THE NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE
Big
mrk it
war
Kustrattotts btj
CopvjighV by William. liacLeod
I
SYNOPSIS
FOmsWOIlD.-Motorlng
throush
Ari-
zona.
a tiarty of easterners, fatner ana
f tighter and a male companion. top to
tnesg a cattle round up. The girl leaves
t cor and la nttarked by a wild steer,
masterpiece of riding on the part of
one of the cowboys naves her life.
CIIAPTBlt I.-Clay Lindsay, range-rider
on an Arizona ranch, announcos his Inten- i
lion to visit the "nig town,' new ior.
CWArTlin ll.-On the train Lindsay
bebomcs Interested In a young woman,
Kitty Mason, on tier way to Now York
t6 become a motlon-plcturo actress. Bno
Is marked as fair prey by a fellow trav-
Jtr, Jerry Durand, gang politician aim
x-prlze nghfer. Porceiving nis inieniion,
Jndsay provokes a quarrel and throws
urand from tho train.
Clinptcr III, Continued.
T,fr. Bernstein personally conducted
h!s customer to the suit department
wait on you myself on account yon
was U'Strnngcr to the city," he ex
plained. Tho llttlo mnn took a suit from a
rack and held It at arm's length to ad
mire It. Ills fingers caressed the woof
of It lovingly. Ho evidently could
bring: himself to part with It only after
a struggle
"Worsted. Pino goods." lie leaned
toward the nuigo-rldcr and whis
pered n secret "Imported."
Clay shook his head. "Not what I
want" Ills eyes rangca the racks.
"This Is more my notion of the sort of
thing I like." Ho pointed to a blue
serge with a llttlo stripe In the pirt
torn. The denier detached tlio coat lov
ingly from tho hanger and helped his
customer Into It. Then ho fell back,
eyes lit with enthusiastic amazement.
Only fate could have brought together
this mnn and this suit, bo manifestly
destined for each other since tho hour
when Uve begun to patch up llg loaves
for Adum.
"Like a coat of point," lie murmured
aloud.
The cowpunchcr grinned. lie under
stood the business that went with sell
ing n suit In some stores. But It hap
pened that ho llkod this suit himself.
"How much?" ho asked.
Tho owner of tho store dwelt on tho
merits of tho suit. Its style, Its dur
ability, tho perfect lit. He covered his
subject with artistic thoroughness.
Then, reluctantly, ho confided In &
whisper tho price ot which ho was go
ing to sacrifice this suit among suits.
"To you, my frlendt, I mako tills
garment for only slxty-tlvo dollars."
Ho ndded another sccrut detail, "llelow
wholesale cost."
A little dovll ,of-mlrth lit In Lind
say's eye. "I'd hnto to have you rob
yorceolf like that. And mo a perfect
stranger to you too."
"Qvallty, y' undorstnn' me. Wblcli
a mnn must got to llvo garments like
I done to appreciate sucli a suit All
wool. lOvery threud of lc Unshrink
able." Mr. Bernstein caressed It again.
"Ono swell ptoco of goods," ho told
himself softly, almost with tenro In his
eyes.
"All wool, you say,?" asked Clay, feel
ing tho texture. He had mndo up his
mind to buy It, though ho thought the
price n bit stiff.
Mr, Bernstein protested on Ills honor
that thero was not a thread of cotton
In It "Which you could tako It from
mo that when I sell a suit of clothes
It Is like I am dealing with my
own brother," he added. "Every gar
ment out of this storo takes my per
sonal guarantee."
CJuy tried on tho trousers and looked
at himself In the glass. So fur as ho
could tell ho looked Just llko any othor
New Yorker.
The dealer leaned forward aiul spoko
in a whisper. Appnrontly ho was
ashamed of his softness of heart
"Fifty-llvo dollars to you."
