THE, SUNDAY FICTION MAGAZINE, APRIL 22, 1917 The Strai 7l ji G irl mi the CrooHed B&ftln tv A a moment wnvn D'Aubrey's attention was claimed by the waiter, June relaxed. She did not try to analyze her concern for his opinion, bat she realized that she had " suddenly be come very miserable. By Jtianita. HameL IT DID not take June long to learn that she had been correct in her supposi tion that' Hargraves would be Been and recognized as he left her room. D'Aubrey made no mention of the fact, tint tm AA-fAMa i : i ,i i enough for June to understand. He ap peared to be strangely preoccupied when he met him, and as the evening wore on he became aware of a noticeable cool ness in his attitude. To her his manner was Indicative of distrust. A more ex- . iicneucw gin inu sne wouia nave tact , fully guided the conversation around to .-. the point of an explanation, and so, too, would Jane have attempted to do had it' ; not been for the resentment she felt that D'Aubrey should regard her with sus- V In so distraught a frame of mind .was she that she scarcely saw or com prehended the show they attended. After ward when he suggested dinner at the IItaly Cafe she readily assented. , She had decided that if she could do so Without placing herself in a concilia tory position she would, explain Bar graves visit and his presence in her room, She was not sure that It was a matter of any concern to D'Aubrey; per haps It was not this that ailed him. It .would be indelicate, to say the least. If she boldly approached the subject, she felt, so she awaited an opportunity. But the dinner, drew to a close without the desired opportunity presenting itself, jahd June's heart grew heavier. la her efforts to show no sign of the uneasi ness that was "hers she had been un usually frivolous, but in a moment when D'Aubrey's" attention was claimed by the waiter she relaxed. - She did not try to analyze, her concern for D'Aubrey's opinion; she only realized that she had suddenly become, very miserable. She seemed incapable of surmounting the barrier that had been erected. At the door of her home D'Aubrey left her abruptly instead of lingering for the usual chat and. pressure of hands. At times when they had stood thus and he had leaned close as though about to kiss her June's heart had fluttered violently, and now it took all of her womanly re straint to leave him and give no Indica tion of the desire which predominated her every thought, - - How i she yearned to feel his arms about her and his kisses on her unre sisting Hps! To have beard from him the words that -Hargraves had-uttered would have made her esthetically happy. But he did not think of love or mar riage; she was conscious only of an ach- tag. yeaVnlng feeling which his tender ness alone would have banished. With . an attitude of indifference that matched his own she bade D'Aubrey adieu. That night her pillow was wet with her tears. - ' . . June - had at "last solved the living problem. She .found that she could get more work than she could do. By the time Dolores dress was completed she was besieged by different members ' of the Highlights company to "come to their assistance," as one of the girls ex pressed herself. June was the medium through which they could obtain "clothes that were different," which is the desire of nearly every woman's heart, and the price for practically the same garment which the shops were offering was not so -exorbitant. But her work was not confined to those who were forced to economize. She was given a commission by one of the principals 6f the company to du- " plicate a certain lace, and frilled chiffon negligee, the original price of which that , individual could have well afforded. The money which June estimated would be required for the buying of materials and the making of the garment was given . her. By making her purchases at a store where she was allowed a modiste's dis count she was enabled to make a neat little sum on the undertaking. Her ex penses were smaller than they would ' have been had she been- employed away ., from ; home ' and . her income ' averaged - far more than her work in the chorus would have brought her. Her savings were mounting as the busy days sped by. But with all of this June was not .happy.' '- ' D'Aubrey had telephoned dallyj as : had been his custom, for - a time. - But . . . always his business , was pressing; he " did; not suggest an appointment. Then came the day when he announced that It was ; necessary- for him to leave Kfew . York for a time. Hla presence was re- . quired in 1 Oklahoma, where the head quarters of the oil company of which he was a stockholder and the chief New York representative was locate On the occasion of his last call mere had been more tenderness and concern in his voice and in his words than there had been since the night when June had last seen him, and his attitude had caused her such mental anguish. "Oood-by, little girl," he had said. "Don't forget me while I am gone. As soon as I return we are going to have a long talk. I have much to say. It may be surprising to you and I hope pleas ing." When she bent over her work again she had smiled through her tears as she speculated on the meaning of his words. But the memories of pleasantries and tender words are fragile things. Short lived are they in a world of doubts and fears. June received but one short letter. It told of delayed arrival and a trying Journey. Then followed a silence that was filled with anxious days of expecta tion and nights of wakefulness and tears. Her Hps ceased to curve in a smile at the memory of some act of solicitude or unconscious word that had given her a thrill of pleasure because it bad seemed to indicate that he cared. She would vow to herself that .It mattered not, and toss her -ftead as" though the action dismissed all thought of him. She found a measure of for getfulneas in her work. The days grew into weeKs ana with the improvement-in her financial condition came the yearn ing for her father and the home in Louisiana. While in such a mood she wrote a letter the letter she had long intended writing but had delayed be cause she could not send good tidings. She reckoned the months that had elapsed, months that must have been filled with anxiety for . her father. She realized that she had been Incapable of -fully comprehending until now. In a fever of subpense she awaited the mes sage of forgiveness. On her return home from an after noon In the shops one day June found the expected letter awaiting her. When : she read its contents she bow,ed her bead and sobbed with remorse. A few moments later she called Hilda on the phone. "I'm going home,' she announced. "Come over and help me pack my trunk." As she made her preparations she thought of D'Aubrey's words to her. What would he say what would he do when he learned that she had departed with no word of farewell? Perhaps he had not been sincere In his statements? Perhaps be would never so much as learn of her departure? June's heart -was filled with bitterness, her mind with one Intent to forget! ; (To be continued next week) ICopyrisht, 11T, by J. KeeleyJ