| Show rp SERVICE ANNE AUSTIN ono sinn 1 US S HAS HAPPENED l ford d ward of the state or- or front the time she is four ed out to Clem Carson the she is 16 lG and nd meets David Li fete and student who ison is on the on the Carson farm during i mgr mer r. r David becomes becomes' en- en I 1 Carson mal makes es insulting I about out the students student's inno- inno i with Sally and a terrific blow blow I and nd David run away and ami I c ci carnival David as Cooks Cook's id Sally in a sideshow diss dis- dis I i s Princess Lalla crystal It Crystal Hula dancer who knows knowse e are after Saily Sally and David Ire Iy she will expose her if nt kC keep p hands off David aits it shamelessly she is in- in i with V-ith the boy I I Il l City Sally soon forI forI for for- I fears ars under her success success- WI of the crystal gazer She one afternoon by ae a e dressed well dressed Easterner lY insists on reading her crystal He stays of the crowd with C constantly on her leer How- How lly forgets forg-ets him when she che of Iller little friends the inthe in- in the Ithe 1 e orphanage troop into t t tW Sally wonders who is good angel to the orphans Espies s a woman with them ely ely dressed but with a look looks look's s 's sg s in her yes eyes eyes Sally is from her f he lovely woman h hy by the theone theone one of the children That's cess cess Lalla Its It's Sally Ford Jord ng ng Ii ijo go on with the stor story CHAPTER L 15 terrible moment Ion longor long or Gus the barker to jump lS Ill I'll platform and come toon toon to- to Jon on a run Sally sat frozen or She felt feIt that Betsey's had stripped her of her up nake-up of ot her fantastic protecting black lace I that hat anyone who looked l at leo ll ee that she was indeed I I l Ford play acting anted to rise from her heri i 15 fi and run for her life life life- Ids Id's but Td's but she had lest allf all f her muscles Betsey was ig ng 1 to her her babyish il the slender l ler r the he green satin jacket I is bounded upon the platt plat- plat t I o k the almost hysterical o lb his arms Tiddlywinks he s sing sang ng t illy v. v Having a good time ca ni al Listen Kiddie g to give ive gi e you vou a real treat You u know what youre you're goj go- go j 2 Just gue guess s' s s self elt elf the blood begin to thaw Zen oxen ozen veins Gus was stand stand- D Dear ar Gus But Gus was too ine give the child in 11 hi his arms e to o reply He Ill hurried on 3 loud ud and cajoling i to let you ou stand right h platform with the o I her fidget her names name's Pitty I nd show all the other k kids ds I bigger you i ou are than a aI ap p I lady lady and she's not nearly 1 is OU Now ow what do youtha you that tha t r was Iwas s torn between her love lo whom hom she was convinced fo found nd and her pride in been bee be- be e en o stand beside the mid mid- 0 doubtfully from iose iose Ios e eyes es beneath the black vere were lowered to her tight tight- hands to the p platform orm o op- op where Pitty sing It I the midget was stretching out a Un tiny hand invitingly The midget wo won won for the moment at east least t tIm aS Im S six going in o on n seven seven and ana l m Im a big girl she confided confided to the barker on whose shoulder she riding ness I g in m delightful conspicuousness conspicuous conspicuous- ous was was' The children true to the herd I Instinct which had been been so so highly 1 developed in the orphanage trooped a after tel Gus and Betsey even more II easily dIverted than she from theIr popeyed pop eyed inspection I Lalla Lana of Princess I Sally heard Thelma answer anwer another another an an- other child derisively Aw Ass Betsey Beti Betsey's Bet- Bet sey sey's s off n her nut Sure that that tha aint aint S Sally lly i That's a Turkish princess from stan Con The man said so Sides Sallys Sally's white and the princess is brown brown- I All right children right this way a Gus was ballyhooing loudl loudly PermIt me to Introduce Pitty Sing the smallest and prettiest little woman In the world Just 29 inches tall 29 year old and 29 Pounds heavy Did I say heavy Excuse me Pitty sing I meant 29 9 pounds light light- t Look at her e ladles and gents Aint she cute Her lIeI parents were were just as big as your papas and mamas mamas- mamas mama He remembered just too late that he was talking to orphans and his jolly f face fa-ce ce went dark red But he recovered quickly glancing about his audience saw that Miss 1 Pond was straying nervous nervously y toward Sallys Sally's platform as if halfway