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SUNDAY. MARCH 15.
$~~S6e DAY OF
April 80 Deya
14
PROLOGUE.
"it breaks the speed limit to
smithereens."
That's a candid opinion about
this story. There may have
been swifter tales, but not re
cently. It’s an aeroplane of a
yarn, moving so fast that you
lose your breath while you fol
low it. But you don't need any
breath, anyway, because you for
get about respiration with\ your
eyes on reading of this kind.
Every man has his day of days.
Yours may have come and you
may be swimming in the full tide
of fortune. If so, read how P
Sybarite found his. If your own
ship is s!ill in the offing, you
will enjoy learning how the little
spunky red headed bookkeeper
won a fortune and an heiress,
foiled all his enemies and had
some of the most amating ad
ventures ever penned —all in less
time than if takes the hour hand
to round th < e’oek dial twice.
(Continued from Yesterday)
She recognized him. with surprise,
hut none the less with n friendly smile
"Why, Mr. Sybnrite”-
In his hearing her voice was rarest
music. He gulped, stammered. “Miss
r.esslng!” and was stricken dumb by
realization of his effrontery.
"Can 1 do anything for you?”
He breathed In panic, "Gloves"—
“For a lady. Mr. Sybarite?”
He nodded as expressively as any
automaton.
“What kind?"
“I—l don’t know."
“For day or evening wear?"
He wagged a dismal head. “I don't
know.”
Amr .ement touched her eyes and
lips so charmingly that he thought of
the sea at dawn, rimpled by the morn
ing breeze, gay with the laughter of
young sunlight.
•‘Oh. I see. You wish to make a
present. Evening gloves are always
acceptable. Does she go often to the
tkeater?”
“X—don’t know.”
“Well—is she old or young?”
“I—ah—couldn't say.”
“Mr. Sybarite!" said the young wo
man. with decision.
He fixed an apprehensive gaze to
hers, which Inclined to disapproval. If
with reservations.
“Yes. Miss Lessing?”
“Do you really want to buy gloves?"
“No-o."
“Then what under the sun do you
want?"
He noticed suddenly that however
Impatient her tone, her eyes were still
kindly. Eyes of luminous bnzel brown
they were, wide open and clear be
neath dark and delicate brows; eyes
that assorted oddly with her hair of
pale, dull gold, rendering ber prettiness
both individual and distinctive.
Somehow he* found himself more at
ease.
“Please,” be begged humbly, "show
me some gloves—any kind—lt doesn't
matter—and pretend you believe i want
to buy ’em. I don’t really. I—l only
want—a—ah—word with you before
you go home.”
If this were impertinence the girl
elected quickly not to resent It. She
turned to the shelves behind ber, took
down a box or two and opened them
for hls Inspection.
"These are very nice," she suggested
quietly.
“I think so too.” He grinned un
easily. “What I want to say is—will
you be my guest at the theater to
night?"
“I’m afraid I don’t understand you,"
she said, replacing the gloves.
“With Miss Prim and George Bross.”
he amended hastily. “Somebody—n
friend—sent me a box for ‘Kismet.’ J
thought possibly you might care to go
It—lt would give me great pleasure."
Miss Lessing held up another pair of
gloves.
“These are $3.59,” she said absently.
‘•Why did you come here to ask me?"
“I—l was afraid you might make
some other engagement for the even
ing.”
Hs couldn't have served hls cause
more handsomely than by uttering Just
that transparent evasion. In a thought
she understood; at their boarding house
he could have found no ready opportu
nity to ssk her save In the presence of
others, and he was desperately appre
hensive lest she refuse.
After all, he bad reason to be: they
were only table acquaintances of a few
weeks' standing. It was most pre
sumptuous of him to dream that she
would accept
On the other hand, he was Isbe con
sidered gravely) a decent, manly little
body.
“It’s sp good of you to think of me,”
DAYS
By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCC
Cop\right. I<H2, b> Hie Prank A Munsey Co
ahe aatd
"Yon roAin that you—you will
come?" he cried, transported.
"I shall be very glad."
"That's—that's iiwfly good of you."
he said huskily. "Now. do please find
some way to get rid of mo."
Smiling quietly, the girl recovered
the glove boxes.
"I'm afraid we haven't wlint you
want In stock." she sold In a voice not
loud, hut clear enough to carry to the
ears of her Inquisitive colaborers
"We're expecting n fresh shipment In
next week —ls you could stop In then."
