| Show I Ii r i t tE tt t E t i NE sf CHAPTER R SEVEN ti w What Has Gone o Before re 1 Nan Hardy brilliant young news news- paper caper woman is In love Jove with Harry Gordon star reporter on the News But Dut she he Is Ls troubled by the fact that he declares he hc will never marry mam In pique ue she fihe flirts with Jocko Weltman Welt Welt- and then Is man n a cub reporter penitent when she finds that he Is s r vT really ally in love lo with her Jocko Is sent to lo cover cr the thc weakening and possible collapse of at the big dam Harry follows fols fol- fol lows s an hour hoor later but cannot get through ough h to the thc danger zone rone Jocko tends i a great story and then goes to help on the dam Harry Ham goes In the emergency crew while Nan salts valts j NAN NAl INTERFERES S When Harry finally did call caU from acy It seemed an anticlimax f Hello boys boS and girls the dam Vill not go out today Tell TeU ire e feel for him but the angry Waters wat waters wa wa- t ten arc now In bounds and the t Johnstown n flood cannot be bc repeated d for the morning editions That was Harry gave ga orders or- or iders dens ders to release the extra Dam with Ith hastily added story f. f Saved a under the signature a of the star re re- re porter Nan pulled herself together This was w the news they all had expected she realized After Atter Harry got on the job the dam couldn't go out She wondered about Jocko and wished he would call can But all the communications came from tram Harry Ham who took charge now noVo and quickly had all the possible threads In his hand got the telephone exchange working and kept feeding new angles for new edi edl- i How lan long will they stay there Nan asked Barnes I Barnes Darnes cast a 1 shrewd eye ere upon i her It U Jocko Jacko Is smart hell he'll come pronto and let Harr Harry mop up If Harry beats him here or comes with i him bingo goes Weltman's little hour hourat of at glory l Nan an understood and knew that he was WM right Jocko Jacko had done a brave splendid thing he had sent ent in fn Ina ina a marvelous story But It was as so 30 natural for tor the editors to look to Harry that they were apt to transfer transfer trans trans- fer ter to him the thc adulation Jocko had bad earned NANCY INTERFERES INTERFERES I And Harry would do nothing to tc stop this Nan realized that Harrys Harry's code contained no provision for tor stepping step step- ping pInS aside to allow some one else U to to occupy the tho spotlight and for tor Joc he had no love lo an anyway Adroitly he would push the cub Into the thc background background background back back- ground and so 30 short Is public memory memory mem mem- ory in time he hc would have all the credit for the Tracy affair Nan came to swift decision would see sec that Jocko Jacko got the credit credithe credithe he had deserved She asked the operator operator operator op op- to put her through to Tracy and to get Weltman Wellman on the phone It was Harry however who an an- His voice olce sounded very happy when he recognized hers Why Nancy girl hows how's everything everything everything every every- thing How does my stuff look inthe in inthe the paper It looks great Harry Youre You're doing doIng doing do- do Ing a a. splendid job Having a a. nice time There Isn't much doing just now Thought maybe Id I'd come back to the theoffice office what hat I called about wants Weltman to come In and you to stay and clean things up there Oh he does docs does he What's the idea 7 I dont don't know Its It's just orders to Jones Well let me speak Hes gone home Nan was feel teel feeling Ing more and more guilty It was as asIf asIt asif If It sho were betraying him In order to make way for tor the triumphal re return return return re- re turn of at another But surely she owed Jocko that much She would make It up to Harry hereafter Well WeIl all aU right But I hope he doesn't keep me in hi this hole very long The office ollice boy could cover it now nov JOCKO COMES IES BACK BACKI I know just how Judas felt Nan thought as she turned away from front the phone hone And how she wondered would Harry feel teel t If he ever learned what she had done Now she remembered that she had had no lunch so she dined extravagantly extravagantly gantly with June Rathbone and went to a movie But she was too excited to sit through it it and making an excuse excuse excuse ex ex- cuse to June went home and to bed bcd Harry Karry would be furious with her 1 if be found out So would Jones Joncs But she ho feared Jon ys y's wrath less leas than Harrys For she loved Harry or did she love lo him Th These consid consid- considerations overshadowed her satisfaction satisfaction tion lion In the fact tact that she had made some small return to Jocko Jacko for me messing mess mess- ing ng into his life The next da day was Jocko's The staff sU gathered about him when he came Into nto the editorial room with much hand shaking and back slapping The girls exclaimed