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Show YES GIRL - TC" Louisa Holmas "All right, Linda all right About 1:45 p. m. then?" He named the station. It was S o'clock and Nick's train left at . half after S and Nick's train left at . Six o'clock and Nick's It became a chanatjound-ing chanatjound-ing in Linda's brain. At frequent intervals she caught up the small boy who tagged at her feels. Rapturously she kissed him, fearfully she held him. . Once he asked, "Why you love me so much?" "Because I'm happy and scared and glad and wicked," sh answered. At T she was ready for Carter. Her dinner gown was the same dark blue as her eyes, it was long and slim and graceful. Tight sleeves covered her arms, soft folds dropped away from the shoulders, exposing the smooth lovs-l liness of her back. Proudly Carter held the fur coat and she walked away from him. her glowing face turned over her shoulder not to miss hu reactions. The coat was looae. it had full sleeves and a flattering collar. with the strange surroundings that Linda had considerable difficulty getting him into his small pajamas. At last she tucked him into tha berth and snipped off the sids lights. Where was Nick? He had said only a moment . She put her hand on th small bras door knob. Th door wa locked. Breathlessly, sh dropped to tha mohair couch. From afar off came th strident tones of th conductor. "All aboard. All aboard." With a slight shake and quiver tha train started. Linda sat still, her eyes on tha locked door. With the whirr of Increasing In-creasing speed th door slowly opened and Nick came in. "It won't do you any good to scresm." he said. "Because if you do I'll choks you." "Gracious, Linda gasped. Nick leaned over her and if any human fac ever registered determination his did. Rlchi yawned and closed his eyes. "You are going with me," Nick stated firmly. "1 have a special i license. There is a justice right out- I (Continued on Pbllowln Patl CHAPTER S In th long hours of the night Linda found th loophol. It wa there, clear and distinct. But how to get herself through It, that was the question. Slowly sh formulated plans, discarded dis-carded and revised them. In the morning she conferred long with Marie and they were busily packing pack-ing Richie's trunk and bags when Carter arrived in high spirits. His egotism made him sure, but still ... As well to keep Linda under surveillance until Nick was well on his way. "How is the future Mrs. Crawford?" Craw-ford?" he asked with heavy jubilance. jubi-lance. Sha Entertains Carters "Oh, perfect," she dimpled "Did you bring me something. Carter?" and, at his blank look, "I thought you might bring me a ring. I never had an engagement ring." she pouted. He laughed uproariously, all his vague doubts put to rout. She was displaying a new aide and he loved "You do m proud, Linda, my dear," Carter remarked. "Every man who sees you will envy me." Linda's hands snook as she pulled on her soft whit gloves. Seven o'clock and Nick train left at . Eight o'clock. Linda and Carter sat at a small table In th well bred elegance of one of the city's smartest smart-est clubs. Linda chatted and smiled, she sent devastating side glances across the table and Carter basked In a self-congratulatory glow. He had been right, Linda was attracting at-tracting admiration from everyone in the room. She made a brave pretense pre-tense of sating, but her throat ached, shivers of fear and excitement excite-ment made her physically ill. Eight fifteen. In spite of herself Linda's eyes wandered again and again to the door. Then suddenly she stiffened. A brass buttoned boy appeared and came briskly toward their table. Linda's heart plunged Into a gallop. Bless Frank Stafford-bless Stafford-bless him. He hadn't failed her. "A telephone call, Mr. Crawford-very Crawford-very urgent," said the boy. Carter rose and looked about Importantly. Im-portantly. Assured that he was being be-ing appropriately noticed, he said to Linda, "Excuse me, dear" "Certaintly." she breathed. He swaggered after the boy. shoulders back, head arrogantly erect. The instant he passed from view Linda followed. it. "Give your old man a kiss and you'll have the swellest ring in Lown." Obediently she raised her Hps. If tier eyes were closed and her hands clenched, hs was too elated to notice. no-tice. "Now I must hurry have a million mil-lion things on my mind. Nick and Richie are going tomorrow night snd " Everything depended on Carter not knowing that Nick and Richie were leaving at t o'clock on that very evening. It was the point upon which the failure or success of a certain turning worm depended. de-pended. "Oh, tomorrow night," Carter repeated re-peated as If pleased. "Let Marie look after things and spend the day with me." "You know I'd love to, but " When he insisted she went to him and put her arms around his neck, loathing herself a she did so. Shs pressed her fragrant cheek against his. "Much as I love you. Carter." she whispered, "I'm fond of Richie, too. Let me stay with him just today please " Cringing away from his possessivs arms she kept