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Show The GIRL in the MIRROR' 1 8T0RY FROM THE START Laurie Devon, urceanful lilajr-wrttfht, lilajr-wrttfht, but omewhat Inclined to wli'lnens, attends the wedding of hla Blsier, Barbara; to whom hRi been left the Kreat Devon fortune. Laurie had been a gay young chap, but for the lat year he hai been toeing the mark, through the efforts of Barbara. CHAPTER I Continued 2 Hangs nodded, vaguely. His brown yen were alternately on the bride mji'1 on bl.s chum and partner, her brother. He wim conscious of an odd depression, of an emotion, new and poignant, Unit made him understand the teurH of I'arbara's women friends. 1'ndei the inl'.uenee of this, tie Hpoke oracularly : "Weddings are beastly depression things. What the publle wantH to see I ., n I I. I ..I .....?,, I t" in .iimm i ill -i-i i in . Epstein nodded In his turn. Ills thoughts, too, were busy. I. Ike many of those around him, tie was mentally reducing the spectacle he was watching watch-ing to terms that he could utider-Htand. utider-Htand. A wedding conducted on this scale, be estimated, probably repre-Hi'nted repre-Hi'nted a total cost of about ten thousand thou-sand dollars. Rut what was that to a bride of thirty or Torty millions? It was strange her family hurt left them all to her and none to the boy, even H the boy had been a little wild. Hut the boy was all right now. He'd make bis own fortune If life and woman ami the devil would let him alone. He hail made a good start already. A few more successes like "The Man Above" would make Kpsteln forget several failures he had already and unwisely produced this season. If he could get Hangs and Pcvon to start work at once, on nnotlier good play A little later, In the automobile that whirled him and Epstein out to the H'pdiHMir.riii'onl Inn ill I Invnn linncn Itodney Hangs brielly developed the wedding theme. "I suppose the reason why women cry at weddings and men feel glum Is that they know what the bride's In for," he remarked gloomily. Epstein grunted. "You an' me Is bachelors, " lie. reminded the momentarily momen-tarily cynical youth. "Ve should vor-i'.V vor-i'.V I" "What I'm worrying about la I.aurle," Bangs admitted. Epstein turned to him with awakened awak-ened Interest. "Veil," he demanded, "wlint about I.aurle? He's nil right, ain't he?" "Ills sister has always kept a collar and leash on Laurie," Bangs reminded remind-ed him, "and Laurie has needed them both. Now she's off for Japan on a four-months' honeymoon. The leash and collar are off, too. It's going to be mighty Interesting and rather anxious business for us to see what a chap like Laurie does with his new freedom. His nature hasn't changed in a year, you see, though his circumstances cir-cumstances have," he added, slowly. "And all his promises to Barbara are off. Ills year of probation is over." Epstein grunted again. He was fond of saying that he loved Bangs and Laurie as If they were the sons he had never had ; but he was not given to analysis of himself or others, and he had little patience with It. His reply showed a tolerance unusual in him. "Veil, ve keep an eye on him, don't ve?" he predicted. Bangs frowned. "We'll have to do It mighty carefully," careful-ly," he muttered. "If Devon catches us at It, he won't leave us an eye to keep on anything!" Epstein grunted again. "Ve keep him busy," he suggested, eagerly. "Start him right avny on another an-other play. Eh? That's the Idea !" Bangs shook his head. "That's It," he conceded. "But Laurie Lau-rie has decided that he won't work again, Just yet. lie says he's tired and wants a few months' rest. Besides, he thinks America will declare war before be-fore the winter's over. He's going to volunteer as soon as It does, and he doesn't want any loose ends dragging here, any half-tlnished plays, for example." ex-ample." Knstetn lonl:i.l ivnrripil TMo r-he jerious news. Without allowing him time to recover from It, Bangs administered admin-istered a second jolt. "And of course. In that case," he added simply, "I'd volunteer, too." Luiler the double blow Epstein's head anil shoulders went down. lie knew In that moment what even he himself had sometimes doubted, that his boasted love for the boys