| Show ww i i i ir r I r G I i ir IAN Auth Author of Mad l Marriage l and aud Heart Hungry B By Y LAURA LOU BROOK BROOKMAN r Copyright 1031 1931 by N. N E. E A. A ww BEGIN HERE TODAY Pretty Norma Kent year old secretary marries Mark Travers son Eon on of F. F M M. Travers millionaire real reat es estate cs- cs tate dealer in spite of the fathers father's threats to disinherit Mark The story opens in Marlboro middle mIddle middle mid mId- dle western metropolis Mark sells his expensive roadster to get money for tor the honeymoon and he and Norma Norma Norma Nor Nor- ma go to fashionable Blue Springs There Norma Nonna meets Stone and It is evident from the girls girl's manner that she has known Stone before Their money Is 15 soon gone partly due to Marks Mark's gambling With borrowed from Stone the couple re return return return re- re turn to Marlboro Mark sets out ona on ona ona a round of pleasure seeking instead of hunting work When their funds dwindle again he and Norma Nanna move to a 3 cheap apartment Mark gets one job fob and loses it Then he becomes a floorwalker in de department department de- de store In spite of poverty the young couple are happy Marks Mark's father sends for him offers offers offers of of- fers to take him back into his Ws own company if Mark will L prove he can make good His first task involves a business trip to France Norma Nonna is to remain at home She is 15 frightened but cannot persuade Mark to give up the opportunity With his parents she the goes to the railway station an and andrecs d sees seas him Wm depart on the five lve weeks weeks' trip NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY t CHAPTER Travers led the way ay through th the e station and his wife followed beside e Norma Mrs Travers Traves said as they st stepped out on the sidewalk Harvey Harvey Hart Har Har- t vey ey has the car over at the right Everything before Norma was a blur She followed Mrs Travers into the limousine She sat close to the window and stared out at the street There were men and women passing Taxicabs and trucks trucks' and other vehicles The whole scene be before before before be- be fore the girls girl's eyes bec became bec e a meaningless meaningless meaningless mean mean- ingless haze She tr d to wink back the tears but they persisted Her law in was saying something to his wife Norma Nonna did not hear what it was Then she was aware that they were moving n away way from the station Somewhere in the distance train wheels turned faster and faster carrying Mark away from her Mark was gone There had been that hat last moment when she had seen l him m smiling back at her from the car p platform io W Waving g and nd s smiling f i i. i Now he was gone and she would not see him Wm for five weeks Five weeks weeks weeks-it it seemed endless impossible sible Bible Norma clutched her hands together ler er er tightly She could not cry ou out t now She could not give way an and d sob out the terror in her heart Sh She e could only sit there gripping her icy fingers telling herself over and over ove r that she must manage to keep from breaking down before these strung strang stran ers Yes they were strangers anc and they hated her The girls girl's lips became a tightly pressed line of crimson struggling g to steady self itself 1 but frequently trembling trem trem- bling Mark was moving farther away every minute Nearer and nearer r to New York and the ocean lin liner er that was to put the Atlantic between be between between be- be tween them Five weeks made up of ot moments as long as each of the these Five weeks of torture and uncertainty uncertainty- Suddenly she realized that the car had stopped Mr Travers was getting getting getting get get- ting ou out t. t Be home around six he said over his shoulder come for me Harvey Ill I'll stop at the club and ride rid out with Summer Summer- vile He moved clumsily as he herot got rot to the sidewalk and turned away without a backward glance The chauffeur looked questioningly questioning to toward Mrs Travers You may take us home Harvey Harvcy The woman sighed as she spoke I Such a day dayl I she murmured to Norma I I 1 had to rush away from luncheon Meeting trains and waiting waitIng wait wait- ing in stations Is loathsome dont don't you think so Ill I'll be glad to have m my tea The girl did not answer Mrs Travers gave her a searching glance then went on I want to tell you ou I 1 think youve you've acted sensibly sensibly bly in this matter my dear So foolish to become emotional Shows such ill breeding Of course I was wasa a Randolph before my marriage No doubt that's why such things affect me so The as as' you must know have been leaders in iu this country country coun coun- try since colonial times Some day Ill I'll show you the family history history- The monologue continued Mrs rs Travers grew animated as she re revIewed reviewed reviewed re- re viewed the importance of her an an- So man many acres of land So many servants So many In congress A cousin in the governor governors governor's governors governor's gov gov- s chair As long as she was talking Norma had her thoughts to herself 9 Q it Q Now and then the girl nodded murmured a a. yes es or no If Mrs l Travers had been observant she might have been nettled that her words created so slight an sion slon Mrs Travers was not observant ant To her it was inconceivable that anyone should fall fail to be awed by the thc splendors of the The limousine slowed and turned into the drive at the side of the Travers residence It halted before three steps leading to the entrance Harvey was holding the door open waiting for them to descend You can put the car up Mrs 1 Travers told him as she swept for for- ward I I wont won't need it again The haze of unreality faded before before be before be- be fore Norma Nonna The brick mansion wasas wasas was wasas as forbidding as it had been when she had visited it before but it was real enough Tompkins a servant whose face she remembered met them in the hall Have there been any messages Mrs Travers demanded Did anyone anyone anyone any any- one tail call No Madam The older woman turned toward Norma Tompkins will show you ou your our room mom she said Its in the west wing and I hope you'll yoUn find it comfortable Your trunk should be bethere there by this time time time-it It was the expression on the mans man's face that made her check the words words' and add Well Tompkins What is it Excuse me Madam but the trunk ha han ha not come v What But I r left orders orders- A man from the transfer company