Show 14 biddy m ply ULU TT 4 illustrated ay RAY LT OY carr WW SS continued from last week mf W W W W CHAPTER VI it v as tw ta 0 0 clock in the afternoon flodde was aas crying seated at her desk bei hei bills littered her account books in disorder hei bet head was ails down don on her arms in an attitude of dial al aban don she did not weep she cried hall Bouis telle married and not to her married to horna ah ab that vas v as the A worst arst of it it if flodde had known the identity of her rival her borrow sorrow might have before now been transmuted into anger would mrs royalton or carolyn dallys become mrs or worst of all would ahe wedding ring be worn by rosamund gale flodie didn t know hall know even rosamund didn dian t know herself hence flodde s tears wet and heavy splashing trick ling soaking the dark blue blotter of clodies s desk at two ten sundry sounds translay tran slat ed by flodie s intimate knowledge of hall Donis telles s ways indicated his approach she sat hastily down at the tYpe typewriter Ariter and began to print off this interesting message quiz jack thy frowns vex G D plumb interesting mainly because a con of flodie s debutante days at the typewriter it contained every known letter of the alphabet now it served to focus her mind on her fin gers and hide bide her face from scrutiny when hall came in she had copied the statement nine times and seemed too busy for speech say I 1 im in going out flo riot he an bounced and tapped with his stick on the floor thoughtfully flodie kept right on thy frowns vex 0 G D plumb but love and curl curt osley won against embarrassment she v heeled round in her chair what are going to do mr 9 there s work for you to do I 1 should think lord I 1 don t feel much like work vork v today but lye I 1 finished mrs royal tons plates carry dallys too some of her poses are not halt half bad ashes she 8 almost pretty did you know it I 1 dian didn t have time to develop rosamund she can wait I 1 expect have plenty of time tor for her later at the inflection flodde turned to him again with a heartbroken look oh mr have you really made up your mind that she flodde couldn coulden t finish she choked halt hall laughed lord made up my mind mindl what good would that do its up to them now well I 1 in on the way to buy the ring and I 1 ought to set get a suit of clothes to go away in I 1 haven t anything at all to wear flodie bit her up lip hard oh ob mr was she going to break down after all in despair her fin gera gers flew flow to the keys of her machine thy frowns vex 0 G D plumb juiz quiz jack he tapped her playfully with fill the tip of his stick well I 1 im M off flo see you tonight be de here early flodde turned a wretched face to him her eyes were A wet et but I 1 dont don t know how you mant ft ant the rooms decorated mr oh I 1 don t care use your own taste it 11 be all right you can do it so long flo and he was aas off flodie went ment to the washstand be hind the screen and dabbed her eyes in cold water mater then inspected herself mercilessly in the mirror A sigh she inaam a face at herself and re turned listlessly to work but mental occupation was imps sible flodie had too much on her mind already manual exercise was aas what she needed to keep her from giving up to her misery there were the freshly developed plates she went into the dark room to get them taking the rack full of glass nega tives she emerged and walked into the office busy with melancholy thoughts of hall Doni stelle a shock awaited her there was a stranger in the room mr air ina in he was a tall gaunt stoop dered tiered man mail with a long upper up lip deep lines sharp as saw cuts ran down his cheeks and from the end ends of his gash like mouth his neck was flabby the cords showing like the ribs of a fan rusty provincial garments hung loosely upon him draping his bony body and in his hands he held a soft felt prehistoric hat he was not at all a city person one almost smelt salt marshes at low tide and clams his ill cut hair too suggested wet seaweed flodie at another time would have had trouble in restraining her smile now her heart was too heavy her sense of the ridiculous inhibited she merely looked him over carelessly added him up as some sort of drum roer mer p person erson and replied that her em ein r was not in ain abut t in eh eha I 1 he ile looked her over inquisitively what be you anyway his wifel he pierced her with bia his little blue eyes the words stung her to the quick her nerves were all exposed she managed her face however and re plied no im his assistant that 8 all bookkeeper sort of I 1 he was still watching her shrewdly aint ail t going to marry him be ye flodie sensitive as she was could not help showing a little of her dis tress the color began to rise on her cheeks in her embarrassment she bridled 1 Is 13 3 that any business of yours she answered in meek resent ment yep he said considerable as it happens Hassing bury a my name jonas B ain t never heerd 0 me be ye flodie gasped oh ohl not mr boni boul cousin jonash he nodded solemnly rut runt cousin once removed oh she exclaimed mr air bonis donis telle tells will be awfully sorry to have ora 2 V t ain aint t in eh missed you but I 1 in afraid he wont be back till late this afternoon wont won t eh eha wall now that s too bad I 1 did want to have a little dish 0 gossip with hall but come to think of it I 1 dunno but perhaps you 11 do just as well again he inspected the room nice place he hes s got here don t live here though does he hea flodie pointed into the studio yes he has a room in there and where do you live miss jonas demanded boldly his tone was offensive and alusa deepened she managed to be polite oh quite a way from here in darkest harlem hm jonas eyes were fastened on her keenly watching every change in biodle s espres ve face ala ain t sweet on him be yet ye flodie rose in brath rath what right had he why should he stumble so on the truth it was torture for her she walked toward the stockroom trembling it you it 11 excuse me mr air Hassing bury I 1 ve got some pictures to print she started