'Til tako It," tho westomer said.
fho clothier called his tailor from
tho rear of the store to make an ad
justment In Uio trousers. Mennwh.llo
ho deftly romored tho tags which told
hjin In cipher that the suit hud cost
him Just cloven dollars aud seventy'
Are cents.
Half nn hour later Clay sat on top
of a FtftW avenue bus which was jerk
ing its way uptown. Hib shoes were
shlned to mirror brightness. Ho was
- garbed in a blue serge suit with a Utile
stripe running through tho pattern.
That suit Just now was tho npplo ot
bis eye. It proved him a Now Yorker
and not a wild man from tho ArlzoAXi
desert.
Tho motor-bus ran up Fifth avenue,
put across to Broadway, passed Go
Iambus circle, aud swept Into tho Drlvo.
It was a day divinely young and fair.
The iragrance of a lingering spring
was wafted to tho 'nostrils. dUmpies
of tne park tempted Clay. Its vWnd
lug paths I The children playing on
$a gres whlla their maids In neat
lap' add a proas goJilpe together on
the biAchtt ifr TUJ wM the. most
ktwun Kt'WW Arizona
b la m4fypls.
.gtraswhftft la the titly tbreflur
gtr&ts he descended troth the 'tgt t
- Town
fill
iri
3 . 1 10
4 iTM
oun
(1 it
by
tl
ilHamMacleodRame,
Rama
tho bus and let his footsteps follow his
inclinations Into tlio park, no struck
across tho Drive Into a side street An
apartment houso occupies the corner,
but from tho other Bide a row of hand
some prlvato dwellings faced him.
Tho Janitor of tho apartment houso
was watering tho parking beyond the
sidewalk. The edgo of tho stream
from tho nozzle of tho hose sprayed
the path In front of Clay. Ho hesi
tated for a moment to give the man
time to turn nsldo tho hose.
But tho Janitor, on this particular
morning had been fed up with trouble.
One of the tenants had complained of
him to the agent of tho place. Another
line! moved away without tipping him
for an hour's help In packing ho had
given her. He" was Bulkily of tho opin
ion that tho wholo world was in a
conspiracy to annoy him. Just now tho
approaching rube typified tho world.
A little flirt of tlio hoso deluged
Clay's newly shlned boots and the low
er six inches of his trousers.
"Look out what you're doing 1" pro
tested tho man from Arizona.
"I tank you better look where- you're
going," retorted tlio one from Sweden.
Ho wns a heavy-sot muscular man
with n sullen, obstinate face.
"My shoes and trousers nro sopping
wet. I bcllovo you did It on purpose."
"Tank so? Val, yust ono teug I Ink
to tell you. I got no tlmo for d n fulo
talk."
The westerner started on his way,
There wns no use having n row with a
sulky Janitor.
But tho Swede misunderstood his
purpose. At Clay's first step forward
ho Jerked round the nozzlo and Jet the
rangc-rlder hnvo It with full force.
Clay was swept back to the wall by
tho heavy pressure of water that
played over him. The stream movet'
swiftly up and down him from head
to foot till It hod drenched every Inch
of the perfect flfty-llve-dollnr null. He
drowned fathoms deep In a wuter
spout lie wns swept over Niagara
Palls. He came to life again to find
himself the choking center of a world
flood.
He gave a struugled whoop and
charged straight at the mnn behind the
hose. Tho two clinched. While they
struggled, the writhing hose slapped
bnck and forth between them like un
agitated snake. Clay Jmd 1 one mY
vautuge. He was wet through anyhow,
It did not matter how much of the
delitgo struck him. Tho Janitor fought
to keep dry and ho hnd not u chance
on earth to succeed.
Por ono hundred and seventy-live
pounds of Arizona bone ami muscle,
toughened by years of hnrd work In
Bun and wind, had clamped Itself up
on him. Tho nozzle twisted toward the
Janitor. Ho ducked, went down, and
was Instantly submerged. When he
tried to rise, the stream bent him back
no struggled halfway up, slipped, got
ngaln to his feet, and enmo down sit
ting with a hard bump when his legs
skated from under lilm.