convinced convinced convinced con con- vinced that Betsey's childish intuition intuition tion had been correct Oh Miss Pond he sang out ingratiatingly I 1 wonder wondel Jf if f you'd oud do m me mY mea a favor to step up on the platform I believe belleve Betsey is scared I l' l believe belleve she's scared half hait out of her skin He Ile laughed stooped to cluck chuck Betsey under the chin then with a a. courtly gesture offered Miss lIss Pond his hand Sally looked on her throat tight with fear and with tears of gratitude gratitude gratitude tude toward Gus as the barker I with a rapid fire of talk and joking kept his audience completely He jollied shy little Betsey into taking the midget into her arms like a baby or a big doll and only Sally of all those who looked on on could guess how keenly the arti- arti smiling little atom of hu humanity IU- IU manity was resenting this insult to her dignity He coaxed the flattered and flustered flustered flustered flus flus- Miss Pond into standing beside beside beside be be- be- be side Pitty Sing so that the children children children chil chil- dren could see what a vast difference difference differ differ- ence epee there was in their height And somehow he had attracted the attention attention attention at at- at- at br bf of a carnival for before h he had exhausted the possibilities of the midget as a diversion diversion diver diver- sion Winfield Bybee himself came striding into the Palace of Wonders Wonders Won Von Vondel's ders dels mounted the midgets midget's platform platform platform plat plat- form and after a moments moment's whispered whispered whispered whis whis- conference with Gus made an announcement Children Im I'm old Pop Bybee Winfield Bybee is the way its it's wrote down in the Bible I own this carnival carnival car car- and nd I want to tell you children children chil chil- dren that Im I'm proud to have you as my guests I love chi children dren always did Now row boys and girls the Ferris wheel and the whip and the I rounds merry-go-rounds are waiting for you He was interrupted by a whoop of oC joy from the boys in which the girls joined more timidly It t wont won't cost you ou a cent If your OUI chaperon chaperon chaperon chap chap- eron eron- eron and he turned to Miss lIss Pond with a courtly bow will bow will will do methe me methe methe the honor- honor to accept these tickets you'll all have a ride on the Ferris wheel heel the whip and the merry merry-go- round free Dont Don't crowd now children but gather at thedoor thedoor the tho door of the tent I 1 thank you When he ho sprang rather stiffly from the platform he offered Miss Pond his hand then with her arm pressed to his side he escorted her with pompous courtesy to the door of the tent where here the children were already milling about wild with excitement In her terror Sally had forgotten the haired golden-haired woman in the green silK sports suit Now that the the danger was passing lous lousy v averted by Gus and Pap B Bj Bybee b bee she started to draw a deep trembling ing sigh of relief but it was choked in her throat by the discovery ery erv that she was being regarded intently by the beautiful woman who was standing beside the midgets midget's mid mid- midgets midget's gets get's platform Oh Sally thought In a new flutter of terror She heard Betsey call me Sally Ford She's going to toi i question me I wonder who she is maybe maybe she's a trustees trustee's wife oh wife oh she's coming She's going to talk to tome tome tome me me me- meShe She rose from her high backed gi girded ded chair trying to do o so without without without with with- out haste Since the performance was ended she had every right rig to leave the tent and she would do doso doso doso so so but she mustn't run She mustn't give herself away away- lo Hel l Enid nid I couldn't couldn t believe m mv my eyes What in the tho world are you doing so far from Park avenue a ave ave- venue ve- ve nue S Sally forcing herself Jo 0 o walk with sedate leisureliness own the ittle wooden steps of the platform the tho New Yorker who had hac I been saw aw paying paving her half mocking half mocking half ad ad- ad miring attention I all afternoon stride swiftly and J gracefully across teros the tent toward the haired golden-haired w woman man So So he too had witnessed Betsey's hysterical identification She had forgotten that he was w was inthe in inthe inthe the tent watching her smiling mockingly biding his chance to ask her again to go to supper