to enter hold on a minute miss I 1 want to talk to yet ye said jonas beckoning with a bony finger I 1 im in sorry but I 1 im in awfully busy flodie stammered wall he remarked so be I 1 this 13 1 important though I 1 guess you can spare me five minutes or so I 1 d t come up all the way from branford connecticut and miss prayer night at that just tor for the tun fun of it bee here Is hall married or not that s what I 1 want to know still firdies s color mounted no he it not why see here miss jonas beckoned again set ye down you needa t be afraid I 1 ain aln t goin to hurt ye I 1 in a religious man and a church member ye can trust me debbe you think I 1 in my nose into what s none of my business but land im his cousin and I 1 guess I 1 got a good right to know his plans on the subject 0 matrimony he ile gazed at her cruelly and I 1 expect you know why now don t yea ye no said flodie faintly leaning on the desk for support I 1 see ye know more n you re willin to let on he continued I 1 want wa n t bom born yesterday miss nor yet the day before and I 1 know so methin about women omen it if I 1 be a bachelor tip up in branford they call me weather wise wall the signs on a woman s face Is just as easy sometimes now see here he hitched his chair nearer to flodie you don t want hall boni dont stelle to git married no moren more n I 1 do ain aint t that so flodie stared at him fascinated as a bird by a snake try as she could it was impossible to deny his tion hold on a minute now t he ile shook his finger impressively I 1 d give a good deal it if I 1 he wouldn t be married before midnight I 1 hodie lodle could stand it no longer it was useless to attempt to hide bide her feelings from this man her heart was bursting 1 oh so would I 1 if I 1 had the money she cried A boebe 0 ebe gone jonas leaned back with a smile of victory on his face wall I 1 guess I 1 got to the woman of it at last he gloated all women Is just alike when you come right down to it one man among a thousand have I 1 found but a woman oman among all those have I 1 not found that Is different but that s neither here nor there I 1 sus sits pecked you was aas sweet on hall your face give you dead away aray wall then miss be he brought it out deliberately seems to me our interests ought to be identical what ayou d you mean meana something in flodie s was awak ened you bein a woman don t want him to marry anybody else wall neither d do 0 I 1 he watched her closely heart lessly lessi ly I 1 bee said flodie frigidly be cause ou oud d lose a fortune oh it ain aln t the money miss mir s don t you misinterpret my motives I 1 don dont t want a cent ot it for myself it s what I 1 an do with it see here it 14 hall all gets that money be hes s bound to throw it away on all sorts of foolishness it if he marries tonight some sheep sheephead head ed extravagant woman will have the dendiu of it he hatched the shaft A strike flodie and went on as it if I 1 inherit it why I 1 got my plans all laid out a ready he il e leaned 1 ea n e d for f or ward earnestly why d do 0 y you 0 u k know n ow mi mia mis s they theys s 1 eathen leathen in the tropics what dont don t know what clothes be let alone the bible they te I 1 me they am ain t a toothbrush nor a pair 0 corsets in all esia and all of them mis erable biggers got to be damned ever lasting 11 ihen hen tl ey s hospitals I 1 in tend to endow and tracts ought to be printed but dirt flodie s eyes were cast dov dofan n he saw that he I 1 lad ad lost his aud ence and came back to his best argument think 0 hall s wife throwing that cash round on parties and low necked dresses to say bothin 0 balls and concerts and theaters well flodie said with a pat betl look in her tice I 1 don t see what we can do about it he s made up his mind to marry tonight and he a al ready proposed to three women jonas whistled long and low looks like we got to get to morg a in a hurry don t tita it see here miss he spoke slowly and emphatically you can do it why women is born for tricks like this what s that jeremiah A woman shall compass a man right too you 11 find a way and depend on me to help all I 1 can what d ye say saya flodie s mind had already jumped to the task why not try to save hall that was aas the excuse she gave her self to be disloyal to him was un thinkable but to prevent a lifelong unhappiness due to his marrying any one of the three women he had proposed to ah that was another thing what it if she could accomplish it and get the boat ot of this scheming hypo crite into the bargain 7 there was a magnificent chance for a woman s strategy suddenly the thought came beautiful complete she jumped up excitedly excite dl I 1 know she cried got an idee ides a aready jo nas grinned yes tell you I 1 im in going to get those three women together in this and then I 1 11 just let nature take its course I 1 it something doesn doean t happen then I 1 dont know anything about women jonas chuckled delighted wall that will ail be a picnic wont iti by duminy I 1 d like to see the fun no said flodie you 11 have to leave I 1 ve got lots to do if I 1 in to manage this thing and I 1 ve got to do it alone now lets see walt a min ute hall halls s giving a party tonight suppose I 1 tell him that I 1 invited you ana anci you come round at about eleven 0 clock then tell you how mat are going eleven 0 clock lord I 1 generally git to bed by ten lou ou wont toniga then better drink some coffee it if youre you re sleepy and I 1 guess it 11 be worth sitting up for good afternoon mr hassing bury flodie did not offer to shake hands jonas gazed at her in overgrowing ever growing admiration say miss he ventured it alft often I 1 get loony over a worn wom an I 1 don t trust em ein enough dut but I 1 ve took consider ble fancy to you somehow you goi go a good head on your shoulders you have flodie evaded his hand well it s ill egx ey to stay there I 1 in afraid at any rate it 11 never be on yours mr Hassing bury with which flod e went without honoring him with another glance into the stockroom leaving him to take his departure alone continued next week |