The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 191: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE OTHER SIDE was about to enter the door, Anne looked back, and their eyes met. Ten minutes later the two girls sat in Muriel’s room. They were talking over school-days, old times, and Anne’s affair at the Shakespeare Theater, until Messrs. Bayne and Chase were brought up as an interesting topic of the hour. “ Ralph, you know,” Muriel said, “ met Mr. Chase four years ago in Los Angeles. Hadn’t seen him until yesterday, when he ran into him in New York at the Knicker- bocker Hotel, as he was signing the regis- ter. He told Ralph he was in New York for ‘ atmosphere,’ as he calls it.” ‘“‘ Atmosphere?”’ repeated Anne. on earth—”’ ‘“ He’s a writer,” Muriel explained. ‘An author, I suppose you would call him.” Anne shook her head and smiled. ‘“‘ Writes love stories?” she asked, with a twinkle in her eye. “T don’t know what he writes,” Muriel replied seriously. ‘‘ Ralph never read any of his works. Reading to Ralph is a bore, you know. All he looks at are the society notes in the newspapers.”’ For some time they sat talking, Muriel always reverting to Ralph, and Anne skil- fully leading the conversation back to Mr. Arden Chase. Twenty minutes later they went down- stairs for dinner. There were other guests at the Townsend week-end party, a good-humored, lively crowd, that listened with well-bred patience to some of the droll stories Colonel Town- send told over the dinner-table. During the meal Anne felt Chase’s eyes upon her. He was sitting on the opposite side of the table next to some talkative so- ciety girl, who was doing her best to im- press him with her knowledge of dogs and horses, and various other species of ani- mals. But from the expression on Chase’s face, he was anything but interested, for he said little to the girl with the animal knowledge, constantly shifting his gaze to Anne. Once or twice she caught his glance, only to drop her own before his steady eyes. And then that fluttering sensation she “What 185 had felt when she first met him, started around her heart, and she felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. No one referred to the incident where she and Sinclair had been the chief char- acters. Apparently this small group of so- ciety people understood the meaning of tact, for the conversation was general, stopping every now and then so that the colonel could tell one of his long-winded stories. The dinner finally ended, much to the re- lief of Anne, who was beginning to feel somewhat self-conscious from the near pres- ence of Arden Chase. He cleverly escaped from his partner at table and made his way to Anne’s side. ‘““We’re going several miles into the country,” he said in low tones, “ in Ralph’s machine, to bring over his sister who is visiting friends. Perhaps you’d care to come with us. Miss Townsend will be along.” Anne looked up into his eyes and smiled. “Td love to,” she said. “ Perhaps I should have waited for Miss Townsend to invite you,” Chase added, somewhat embarrassed, “but you see Ralph wants me to run the car, and I sup- pose, like the captain of a ship, I can pick my crew.” Anne laughed over his way of explaining the thing, and Muriel and Bayne, who had just come up, broke into’the conversation. “No secrets,” Bayne said, trying to look serious. ‘“ Will Miss Travis go with us, Arden?” Chase nodded, and the four left the room. A half hour later Bayne’s automobile was tearing along a country road with Chase at the wheel, and Anne at his side. She felt happy, and reflected how mis- erable she had been some few hours before. She wondered again if Mr. Arden Chase wrote love stories. The following afternoon a telegram came for her. Muriel, Bayne, and Chase, who with Anne seemed to constitute one of the cliques of the week-end party, watched her as she read it. She knit her brows, then the vestige of a OF THE CURTAIN. oO Comicbooe S CO