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Show I FAIR EXCHANGE V By MILDRED WHITE. Kg , 1921, Western Newspaper Union.; Dulcie turned wearily from the gay party assembled on the moonlit beach. Dean's flirtatious tendency nnnoyed her. It was not Jealousy, she told herself her-self Indignantly, which caused her distress, dis-tress, but humiliation at his public desertion. It was tlds same well-known well-known charm of his for women, which had won her own heart. Dulcie, rebellious re-bellious for others' snkes, had started out with the intention of teaching Dean Wrayburn a Jesson in the heart-wrecking heart-wrecking game which he would not forget and had but fallen captive for her pains. ' He u as such a jolly, unfailingly Interesting In-teresting companion, considerate of her slightest wish. After a month or so of Dean's companionship, com-panionship, Dulcie wondered how she had ever managed without it, and had agreed upon accepting the gift as her right, for life. But now, desolate at the end of the beach, she waited until It might suit her fiance's fancy to excuse himself to the laughing, pretty Mollie Reynolds. Mollie was such a silly creature, Dulcie felt contempt for herself that' she might not hold her lover against such rivalry. Then all at once it came to her that Dean was not worth holding. hold-ing. There and then she settled the matter. She would seek a place In her brother Jack's waiting car, and Dean, when he sought her out to take her home, should find that she had already al-ready departed. Tomorrow she would give him back his ring, and after the wrench of loss, would go on her way carefree, at least. Dulcie discovered the car parked In the rounded row-near row-near the edge of the park. She crept Into the long back seat, drawing the covering to protect her from the breeze, and was soon, despite her Impending Im-pending broken heart, fast asleep. She merely awoke to snuggle more comfortably com-fortably on the cushions, as the car later swung about, propelled by Invisible In-visible hands, making Its way down the long river" road. Presently Jack began to whistle softly, then to sing still more softly In a vibrant tenor. Dulcie blinked her blue eyes. Jack never had owned a tenor voice or any singing voice at all. Jack was not at the wheel. She sat up and as she did so, the driver removed his hat, allowing al-lowing the breeze to caress his dark hair. Jack's hair was decidedly blonde. "Mercy!" cried Dulcie; the word sounded more like a hiss than an exclamation. ex-clamation. The driver swung about, losing control con-trol of the wheel. "Well ! Of all the" he began, then stopped to fire a question. "Who are you?" he asked. Dulcie believed that she had happened hap-pened accidentally upon a burglar, as he w-as abSut to make away wTlth her brother's car. "Say," he demanded, "did you get into my car by mistake or is this some kind of a joke?" The thought of having mistaken a like make of car had not occurred to her ; but a hurried surreptitious search of flaps and pockets revealed such to be the case. There were certain things always carried In Jack's car her own little emergency bag, wTith cap and veil, mother's light dust coat. Moreover, this pocket that Dulcie examined ex-amined contained a light crimson wool scarf ; there were tassel ends to the scarf. Dulcie knew those flaming perfumed per-fumed tassels this was Mollie Reynolds' Rey-nolds' property, unmistakably. "How," she again questioned of the staring young man, "does this scarf happen to be here?" "Mollie wore It down," he answered briefly. Moll Miss Reynolds Is engaged en-gaged to me. Was," he corrected himself him-self quickly. "For she won't be, after her silly conduct this evening. Makes n fellow feel ?heap to have the girl he Intends to marry dance around after that hurrah Dean boy. Got pretty tired of It. Not jealous," he defended. "Just showed me my mistake." He stopped himself. "Beg pardon," he said. "I don't know why I'm letting all this out." Dulcie laughed. "It was the scarlet scarf," she told him. "Some way those tassels make one think of Mollie. I did make a mistake In the car. I took yours to be my brother's. Now, I am nfrnid yon will have to drive mo home. It Isn't far. Mother will be waiting." "1 wish," the young niiin said impulsively, im-pulsively, "that It might be far. I would like someone to talk to, someone some-one sympathetic. I've been pretty lonely this evening." Nimbly Dulcie swung Into the front sent. "Well," I am sympathetic, all right," she said ns she sat at his side. "You see. I happened to be engaged to Dean Wrayburn. I've been somewhat lonely myself." When the strangely pleasing young man handed Dulcie out at her father's door, she smiled at him. "You have forgiven my mistake?" she asked. The young man laughed. That was no mistake," he said d eideijly. "You and I just had to meet. I'm turning to take you for another drive tomorrow if I may." |