A smothered "Vat fell 1" rose out of
tho wators. Tho Janitor could hot un
A Smothered "Vt T'elll" Rose Out of
the Wators.
del-stand -whut wns happening to him
Ho did not know that ho was being
treated to n now form of the water
cure.
Beforo his dull brain had functioned
to action an Iron grip had him by the
back of tho neck. Ho was Jerked to
Ids feet and propelled forward to the
cjjLrb. Every inch of tho way tho Jieayy
stream from tho nozzle broko on his
face and neck. It paralyzed his re
sistance, jarred him so tJiat he coujd
not gather himself to fight Clay
bumped him up against a hitching
post, garroted him, end swung the
hose abound, (he, .post in such a way
as to encircle the feet of the man.
The cowpuncher drew the hose
tight slipped the nozzle through the
Iron ring, and caught tho flapping nnns
of the than to his body. With tho deft
skill of a trained roper Clay swung the
rubber plpo round the body of the man
again and again, drawing It closo to
tho post nnd knotting It securely be
hind. Tho Swedo struggled, but his
furious rago availed him nothing. When
Clay stepped bnck to Inspect his job
he know he was looking at one that
had been done thoroughly.
"I keel you, by d n, ef you don't
turn mo loose 1" roared tho big man In
rnge.
Tho rnngc-rlder grinned gnyly at
him. He was having the tlmo of his
young life. He did not even regret his
flfty-flve-dollnr suit
"Life's Just loaded to the hocks with
disappointment, Ollc," he explained,
and his voice was full of genial sym
pnthy. "I'll bet a dollar Mex you'd
sure like to beat me on the head with
two-by-four. But I don't reckon
you'll ever get thnt fond wish gratified.
We're not liable to meet up with each
other again pronto. Today wo'ro hero
and tomorrow we're at Yuma, Arizona,
say, for life Is short and darned
flcctln', as the poet fellow says."
He waved a hand Jnuntffy and
turned to go. But he changed his mind,
ills eye had fallen dn a young woman
stnndlng at a French window of Uio
houso opposite. She was beckoning to
lilm Imperiously.
The young woman disappeared as he
crossed tlio street, but in a few mo
menta tlio door opened and slio stood
there waiting for Iflm. Clay stared. He
hnd never before seen n girl dressed
like this. Slio was in riding boots,
breeches nnd coat. Her eyes dilated
while alio looked at him.
"Wyoming?" she asked.
"Arizona," ho answered.
"All one. Know It tho moment I saw
you tlo mm. come in." alio stood
aside to let him pass.
Thnt hall, with Its tapestried walls,
Its polished floors, and oriental rugs,
was reminiscent of "tho movies" to
Clny. Nowhero else had ho seen a
homo so stamped with the mark of
ample means.
"Come In," she ordered again, a llt
tlo sharply.
He enmo In and she closed the door.
"I'm sopping wet. I 'J I drip all over
the floor."
"What are you going to do? You'll
be urrested, viu know." Slio stood
straight and slim ns a boy, and tho
frank directness of her gaze had a
boy's sexless unconsciousness.
There enmo to them from outside
the tap-tnp-tnp-tap of a policeman's
night stick rattling on the curbstone.
"He's calling help."
"I enn explain how It huppened."
"No. He wouldn't understand. Thoy'd
find you eullty."
To a manservant standing In the
background the young woman spoke.
"Jenkins, hnvo Norn clean up the floor
nnd tho steps outside. And remember
I don't want the police to know this
gentleman Is here."
"Yes, miss."
"Cornel" suld the girl to her guest
Clny followed his hostess to tlio
stairs and went up them with her, but
he -went protesting, though with a
chuckle of mirth. "He sure ruined my
olothes a heap. I ain't (It to be seen."
