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By Root 8636 0

of us fight-ing on . . . It's the greatest crusade in history; if we win, the world wil be a better place to live in, if we lose, it wil be given up to Bolshevism and despair . . . you can imagine, Anne Elizabeth, how charming it was to have your pretty little voice suddenly tickle my ear over the telephone and cal me away if only for a brief space from al this worry and responsibility . . . why, there's even a rumor that an attempt has been made to poison the Presi-dent at the hôtel Mûrat . . . it's the President alone with a few backers and wel wishers and devoted adher-ents who is standing out for decency, fairplay and good sense, never forget that for an instant. . . ." He talked on and on as if he was rehearsing a speech. Daughter heard him faintly like through a faulty telephone connection. The day too, the little pagodas of bloom on the horsechest-nuts, the crowds, the overdressed children, the flags against the blue sky, the streets of handsome. houses behind trees with their carved stonework and their iron balconies and their polished windows shining in the May sunshine; Paris was al little and bright and far away like a picture seen through the wrong end of a field glass. When the luncheon came on at the big glittery outdoor restaurant it was the same thing, she couldn't taste what she was eating.

He made her drink quite a lot of wine and after a

while she heard herself talking to him. She'd never talked like this to a man before. He seemed so understanding

-408-and kind. She found herself talking to him about Dad and how hard it had been giving up Joe Washburn, and how going over on the boat her life had suddenly seemed al new . . . "Somethin' funny's happened to me, I declare

. . . I always used to get along with everybody fine and now I can't seem to. In the N.E.R. office in Rome I couldn't get along with any of those old cats, and I got to be good friends with an Italian boy, used to take me horseback riding an' I couldn't get along with him, and you know Captain Savage on the train to Italy who let us ride in his compartment, we went out to Tivoli with him," her ears began to roar when she spoke of Dick. She was going to tel Mr. Barrow everything. "We got along so wel we got engaged and now I've quarreled with him." She saw Mr. Barrow's long knobbly face leaning to-wards her across the table. The gap was very wide between his front teeth when he smiled. "Do you think, Annie girl, you could get along with me a little?" He put his skinny puffyveined hand towards her across the table. She laughed and threw her head to one side, "We seem to be gettin' along al right right now."

"It would make me very happy if you could . . . you make me very happy anyway, just to look at you . . . I'm happier at this moment than I've been for years, ex-cept perhaps for the mumumoment when the Covenant for the League of Nations was signed." She laughed again, "Wel , I don't feel like any Peace Treaty, the fact is I'm in terrible trouble." She found her-self watching his face careful y; the upper lip thinned, he wasn't smiling any more.

"Why, what's the mamamatter . . . if there was any wawaway I could . . . er . . . be of any assistance . . . I'd be the happiest fel ow in the world."

"Oh, no . . . I hate losing my job though and having to go home in disgrace . . . that's about the size of it . . . it's al my fault for running around like a little nitwit."

-409-She was going to break down and cry, but suddenly the nausea came on again and she had to hurry to the ladies'

room of the restaurant. She got there just in time to throw up. The shapeless leatherfaced woman there was very kind and sympathetic; it scared Daughter how she immediately seemed to know what was the matter. She didn't know much French but she could see that the

woman was asking if it was Madame's first child, how many months, congratulating her. Suddenly she decided she'd kil herself. When she got back Barrow had paid the bil and was walking back and forth on the gravel path in front of the tables.

"You poor little girl," he said. "What can be the matter?