordway he told her was rather restless tills afternoon but abe seemed better than she and been yesterday however he dlinn t lelce her looks at all and he fancied the nurse was disturbed sup imoe sonya bounded louise about cabling tor warren aurely warren would want to know laurie thought for the moment laurales La urles striking kod looks were dimmed lie was hollow eyed almost haggard bilings were coming just a bit too fast for him the habit of carrying the burden of others had been taken on toe suddenly under the strain of it his untrained mental muscles ached it was the irony of fate that sonya looking at him with the clear brown eyes that were BO much softer than isings and m much less beautiful rhan should misinterpret his appearance his emotion and his reaction from the high spirits of the morning he was again going the pace she decided and mingled with her pity for him ros the decoro of a wax awl that was the absolute s fefie body la which it dwelt ills naw ly aroused perception car litant of this acorn to the acoy ed though it ana by the friendliness of benyas manner the knowledge added to his wretchedness he had a childish bestre to but he conquered it and hurried awny some day if not now sonya would understand bat he himself did not understand was the long stride he had taken in the moment when he felt and resent ed her unspoken criticism hereto fore his attitude had been one of ex pressed and sincere indifference to the opinions others held of him he wanted them to like him but he care a hang whether or not they ap prowl 0 him now suddenly he wanted sonyea respect as well as her liking the discovery added to his mental confusion if sonya when she entered the sick room was shocked by the change in the appearance ot her new friend she showed no sign of it bitting down beside the chaise longue he entered briskly upon a description of the recent experiences of samuel when she left the hospital the house was obediently endeavoring to look down the throat of hullen R J and every nurse on samuels floor was in and out of his room nevertheless the infant though graciously accepting these attentions had demanded and received personal assurance that the particular game of the morning was not to be repeated there was an ant element in that game which grown ups might not notice but which he samuel had caught on to louise laughed and expressed a hope that samuel would now be able to breathe without disturbing his neighbors sonya came to the real purpose of her he and his mother are going back to devon house saturday she said but ive got to stay in ew york for a few months on account of my literary I 1 wondered it you it it would be convenient for you to put me tip I 1 hate hotels and louise lay silent for a moment then she reached out and tool hand yes you unskillful prevaricator she slid you may come and sec me through sonya held the hand tightly in her own theres one thing more she went on hesitatingly baurle and mr bangs and I 1 wondered it perhaps you feel more comfortable if mr warren came home you know he himself would want to closed her eyes yes she eald bob would want to if be knew she was silent for BO long that sonya began to think she was not to have the answer to her question perhaps mrs ordway was leaving the decision to her but to leae to others decisions that concerned herself was not louise Ord ways habit instead ehe was fighting a battle in which the lifelong deletion of a supremely self centered nature was struggling with a newborn unselfishness though newborn it was strong as the invalids next words showed if I 1 were calling him back from anything but hag honeymoon she said at last id do it but hes utterly happy ills letters show that in every line I 1 want him to stay so as long as be can I 1 want his honeymoon to b tons drawn out and perfect hei manner changed 1 I have an idea that per hapa antei all be here when he sets bacic she added more lightly life has its In teresta but if I 1 happen not to be here tell him why I 1 dlan t cable 1 I will tell him banyn promised elthor of them referred to the tub jcck again CHAPTER IX an invitation that evening I 1 aarle walked across the square to doris with a de caslon in ahli stride which expressed his mental attitude he biad come to the conclusion that something roust be done what this something would be was still haz in his mind but the first step at least seemed clear doris must move he was so convinced of the urgency of tills sapo that he brought up the subject almost before the greetings of guest and hostess were over tossing his hat and coat on n convenient he stood facing doris his hands in his pockets ills black eates eve got to got out of this you know he abruptly announced her aies velch had brightened at ills entrance gre as somber as his own without replying she turned walked across die room to he window and stood looking down into the sti beet Is he there she asked at last and without moving her head shaw great scott not at I 1 dlan t see him I 1 suppose he takes a few hours off now and then during the twenty four he oh yes he comes and goes sometimes secretly sometimes openly I 1 did not see him at all today until late if I 1 moved how long do you think it would take him to find me this afternoon then lie took up his post across the street just opposite this window and stood there for nl most an hour baurle ground bis teeth what does he expect to gain by that performance several things I 1 suppose for