| Show Joan Joan's Joans S H Holiday i id j i D By Julie Anne Moore l tl Copyright 1931 by the Inc Independent Syndicate Inc i S 'S t CHATTER T tm Joan Jomn was wu to look back r r that adventure in tn the Brown Drown pG and it a II highly am amus- amus us- us She would see heri her her- n ra rys jar r dra dragged Jw from bealh bel be be- ilk i t 1 1 then doll doU ath t desk like lUte a ft rag nig l' l I dOtted off oH and ond prop Propped up in a ae att tt e tur chAit That l p picture tu however was u to be purely imaginary for tor Joan knew nothing from the moment she first re recognized Harrys Harry's voice until she fo found nd herself herselt in the chair The arm about her shoulders she be realized after a R time was Merles And then she aho turned and met the anxious brown I brown eyes of the young oung man with the red hair who knelt by the tho chair Banton she he saw nw had bad left the room i Joan looked up at Merle and managed managed man man- aged a a. weak smile Harry said sale quickly Im Imn awful awfully sorry Borry Joan Jonn to Joan n looked locked at him but she he did didI not answer She put a hand over her eyes Ces for a a. moment then looked I up at Merle nJ ago again Jn I I I thought it was Shrike she said uld lImp simply I You poor darling Merles Merle's arm ar tightened about her shoulders We might have ha thought of ot that Merle Dald contritely Are Arc you OU quite all allright allright right now Joan nodded She turned to Harry again But I dont don't understand what It Its It's all about she oho said Why Now that youve you've found me 1 I Harry said earnestly I 1 had to find you ou Joan Id I'd tried every means menns I could think of ot Did you OU see e the first ad I put In the papers paper Merle staid Mid Joan doesn't t feel 1 like talking now Harry Lets Let's wait alt until un un- til UI ill Oh but I do Joan Joao said quickly I Im all right To prove it It she got Jot to her feet teet and leaned a against aln t the desk To Harry she said I MI saw the ad adot of course But Dut that doesn't explain anything Before Harry could speak Merle Merl said If It you OU two will excuse me Ill I'll go so down And move mO the car W We Ve were in such a hurry hurt we wo left i it Jam Jo-in up to a fire hydrant Joan Jonn Joan didn't want Merle Meile to go Th The thought of ot being alone with Harry made her suddenly uneasy But Harry said All right Merle but dont don't be bo gone long Merle went out smiling and closed close the door There followed a 0 tense teDe silence broken bro bro- broken ken at last lut by Harrys Harry's pl deep voice Dont you OU know why Ive I've been co to anxious to find you Joan He came and sat on the d desk k beside beIde be be- side aide her ber Did you oU think you could get away from me so cull easily cosily I Ill I'll never forgive myself m for letting you ou go that day But you ou took the tight fight out of ot me rae when you ou told me inc you you OU were engaged Joan dorling dar dor ling Joan Joon said eald quickly But I told you OU the truth Did you OU 1 Joan Jonn was silent H Are Arc you OU still engaged Joan said sold I 1 haven't broken It Joan Jonn evasively That isn't a fair answer Joan Joon Joan Jonn said sold helplessly But what wha difference can it make moke now All AU the difference in the world Harry said eagerly Ill tell you something Interesting Joan That Tha night after you OU went oft off I dreamed dreame that you ou came back and ond conte confessed that you weren't really engaged Ive I've never taken dreams seriously bu but there w was something so o real about abou that one I knew But I told you the truth Joan insisted I IThen Then it was an engagement that tha that didn't mean anything Harry Horry said salt bluntly I 1 cant can't tell you oU why Inso In Im so sure but I am And after a moments moment's silence Why do you wan want me to think youre you're engaged when you arent aren't Joan Joan pu pushed hed awa away from the desk and walked over to the window She down at tho the line of ot automobile lights moving north and south through the Center Harrys Harry's voice came to her ber from behind low am and andl earnestI earnest I 1 cant can't make you love me mc I wouldn't try But I 1 haven't bavent forgotten forgot forgot- ten tn a n moment of that week at ot Litch field Id and and you did care for tor me a little then Joan did not move Her eyes were fastened on the green light that tha burned over the Intersection below you Joan Tho The green light faded and a red light burned in its place The lines of ot machines b began to move east enat am and w west st st. you Joan Jonn Harry said again his soft voice pleading Abruptly Joan turned and faced I him What If It I 1 did she asked a strange note In her voice We were both a n little Insane that week I We had to be beVe We Ve w re no more responsible for tor our feelings than two children would have c been in