was deep and sincere. "Oh, veil," he said vaguely, "I guess ve meet all that if It comes, eh? Ve needn't go to It today." At Pevon house they found the congestion characteristic of wedding-re'. wedding-re'. options. A certain line had been drawn at the church. Seemingly no line at nil had been drawn in the matter mat-ter of guests at the reception. All Barbara Devon's proteges were there, and they were many; all the young folks In her clubs; all the old and new friends of her crowded life. Each of the great and beautiful rooms on the main floor of Devon house held a human hu-man frieze as a background for the throng of new-comers thst grew rather tnan lessened as the hours passed. As Bangs and Epstein entered the main hall Laurie Pevon saw mem over ;ia neads of the crowd and hurried v meet them, throwing an arm across shoulder of each. He was Id a ..nd botn iun lovd and feared, a K.oo.l of high and reckless exhIJara- By ELIZABETH JORDAN 4 O br The Century Company.) WNU Serrlc tlon. He liked and approved of his new brother-in-law. The memory of bis own New York triumph was still fresh enough to give him a thrill. He was devoted to his partners, and proud of his association with them and their work. But most of all, and this he himself would loyally have denied, de-nied, deep In his heart he was exulting exult-ing fiercely over his coming freedom. Laurie loved his sister, but he was weary of the lending strings. Henceforth Hence-forth he could live his own life. It should be a life worth while, on that he hail decided, and 't should continue free from the vices of gambling and drinking, of which he was sure he had cured himself in the past year. He had come into a full realization of the foiry of these and of the glory of the work one loves. He hadn't the least iiouoo wuni ne was going 10 no wun his Independence, but a boundless delight de-light (Hied him In the prospect of It. Whatever life held he was convinced would he good. Looking down from his slender height on the plump Epstein Ep-stein and the stocky Hangs, he smiled Into the sober face of each, and under the Influence of that smile their momentary mo-mentary .solemnity fell from them like dropped veils. "Come and see Barbara," Laurie buoyantly suggested. "She wants to say good-by to you, and to tell you how to tuck me Into my crib every night. She's going to slip away pretty soon, you know. Iiob and I have got her off in an alcove to get a few minutes' min-utes' rest." He led them to this haven, of which only fifty or sixty other guests seemed nware, for the room was hut comfortably comfort-ably tilled. They found Barbara sitting sit-ting In a high-hacked Spanish chair, against which, In her bridal array and "Laurie Can't Get Into No Scrape We Can't Get Him Out Of," He Earnestly Assured Laurie's Sister. her extraordinary beauty, she made a picture that unaccountably deepened the new depression In Itodney's soul. On her train by the side of the chair, the Infant Samuel slumbered in peace, like an exhausted puppy. Warren, hovering near his wife, shook hands with the newcomers and ' responded to their congratulations. Then, slipping his arm through Laurie's, Lau-rie's, he drew him across the room to where his sister, Mrs. Ordway, was languidly talking to several of the bride's old friends. lie knew that Barbara wanted a flnal and serious word with her brother's partners. Laurie Lau-rie knew it, too, and winked at the pair like an Impish child as he permitted per-mitted himself to be led away. Young Mrs. Warren, whose title was still so new that she looked startled when they addressed her by it, greeted them warmly and indicated the sleeping sleep-ing Samuel with an apologetic smile. "His mother Is lost somewhere In the crowd," she explained. "He has had two glasses of milk, four fat cakes and three plates of Ice cream; and he's either nsleep or unconscious, I'm not sure which." Her manner sobered. so-bered. "I'm so glad to have a moment with you two," she said gently. "You know what I want to talk about." "We can. guess it." Bangs smiled at her with the odd wilfulness his smile always took on when he spoke to Barbara. Bar-bara. To Bangs, Barbara had become a temple at whose portal he removed his earth-stained