Tho suit he had been so proud of
wns shrinking so that his arms and
legs stuck out like signposts. The
color had run and left tho goods a
peculiar bilious-looking overall blue.
She lit a gas-log In n small library
den.
"Just n minute, please."
She stepped briskly from the room.
In Ifcr manner wns a crisp decision, In
Iter poise a trim gullautry that won
him Instantly.
"I'll bet sho'd do to rldo with," he
told himself In a current western
idiom.
When she came back It was to tako
him to n dressing room. A complete
chnngo of clothing wus laid out for
him on a couch. A man whom. Clay
recognized ns n vnlet Ins had scon his
duplicate- in tho movlng-plcturo thea
ters at Tucson wns there to supply
his needs and attend to tlio 'tempera
ture of his bath.
"Stevens will look after you," sho
snld; "when you lire ready como bnck
to dad's den."
His eyes followed to the door her
resilient step. Once, when ho wus a
boy, he hnd seen Ada llchati play In
"As Yon Llko It." Her acting had en
tranced lilm. Tills girl carried lilm
back to thnt hour. vSlio was boyish as
Rosalind, woman In every motion of
her slim nnd lissom body.
At tho head of tho stairway she
paused. Jenkins wns moving hurriedly
up to meet her.
"it's u policeman, miss. 'lis come
nbout the tho porson that enmo In,
and 'o'a tnlkln' to Norn on tho steps.
She's n-jollyln' 'inj, ns you might s'oy,
miss."
His young mispress nodded. Sho
Hwept tho hall with tno eyo of a gon-
rnl. Swiftly she clinnged the position
f a. Turkish rng so as to hide a spot
i n tho polished floor that hod bcon
i rently scrubbed nnd wns still moist
'il.cn sho opened tlio door nnd saun
u red out
"Does tho ofllccr want something,
N'U'n?" slio nskod innocently, switch
ing the end of a crop against her riding-boots.
"Yes, miss. Thoro's boon a ruffian
batfn' up Swedes an',tyin 'em to posts.
Tills officer thinks ho enmo hero," ex
plained Norn.
'Does he want to look in tho liousoT'
"Yes, miss,"
Then let him CQtne in." Tho young
mistress took thorosponslbIIIty on her
own shoulders. Sho led tho police
man into tho hnll. "I 'don't really seo
how ho could have got In here without
some of us seeing him, officer
"No, ma'am, r don't see how ho
could." The putrolman scratched his
red head. "The Janitor's a Swede,
anyhow. He Jlst guossou It I camo
to make sure av it. I'll bo sorry for
troubling yuli, miss."
The smile sho gave him wns wnrm
and friendly. "Oh, that's nil right If
you'd care to look around . . . But
there really Is no use."
"No." The forehead under the red
thatch wrinkled In thought "He snld
he seen him come In here or next door,
an' he came up the steps. But nobody
could have got In without some of
youso seeln' him. That's n lead pipe."
The officer pushed any doubt that re
mained from his mind. "Only a muddle-headed
Swede."
CHAPTER IV
Clay Takes a Transfer.
While Beatrice Whltford waited In
the little library for the Arlzonan
to Join her, sho sat In a deep chair,
chin In hand, eyes fixed on the Jetting
flames of the gas-log. A little flush
had crept Into the oval face. In her
blood there tingled the stimulus of ex
citement For Into her life an ndven
ture had como from faraway Cnttle
land. A crisp, strong footstep sounded In
the hnll. Her fingers flew to pat Into
place the soft golden hair colled low
at the nape of the neck. At times she
had a boyllko unconcern of sex ; again,
n spirit wholly feminine.
Tlio clothes of her father fitted
Lindsay loosely, for Colin Whltford
had begun to take on the flesh of mid
dle age and Clay was lean nnd clean
of build ns nn elk. But the westerner
I was ono of those to whom clothes nro '
unimportant The splendid youth of 1
him would hnvo shone through the
rags of a beggar.
