Show IT ITNE NE GARDN R. R 1 I CHAPTER FIVE What lias Has Gone Before Nan Hardy brilliant young oung newspaper newspaper news news- I paper woman is in love with Harry Harr ry Gordon the Ne News News' ls' ls star reporter Bushe But Bu t she is troubled by the fact that h he declares he will never ne marry I Ii In n pique she site flirts with Jocko Weltman a cub and finds him nicer than she sin expected Jocko asks her to have havi lunch with him one day and she hao has ha hasto hasto to o refuse e. e He is too shy to ask he her r again so today Nan goes up to hinand hIm hin and tells him she has no one t to lunch with JOCKO'S CHANCE NCE ISa Say that's great Would you ou g go with me Love to On one condition I 1 dont don't want much Just ft f sandwich Can 1 I drag you to my favorite te tea teashop teashop shop She was determined that tha Jocko should spend as os little as possible ble of or his slender salary Even Even there He was transported with happiness Jack Barnes the state stale editor had hac witnessed ed the little comedy After Aft Jocko had returned to his desk aj as one who walks on air Barnes deski ha halted by Nans Nan's desk Some da day youre you're going to have tc to pay for fox a meal for yourself and then ther what will you ou do Not pot while I 1 keep my feminine charm Nan gaily replied But what's the idea of robbing the he cradle Where do dc Jocko isn't so o young oung you ou nil all that get get that Idea Hes only only- about a thousand years younger than friend friend Harry is all Well a girl cant can't spend all her time with Nan re re- re turned timed A young oung thing like me me has got to get out with someone her hei own age now and then Harry like it Harry has no mortgage on me met mcl I With any anyone else Nan would have been angry But she knew that Barn Barnes s liked her sincerely Well 1 if hes he's smart hell he'll get one said Barnes HELLS HELL'S BUSTED LOOSE that will Convince him of you Nan flashed So that's the trouble is it Barnes n nodded ded in comprehension Say let m tell you ou something This young oung Weltman is a darn decent chap hap at that And And don't dont don't t think he hes heis is 1 s any dumbbell He may not be bea bea a red fire wagon like Jike Harry Ham but buth buthe ho he h isn't going to bring up the tall tail tallo o of f the procession either We will file your our remarks away for or further consideration Nan saId aid And Ill I'll not be dated for lunch tomorrow be darned hungry before you ou eat off oft me me you gold digger Barnes Jarnes Barn s grinned But when you do doget doget get jet hungry I wont won't let Jet you ou starve He le gave her a 3 friendly pat and went on Nan looked after him with affection Barnes was a n good wagon And she hadn't a better frIend in the world Then ascertaining that there was no assignment for her Nan slipped off ff to the beauty parlor When she returned the tho office was in an up- up roar oar Phones were ringing men were rushing to and from the composIng composing com- com posIng osing room and a knot not of ot people gathered about the copy COP desk where Jones Jones- onesy was conferring anxiously doing Nan asked of Barnes arnes Hell busted loose Barnes said then hen turned away to bark into the telephone After he had slammed up p the receiver he seized a bunch of copy spy and made for the copy cony desk Nan hurrying along beside himAN him Mm NAN AN CANT CAN'T GOThe GO GOThe The new dams dam's giving way theres there's theresa a a. fault in it some place and the rains are arc exerting too much pressure They're doin doing what hat they can but the flood warnings warning's gone out If It the dam whew breaks breaks whew y 1 covering it Nan inquired Guess who he stopped faced her Just guess Harry Harry I suppose Guess again Harry had gone off olf and Jones couldn't find him Harris Is on vacation and Wilson was outon out outon outon on a story So Nan has to buy her own lunch today after all all You mean Jocko o went Sure thing And you just listen I to your our Uncle Jack Jack that that boy bar Is Js goIng going going go go- ing to do a whale of a n good goad J lob job b. b too if lC he gets the chance What do you mean gets th the chance will end rend Harry as quick quid as he can get hold of or him And once Harrys Harry's there what's left of the story for Jocko wont won't be much I 1 told th the kid to get there like greased lightning and nd clean clenn up quick Sa Say this thi Is th the biggest story in years Nan was transported with excite excite- ment Ive I got to get set there myself Wheres Where's Over yonder onder But dont don't think he hell he'll 1 ever let a 0 girl go where theres there's that thai much danger Nan squeezed through the group to tc side Where do I go boss You stay right here growled If the dam goes well we'll have ha to send out all aU our men You water watch the phones Watch the phones Me Nan was outraged Say no woman has any aaY business near that dam 1 And youre you're needed right here Nan knew it was no use to beg fussed a a. good deal about women women wo- wo men reporters but always refused to tc send one into a position of peril perU Kwas It K was the one grievance ance that Nan with the recklessness of youth had against him MAY l I T THINK TRINK INK OF YOU She returned t to her desk sulking Stuck in her typewriter where she could not fail fall to find it it was a a. note You know by this time why I cant can't keep our date but you dont don't know how sorry I am This looks like a a. big chance though and do you mind If I C think of you Can we have our lunch as soon as Im I'm back In town It was was signed Jocko Hey Gordon voice olce rose rosen In n a f roar Nan looked up startled to see sec Harry dashing in at the door of