Girl Alone

the outskirts of the Capital City, the question which had insisted on worming its way through the heavenly joy of knowing that David lov

hite roustabouts. But a star performer, such as Nita considered herself, would hardly consort with such a man. The two classes-simply did not mix, except in rare instances. Davi

how make-up. Pop Bybee had summoned her to the privilege car on her return from her momentous walk with David the night before to caution her not to appear in Capita

ival performers and employes, only Pop and Mrs. Bybee continuing to occupy their drawing room in one of the Pullmans. Sally, being told the arrangements, suspected that they stayed with the train to guard the safe under the green

for the cook tent and dress tent, a quarter of a mile from the show train. She knew very little

nging his "billie" on a street corner she thanked Pop Bybee in her heart that he had cautioned her to don her disguise. For beyond a casually interest

Pop Bybee, true to his promise to protect the boy, had decreed that he should become private chef and

for his magnificent body caged in a hot box of a kitchen, when it had bee

but protect a girl alone in the world from the cruel revenge of a

be wholly sad, for he loved her, wanted to marry her, would even no

nd spurious wonders were being tacked upon scarred booths, endowing them with glamor: "Bybee's Follies Girls-a dazzlingly beautiful chorus straight from Ziegfeld's Follies in New York-Six reasons why men leave home"; "Beautiful Babe, the Fattest Girl in th

and gaudily dressed Kewpie dolls; exchanged predictions as to the day's business with two or three good-nature

crowds themselves, though they did not suspect it, furnished the glamor with their naive credulity, their laughter, their free and easy spending, the

emory the oldish, wistful little faces of Betsy and Thelma and Clara and all the other orpha

she has found some other 'big girl' to pet her. I wond

the time, all dressed up in purple satin trousers and a green satin jacket all glittery with gold braid! I wish I had lots of money, so I could send them all tickets to come to the ca

ful things Clem Carson said about me. She thinks I'm bad now-like my mother. I wonder," she was startled, her face flushing hotly under the brown pow

e if he had lost any of his "respect" for her. But she wouldn't kiss him! She'd bite her tongue out first!

ed for David; lived over every kiss he had given her, from the brushing of his lips against the ti

her crystal-gazing that first day of the carnival in Capital City. Girls laughed shyly and cuddled against their sweethear

men, seeking knowledge of the present, past and future, suggested that she fulfil her own prophecies of a "zo beau

understood from the midget, "Pitty Sing," that a nightly poker game attracted the men to the privilege car and that fist-fighting and even gun-play was no uncommon break in the monotony. Pop Bybee, genial unti

ilously high. The policemen who strolled grandly through the tents, proud of not having

wanted for assault with intent to kill and for moral delinquency, and in Sally Ford, runaway ward of the

er to stick with the carnival. It was rather fun to be on exhibition, reading the fortunes of the very policemen who had been given her description and orders to "get" her-much m

What have we here? A real live T

startled eyes at the man who had addressed her in an accent which at once marked him as an easterner of cu

ightly on a cane. His laughing, wise, cynical eyes challenged her and invited her t

-

accent drawled, leaning more nonchalantly on his cane and tw

Ziegfeld scout I assure you I'd be burbling your praises in a ruinously verbose telegram, and the devil take the expense. Would you mind lifting that scrap of bl

tle hands and your Tanagra figurine body should be quite enough-as an appetizer. You don't happen to 'spell' the Hula dancer-the ancient but still hopeful lady who has just been

by way of Mrs. Bybee, by the erstwhile "Princess Lalla," now in the hospital, minus her append

-in elevators, busses, what-nots-But since I am intrigued with the music of your voice-a very young and un-Turkish voice, if I may be permitted to say so

elp. But she was temporarily deserted by both audience and barker. Gus was at the moment ballyhooing Jan, the Holland giant, the chief attraction of th

fort to deceive the blase New Yorker by a tardy resumption of her "Turkish" accent. "But-oh, please go

black mustache, twitched with a rather rueful smile. "Child, that is the unkindest cut of all! If I had been reared we

platform and stood before her, only the small, blac

u? I'm really rather a wizard at it-a wow, as they say on Broadway, though I assure you, your highness, that I'm not a man to succumb to the insidiousness of slang. You must be rather tired of gazing, gazing, gazing into th

lessly. "Why do you want to make fun o

enly in the clear olive of his lean cheeks. "Now I'm sure you should let me read the

h of a cat's back. The posture brought his face very near to hers, so that she saw the fine grain of his

cinated and repelled her, for its dove-gray richness insolently suggeste

icked on the hat particularly. But she did; she wanted to brush it off the table

retended to gaze into the very heart of the crystal. "I see your whole

, forgetting that he wa

t fire upon her wide-eyed face. "And you've run away from-a man! Of course," he added lightly, "you'll always be running away from a man-men-every man that looks at

childishly quivering lips that would have showed ashen

orus first, the most adorable little 'pony' of them all! I shall sit in the bald-headed row and toss roses to you, child, and whisper to the eggs next me that 'I knew her when'-when she wa

ay, please! I want you all to meet Pri

g, swift strides, the crowd milling behin

eyes unhurriedly, bowed mockingly, lifted his hat, placed it on his sleek head, retrieved h

a bill into his hands and withdrew to the outskirts of the crowd, where he

tered down the steps and along the flattened stubble of the earth floor of the tent on her way to the dress tent to rest

e last performance tonight. I am stopping at the governor's mansion, and have the use of one of the official limousines. Cre

"I-I'm not that kind of

"Of course you aren't, darling! No girl ever is! And heaven forbid that I should be the sort of man-fellow, you say out here?-that you evidently believe I am! Now that we understand each other, I again suggest

t me go this minute! I don't like you! I hate you! If yo

with genuine amusement. "Am I the rube? Is

to this tent and-and simply tear you to pieces! It's the S O S signal of the circus and carniva

ingly as he slowly released her arm, as if reluctant to forego the pleas

rs. The thought which stung her pride most hurtingly was that the New Yorker had seen so

rcely as she dabbed fresh brown powder on her te

rformance. She pretended not to see him, but never for a moment, as she well knew, did his cold black eyes waver fro

aling to Gus, the barker, to forbid him admission to the tent, but she knew Gus was too good a business man to heed such a wasteful request. Besides

to her, at least for the moment. He was wiped out completely in the flood of terror and joy that

boys and girls, the girls dressed exactly alike in skimpy little white lawn

see "Princess Lalla," lately Sally Ford, ward