| Show T ITh A A The Strange Romantic Adventures By H. H L. L GATES GArES j II lib I S. S cr 0 A N N A. A a Copyright ht 1926 by H. H L L. GATES 11 I 3 Lj Lt 1 1 tt Of of the F Flapper 1 app e r Yo You ll K Know 11 0 W Published First t National by arrangement Pictures Inc with I Continued from yest yesterday rd He lb did dd not give his hand to o John JohnS but bowed lightly Joanna went vent Into into the hall hail with him hirn Quite suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly he put his hand on her shoulder shoulder der and brought her around until she faced him Dont make mistakes Joanna ho h ho said ear earnestly estly Theres a destiny des- des tiny before you now Your perspective per per- Isn't that ot othe the shop girl 1 any longer Suddenly his nonchalance nonchalance l ance returned She felt that the smile at his mouth was mocking S I her again and that he wa was really taunting her when he once more lifted her fingers to his lips She Shet t tried ed to herself herselt that he was Just a different kind that kind that difference dif dit- dit ference of or breeding blood and as association as- as e. e from the boys who called d her kid and asked her for tor fora tora a a. kissas kiss kissas as its soon as they happened to be alone His difference from John John John- that puzzled her For John wasn't like any of ot the other boys bos or men j i either He lie always wanted waited to talk architecture when she wanted to dance She guessed John and Brandon Brandon Brandon Bran Bran- don would do much alike If Jf John had had the advantages advantage of ot money or The advantages of ot money For 1 Jphn r. r She hurried back to him went tip un to where he had dropped back Into a chair and stood before him First she she- must do the obvious I thing thIng thIng-do do to the etiquette etiquette eti eU- eti- eti quette of ot occasions where a new and s strange range admirer confronted an anold anold anold old and established one un expect expect- I edly Girls were always getting Into such muddles and getting out of or them She tried to persuade herself hersell that this was all that was bothering John John jealousy Jealousy so profound profound profound pro pro- found that it obscured the larger events of the day I 1 didn't know he was coming I f John she pleaded I didn't ask h him m. m I Just met him at the bank and I didn't want him I wanted to be with you alone John got onto his feet looked down into the troubled eyes and andt andi i t i. i pushed past the waiting form He I went over to a table and picked up upa upa up upa a a book fumbled It a moment and then dropped it sharply He f swung r around and faced the girl who was I watching him her slim breast rising ris na- na lag ing and falling slowly Well Jo Give me the me-the the straight of it he demanded quietly Mrs Irs Adams has given me the story you told her We agreed of ot course Its It's But it may be all right for tor fori i her You owe me the truth V Joanna caught her breath Her Impulse was to cry out but she shen n it She felt her body 1 growing rigid She stared at the I. I young Oung man who leaned against the table fable regarding her cruelly mercilessly He who was the only like ilke with her childhood with her mothers mother's geranium beds with the school days and days of ot the little town which had been her home their home their home He who had come com also to the city to work out his career and who had found her sympathized with her occasIonal occasional occa occa- moods of loveliness loved love her and humored her tempers a aher and her ridicule of him because he was wasso eo so slow but always wanted to tobe be Le with her in the home they'd h have e for tor their very own some da day that he would build and make a wondrous thing with his architect ture tune t J 1 o John she whispered the low word moaning as if It was a plead- plead K IT out of her soul l. He nodded as if he thought he lie Pid p. p d caught her thought and be heing he- he ing what he thought they must be agreed with them She rebelled H against that nod instantly and andic ic c called to him her protest John What is it what it-what what i He didn't move but spoke in the thes j s Lame came me even deadly cold tone You must mustn't t lie He to me Joe he said These days are ate what they are re and you girls are are what you are ae Money money that you cant can't explain doesn't come come you you know that t at when you ou cant can't explain it is because you dont don't want to ors or s somebody doesn't want you to So drop the pretense Jo Jo and for tor the sake of wh what t weve been to each thel and what Ive I've hoped we would be to each other tell me meas me- me as as much as you OU dare While the girl fought hard tor to r ease ease the pain in her brain he dropped his eyes and a sad quizzical cal smile touched his mouth When he looked up he added You can cant t trust me Jo I wont won't reveal any of ot your our secrets or any anyone's ones one's else It was no trick now that sent Joannas Joanna's hand beating against his breast breast All AU the trickeries had gone out of her aching little body It was a girl who was maddened b by the hurt he had given her and who was fighting as a girl fights for the 1 trust that is being denied her There is nothing more to tell I she cried while her hands beat