iii the same circumstances Harry said quietly And yet et with the he events of that week Jong long past I still sUlI love you Joan Can you ou explain that But you ou dont don't Joan said desperately des des- You mustn't You mustn't say you do because it isn't true You mean menn you dont don't believe bellevo me You dont don't know You may think you do but it isn't right Harry slid sUd from the desk and stood directly before herI herI her ber I 1 thought love Jove was always right tie ho said quietly Oh Joan Why do you treat me like this Ive I've never loved anyone else and I never will Doesn't it mean anything to you that tha Ive I've done nothing else since you wen went away from me but search for tor you A shrill whistle sounded in iii the street below Joan turned and stared out the window a hand band moving movIng I ing nervously at her throat Presently Harry said Why do you say it isn't right Joan She turned slowly and leaned back against the tho window I dont don't have to tell you that she said You know why it Isn't right But my dear I dont don't To me mo i It ItIs is 18 not only right but the only wholly right thing in my m life Dont Don't tell tel me please that money has anything to do with It It That isn't alL nIt Then what else Everything Joan said with a little gesture of ot finality Its simply I impossible Then suddenly You say you love me What do you know about me Harry said smiling I know that youre you're the most wonderful creature that hat God ever made Joan Do I 1 need to know any more than that Do you ou know where I 1 spent mos most of ot my ray girlhood Joan went on determined Until I was old enough to work I was in an orphans' orphans home Am I 1 supposed to love you less because of ot that thaU Do you ou know that before he be died m my father worked in a n. factory and made mado barely enough to support his wife and child and that after his death my mother worked In a factory factory fac- fac tory ory and didn't make enough to support support sup sup- port the two of at us No Harry said I I didn't know that hat But do you realize how much more wonderful you are ore because of those hose things s t Joan suddenly sank to the tho window ledge edge and burled buried her ber face in her hands I cant can't talk to you she groaned You wont won't be reasonable You dont don't really reany believe that Harry said softly If U anything could be bo more unreasonable than your our contention that love lovo is based upon material things I dont don't know what it is He bent over and put a hand on her bowed head Dont you ou know that nothing In creation could alter the fact that I 1 love you roan Joan Joan was sobbing now Harry sat down own and put an arm ar about her Do you know what it does to me meo meto meto to o see you unhappy ho he asked barely arely above a whisper Perhaps I haven't been fair bringing you here under false pretenses But I Idid Idid Idid did it b because cause I love you Joan and because I 1 felt somehow that you care for tor me It If you dont don't Joan looked up sharply Whether I do or not doesn't matter she sho dc de- de- de clar Glared dared dIs d. d Is that your gentle way of saying that hat you dont don't Joan Jonn I didn't say that I said It isn't Important There are other things more Important It be easier euler to answer the he qu question tion Ill I'll put it more direct Do you caro care for tor me Joan The tears rolled down her ber flushed cheeks heeks You mustn't ask me that Ive I've ve tried to make you see it isn't right ight Right or wrong Harf Harry said Ive I've asked naked It it Ills His arm tightened about bout her hen Cant you see sec how bow silly your objections are sweetheart Love is always right Love Lo is 18 right You cant can't argue against that Its It's a 0 law of ot the universe Wont Won't you OU tell me darling She turned her ber head hend away but he be put ut a n hand under her ber chin and mode made modeler her ler look at him hUn For a moment she sat with closed eyes her body rigid She was beaten benten She Sho bo know knew she was wu beaten She hadn't the strength to toIght tight Ight him any longer She opened her eyes Merle Merlo stood In n the doorway smiling Ivo news my dears Merle saidA saidA said A policeman helped mo mc the car awn away from tho the hydrant and by byway wn way vay of at conversation he informed me nie that hat half bait the tho police force torce Is opt out on a man hunt Joan was silent Harry said with pained indifference What kind of a man hunt 1 Merle laughed A man hunt she sho said Raid out Hitchcock lake way looking for tor a Do man in a agreen agreen green sedan He drove out East EastMain EastMain Main street not an n hour ago ngo and made tho the mistake of stopping slopping for tor a ared ared ared red traffic light While he ho was stopped topped a a policeman got a look at him It was vas Shrike te I ITo To be bo continued |