reminding herself, "I can stand It I can stand it I must keep this up until train time tonight-" Carter argued and commanded Linda Runs Away Leaving th coat of fur spread Ilk a gorgeous mantle over her chair, sh threaded her way swiftly between be-tween th tables. At tha wide doorway door-way she hesitated. At the end of the foyer Carter was entering a telephone booth. With her heart In her mouth she ran, a slender blue streak, in the opposite direction, spun through the revolving door and looked frantically franti-cally up and down the street. "Miss Linda" "Marie" "This way." As they ran Linda struggled Into a coat Maris held for her. A taxi driver opened the door of his cab. Richia's gay shout came from Inside and Linda dropped weakly to the seat beside him. "Hurry," sh gasped and turned .to call through th window, "Wonderful. "Won-derful. Mar. Thank you." Richie scrambled across her to wave and shout. The cab swiftly lost itself in th traffic and it was 8:23 p. m. Richie said. "You're all haky. Linda." and snuggled close to her. Bhe put her arms around him and hsld fast trying to stsady her breathing. Nick waited for them at the taxi stand. A red cap carried Richie's bags and they hurried to the waiting wait-ing train. Nick had nodded to Linda and sh had smiled fleetingly. A porter helped Richie up the steps and the four of them filed through the narrow aisle. In a drawing room the porter neatly piled Richie's bags beside Nick's on the mohair couch, then he went away grinning from ear to ear. Nick said, and his voice trembled, trem-bled, "Could you get the boy to bed. Linda? Then we will have a few minutes alone." "I'll put him to bed." she returned re-turned unsteadily. "I love to put this little boy to bed.'' j "I'll be back in a minute." Nick went out and closed the door be- jhind him. Richie was so enthralled and at last Linda promised to dine with him at T. It waa a bad break for her plana, but not unaurmount-able. unaurmount-able. It made necessary changing them, but they were still in the shifting stage. So much depended on everything. Of one thing she was sure. In some way she must get to the o'clock train and without Carter. She must see Nick alone, tell him the truth, make him understand. Carter departed at last and the small apartment seethed with activities. ac-tivities. At 4 came an Immense, beautifully beauti-fully wrapped box for Linda. . It contained a coat of fur, softly luxurious, lux-urious, and, she knew, fabulously expensive. A card from Carter accompanied it. "Wear It tonight, beautiful Linda." Without removing the coat from Its nest of tissue she hurried back to her labors. And at 3 cam a telephone call from Nick. He wa stilted and un-emotiqnal, un-emotiqnal, almoet cold, but Linda, with her heart attuned to his, caught a thread of excitement, a hint of something sh wa unable to define. "I'm up to my ye trying to get things arranged so I can leave," he told her. "Will it be possible for you to bring Richi to th train? I hat to troubl you" "No troubl at all." cordially. Thi meant another change of plans, but a relatively simple one. "Linda" with a little hesitation. "Yes," her heart pounding. "May I ask a favor?" "Of course." To Go Alone "Will you promise to come yourself? your-self? It's a lot to ask. but I want to talk to you a moment alone." His ton underlined th last word. It was quit plain that he had no wish to see Carter Crawford before leaving. The beating of Linda's heart almost al-most smothered her. "I think I ' can arrange it, Nick," ah said. "I think I can." Yes Girl ICoiitlnutd from Preceding Pige) . side the door. Now will you content con-tent willingly or must I ?" He stopped bewildered. Linda was laughing. She threw back her head and laughed until her eyes were bright with tears. "Nick," she choked, "can't you see how f-funny It Is?" He laughed too. he couldn't help it. He gathered her Into his arms. "You wouldn't go hysterical on me, would you darling?" he asked tenderly. ten-derly. In truth she was close to just that.' She stopped laughing with a little gurgle. "Nick my trunks are on this train one of Richie's suitcases belongs be-longs to me don't you see? I'm running run-ning away with you and you're running run-ning away with me oh, Nick." They were married in the observation obser-vation car with the grinning porter and highly approving conductor as witnesses. Linda in the blue dinner gown, waa a charming bride and Nick, hardly believing the miracle, Incoherent Inco-herent In hia Joyoua responses. Later Linda wrote a telegram and gave it to ths porter. It was addressed ad-dressed to Carter Crawford. The message read, "Promises msds under coercion are noj binding. bind-ing. How'a that for a loop hole? Nick and I. wera married 10 minutes min-utes ago." They stood beside Richie's berth. He stirred and opened his eyes. "This Is a funny bed," he mur-I mur-I mured sleepily, but there was no .answer. I Nick was kissing his wife and her arms were around his neck and there was no such thing as a speeding speed-ing train. There was only paradise. para-dise. The End., ' |