shoes. "You want us to look after Laurie," he added quietly. qui-etly. "Well, you bet we're going to do it." She smiled again, this time the rare smile that warned her face like a light from within. "Then 1 shall go away happy," she told them. "And there's nothing more to be said ; for of course you both understand un-derstand that I don't distrust Laurie. How could I. after he has been so wonderful won-derful all this year. " It's only " she hesitated "I suppose It's life I'm afraid of," she confessed. "I never used to be. But well, I learned In New York how helpless we are, sometimes." some-times." Rodney's nod was understanding. "I know," he robustly agreed. "But It's going to be absolutely all right. Be sure of that." Epstein added his well-meaning but none too happily chosen bit. "Laurie can't get Into no scrap9 r can't get him oat of," he earnestly assured as-sured Laurie's sister. Barbara laughed. A circle of newcomers new-comers was forming around them. . "We'll let It go at that," she said, and extended a hand to each man. "Good-by. I won't try to thank you. But God bless you both !" Under the Influence of this final benediction, Epstein waddled over to the corner where Warren, very pale, and Louise Ordway, very much bored, stood surrounded by a group that Included In-cluded Sonya Orleneff., Firmly detaching de-taching the bridegroom from this congenial con-genial assemblage, Epstein led lilm to one side. "Varren," he said solemnly, "1 got to congratulate you ay over again. You got von voinun In a million No, you got von voman In eighty million mil-lion !" Warren laughed, rather shakily. Over the heads of the crowd his eyes caught his wife's and held them for an Instant. "Make It a million million," he suggested sug-gested Joyously, and led Epstein to the supper room. Lnvirie was there with Bangs nnd a group of friends, who, having patronized patron-ized young Pevon a year ago, were endeavoring to wipe out the memory of this . indiscretion by an excess of friendly attention. "No," Warren and Epstein heard him say to Mrs. Lytton and Mrs. Ren-way, Ren-way, "there's nothing I'd like better than to come, thank you. But I'm going go-ing back to New Y'ork tomorrow. You see," he added, "this business of marrying mar-rying off a sister, and attending to all the details nnd seeing that she conducts con-ducts herself properly as long ns she's In my care, Is n bit of a strain. I've got to get hack to town and recuperate." recu-perate." "I suppose you will rest your mind by writing another play?" gushed Mrs. Henway. Laurie shook his black head. "Not a bit of it I" he asserted. "Don't even suggest such a thing before be-fore Epstein, there. It sounds abhorrently abhor-rently like work." Mrs. Renway's curiosity had n brief and losing struggle with her good breeding. "Then what are you going to do?" she demanded coquettlshly. The young man pondered, as If considering con-sidering the question for the first time. "Well," he said at last, "between you and me, I'm going In for adventure. adven-ture. I Intend to devote the next four months to discovering how much excitement ex-citement a worthy youth can crowd Into his life If he makes a business of going after the gay bird of adventure, and finding It, and putting salt on Its tali !" The puzzled countenance of Mrs. Renway cleared. "Oh, I see," she said brightly, "you're joking." Laurie smiled nnd turned to greet a late guest who had come up behind him. In the little group that had overheard over-heard him three pairs of eyes met In startled glances. "Humph I" said Warren. "Hear that?" "Nice prospect for us I" muttered Rodney Bangs. . Jacob Epstein looked harassed. A little later he joined the throng In the main hall, and watched the showers of rice fall harmlessly from the polished pol-ished sides of Barbara's limousine as the bride and groom were whirled away from the brilliant entrance of Devon house. "She's gone," he said to Bangs as the two men turned and re-entered the still crowded yet suddenly empty house. And he added solemnly, "Believe "Be-lieve me, Bangs, on that job she's left us you an' me ve got our hands full !" CHAPTER II Rodney Loses a Battle Rodney Bangs, author of "The Black-Pearl" Black-Pearl" and co-author