with him after the last show that night The golden ha hailed golden red woman halted and Sally Saily out of the corner of her veil protected ted eyes saw an expression expression expression sion of startled surprise and then hen of annoyance sweep sweep over the beautiful beautiful beautiful beau beau- little face Odd that these two who 1110 had so EO strangely cros crossed d her path ii in one hectic day should know each other other should meet a thousand miles mUes away from home in a freak show tent of a third-rate third carnival Oh hello Van I might ask what youre you're doing so far from Park avenue avenue avenue ave ave- nue but I suppose youre you're visiting your cousin the governor Courts Court's here on business and Im I'm amusing myself taking the orphans to the carnival A new role for me isn't it LadY it-LadY Lady Bountiful poor little devils If only they didn't w want nt to paw pa paw me 4 Now that she was safe from being being being be be- be- be ing questioned Sally wanted to tomake tomake make malec her passage to the alley door of the tent take as long as possible possible possible pos pos- sible so that not a note of the music music music mu mu- sic of that extraordinary voice should be lost lot to her She had expected expected expected ex ex- the haired golden ladys lady's voice to be a sweet tinkling so soprano so- so to match her in size but the voice which thrilled her with its perfection on of modulation was arich a arich rich throaty contralto a little arrogant arrogant arrogant arro arro- gant even as the speaker was but so effortless and so golden that Sally would have been divinely content content content con con- tent to listen to it no matter what words it might have said Sally paused at the door of the tent and cast a swift glance backward backward backward back back- ward over her satin green shoulder Van was holding one of Enids hands in both of his laughing down at her mockingly but fondly as if it the they were the best of friends Well Veil she said to herself as she sheran sheran sheran ran toward the dress tent now now that hes he's found her he wont won't bother me I wonder who Court Courtis is Her IIer husband I hate rich women who play play- Lady Bountiful she thought with fierce resentment But But I I cant can't hate her She's too beautiful Like a little gold and green reen bird bird bird-a a singing bird bird bird-a a bird that tho t sings contralto She was resting between shows lying on her cot in the dress tent when Pop Bybee came striding in i Its all right honey honey- Dont Don't be beI I scared to go on with the show That crackling to me C all aU I Pond dame came all believing what this bet het up half I Betsey bab baby said about you being 1 Sally Ford but I give her a grand song and dance about you being the I i same Princess Lalla who joined the show in New York in April She wanted to talk talle to you but I steered her off oft told her you ou couldn't couldn t hardly i speak English and shed she'd just upset you Just lust stick to your lingo child and dont don't act scared Aint a chance in the world the Pond dame will make another squawk He lIe must have spoken to Gus also for the barker cut her late afternoon after after- afternoon noon and evening as short as possible although by doing so he lie lost many a quarter She smiled upon him gratefully was pleased to the point of tears b by his whispered Good kid Idd Youve You've sure got sand after the 10 o'clock I show when she had apparently re regained regained regained re- re gained her confidence and her Intuition in intuition intuition In- In who tuition in sizing up rubes desired to know lenow past present and ana I I future 1 t l As the evening wore on the heat oppressive grew more and more The wilted audience passed lan Ian languidly an- an from freak to freak mopping their red faces and tugging at tight collars Children cried fretfully monotonously women reproved I them with high heat maddened heat maddened I voices Jan the giant fainted while Gus was ball ballyhooing him and it took six white hopes to carry him to his tent At 11 o'clock when Gus had just started his last I terrified spiel of the evening a black man with eyes rolling and sweat pouring down his face staggered staggered staggered stag stag- into the tent bawling folks folks' Awful storms storm's blowin up Look lak lal a cyclone Run for yo yO lives Tents aint safe sate Oh Olt mah man To be continued A crime follows in the path of the storm and David is suspected |