"My name Is Clay Lindsay," he told
her by way of Introduction.
"Mine Is Beatrice Whltford," sho
nnswered.
They shook hands.
"I'm to wait here till my clothes dry,
yore man says."
"Then you'd better sit down." she
suggested.
Within five, minutes she knew that
he had been In New York less than
three hours. His Impressions of the
city amused and entertained her. He
was quite simple. She could look into
his mind ns though It were u deep,
clear well. There was something In
extinguishably boyish and buoyant
about him. But In his br.onzed face
nnd steady, humorous eyes were
strength nnd shrewdness. Ho was tho
Inst man In the world a bunco-steerer
could play for a sucker. She felt thnt.
Yet he made no pretenses of u worldly
wisdom he did not have.
A voice reached them from the top
of tho stairs.
"Do you know where Miss Whltford
la, Jenkins?"
"Hlu the Bed room, sir." Tho an
swer was In the even, colorless voice
of a servunt
The girl rose ut once. "If you'll ex
cuse me," she said, and stepped out of
the room.
"Hello, Bee. What do you think? I
never saw such Idiots ns'the police of
this town arc. They're wntcblng this
house for n desperado who assaulted
some one outside. I met n sergeant on
our steps. Snys ho doesn't think tire
nam's here, but there's Just a chance
he slipped Into the basement It's ab
surd." "Of course It is." There was n rip
ple of mirth In the girl's voice. "Ho
didn't como In by tho basement nt all,
but walked In at the front door."
"The front door I" exploded her fath
er. "What do you mean? Who let him
In?"
"I did. no came ns my guest, nt my
Invitation."
"What?"
"Don't shout, dad," she advised. "I
thought I had brought you up better."
"But but but what do you mean?"
he sputtered. "Is tills ruffian In the
houso now?"
"Oh, yes. Ho's In the Red room hero
nnd unless he's very deaf ho hears
everything we nro snylng," the girl
answered calmly, much nmused nt tho
amazement of her father. "Won't you
come In nnd see htm? He doesn't seem
very desperate."
Clay arose, pinpoints of laughter
dancing In his eyes. He lked the giyr
nuanciiy oi mis young woiuuii.
A 'moment later ho was offering n
brown hand to Colin Whltford. "Qlnd
to meet you, Mr. Whltford. Yore
daughter has just saved my life from
tho police," tho westerner snld, and
Ills friendly smile wns very much In
evidence.
"You make yourself at home," an
swercd tho owner of a large per cent
of Uio stock of the famous Bird Cage
mine.
"My guests do, dad. It's proof that
Tm n porfect hostess," rotorted
Boatrlce, her dainty, provocative face
flashing to mirth.
"Ilirip!" grunted her father dryly.
"I'd like to know, young man, why the
police nro shadowing this houso?"
"I expect they're lookin' for mo."
"I'expect Uioy nro, and I'm not sure
I won't help them find you. You'll
have to show cause if I don't."
"His bark Is much worse tlran bis
bite," tho glrl explained to Clay, Just
as uiougn iier,rathcr wero not present
"Hmp!" exploded the mlnlug mag
nato n second time. "Get busy, young
fellow."
Clny told tho story of the flftf-flve-
tlollnr suit that I. Bernstein had
wished on lilm with near-tears of re
grot at parting from It. The cow
puncher dramatized the situation with
some nntivo talent for mimicry. Llls
arms 'gestured like the lifted wings of
a startled cockerel. "A man gets
chance at a garment like Unit only
onco In a wlillo occasionally, Which
you can tako It from tne thnt when I.
Bernstein sells n suit of clothes it is
shust like he Is dealing with his own
brother. Qvnllty, my frlcndts, qvallty I
Why, I got nnyhow n suit which I
might be mnrrled In without shame,
un'cratnii' me."