of "The Man Above," was annoyed. When Mr. Bangs was annoyed he usually betrayed be-trayed the fact, for his was an open nature. He was betraying It now. His clear, red-brown eyes were clouded. The xxxxxox-:-x-:-2:xrxx-:-x-: heaithy pink of his youthful cheek had deepened to an unbecoming flush. His wide, engaging grin, the grin of a friendly bulldog, was lacking, and his lips were set tight. Sitting on a low chair In the dressing dress-ing room of the bachelor apartment he and Lawrence Devon occupied together, to-gether, Rodney drew on a shoe and Btamped his foot down Into It with an emphasis that shook the floor. Pevon, fastening his tie before the full-length mirror set In the door leading to their common bathroom, started e the sound, like a high-strung prima gonna. This was one of Laurie's tempT-timen-tal mornings. "What the devil's the matter with you, Bangs?" he demanded, but without with-out 111 humor. "Can't you get on a shoe without Imitating the recoil of a seventy-five centimeter gun?" Bangs grunted, drew on the othe' shoe, nnd drove his foot Into It with' Increased energy. I.aurle looked at him, and this time there was a spark In his black eyes. Very quietly he turned, crossed the small room, nnd, plnnting himself In front of his chum, resentfully stared down at the dynamic dy-namic youth. "What's the Idea?" he demanded. "Are you deliberately trying to be annoying?" an-noying?" Rodney did not raise his head. Ills fingers were busy with a complicated knot. "Oh, shut up!" he muttered. I.aurle. his hands In his pockets, remained re-mained where he was. Under his continued con-tinued Inspection the fingers of Bnngs grew clumsy. lie fumbled with the knot, nnd, having unfastened It, prolonged pro-longed to the utmost the process of lacing his shoes. He knew what must come as soon as he settled hack In his chair. It had been coming for days. He was In for an unpleasant ten minutes. min-utes. But the situation was one he had deliberately created ns the only possible way of bringing about a serious seri-ous talk with his friend. Now that It was here he was anx'ous to make the most of It. With head bent and thoughts busy he played for time. At last, the shoes laced and his campaign cam-paign mapped out, he sat up and met Laurie's eyes. Their expression of antagonism, temporary though he knew it to be, hurt him. Pevon, when he had his own way, and he usually had It, was a singularly sweet-tempered chap. Never before, throughout their year of close association, had he looked at Bangs like that. Rodney knew that he deserved the look. For days past he had deliberately subjected subject-ed his companion to a series of annoyances, annoy-ances, small but Intensely Irritating. "Well?" demanded Laurie. "What's the pnswer?" "What answer?" Rodney was in the position of a small boy challenged to combat In cold blood. He was experiencing ex-periencing some difficulty In working himself up to the necessary heat for an engagement. But Laurie's next words helped him out. "You've been making a d d nuisance nui-sance of yourself for the last week," he sold deliberately. "I want to know why." Bangs squared his stocky shoulders and rose to his feet. His brown eyes' were below the level of his chum's black ones, but the two glances met sharply nnd a flash passed between them. Under the force, of his rising excitement -the voice of Rodnev shook "Tire reason I've been a d d nuisance," nui-sance," he said curtly, "Is because you've been acting like an Infernal fool, and I'm sick of it." Laurie's lips tightened, but the other rushed on without giving him a chance to reply. The moment was "his. He must crowd Into It all he had not dared to say before and plight not be given a chance to say again. "Oh, I know what you'll sny !" he cried. "It's none of ray business, and you're your own master, and all that sort of rot. And I know you're not drinking, and God knows I'm not nss enough to take on any .high moral tone and try to preach to you, whatever what-ever you do. What gets my goat, Devon, and the only thing I'm worrying worry-ing about, Is this Infernal waste of your time and mine." The girl In the mirror makes her first appearance. Watch for her. (TO BE CONTINUED.) :xx:x:xx.xx:x;xx-:Xxx |