Show i u of ou 1 i I Copyright Continued from yesterday John was here tonight she an an- I. I IJohn flounced He was at the bank to to- to day Mr 11 Eggleston sent for tor him Mr Graydon at the store had tola tole Mr Eggleston what you had said said sald- that John had suspected the place the money came from The bank wanted to put him right Johns John's got It all through his half baked mind that hes he's like a bird dog that's been pointing the wron wrong vay ay ay Joanna sank onto the bed the wistfulness eyes again Her plans for tor the morrow began to crumble and in their place rose something else vague and but before it she stood side by side with John Then with a a. petulant shake o of her shoulders she she- reassembled reas reas- L her plans and the ar arrogance arrogance arro arro- o- o gance came back into the tilt of h her r chin But he hurt Georgie I dont don't think think- Oh you can arrange things to suit yourself Georgie assured her wisely Hes got six cylinders under under un under un- un der the hood maybe but only one works Ive I've always told you he was full of carbon Hes He's frightfully cut cutup up not it it I knew he would be some day It wasn't me trie he susI suspected sus sus- I petted so much as it was anybody h any girl I mean who's got knees and isn't too ashamed to show them Im I'm going to to- to i l What Georgie prompted her but Joanna bit her lips and wouldn't finish her sentence Still SUIl fight with herself hersel as much muchas as she might nothing seemed to matter so much as John She had intended to spend the rest of ot the night packing her new things and her old for tor she had no idea o of sleep There'd be lots of ot time for sleep when she was thoroughly convinced convinced con con- vinced she wasn't asleep and dreamIng dreaming dreaming dream- dream Ing anyway anyway She had wanted just to pack and talk to Georgia Georgie through the night and shape vague things that she shee planned to do for tor her into a definite program This last idea Georgie dismissed at once with a practical Wait Walt until you know where youre you're at Ill I'll take my fun run reporting about you to old Good Morning I always always' did want to land that bird Now that youre you're gone maybe Ill I'll get a chance Joanna agreed that this wouldn't be a abad bad idea and Georgie concluded Then when Ive I've got him watch me double cross him That is maybe I will willand willand and maybe I wont Who Vho knows Hes He's not such a bad bird at that Joanna was not in the mood to discuss Mr Good Morning or even even Kenilworth who had bad ordered her herto herto herto to call him Roddy w without tl out further further further fur fur- ther ado or Yvonne whose career career- from Cairo to London and America I was as well known to Georgie as any other avid reader of ot the Sund Sunday Sunday Sun Sun- d day y press or Brandon's Brandon s insistent nt and sinister probing of o of her In Instead Instead Instead In- In stead she cross doss examined patiently about John With little success Georgie was detached her roving eyes eyes' engaging her attention with ever new splendors splendors splendors dors creeping out in the sheen or orthe orthe orthe the trim or the drape o of one o of the new things hanging about the room He said he wanted to see you and square the deal and that hed he'd hed hunt you up tomorrow was was all that Georgie would vouchsafe With the morning J Joanna ann had de decided de- de She sent to John a a brief brier little lit 1 tle tie note that cost her an hour She wanted him as him as always and as us usual us- us ual Everything was all right They wouldn't talk about that night when he accused her But he must com come cometo cometo to her her her-at at Yvonne's This dispatched dispatched dispatched dis dis- patched to Johns John's workroom In the offices s of the firm where he was working up to his career she went to the bank The uniformed doorman remembered remembered remembered her In In his manner there was none none or of th the subterfuge with which he would have met any other of ot the banks bank's customers even even the most Important at tl the e announcement announcement announce announce- ment that it was vas the chairman o of the board himself whom the caller wished t to see He led Joanna di dt directly directly di- di through the marble corridors past the railings shutting In vice presidents cashiers and other im important important important im- im functionaries es from whom the girl caught glances of ot Interest It seemed as as if the entire tion was alert to her Eggleston rose to receive her Again she saw a great gentleness beneath the grave austere exterior of ot this man harshness was a a tradition th that t even shop girls knew In his presence she trembled at her own audacity in coming to speak to him of her little matters But you may always come to me meat meat meat at at any time the banker assured her lier patiently I have made up my mind what to do do she told him when she had sought some other opening and failed tailed to find it It isn't very much just that I have hive to found md a a great friend who will show me me how how I I mean who will help me You have the most disconcerting disconcert disconcert- ing way of not finishing what you start to say ay protested He spoke shortly with none o of the softness in his voice that had been there a moment before Joanna realized that she could practice no evasions with the great man I think I meant to say someone who will show me how to enjoy enjo my I money she said uneasily You see you rou nor Mr Graydon nor nor- Mr Brandon will give me any advice ad I dont don't know what to do do I feel reel there Is so so much I could do and should do I tried to win a prize one time by thinking what Id I'd do If I had a thousand dollars I knew all sorts of ot things I think I built hospitals and started schools for tor girls to learn how to be lal 1 Mary Pick Pick- fords and even then I didn't win the prize Now that Ive I've all that you say Is in the bank fa for me I cant can't really think o of a thing I guess I want a little fun too badly So Im I'm going to learn from one who knows knos Just a little fun as you call caU it But you can buy a lot Jot a of pleasure with the money you have Wont Won't it pall on ori you after awhile Perhaps I dont don't know Im I'm a little bit afraid arald