one be wants to get on my nerves and he does she added somberly and still without turning baurle made a vague tour around the room and brought up by her side you know he confessed I 1 haven t really taken this thing in yet alven now tills minute it seem pos elble to roe that chaw could do you any real burro bhe nodded 1 I know why should it even to me it Is like a nightmare and I 1 keep hoping to wake up there are hours even days when I 1 con vance myself tha it isn t real she stopped it roust be very hard tor any one else to understand she end cd when he did not speak admitted baurle 1 I cant forget tt I 1 cant think of any thing eise she took this aa ahr had taken his first remark ita goto to be very hard for awl I 1 hafl wrong to draw you into it I 1 am realizing that more and more every minute you help yourself he cheerfully reminded her now that I 1 am in it as I 1 ve warned you before I 1 intend to run things it seems to me that the obvious course tor you la to move after safely hidden somewhere I 1 think I 1 can herbert ransoms hansoms shaw leagon that won t react on you she shook her head it I 1 moved how long do you think it would take him to find me weeks perhaps months again she shook her head 1 I moved here a few days ago he appeared exactly forty eight houra later it I 1 moved from liere it would only going through the game of hare and hounds again but he bagon she interrupted him I 1 ve reached the point where I 1 cant endure that any more for the first time her voice broke can t you am agane what that sort of thins would be to get up in the morning and wonder if this Is the day see him under my window to go to bed at night and ask rovell if he Is lurking in the shadows below or across the street or perhaps outride my very door to know that sooner or later he will be there that his coming Is as inevitable as death itself she broke off 1 I sometimes think I 1 d rather pee a boa constrictor crawling into my room than see beaw down on the sidewalk she ende and yet I 1 know you can understand this there a a queer kind of relief in the knowledge that at ia and finally he has got me she whirled to faco baurle and threw out her hands there was nothing theatrical in the gesture merely on effort of entire finality we have come to the end of things she finished bance you would not have them end my way they must end his way whatever happens I 1 shall not run and hide any more for a moment silence hung like a substance between them then the visitor resolutely shook off the effect of her words 1 I promise you I 1 will get to the bottom of this he autly told her in the meantime will you 7 to forget it for a little while you know you said you could do that occasionally sio nally he wis clearing the table aa he ccoke now he proceeded to unpack a basket he had sent over an hour before by graggs and which he ob served had not been opened dropping back into her big chair she watched him with an odd look it he had seen look it would have sorely puzzled him for it held not only interest but an element of apprehension even of fear in the past two days she after an interval you have sent roe five baskets of food tour baskets of fruit six boes of candy and three boxes of flowers what do you sup pose becomes of them all I 1 know what becomes of the lie cast an appreciative glance around the transformed room and I 1 hope he mildly added that you eat the food she broke into her rare laugh soft deep throated and contagious un der it his spirits rose you are feeding halt the people in this building she bald not to mention sam and his home circle itaro has absorbed roast chicken cold partridge quail and sweetbreads sweet breads till he Is getting critical lie asked me this rooming it I 1 t like ham ond eggs for a change 1 baurle felt slight aggrieved dodou mean to that not eating any of the stuff yourself he demanded ali I 1 eat thrpo meals n day hut I 1 don t keep boarders you kenw 10 I 1 give the rest to sam to distribute lie feeds several dozen students I 1 infer and staggers home even night under the burden of what s ifft there wont bo left this night she had risen now ans to set the little balile laurup looked at her with shining eves one of her riold changes of mod had I 1 place and she wis nering into the spirit of the impromptu supper aa cheerfully as it it were n r cw pame and she n child tiac had a wholly different brorn the tragic eyed girl who ipas than ten aln utes ago had somberly announced that she was making her last stand in life again as often before baurle felt overwhelmed by the rush of con dieling dieting emotions she aroused shall we have this ilg bowl of roses in the center or hie four little bowls at the corners he asked ab nb edly As ehe spoke she studied the flow era with her head on one side for the moment it vas clear the question j she had asked was the most vital in the world the little ones decided tho guest the big one might shut off some of you from my devouring eyes he was mixing Ingred lenta in n chafing dish as he spoke and he wore the trying air of smug complacency that invariably accompanies that simple process no ha objected as she tried to licup him 1 I will tha brain work your part Is to be feminine inta rush anck and forth nt mn things I 1 dont want and at last moment be added yon may tell me that there im t n lemoc in the pance he looked about alio ane hopelessness of n great artist riu ing the failure of his chef doehm 1 I the lemons ITO BB I 1 |
