Show th i r I 1 in t hm e M i r 0 r STORY FROM THE START laurie devon successful playwright W I 1 agh I 1 but inclined to wildness attends the wedding weddin ir of his hl sister darbara barbara to whom has ha been loft left the great creat devon fortune u laidla to had been a 9 gay y mounir chap but for the lint last yes year he has ha ben the mark through te ta efforts of barbara laurie Lt vho aho Is in wealthy refuses to settle down to work announcing his intention of resting and adventure irom from his window in new york he observes the ri ot of a beautiful girl in a mirror in the th residence enc 0 op poga CHAPTER 11 II continued 4 As an they looked she suddenly stirred ind nd moved backward as aa if warned ot of their survey they saw her close tile lie window and draw drawing lit a chair close to it sit down and stare out through the pane anne still with that alint lit intent tent impersonal expression kanga bangs Bt mt rolled back to tile the dressing cuse and resumed tits hla interrupted tollet toilet laurie rumbling fumbling vaguely with hla his brushes brushe 8 capt his eyes on tile girl in the mirror sties a wonder prettiest girl ive ever seen I 1 think lie reflected aloud bangs snorted sties probably pio bably a peroxide he fie said kven even if she sho she cant fluid auld a randle to your slater sister oil oh barbara arbara Il laurie considered tile question of barbaras beauty IB ats it if it were new to him film dabs la Is good looking he handsomely concede o od fd d nut but theres something about tills girl lints unusual perhaps its tier her exo expression she look happy hangs bangs sighed with ostentation it if you want to study some one flint happy look at me lie invited War warmly nily it if that play ot of mine out of me pretty soon ill have hava to hive have nn an operation I 1 laurie binde vinde no reply to this pathetic prediction anti and bangs sadly shook ills his head and concluded hla meditating gloomily the while on thea alie unpleasant idiosyncrasies of every ono lie fie knew to see devon turn suddenly into a loafer upset all tits his theories as well as his plans laurie for some reason dawdled more then usual that morning it was utter after eleven before lie went to breakfast an hour earlier bangs departed alone fur for their pet restaurant tho girl in the mirror remained at tier window for a long time and laurie watched tier her in growing fascination ci vi it was not until site she rose and disappeared that lie he felt moved to consider so sordid a question as that of food HB joined bangs just na as that youth was finishing his him after breakfast cigar kven even under tinder its soothing influence lie hn was in the wood mood of combined exasperation pe ration and depression with which his friends were becoming familiar it if we had begun work as an soon na all we got nack back to town after your bisters wedding lo lie 10 told laurie wed have had two acts ready by now in the rough no reason why you have four acts ready so far as I 1 can see murmured laurie cheerfully attacking his grape fruit all youve got to do Is to write em cm bangs lips set not till ive talked lem em over with you tou and ant got your ideas he declared positively if just let me give you an outline baurle set down hla his c cup up DO I 1 get my breakfast in pence peace or aon bonx it I 1 17 he demanded coldly you do confound you I 1 dang bangs bit off tile end of a fresh cigar and smoked it in stolid silence ie was a person of one idea if he talk about the play he talk at all lie he meditated considering his bin characters tits ills situations tits his partners and ills his own position lioi in a mental jumble that had lately become habitual anti and which was seriously affecting ills his nerves laurie its as he fie ate chatted cheerfully rind and at random apparently avoiding with cure cate any ally subject that might interest his partner hangs bangs rose abruptly well im on off he said see sec you ett at dinner time I 1 suppose hut dut laurie it appeared had en lie ile was taking a party ot of fr lerida out to gedney farms that evening in tits his new car and they might decide to stay there for a day or two also though lie he did not confide tills this net fact to hangs bangs he had an engagement for or the lie afternoon at a place where the card rooms were quiet and ele gannt und and the stakes high rhe attraction of these diversions cued cited tits his mind ile he quite forgot the girl in ili the mirror and it was no thought of her that drew liam back to new york that night tile the plans of nis guests had find changed that was nil all tile the change brought him home at eleven ile he fell asleep with surprising ease aud and immediately as it seemed he saw tile the girl in the mirror she was wa walk big toward him through what appeared to be a heavy fog her hands were outstretched to him and lie he hurried to meet tier her but even as lie he did so ko tile the fog closed down and tie fie lost her though he fie seemed to hear her voice ailing him from somewhere far finny ile he invoke awoke late in the morning with artory ry detail of the dream vivid in his so vivid indeed that when he approached the mirror after his morn ng nc pin plunge tige it seemed almost a con of the dream to find the girl tir lit 41 rp tp iid short obort frith