company company com com- pany telephoned He said there ther was no trunk at that address Mrs Ass Travers whirled Apparently Interference with arrangements she had planned irritated her Theres been n a Co mistake she announced There must have been a a. trunk there It Norma had found her voice it doesn't matter she said Mid Ill see about It tomorrow Very well Mrs Travers agreed But I wouldn't put it off until tomorrow to morrow If U I were you They're fright fully careless you know Theres There's a chance you'll never even see your things things- things things-it Ill take care of or it it it Norma assured assured as as- her I If you ou dont don't mind Id I'd like to go to my room now Of course Will WUI you ou come down for tea or would you like it sent up to you I r dont don't believe I care for any thank you I thought Id I'd lie down downa a little while Very well Dinners Dinner's at Ring for Isabel if it theres there's anything you want my dear Show her upstairs Tompkins The girl found herself following Tompkins' Tompkins stiff narrow shoulders down a long hall han The room before which they stopped was the smallest she had seen in the Travers home It t was simply decorated Comfortable ble DC as Mrs Travers had suggested but certainly not a of the style to be expected in such a dwelling Tompkins apparently thought the same thing It was plain he did not regard Norma as worthy the solicitous solIcitous solid solid- tous ous manner in which he addressed Mrs Travers Your room he lie said shortly and that hat was all Thank you you Norma entered and closed the door behind her There were two windows both on the south They looked out over the garage and anda a a. stretch of lawn at the rear of the house louse There was a door in one wall waIt Norma opened it and found a n. clothes closet loset She moved to one of the windows windows win dows and looked out Suddenly the girl sank to the edge of the bed and hid her face in a a. pil- pil low ow Oh Mark she sobbed Mark come ome back to me o c a Stealthily Norma opened the door leadIng into the hall Lights were burnIng at the far end of the cor i dor or There was no one in sight She held her purse closely under her arm aim stepped into the hall haU and closed the door quietly Her foot foot- steps made no sound on the thick carpet She walked to the top o oho of the ho stairs and hesitated Then she went down two steps and heard the I wood creak under her I No other sound came though she waited Norma peered over the banI ban ban- I mister mister searching for Tompkins He must be in another part of the house The girl paused long enough for a s sharp intake of breath then went wenton on quickly She reached the ground floor Clear sailing salling Neither TompkIns Tomp Tomp- kins nor anyone else was to be seen She crossed the hallway and pulled open the outer door As it closed after her there was a rustling sound behind but she did not turn Outside Norma felt the cold air strike her cheeks gratefully She walked as swiftly as she could not once glancing backward By turning turning- I Ito I to the left a tall hedge arose to shield I her from view of the Travers homeI home i I Still she walked rapidly almost run run- ping It was only a little after 6 but the December twilight spread heavy shadows shadows shadows shad shad- across the street Norma walked a 3 block two blocks with little notion of the direction in which she was heading She was not familiar with this part of Marlboro The streets were strange and they wound about Irregularly Houses were set far back from the sidewalks She was searching for a car line but none came In sight She must have walked half an hour before she stop stopped d at a a. street inter inter- section The night wind was cold now The girl drew her coat closer I shivering It was a suit coat not warm enough for December I A block away she could see the gleaming lights of motor traffic Suddenly a vehicle bulkier than the others loomed in sight The Laurel Park bus line With warm eagerness eagerness eager eager- ness Norma hurried toward the lights She was too late for the first bus waited for the next Do you go to Eighth street she asked the thu driver when she had hOO climbed d on board No No maam Broad streets street's as far faras faras faras as we go You can get a transfer Thank you said Norma She took the slip of pink paper and crammed it into her purse What difference difference dif dU- ference did it make whether she got gotoff gotoff gotoff off at Eighth street or Broad One or two other passengers looked at the white faced ed girl curiously She stared shred through the window unaware of these lances glances Half an hours hour's ride brought them to Broad street Norma followed the others out of the bus She glanced up and down the street then started walking westward Across the street the hands of or an illuminated d sidewalk clock shone clearly dearly Seven forty five Norma was surprised t to find it so late Last night at this time she and Mark had been packing his tra traveling eling bags L Last t night It must have been years ears ago I I cant can't go on this way vay Norma told her herself I Ive got to decide what to do She had come to the end of or her plans Curiously during all the time she had thought about slipping away from the Travers ers home she had never planned the next step Of or course she must find a place blare to live Somewhere Somewhere Some Some- where where Marks Mark's father and mother would not look for her Chris Chris' apartment would be the first place they woul- woul think of of o they made any effort at all aU to find her Norma Nonna was not sure they would bother Still It was better to stay away from Chris The girl tIrl stopped at a a. corner and bought a no newspaper I ought to eat something she sherem rem remembered She was not hungry but it would be foolish not to eat Sho She had scarcely tasted food during the past three days There was a a. restaurant down the street where Norma Nonna had often lunched lunch lunch- ed a no cheap clean place One of a a. large chain of restaurants She went vent there found a a. table in an obscure corner of the big room When Then the waitress presented present the menu Norma ordered listlessly A Afew Afew Afew few moments later she could not remember remember re re- re- re mcm member l what she had asked for She hoped the food would be hot It was pleasant and warm in the restaurant Norma opened her newspaper newspaper news paper and began to scan the Rooms for Rent section Then she heard her name spoken S STo To be continued |