the city room Where the hell hell- The city editor was elbowing his WS way toward his star reporter Get et a carand carand car and hop bop down to Trac Tracy Get there before that dam goes out Reporters fall all over themselves round here all the rest of the that time and when a real story breaks where Is one Had to send that cub Weltman God knows whether hell he'll find the dam or not Buy a car rent one steal one get there And Harry too was gone Nan roamed restlessly about the office waiting like the rest of them Telephone Telephone Tele Tele- phone calls came from the exciter excited correspondent at Trac Tracy trying they're working or The waters water's coming through more and more And finally his voice squeaking with excitement clearing out the town everybody's got to go Walt Wait a a. minute has the News man mall mangot got there yet ct took the phone phone honc Not yet If It he com comes the they wont won't let et let him into Tracy now If I see him what'll I tell him Tell him not to get his feet wet I roared and slammed the re receIver receiver receiver re- re on the hook Jocko not there yet et but he hadn't had time What i if in taking the shortcut short shortcut shortcut cut to Trac Tracy he should miss the guards thrown n out to warn tra e travelers ers from rom the danger area Nan who had been so eager to go herself found she he was clenching her fists till tm the nails cut into her palms HARRY CALLS HIS STORY Harry was making his way there too oo but by the time Harry reached the he danger zone the cordon would be e thrown more securely Her thought nought flew back to Jocko her vivid Imagination tion painting a picture Jocko driving his nis is hired car at mad speed not heeding the warnings called to him driving drI into a a. deserted desert desert- ed town town town-a a wall of water sweeping down down- Nan plucked desperately by bj bythe the he sleeve Let me go too I can do something Its no place for women omen when a adams adam's adams adam's alam's dams dam's going out You stay right here It t was the first time in her newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper career that Nan had been stopped topped by her sex She paced about the he office her nerves Jumping For Fora a time she lingered in the society room oom but the girls there tried in vain vaino to o reassure her You never heard of ot a reporter getting drowned did you ou June reminded reminded re- re minded her Reporters have more lives Ives than cats And Harry Gordon knows very well that a dead reporter reporters Is s no good to his paper He wont won't take any auy risks like that I But surprisingly it was not of Harry larry she was thinking It was of Jocko thrilled by his first big op opportunity opportunity opportunity op- op determined to mako make good goodat at all costs He was the one who would take the risks r s. s determined to get et his story before Harry could ar- ar rive Ive Barnes answered ered on ono one of or the clamorous phones Hey Jones its it's Gordon Wants Gordon Wants you I propelled hIm himself elC across theoffice the theoffice theoffice office at surprising speed Jones speaking Where are you ou what you ou got Nan listened holding holdin her breath She was WM so ro close cIos to that she could hear the high scratching sound of Harrys Harry's voice olce over oyer the long long-c long long-dis ls- ls stance s- s tance Im at Refugees are arriving here now The whole river valley alley is threatened for hundreds of miles The militia has been ordered out Yeh Yen we go got that much here What's new bellowed No one Is allowed west of Hartford Hart Hart- ford They have volunteer officers stationed at all roads making people turn back But the m men n are still sUll working on the dam darn Its It's tho the story tory of the century If It it goes out they'll be swept away like ants busy pencil was flying across the paper paper Im trying to figure a a. way to get beyond Hartford Joncs sputtered Dont take too many man chances Gordon but get all aU you can Wheres Where's Weltman l On ahead somewhere Hasn't he called Hell no nol Well he cant can't get past Hartford I now unless ss hes he's already past Wait a minute WHERE IS JOCKO There was a 0 buzzing on the line pencil was already forming fanning headlines for the story ry that had not yet ct been written As the wait was protracted he thrust his sheets of y notes at nt Nan and bade her make a aI astory I story of them I She went back to her desk but her eyes ees were ero riveted on at the phone Now Harry had evidently c returned for Cor Jon y was barking out questions question and replies Finally he gave a combIned combined combined com com- yell and groan and turned away from the phone That fool cub slipped past the hc he guards at H Hartford and was making for Tracy he shouted to the thc copy copydesk desk Tracys right in the path of the water if it the dam goes out He mopped his brow with Uh a a. sheet of copy paper Good gosh I I didn't mean for him to go and get himself l drowned I An Ink smudged figure appeared at athis athis athis his elbow summoning him to the composing room Jon y went splutterIng spluttering The paper must get et out whether the cub reporters drowned themselves or not Continued Both the men In whom Nan Hardy Is Interested dare are In danger What will wW the day teach her DOLLAR IMPROVES SAN RAFAEL Ca Cal May 13 UP Captain Robert Dollar year old 87 car shipping magnate ap appeared recovering recovering recovering ering today from a a. serious recurrence of an old ailment suffered last week Cek His pulse and respiration were ere re reported reported re- re por ported d as as' as almost normal and It was hoped that ph physicians soon roon would permit him to leave his bed bcd |