“Thank you very much," said I’ Ryh
arite with uncalled for emotion
He backed away awkwardly, spoiled
the effect altogether by lifting his Imt.
wheeled and broke for the doors and
won his way through them a single in
stant before they closed.
CHAPTER 11.
A Likely Story.
FROM the squalor, the heat, dirt
and turmoil of Lightb avenue.
I*. Sybarite turned west oil
Thirty-eighth street to seek
his boarding house.
This establishment—between whicli
and the cave of the smell. Ids existence
alternated with the monotony of a
pendulum—wus situuted midway on
the block on the north side of the
atreet.
It boasted a front yard fenced off
from the sidewalk with a rusty railing;
a plot of arid earth scantily tufted
with grass, suggesting that stage of
baldness which finally precedes com
plete nudity. Behind tills the moat
like aren was spanned to the front
door by a ragged stoop of hrownstone.
The bouse romance took the air upon
the stoop.
George Bross was 8.1 per centum of
the house romance. The remainder
was Miss Violet Prim. Mr. Bross sat
a step or two below Miss Prim, his
knees ad.lacent to bis chin, his face,
upturned to ills charmer, wreathed In
a fond and fatuous smile.
Saturday was her day for seeming
unusually fair to him: by the following
Thursday there would begin to be a
barely perceptible shadow round the
roots of her golden hair.
Normally good looking in ordinary
daylight, she was a radiant beauty
across footlights. Her active young
person was modeled on generous lines,
and. as a rule, clothed In a manner
which. If Inexpensive, detracted noth
ing from ber conspicuous sightliness.
P. Sybarite approached the gnte. At
that moment George was announcing
in an undertone. “Here’s the lollop
now. Think I better spring it on him
now?” he inquired, in doubt.
“Gee. no!” protested the lady in
alarm. “It’d spoil the plant, sure. I’d
love to watch you feed It to him. but
heaven knows I'd never be able to
hold In without bustin'.”
P. Sybarite walked Into the front
yard, and the chorus lady began to
crow with delight.
“Well, look who’s here! 'Tis old
George W. Postscript—as I live! Hith
erwards. little one: I would'st speech
myself to thee.”
Smiling, P. Sybarite approached the
pair. He liked Miss Prim for her un
affected high spirits.
“Well?" he asked pleasantly, blink
ing up at the Indy from the foot of the
steps. “What is thy will, O Breaker
of Hearts?"
"That'll be about all for yours." an
nounced Violet reprovingly. “What’s
all this about you givin' a box party at
the Knickerbocker tonight?"
“It's a fact.” affirmed P. Sybarite.
“Only I had counted on the pleasure
of Inviting you myself.” he added with
a patient glance at George.
“Never mind about that.” Interposed
the lady. “I'm Just tickled to death,
and I love you a lot more’n 1 do
George, anyway. So that’s all right.
Only I was afraid for awhile he was
connin’ me."
Then she Jumped up and wheeled
about to the door with petticoats pro
fessionally awhlrl. “Well, If I'm goln'
to do a stagger in society tonight, it's
me to go doll myself up to the nines.
So long!" She disappeared by way of
the vestibule.
“Clnss to that kid. all right." observ
ed George "Some stepper, take It
from me. But I’m glad It’s a box; then
I can hide under a chair. I ain't got
nothin’ to go In but these hand-me
downs.” What are you going to wear,
anyway?”
“A shave, clean collar and what I
stand in They’re all 1 have.”
“Then you got nothin' on me. What's
your rush?" ns P. Sybarite would
have passed on “Walt a shake. 1
wanna talk to you. Sit down and have
a eig.”
There was a bint of serious Inten
tion In the manner of the shipping
clerk to Induce P. Sybarite, after the
hesitation of aD Instant, to accede to
hls request
"Wei!?”
“I dunno how to break It to you."
Bross faltered dubiously. “You better
brace yourself to lean up against the
biggest disappointment ever.” ... .
P. Sybarite regarded him with sliarp
distrust. "You interest me strangely,
George. But perhaps you're no more
addled than usual. Get it off your
chest"
"Well," said George regretfully. "1
Just wanna put you next to the fncts
before you ask her Miss leaning ain't
goln' to go with um tonight"
|». Sybarite looked startled and grtov
i
"I'm afraid I don't understand. How
do you know Miss Lessing won't go?
I)ld she tell you so?"
"Not what you might call exactly,
but she won't, all right," George re
turned, with coulldence. "There ain't
one chance In a hundred Pm In wrdng "
"In wrong? How?"
