| Show The Sin of Innocence I 1 By Claire Pomeroy CHAPTER Richard Whelan had hael never to his knowledge known mown a a. eally really good woman and h he very much doubted their existence His boyhood had been anything but a pleasant one Left LeCt an orphan before he could remember ic- ic member either of his parents he had literally brought himself up in inthe inthe the tho streets of New York living sporadically with an uncle a a small merchant of miscellaneous wares down in the city's swarming east side His rise to the position of ot president of the Hanson Steamship company company was a story in itself a itself a story ot of tho romance of business and a mans man's determination to climb out of the gutter to the heights of wealth and social recognition Women he had hael known aplenty from the skirt swishing high cheek cheek- boned daughters of immigrants who paraded the crowded blocks s of oC A Avenue A of ot a breezeless breeze less summer evening when he was waR a sneering youth of f 16 to the silken creatures who lent their beauty at so much lC per week in the musical comedies which promised to make the tired business man less wear weary In Europe Europe Europe Eu Eu- rope Rich Whelan had known la ladies ladies la- la dies of or title authentic and otherwise otherwise otherwise other other- wise fair divorcees and wives of rich ilch men who lio hoped and prayed their husbands would never divorce them and he lie had mingled more or 01 orless orless less with the wise eyed chronically ly bored hothouse orchids who who were were the daughters of millionaires and near millionaires There may have been technically good women among this heterogeneous collection of ot femininity but if it there were there were sere you rou never could have convinced Mr Whelan of the fact Martha l Brandon held his interest as no woman had ever done before She was a new specimen to Rich Rich Rich- he could not catalogue her and set sether sether her down in the same category with his other feminine acquaintances The sheer mystery of her convent background stirred his imagination The lure of or an existence unknown to him like like a world set apart apart apart-a a aland land of ot beauty and freedom from the soiling influences of urban en environment environment en- en which he realized he could never grasp could never un un- un- un He lie telephoned Martha one da day in his most middle aged voice inviting im her to tea Martha bored and a I little sad and hungry for a change I accepted At the Plaza it was cool and there were green palms that kept their little UWe corner table quite secluded and anel Intimate You have Interested me an awful lot Miss Martha sai said l Rich as he smiled across the table at her and tried to catch h her hr r gray eyes under her wide black hat I I have thought about you OU ever since that thai night we met Martha lartha smiled back at him m. m He lIe seemed quite old to year old Martha and she felt no sense sense- of unease in his presence Why she as asked ked demurely The man waved a hand Oh I dont don't know exactly he replied I 1 guess its it's I because use youre you're so different from all these flappers Tell me he lie leaned forward slightly slight slight- l ly when you u were in that convent convent were vere you ou ever allowed to io go out anywhere anY The girl looked puzzled Go out Yes STes Could you come an and go as you ou liked out liked out on the streets to movies and and well well you OU know what I mean Martha lartha laughed There weren't any movies to go goto goto goto to Mr Whelan Not a movie within with with- in twenty miles She paused and her mind traveled travel eel back to the home she had known for fourteen years When we went Into town one of the sisters went along It was a great event a trip to the little French Canadian village where we shopped We discussed it for fol days s and anel days Whelan leaned back with evident pleasure Dont suppose you saw many men men did you he queried with an offhand gesture Xo No indeed Martha answered i ilen Men len were scarce Old Monsignor l Boffe Dotte came twice a month to hoar hear our confessions and Brother Andre called to get the things we knitted for the poor Martha lapsed into silence again and her eyes es dreamed into the past He was rather upsetting up up- setting setting Brother Brother Andre he made everyone laugh at his antics antics' Whelan's eyes narrowed How old oM was this Andre Oh Martha frowned thoughtfully thoughtfully thought thought- full fully fort forty or I fifty I I couldn't sa say exactly Vh Whelan lan sighed and pushed away his untouched caviar calar sandwich His expression was one of satisfaction as he lie leaned back once more Then Thea Howd you like young oung Bonner Martha fartha caught her breath at the abruptness t tf of f the question Oh Oh 1 she replied recovering her her- self he iso seems to bo lie rather rathel nice but not bo 0 very serious You said something Miss Martha Mar Mn- tha returned the man mian qU quickly Leslie Is a bit w wild ild and he don ont dont t seem to havo much sense Y You cant can't pin lin him down to anything lIc ic lighted a cigar and puffed rum rum- I J remember what little Countess o of Colton Coton said about him when she busted up with Leslie admirable She said an buffoon insatiable of pleasure and andie lie he ie fears no enemy but ennui Hello Hell He'll go o to extravagant lengths to van vanquish van tIm the tyrant even to breaking looked a a. womans woman's heart Whelan l keenly at the girl an and continued I couldn't have described him in such high words swords myself but the they fitted him so well swell I never forgot forgot forgot for for- got em Martha was silent Countess l Hed made love to her toolies too Hes lies no man for you Miss MartIm Martha Mar- Mar I tIm ha Whelan went sweat on You ought to o have an older man man who knows how hess low to take care of a sweet little girl like Uke you ou Somebody y who'll protect protect protect pro pro- you Martha looked ed at him curiously I He smiled at her fatuously fool fatuously fool fool- Old and slightly sentimental ho he 10 looked excepting that his seeking seeking seeking seek seek- ing eyes made Martha ble Jle She did not know that Rich Whelan's past had made him a Puritan now that time was touchIng touch- touch touchIng touching Ing him him him-a a Puritan wh where re the woman worn worn- an he hoped to control was concerned con con- Greedy for virtue that he lie might own it as the one thing in his life he lie had never before pos pos- I dont don't want to marry anybody said Martha after a bit Her eyes were downcast and her mouth was held sternly the tho sensitive lips lip's de de- de- de And as for Leslie Bonner Bonner Bonner Bon- Bon ner I have no more interest in him than than she shrugged ged a fl I Rich Rich Whelan's eyes covered every inch of Marthas Martha's softly curving fa face e and they traveled down along her white throat and rested at a line just above the place where her beige crepe frock ended in a delicate V V- V shape He sighed and his broad soft hands were rubbed together as though they were congratulating each other Mary Iary Crosby interviews Horace Brandon and they approach a mutual mutual mutual mu mu- understanding To be continued o A Y A. 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