as if it to drive understanding understanding understanding under under- standing Into him I dont don't know why the mone money was given me nor by bI whom You must believe me John and help me She hurried on catching her breath as best she could uld And I want you to share t Jt it with me dear it Is for you a awell as aswell aswell well as me It will make everything every every- thing possible for you and you will be he big and successful and we sh shall U be he so happy together together- together youve youve you've lost your r ur head John or you wouldn't think He lie caught her hands and held them so tight tight- that he hurt But she sh didn't wince Just waited her lips open her eyes hungry for tor him to to- to- to speak I 1 haven't lost my ray head Jo 10 he said sald Its you And I was afraid 1 I was was afraid it was coming something some- some t thing like this I knew you could never never wear your skirts up to your knees Jo and flavor lavor your kisses cocktails and be as you ou ought t tto td be Youve You've laughed at t me and called me a fool tool when Ive I've told you that what you and your friends think Is smart is ia only polished dirt I M wasn't old-fashioned old Jo It was only that I wanted my girl to be ber r different and better better and and safer I i could never get away with it V r t t though ugh ugh-so so whatever it is its it's f h happened hasn't it itT He had not raised his his' voice He had kept his even tone The sor- sor quizzical smile remained at athis his lips Joanna was helpless iSery every ery fiber of her was wounded an and andAll elees All that she could say sav was You really dont don't mean It John You dont don't think that I would Think he replied Think Why what I am thinking Is that even en tonight when you OU must have havel l known that you would have to tell mo rile something some be better ter lie than you pl planned nned you meet meet me me meet meet me pie with this other man here too too too- in i a gown like that that that- Half Halt bare True to the last to the morals of your kind and your crowd She he herd heard rd her own voice still pleading with him but it sounded as If It it were coming back to her herrom from rom a grea great greni distance The horror In her eyes had nad spread through her body and numbed it She laughed an and cried out that he was playing with her Then she fell Into a Ji r V t I Brandon had come for her her he he had chosen the brightest of the fashionable fashionable fash fash- fashionable rendezvous for their ther eve eve- ning fling chair and shook it with her sobs But so suddenly that it surprised the man who watched her she got sot onto her feet and faced him Her words were were very distinct now You said awhile ago John that you couldn't get away with It wh when n you wanted me ne to be different than I was was- was than than my kind and my crowd Well Veil theres there's a lot more Just like you like you You didn't have anything to get away with And youre you're not gett getting ng awa away with anything an- an any ant I thing now She thought secret secretly y that he would protest and that after awhile he would be himself again and nd tak take her into his hia arms aims and ask to be forgiven arid and believe and kiss her She would explain about Brandon about Graydon and Eggleston Eggleston Eggleston Eg Eg- Eg- Eg gleston and he would enter enier Into her tier mystery with her But he went out of the room slowly put on his hat liat and coat and shut the door behind him Joanna sank to the floor in the midst of the pretty pieces of ot the alabaster box in which she had treasured the only Jewel she ha had CHAPTER VIII Joanna Makes a Decision After a time the girl huddled on the floor in a heap of ot bobbed brown hair and clinging gown and silver sil legs stilled the birth of ot a new sob ob and stopped the convulsive con tremble of her bare velvet velvet velvet vel vel- vet soft shoulders Her eyes eyes as quick to dry dryas as to dim with moisture moisture mois- mois ture ure which is the way of youth selected selected se- se I a spot on the parlor carpet just beyond her toes oes and fixed on it So she sat very quiet and stared straightening out tile tHe Jumble of ot other her bitter ver very bitter thoughts She realized that she couldn't think sensibly for the things that had happened during the hectic day were not sensible things thing things any any any of them It was a trait of hers her's to rebel when things weren't right she couldn't analyze or or probe for reasons reasons reasons rea rea- sons or ask herself if she were t to blame That Is is she could ask If she were to blame when things got Into a jumble but her invariable able answer was No Time was when the spirit of Joanna was submissive and amenable to discipline pline and to the learning of lessons lessons les lea sons out but of experience That was wasa a long time ago before ago before she had to make her own way about and compete with other girls with the ones who were on the square as aa aswell well a as those who t. t She gradually lost her sense of ot then Whoever criticized her except herself was wrong wrong- As her tongue grew smarter more and more accustomed to giving than It received and her lips grew redder and more provocative and her skirts became shorter everybody everybody every every- body