Colin Whltford wus of tho West him
self. He hnd lived Its rough-and-tumblo
life for years before he mndo his
lucky strike In the Bird Cage. He had
moved from Colorado to New York
only ten yerfrs before. The sound of
Clay's drawling voice was like a mes
sage from home. lie begun to grin
In sTMto of himself. This man was too
good to be true. It wasn't possible
thnt anybody could come to the big
town nnd Import Into It so nnlvely
such n genuine touch of the outdoor
West. It wns not possible, but It had
hnppcned Just the Ha me. Long before
the cow puncher had finished his story
of hog-tylng the Swede to n hitching
post with his own hose, the mining
mnn wns sealed of the Inrge tribe of
Clay Lindsay's admirers. He wns
ready to tilde him from all the pollco
In New York.
Whltford told Stevens to bring In
the flfty-flve-dollnr suit bo that he
could gloat over It. He let out a whoop
of delight nt sight of Its still sodden
npnenrnnce. He examined Its sickly
hue with chuckles of mirth.
"Guaranteed not to fade or shrink,"
murmured Clay sadly.
Tie managed to get the cont on with
"His Bark Is Much Worse Than His
Bite," the Girl Exclaimed to Clay.
difficulty. The sleeves reached Just be
low the elbows.
"You look like a lifer from Sing
Sing," pronounced Whltford Joyously.
"Get a hair-cut, and you won't have
a chance on eurth to fool tho police."
"The color did run and fado somo,"
admitted Clay.
"Worth every cent of nine ninety
eight at a bargain sale before the
Swede got busy with It and he let
you hayo It at a sacrifice for fifty-five
dollars I" The. millionaire wept happy
tears as a climax of his rapture. He
swallowed his cigar smoke and had to
be pounded on the back by his daugh
ter. Jenkins came to the door and an
nounced "Mr. Bromfleld."
Almost on his heels a young man In
Immaculate riding clothes sauntered
late the room. He had the assured
Wise of ono who has the run of the
house. Miss Whltford introduced the
two young men nnd Bromlleld looked
the wosterner over with n suave In
solence In his dark, handsome eyes.
Clny recognized him immediately.
He had shaken hands once before with
this well-satisfied young man, nnd on
that occasion n fifty-dollar bill had
passed from ono to the other. The
New Yorker evidently did not know
him.
It became apparent at once that
Bromfleld had callc4 to go riding In
the park with Miss Whltford. That
young woman came up to say good-by
to her new acquaintance.
"Will you be here when I get back?"
"Not If our friends outside give me
a chance for n getaway," ho told her.
Her bright, unflinching eyes looked
into his. "You'll como ngaln nnd- let
us know how you escaped," she In
vited. Til co'tnlnly do that, Miss Wilt
ford." "Then we'll look for you Thursday
nfternoon, say."
"I'll be hero."
"If the pollco don't get you."
"They won't," he promised serenely.
"When you're ready, Bee," suggested
Brqmfleld in a bored voice.
Sho nodded casually and walked out
of tho room like a young Diana,
straight ns n dart in her trim slcnder
ness.
Clny slipped out- of the house by
the back way.
From tlio top of n bus Clny Lindsay
looked down a canyon which nngled
across the great city llko a river of
light Ho liad como from one land of
gorges to anothor. In the walls of Oils
one, thousands and tens of thousands
of cliif-dwellers hid themselves during
the day llko animals of Bomo queer
breed nnd poured out Into tho canyon
at sunset
Now the river In Its bed was allvo
with n throbbing tide. Cross-currents
of humanity flowed into It frona side
streets and ebbed out of it into others.
streams ox peopio wero swept down,
caught hero and there. In swirling ed
dl as. Tails, prlvato motors, and trol
ley cars struggled In tho ntcoway.
AH this Clay saw In a flash while
his bus crossed Broadway on its way
to the AvQnue. His eyes had becoino
accustomed to thfs nTlTUnnce fn tho
weeks that had passed since his
descent upon New York, but familiar
ity had not yet dulled the wonder '
of It. v
He hnd become n fnat friend of Miss
Whltford. Together they hnd tramped
through Central park and motored up
the Hudson In one of her fntlier's cars.