a chuckle by ELIZABETH JORDAN Q by the tb century company service the curtains of his french window were drawn apart and in the mirror he fie saw the reflection of the girl as she stood in profile near her own window and slowly dressed tier her hair it was wonderful hair much more wonderful down than up laurie stared with pleasure at the red gold mass that fell down over the girls white garment then with ft a little shock lie realized that the white garment was a nightdress night dress it was evident dent that the girl thought herself sate safe from observation and was quietly making tier her tollet toilet for the morning well bile should bo be safe bare with it 11 quick jerk laurie drew together tho heavy curt curtains atris that hung at the sides of the long lone window then amiling a little lie slowly dressed ills thoughts dwelt on the girl it was odd that she should be literally projected into tits ills life in that unusual fashion lie ile had never had any such experience before nor hall had he of one just like it it was unique and pleasant it was especially pleasant to have tier her so BO young and so charming to look at lie he wished lie he knew tier lier name and something more about her ills thoughts were full of tier her before he left the room he parted the curtains again to open the window wide following his program As aa ho he did so BO he glanced into his mirror ile he saw tier her open window but it was lifeless only his own disappointed face confronted him CHAPTER III laurie meets miss mayo laurie thought much that day about the girl in the mirror and lie he was again home nt at eleven that night to the wonder of mr pangs will who freely expressed tits ills surprise something pleasant been coming your wayt he tactfully asked laurie evaded the question but lie he felt ehst something definitely pleasant had find come his way tills this something was n new interest and he had needed ft a new interest very much lie loped hoped lie ho would dream of the girl that night but as lie he and hangs bangs unwisely consumed a welsh before they went to bed he dreamed instead of something highly unpleasant and was glad to le be awakened by the clear sunlight of it brilliant january day after breakfast he strolled across the square into tile the somber bomber hall of tile the studio building on its ita southwest cortier corner the hall was empty but he found and rang a bell at the entrance of a dingy elevator shaft the elevator descended without haste when it had reached tile the floor the colored youth in charge of it inhospitably filled its doorway and regarded tile the visitor with indifference this young man was easy to look at but he was no one ho be knew laurie handed hint him a dollar and tile the youths expression changed first to one of surprise then to the tolerance of a man who Is wise and Is willing to share his wisdom the visitor went at once to the point of his visit A young lady lives here lie ho began she Is very pretty and title she tins hns reddish hair and brown eyes she has a studio in one of the upper tipper moors floors at the front of the house her name the boys face showed that he had instantly recognized the description but he pondered dramatically dat young lady he then said dat young lady mus be miss mayo in twenty nine on de top ito do she jes moved in here las as tuesday where does she como come from and what aliat lops does site she do the hoy boy hesitated what did all tills this menn and was lie he giving up tip too much for a dollar laurie grinned at him understandingly 1 I dont know tier her lie he admitted and I 1 dont expect to id like to know something about her all the youth nodded ile he had find the air of accepting nn an apology 1 I reckon she come funt fum some furn place but I 1 dunno what site she do he reluctantly admitted klebbe she aint loin doln yat ashes home mos do time she don go out hardly tall seems like she don know many folks ile he seemed about to say more but stopped for a moment ho he obviously hesitated then blurted out what lie he lind had in mind one ting got me gu guessen gnessin guess essin ln he fie muttered doubtfully dat bat yourn lady she dont seem t eat not nothing hinl what do you stared at him film the boy shuffled hla his feet lie ile was on uncertain ground why jes what I 1 said aalde he muttered defensively Folk ses here either eats in or dey eats out kt ef dey eats in dey has stuff sent in rolls rolla an eggs an milk an stuff like flat dat ef dev eats cats out dey goes out re gIar to maculs but miss aliss mayo alayo she don seem to eat in or out bothin comes in tin an site she don go out nough bough to eat r retlar eglar I 1 bin stud shudyin yin bout it con sid erble he ended and he looked unmistakably relieved as if he had passed on to another a burden that was too heavy to carry alone laurie hesitated the situation was P resenting a new anile angle and a wholly 0 one on it began to look 1001 as aj if he had corn come on a sentimental errand and had stumbled os oa a Ua jEty there was a chance that the boy might be all wrong in his inferences although this chance laurie mentally admitted was wan slight blight lie he knew the shrewdness of this youths type the precocious knowledge of human nature that often accompanies such buch training and environment as he