body body- Even John The one thing she admittedly loved Even he could never ne understand a girl girl girl-a a real square and above board girl who had to fight like the devil to keep up with the other girls of this day and age John had objected toa to a most everything she did or wore or said Hed He'd preach by the hour houi Once in this same parlor parlor this this dingy ding frayed hea protect heaven the working drawing room John had brought her a lotof lot lotof of ot clippings from a newspaper Some funny old bishop had said young women ought to wear mother hubbards or something like that and somebody else so old- old fashioned that he read bedtime stories had told the newspapers that in his day girls didn't take an occasional drink out of ot their partners partners' partners partners' partners partners' part part- ners' ners flasks Good Lord In his day He and Noah were so busy advertising a flood In their young da days dabs s 's they couldn't appreciate havIng having haying hav hay ing to take a nip of ot something else besides water just to keep up ap appearances appearances appearances appearances' ap- ap apI I And John couldn't Understand understand understand un un- that neither she nor any girl she knew really liked the I beastly stuff nor Simply had to go In for both or else go into Into f dead dead storage John was wr wrong ng then Tonight his Insane suspicion of or the money that had been given her for a reason reason reason rea rea- son she couldn't fathom simply proved how wrong he had always been been about about her And Arid he wasn't coming back a s a-s she was sure that he would when he slammed the front door Ahva Always s 's their quarrels had ended in a kiss and a few minutes min mm- ut utes s of wonderful silence very close to each other Tomorrow of course she could go to him and straighten out his mind easily She could even take him to Mr Graydon Gradon or orto orto orto to Eggleston himself Then John would be contrite they would have their silence silene e together a and alid d make their pl plans ns That was what she could do But this had t keen een a deep dep hurt Being so utterly unjust the bitterness of I the wound was just a bit magnified by Joannas Joanna's admission to herself that other times she hadn't had near so much right to tight fight back Hed He'd come to her now would John Come calling and anda say a Im I'm sorry When she had definitely sealed this bitter verdict in her rebellious mind Joanna was conscious of Mrs Adams sitting on the sofa in a corner hf t the room She had come in quietly and had not disturbed disturbed dis die the reflections of the girl on the floor Joanna smiled up at her wanly Funny isn't it she said Everybody thinks It seems no nobody nobody nobody no- no body can believe bellev anything these days that's good to believe About girls I mean First the chauffeur He was earnest too because he thought he had a a. perfectly ripe date with ne me e and deliberately crabbed it Th Then Cohen who as much as told me that furs for maids were of ot darkness Now John Funny Isn't It 7 The landlady whose kindly old face was a mirror of all her mental mental mental men men- tal transformations nodded her head Yes Jo Its It's funny tunny but maybe its it's not so funny either Sometimes Sometimes Some Some- times I dont don't sleep seep nights thinking about you girls you and Georgie and the others Ive I've got and hadId hadId hadId had Id I'd try to be a mother to all of ot you youIt if It you'd let me but buit you OU never will Georgie told me day before yesterday yesterday yesterday yester yester- day or maybe mabe It was the day be before before before be- be fore that mothers were too old- old fashioned for up-to-date up girls to be bothered with She said that mothers moth moth- ers era who were any any good were like flannel underwear Wore Vore well I think she said but didn't have class Yes that's like Georgie Joanna Joanna Jo Jo- anna agreed from her place on the tl floor ol But I dont don't think she's really In bad She's In with a crowd that travels pretty fast and she he hasn't got enough sense Bense to to know when she's skidding But you OU dont don't always have a smash when you skid you know Mrs Adams knew only vaguely what Joanna was trying to say Shed She'd given up long ago her struggles against the language of or her young lady roomers Are you really surf sun J Jo 0 she asked her words coming slowly t that at you haven't had what you OU call a amash smash mash All that money you had hadIn hadIn hadIn In your pocketbook and you say theres there's more too You know know know- Before the steady gaze of of the girl on the floor the landlady faltered fal fal- fal- fal The eyes that star stared d at her made her uncomfortable uneasy uneasy with her doubts You see Jo she argued plaintive in her self self- Justification the things a girl a-girl gIrl like you talks about and knows about and the places yo you go Georgie wears her clothes too tight and she says that's what girls inIs are supposed to do nowadays And you wear dresses that you ought ough t to never cross your our knees in you In-you you oughtn't to sit down at all aU its it's worried me mea a lot And you you smoke Jo and Ive I've heard you swear too That's why John was ready to believe believe believe- You mean that's why you |