They hnd explored each other's minds
along with the country and each had
known the surprise nnd delight of dis
coveries, of finding In the other a
quality of freshness nnd candor.
Tho bus Jerked down Fifth avenue
like n boat In heavy sens pausing hero
and there nt the curblo take on n
passenger. WhUo It wns getting under
wny nfter one such stop, nnother
downtown bus rolled past.
Clny cume to n sudden alert atten
tion. Ills eyes focused on n girl sit
ting on a back seat In the pretty
childish fnce he read a wistful help
lessness, n pathetic hint of misery that
called for sympathy.
Arizona takes short cuts to Its ends.
Clay rose h. lantly, put his foot on tho
railing, and leaped across to the top
of the bus rolling pnrnllcl with tho one
he wns on. In nnother second he had
dropped Into the seat beside tho girl.
"Glad to meet you again, Miss Kitty,"
he said cheerfully. "How tho big
town been using you?" 3
Hie girl looked ut lilm with a little
gnsp of surprise. "Mr. Lindsay I" Sud
den tenrs filmed her eyes. She forgot
thnt she had left lilm with the promlso 1
never again to speak to lilm. She was
In n far country, nnd ho was a frlond
from home.
The conductor bustled down tho
nlslo. "Say, where do you get this
movlo-stuff ? You enn't Jump from the
top of one bus to nnother. That ain't
the system of transfers wo use in this
town. You might 'a' got killed."
"Oh, well, let's not worry nbout thnt
now."
"I'd ought to have you pulled.
Three years I've been on this run"
and"
"NIco run. Wages good?"
"Don't get gay, young fellow. I can
toll you one thing. You've got to pay
nnother fare."
Clay pnld It
The conductor retired to his post
"What nbout that movie Job? Is It
pannln'- out pny gold?" Llndsny askeM
Kitty.
Bit by bit her story came out It
was a common enough one. She had
been flim-flammed out of her money
by the alleged school of movlng-plcturo
nctors, nnd tho shnrpers hnd decamped
with It
As she looked at her recovered
friend. Kitty gradually realized nn out
wnrd transformation In his nppear
nnce. He wns dressed quietly In
clothes of perfect fit made for lilm by
Colin Whltford's tailor. From shoes
to hat he was a New Yorker got up
regardless of expenso. But the warm
smile, tho strong, tanned faco, the grip
of the big brown hand that burled her
small ono nil these woro from her
own West So too had been the non
chalance with which he had stepped
from the rail of one moving bus to
that of the other, just as though
this were his usual method of trans
fer. 'Tve got a Job at last" she explained
to him. "I'm working downtown In
Greenwich Village, selling cigarettes.
I'm Sylvia the Cigarette Girl. At
least that's what they call mo. I carry
a tray of them evenings Into the cafe."
"Greenwich Village?" asked Clay.
Kitty was not able to oxplaln that
tho Village is a state of mind which Is
the habitat of long-haired men and
"8ay, Where Do You Get This Movie
8tunt Stuff?"
short-haired women, tho brains ot
whom functioned in a way totally alien
to all her mothods of thpught. "Can't
you come down tonight to The Purple
Pup or Tho Sea Siren and sec for
yourself?" she proposed, o.nd gave him
directions for finding tho classic re
sorts. Tm dressed silly In baro foot and
sandals nnd what they call a smock.
You won't mind that, will your'
"You'll look good to me, no matter
what jiou wear, little Miss Colorado,"
ho told h'er with his wnrm, big broth
er's smile.
"You're good," the girl laid simply.
"I knew that on the train oven when
I when I was mean to you." Thero
camo Into her vole a small tremor of
apprehension. "I'm afraid of this
town. It's so so klnda cruel. I've got
ho friends here."
TO BE CONTINUED