over his cha chapped ped scarred hands the men congratulated ed him without envy It was a great moment moment-in in the life of ot a cub OJ J made his entrance and came to tho the group that surrounded Jocko You got back did you he growled Say Us listen n do I pay you to jo carry cement Then he chuckled hl hit Jocko a resounding whack on the shoulder and ordered him Into the thc private atc office When he lie came out Jocko Jacko crossed straight to Nans Nan's desk What do you OU know he gave me mea a bonus and n a raise I he exclaimed genuinely sur surprised I I never expected expect expect- ted t- t ed cd anything like Uke that you ou know that you ou pulled off oll th the biggest scoop In newspaper history in n these parts at least Nan said mailing up at him Maybe Maybo I was R lIttle lucky Just tho same Im I'm not turning down anything any any- thing Much of ot n a raise rals They arent aren't going to go bankrupt paying It but gee geo It helps Thais great Im I'm awfully glad I think you OU were splendid Jocko Jacko Did you know I was cr crying ng ye yesterday when I was taking your our story tory over the phone NAN LUNCHES LAVISHLY Why no Gosh He lIc was looking at her seriously There was BS no coquetry In the look she gave glive him In return but friendship friendship friend frIend- ship affection admiration But it all came out right and maybe I wasn't glad Nan broke the tension a 0 little nervously ous nel You haven't forgotten Otten our date J Jocko ocko said No Indeed But no tearooms with this his order for a bonus burning a ahole ahole ahole hole In my pocket Arent you OU awfully set ut setup up Nan asked him after they had ordered the lavish lunch which Jocko deemed necessary to U the occasion caslon Why should I be But youre you're made Dont Don't you realie realize real- real ize ie ze that Your story went all allover over the country It will be a a. newspaper classic 1 I Youre never made by one thing Jocko Jacko said soberly You have to k keep p on hitting bitting the ball again and again And I haven't the stuff to do that hat not the way Harry Gordon does dou it t. t You watch Something may come up tomorrow that Ill I'll fall down on Then It t will be Just too bad I i 1 didn't know you ou w were re BO so 0 wise Nan saidA saidA said A fellow learns a little bit about OUt the world knocking knocking- around the way I have I know Ill I'll never set ut the world worldon on fire as a a reporter But maybe ru TU r. r tb k hit my stride In something else will Nan seconded second second- Of O course you ou ed him warmly She prolonged the luncheon un un- duly Harry might be coming In 1 any time now and she dreaded I meeting him But at last it was necessary necessary sary ry that they go back to the office He was there and his face tace lit up when he saw her only to break Into a scowl when hen he hc saw that Jocko was with her Nane went over oyer to him and I gave ga him her hand Your stories were great she said Jocko unfortunately had followed her her and he too extended lations They were great stuff Gordon Gor Gor- don HARRY UNDERSTANDS Harry bowed Ironically Youre awfully kind And I 1 appreciate It more coming from tram someone who ho really knows knovs a a. good story He was being obviously Insulting Jocko flushed and left themI them I hI understand the cub got a big hand on h his return Harry said angrily angrily an an- grU to Nan Conquering hero and everything c Even ft a bonus I 1 sup suppose e you ou were helping him spend it Youre not being very cry nice Barry Har Bar ry Q Nan returned Of course Jocko got a big hand He d deserved It it Just luck lack blind luck fools fool's luck A fool tool proof story and he happened to be there Harry was In the mood that Nan liked least Charming and magnetic when he was the center of at the stage stase he became moody and resentful i if he e emust must share it with ith some one else Youre acting like a jealous little littleboy littleboy littleboy boy Nan reprimanded him Jocko risked his life lite and no one could have ha handled the story better r than he did Her efforts In Jocko's Jacko's behalf increased In Increased increased in- in creased his ill humor You might be prejudiced he said with an ex expression expression ex- ex that Nan recognized as a sneer A girl overlooks an awful lot lottor for tor a proposal of ot marriage I 1 understand understand under under- stand Nan grew angry now But before she he could reply came In from tram lunch and saw Harry Ham Hello Gordon what took you ou so to long Ions Weltman got back this morning morn- morn Ing Why I thought you ou wanted me meto meto meto to stay stay stay- Harry was astonished Oh It was as all right Only Onh kind of unnecessary r But Its It's all right If you wanted to Harry shot a quick understanding angry glance at Nan He knew and he was furious Continued Could Harry tarry be blamed burned for wishing wish ing int to punish Nan a little Sec See how he does It |