had had bad probably atily he suspected even more than he had revealed something must be lone done laurie drew a bill from ills pocket how flow soon can you leathe leave the levator tie he asked allnut Ill bout nut one all right now heres what I 1 want you to do take this money go over to the clarence restaurant and buy a rood good lunch for that lady let get some borne hot chicken or chops buttered rolls vegetable find and a n bottle of milk have it packed nicely in a box have them put in sonie some fresh eggs and extra r rolls 0 its and butter for her breakfast dell deliver ver the box at her door as if it came front from some one outside do that and keep the change understand tanh bah 1 the boys eyes and teeth were shining all right go to it ill drop in later inter tills afternoon for your report laurie turned and walked away even yet the experience lid did not seem real it was probably all based on some foolish notion of the youths and yet he be dared not assume that it was a foolish notion lie had the dramatists distaste for drama anywhere except in its legitimate place on the stage but lie admitted that sometimes it did occur in life tills this might be one of those rare occasions lons whatever it was it haunted flaunted him iio he lun lunched elied with bangs that day and was so BO silent allent that bangs was moved to comment it if you were any one else he remarked id almost think you were laurie disclaimed the charge but tits hla abstraction did not lift uy by tills this time tits his imagination was hard at work he pictured the girl in the mirror its as stretched on her virginal cot in the final exhaustion of starvation and the successful effort to keep awny away front from the studio building till four called for all ills will power suppose the boy blundered or in time suppose the girl really hall had not eaten anything since last arties tuesday I 1 these thoughts and similar ones obsessed him at four he strolled into the studio 0 hall wearing what he hoped was a detached and casual air when tile the Pl elevator evator appeared he entered it with tile the others who were waiting lie looked aloofly past the elevator boy as ho he did so and that young person showed himself equal to the situation by presenting to this new newcomer corner a stolid ebony profile but when tile lift had reached the top floor and discharged its passengers the two conspirators spira tors lent themselves to tile the drama of their roles well asked laurie eagerly did you get itt sall what happened the boy stopped his descending car midway between two floors doors lie he had no intention of having its hla scene spoiled lie ile bulged visibly under the news he had to impart 1 I got de stuff you said bald aud and I 1 lef it at dat young ladys to do he began impressively yes ves when I 1 looked de nex time it was gone goedl she had taken it in lau ale drew a breath of relief no anh dat aint all the hoys boys tone dripped evil tidings sho she beung it back what I 1 ills passenger was foring nt bilm in concern sah do de bell rung turn fum her llo ito and mien I 1 got up do de young lady was stand ln dere wid dat basket in tier her hand ile he paused to give laurie the effect of the tableau and saw by tits visitors expression that he had got it fully yes go oni she look at tile me mighty sharp she got brown eyes dot dat look right thoo you he interpolated briskly den she any yam sam who done ler lef dat bag baket at my doa do I 1 say 1 11 I done it it was lef in de hall an do de cad lot got yo name on it aint you order itt I 1 say no she say eay dla din yere basket aint to fo roc me take it an et ef you coant find out who belong to it eat dla din yore yere lunch yoseff yo self ile he paused 1 I et IV it he ended solemnly lauries lips twitched under eon con meting emo emotions tionA hut but tie he closed the interview with a fair imitation of indifference oh well he said carelessly you must have been mistaken about the whole thing evidently miss mayo if her name as hungry its as you were the hoy boy nodded and started the car on its downward journey As tits passenger got off on tho the ground floor he gave him n new thought to carry away with him shed bin caryln bryin dough he muttered ifer her eyes was nil red laurie stopped and regarded him resentfully confound you I 1 he said what did y you ou tell me that for I 1 cant do anything about itt the boy agreed hurriedly no sah he assured him you cahnt I 1 cahnt neither none of us cahnt he added as an afterthought laurie baurle slowly walked away ills him thoughts scampered around and around like squirrels in a cage the return of the basket of course might mean either cither of two conditions that tha the girl was too proud to accept help or that a she he was really in no need of it laurie had met a few art students ts lie he knew that hungry or not almost any one of them would cheerfully have taken in that basket and consumed its ita contents he had built on that knowledge in providing it if the girl had taken it in the fact would have proved nothing iler her refusal to touch it wits was suspicious it swung the weight of evidence toward the elevator boys starvation theory laurales La LR urles uries thoughts returned to that tha t imaginative youth ile he saw him consuming the girls luncheon and a new suspicion |