"About her being who she Is"
P. Sybarite subjected the open, naive
countenance of the shipping clerk to n
prolonged stare of suspicion
"No; 1 ain’t crazy In the head nei
ther," (ieorge asseverated, with some
heat "I suspldoned something was
queer about that girl right along, but
now I know It. 1 don't s'pose you seen
the evenin' paper?"
"No”-
"Well. I picked up the Stnr down to
Clancy's. This Is It." With an effec
tive flourish George drew the sheet
from his coHt pocket. "And soon's I
seen that." he added. Indicating a
smudged half tone, "1 begun to wise
jup to that little girl It’s sore some
shame about her. nil right, all right.”
Taking the paper. P. Sybarite exam
ined with perplexity n portrait labeled
"Marian Blesslngton." Whatever Its
original aspect, the coarse luesh of th»
reproducing process had blurred It to
a vague presentment of the head and
shoulders of almost auy young woman
with fair hair and regular features,
only a certain, almost Indefinable Indi
j vldunllty In the pose of the heud ren
dered It dimly suggestive' of Molly
I Lessing.
Attached to It was;
Marian Blesslngton. only daughter of the
lata Nathaniel lllessington. millionaire
founder of the great Btoaslijgton chain of
department stores. Although much sought
after on account of the Immense property
Into control of which she Is to come on
, the twenty-fifth birthday. Miss Blessing
ton contrived to escape matrimony entan
glements until last January, when Brian
Shaynon, her guardian and executor of
; tha Blesslngton estate, gave out the an
nouncement of her engagement to his son.
Bayard Shaynon.
This engagement was whispered to be
j distasteful to the young woman, who Is
i noted for her Independent and spirited na-
AlßdaJO
“It’s sure some shame about her all
right.’'
ture. anil It Is now persistently being ru
mored that she has demonstrated her dis
approval by disappearing mysteriously
from the knowledge of her guardian.
It is said that nothing has been known
of her whereabouts since about the Ist of
March, when she left her home In the
Bhaynon mansion on Fifth avenue osten
sibly for a shopping tour.
This was flatly contradicted this morn
ing by Brian Bhaynon, who declared that
hls ward sailed for Europe Feb. 28 on the
Mauretania and has since been In con
stant communication with her betrothed
and hls family. He also denied having
employed detectives to locate hls ward.
The sailing list of the Mauretania falls to
give the name of Miss Blessington on the
date named by Mr. Shaynon.
Refolding the paper. P. Sybarite re
turned It without comment.
“Ain’t you hep yet?” George be
trayed some little exasperation, mixed
with hls disappointment. He slapped
the folded paper resoundingly In the
palm of hls hand. “You ain’t dropped
to the resemblance between Molly Les
sing and Marian Blessington?”
"Between Miss Lessing and that
portrait?" asked P. Sybarite.
"Why, they’re dead ringers for each
other. Any one what can't see that la
blind.”
"But I’m not blind."
“Well, then you gotta admit they
look alike as twins”—
"But I’ve known twins who didn’t
look alike."
“Ah. nix on the stallin'!" George
insisted, on the verge of losing Ida
temper. "Molly Lessing’s the splt’n’
Image of Marian Blessington—and you
know it What's more—look at their
names, Molly for Mary—yon make
that? Mary and Marian’s near enough
alike, ain’t they? And what’s Lesaing
but Blessington. docked goln’ and corn
in’?”
"Walt a second. If I understand
yon. George, you’re trying to Imply
that Miss Lessing Is Identical with
Marian Blessington.'
“You said somethin', then, all right.
!t’s plain's daylight. When did Miss
Lessing come here? live weeks ago.
to a day—March foist or close on to It
—Just when the paper says she did her
disappearin' stunt How you goln’ to
get_around that?’
(To Be Continued Tomorrow.)
THE AUGUSTA HERALD, AUGUSTA. GA.
/ excuse Me i | /hank- Y* sot \ f what do You
i m>sTA knocked that ) i PaTHM’ J \ irus- Bi<*- /
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cibow 7 <T '■ ' MK6 - T '^ T ,NTO / 5)
lltK ST. Seoß6C^flND ,, ‘THe. bßoooN jS
The. Borning op Rome-j ~A Tk I
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Lt ~ V ~ ~ J C imtM
IT S ALL RIGHT IN THE MOVIES
IN “REEL” LIFE
IN REAL LIFE
FIVE