| Show I ANNE N E ARDNER s V WHAT HAS liAS GONE BEFORE DEFORE I r l 8 Nan Hard Hardy brilliant young oung news new newspaper paper woman believes she Is In lov e I a aper p er er ith Harry Gordon the News News' stai stal r I Reporter but she die Is troubled beta J Out Ou Hie be e declares he will Ul never ne marry t tf pique she me h tells tella him she Is engage d lo 10 o Jocko Weltman a cub reporter who ho Is infatuated with her Then The n Kan Nn devotes de herself to Weltman In inder der to make Harry Jealous On thee th the A e of or a reconciliation re with Harry Ithe file forgets her plan until Jocko pros pro pro- s to her She Is filled with re re- re morse orse j I CHAPTER FOUR lorse I RECONCILIATION Next morning unusually roomy loamy face was wreathed In smiles is as he gloated over the paper spread ton in the deE desk k The Nc News s 's had done 1 it And the fact tact was advertiser advertised In large black type all over the front t page age Acting on clues du gout by Harry Gordon brilliant nt News man the line e police had been n able to w arrest the cashier before he had one a thousand miles Harry had scored another one of ofIs ofIs Is ils amazing marln triumphs Making de- de from the slenderest of or hints tie e had confirmed his hunch as to the whereabouts hereabouts of or the Ule fugitive and the I arrest had followed Now Harry the prisoner ner and an officer were on their theiry way y back hack would soon be here herc but slot story and his interview w with the prisoner obtained en cn route was aJ already In the paper Nans Nan s face mirrored the city editors editor's edl- edl tot tor's as he read the fruits of Harrys Harry's Achievement ement A beautiful Job a s beautifully beautifully beau beau- told story No one could have done it as wellA well A uA clean scoop scoop was as re repeating rev rc- pealing with that pride in a n task well done that Is the good newspaper newspaperman's newspaperman's newspaperman's mans man's best recompense No one else had a smell of it till our paper was wason wason wason on the street str t. t That's great boss bos said Nan af affectionately af- af on the ticket for me Interview the wile wife Yes hop out there ther as soon as youcan you youcan ou can get there And Weltman can go along long too NAN NAt GETS TIER HER STORY Nan forgot the scene of the nl night ht before in her excitement over o the task tuk in hand nor did Jocko give any sign Ign that he ho remembered Indeed working with Nan on a story of this sort seeing how quick and clever she was made him wonder how hov he could ever have ha thought for a minute that I she he might have any use for him This would probably prove a hard assignment and that was the kind Nan liked the best the kind that taxed her wits its Her eyes danced in anticipation of or a spirited struggle Long before they had reached th the house she had plans ready for th the various carious difficulties that ml might ht arise I Every Enry one In town town will be trying to get et in that house Nan rapidly sketched the situation to the less lej ex cx- experienced Jocko be mad at as a hornets at being scooped on the main mail story so they'll be bre breaking their thel necks to clean up on the rest The wife will probably refuse to see sec nn anyone any one or to give give out an any pictures She considered thoughtfully Tell you ou what Well We'll leave the taxi at the end of the block and go goto goto goto to the back door Well We'll say were we're from the bonding company that handled handled han han- her husbands husband's bond bond wives wives never know anything about business and Ill I'll bet that will let et us in Nans Nan's ruse was completely success success- ful While a group croup of importunate gentlemen from the other papers cooled their heels on the front porch she and Jocko gained admittance atthe a athe at atthe the back where their knock brought a woman sad faced who scanned their faces carefully She let them In when Nan had stated their errand VICTORY OVER RIVALS Nans Nan's sympathetic manner soon won the womans woman's confidence and she I was pouring out her story story-of story of r theother the thc theother other woman for whom her husband had wrecked his home and his life When Nan had learned what sh wanted she hesitated a a. minute flashing a glance lance at Jocko Then she made a quick decision Mrs Hoffman HoHman she said we misrepresented misrepresented misrepresented mis mis- represented thin things s a little in order to o get in to sec see you ou Were We're from the News But walt waft wata a minute as the woman started up with a gasp We want to help you ou really Well We'll write a story that will help you ou because because be because be- be cause were we're truly awfully sorry for YOU vou If you put yourself in our lands hands hands you wont won't regret it There has to be something in the paper about bout a thing like this this this-that's that's why people buy papers you know to find out ut the facts about things they're I Interested In Its It's best to get the facts acts right now Isn't It Nans Nan's argument won on With Mrs I tollman's HoHman's help Nan picked out the pictures she wanted and handed hem them to Jocko Jacko who departed with them hem for the office But Nan could I not resist the chance to savor tavor the triumph of the News' News second beat of I the lie day After she knew Jocko was I safely away she reassured Mrs Hoffman Hoffman Hoffman Hoff Hoff- I man once more opened the door making sure it clicked shut with a night lock behind her and walked serenely out to greet her rivals J Mrs Hoffman HoHman wished me to tell J Jou yo i ou that she has given an exclusive I I I I I I J Interview to the News she said wrinkling her nose impudently and she sho would be grateful If you 00 would stop cluttering up her front porch Aw Nan have a heart 1 I Howd How'd you OU get In there came as a n chorus of sweet music In her cars ears as she hc went to meet the taxi J Jocko ko was to send for herA herA her A A BETTER MAN IA Jocko Jacko was not In sight fight when she got to the office but was as al already already already al- al ready planning the la layout out of the pIctures pictures pic plc- tures J Jocko ko had delivered ered And someone was going over It with him him him- Harry Ham Hello star Hello star star reporter she called to him hint gaily all the constraint be between be- be tw tween en them forgotten Hello yourself he returned the warmth of his greeting proving that tha he too found the reunion most pleasant pleas pleas- ant Nan quickly outlined her interview interview interview inter inter- view Jones approving it highly An And Harry caught up with her as she lefto left lef to W write her story saying Youl ha have re lunch with me e wont won't you Nan Surest thing she replied happily Later when th they were seated at their table In the New Delmonico Nan laughed softly confidently Were good Harry arent aren't we Arent Aren't we good Come on It wont won't hurt us to say It Just this once Who's better than we C arc For In the next edition alongside Harrys Harry's Interview with the cashier and the story stry of the arrest was Nans Nan's moving mo interview with the wife to together together together to- to gether with pictures of eve everyone one connected connected con- con with the case It was a red letter day Indeed for the News Im flattered Harry replied with an Ironical bow I thought you had thrown md me over for a better man A uA better man so completely complete inthe In Inthe inthe the stress of the morning had Nan forgotten the comedy of Jocko ARC YOU EVER SORRY Oh hes he's by far the better man of course Nan countered mischievous mischievous- ly y But even now on the brink of matrimony as I am I have to concede concede concede con con- cede that youre you're the better newspaper newspaperman man But Im I'm worrying about the beter better better bet- bet ter er man Ought you ou to be here with me Nan shrugged expressively This Is the twentieth century my dear I expect to have men friends even though hough Jocko has entered my life Why how could I get along without you ou for instance never have to Nan and he squeezed her hand to show he meant it it Then Harry plunged Into an ac ac- ac count of his recent adventures ad of the means by which ho had trailed the cashier while Nan IL listened abE ab- ab E Until he came to the ac account account account ac- ac count of or the capture and detailed with sat satisfaction the theay way ay In which the matt man had broken down and cried and begged to bo be allowed to end his life llIe there rather than be taken back to face the d disgrace grace and the wife he had wronged Harry Nan said frowning a abit abit abit bit you ou tell that as 1 If you enJoyed en- en Joyed seeing them suffer I You dont don't sound a bit sorry for him I Why should I 1 be He robbed a bank didn't he Took fifty grand and spent it on a peroxide blond Do you ou want me to cry over him But he hc wasn't such a bad sort His wife told me hed he'd always been straight and decent till he got mixed up with this woman She was a professional professional pro pro- blackmailer you OU kno know and the poor fellow hadn't a chance after she got sot him In her claws An Any man that falls for the woman game cant can't expect any sympathy from me Harry Harr said impatiently A mans man's a fool to let a woman get anything on him He deserves all that's coming comin to him hUn What do you want To let him go Give Ghe him another and let him spend it on a whole flock of blonds Oh no Harry Ham You stand me He lIe had to be caught of course and hell he'll have to be pun pun- But I hate to see you ou gloat over It Harry do you ever er feel sorry tOrry for any living being JOCKO IS U UNHAPPY Wh Why Nan what's hals got Into you ou Is Ice the prospect of matrimony softenIng softening softening soften soften- ing your our brain a n. little o. No But maybe you and I would both be better off if we let our hearts soften a little You know Harry Im I'm afraid Im I'm getting hard And I 1 dont don't like It I dont don't want to be hard Nan felt that Jocko's Influence would effectually counteract th this distasteful distasteful distasteful dis dis- dis- dis tasteful temperament she had ac ac- ac She was aware of or him often at the office aware that his eyes kept wandering to her desk when he thought no one was looking then fixed on some other subject as soon as any one glanced his way Jocko was unhappy and Nan felt felther felther felther I. I her guilt heavy upon her She de determined determined determined de- de on a course of action She would be very gentle and nice to whim him and gradually convince cOD him that his hopes were Impossible Then she he would deftly throw some other girl girlIn girlin In his way ay a better girl than she was one who would make him hint happy Running over o In her mind the girls she knew she could not think of one who quite filled these specifications I I I but that detail could be taken care of 01 later So she ahe smiled at Jocko a smile that invited him to her de desk k He complied compIled with touching alacrity Your story yesterday was great h ho he said lounging awkwardly against her desk I 1 wish I could write Tite like tha that to But of ot course you ou can Nan re replied re- re plied pIled He lIe laughed When I make my mark In the world it wont won't be with a typewriter he said I have no Illusions about that His eyes were fixed on her with worship No woman woman woman wo wo- man could have resisted their unconscious unconscious unconscious un un- conscious fla flattery flattery- A uA long time ago you OU asked me meto meto meto to lunch and I couldn't go Nan smiled Oh that was all right I under under- stand But Im I'm not lunching with anyone today she added Continued |