r I dont don't know much of anything you see So I want to learn Its It's a lot o of responsibility somebodY has put onto my my shoulders shoulders ders dels Isn't it I For Fora a time Um he e didn't answer answer n When he did he be asked her abruptly abrupt abrupt- abruptly ly Who Vho is your confidante going to be I I 11 dont dont don't suppose yO you imo know her i Miss Coutant Yvonne Coutant She's very famous you know and I Ihas has heaps o of money of her own Men are always in love with her She's thrilling I Again he was s silent lent and then Joanna thought there was something something something some some- thing cold In his voice Yes I know of her I fancy almost everyone everyone everyone every every- one does does Lets Let's see see see-is is she divorced now or married Divorced But that tha doesn't make any difference does it Not the slightest He spoke briefly She was was was' sure now that he had gone gone cold She decided not to dwell after atter all upon her plans She spoke o of John Your friend md and mine Graydon was vas deeply concerned by your re report report report re- re port of ot the young mans man's misunderstanding standing He gave me to believe also that you OU were were disturbed by that circumstance As your banker bank bank- er et I took tool it upon my se t to p protect your interests interests even even if It those interests interests inter inter- ests were were at th the moment a mere young man If I offended I apt arr sorry orry Y You u are a valuable patron o of the bank I would not offend you you But I wanted to tell you ou how happy it made me ale Joanna exclaimed exclaimed ex ex- claimed The sudden change in him distressed her He had gone goner r far r a away way from her and she had always 1 sensed him as very close very close to her per In some unfathomable unfathomable unfathomable way I I would not take the money none money none of ot it it-If it if it should Cost me the the thing I want John to think of ot me mel i I She was gazing gazing at him too earnestly not to see His hardness vanished from his face ft and his eyes as gently as as the passing of a shadow shado His fingers reached out for the jade jad paperweight and toyed with it as she had observed him do during her first visit isit to him When hen he spoke again it was as if she were not there as if it he spoke to a memory Yes there are times when money doesn't count So long as youth youth knows this everything's everything's every every- things thing's all right Joanna nodded to him quitt silently At that moment she understood understood un un- that something had one gone from one to the other ther o of them But Jut she fhe cou couldn't for the life Ilfe of ot her h r explain what In a a moment she was telling him about John John ot of their schooldays and of ot their coming com corn irig ing together ag again h in the city when sh she wa was on her own and he with neither fortune nor chance began to build for his career of ot other her hope in him and of ot their plans plans that had all gone awry But have they Eggleston n in interrupted In- In he figure some someway someway way in your prospects Joanna considered Yes she admitted But I dont don't know how yet Aft I dont don't think thin Id I'd make him happy just yet Theres There's a lot for tor him to learn as there Is h for me Then she added brightly But nut Ill I'll figure it all aU out some way And now may I have some more of ot my money Im I'm going to be begin ln to spend you lm know CHAPTER XIII Yvonne Coutant Yvonne Y Coutant was one of ot those women young in bod body and lure but old in the lore of all else that is woman of ot whom it was the fashion fashion fashion fash fash- ion to know much but of ot whom few knew mUch Her appearance on the sunshade balcony at Shepherds Shepherds Shep Shep- herds In Cairo brought heads together to together to- to gether and curious gleams into i eyes eye's that had grown weary with their struggle to pierce the blue haze that shrouds the distant Her arrival at Nice or Cannes during the season o of the Mo-careme Mo fetes was told In the Casino at Monte Carlo and echoed from villa to villa along the whole Riviera shore It If some evening she unexpectedly framed herself in inthe inthe inthe the purple curtains of ot the exclusive Embassy club in London or p. p d t. t to ti drop her cloak in the of ot any other fashionable supper en- en devous Mayfair knew of ot it Ion on tt lt It greeted the dawn wi v tn to a final brandy brand and soda Only the fp fevered tred few e lwE knee kne whence she came cume or what we wee e to be the high lights of her stay For Yvonne Coutant tant was a C 3 hIlt tuti of or 1 l. Roddy Roddy J en Gen en- en called them high spots S. S T Toddy Teddy of ot J Paris and New York was born a with none o of the S supposedly aHa attached ed to such high estate maintained a a. continuous ar argument U with Roddy as to whether er or not it shouldn't be e spot spotlights spotlights spotlights lights Being an Englishman Lord Teddy was a stickler for exactitudes tudes tUllEs In its minor way this was wasas wasas as good an example as any o of the controversies Yvonne Coutan Coutant foster fostered fostered fos fos- ter d and quite as s sensible She Sho guarded her mysteries her past and her future and danced to melodies les of or her own making Undoubtedly Undoubtedly- ly born in France she had married an American and an Englishman She laughed at b both th when th they y ann announced that their affections for her were serious serious serious seri seri- ous and laughed at t them both when she decided that as husbands hus hus husbands b bands they were were too encumbering There was no public comment over settlements Indeed there may have been none norie i if there were it itIs itis itis is probable the husbands were voluntarily generous Both had be been n artists at heart and were o of the sort wh who wore a woman oman as a be jewel and would continue to proud of the splendor that had hau been theirs during durinA their devotions least one to a wife of ot whom at order of ot the world must ever envy them It Is probable they would t willingly do their share toward preserving the golden sheen on t the butterfly wings that had fluttered for Cor them The latter one of these had bad been Alfred Coutant the Amer American Long Lone before him however Yvonne Coutant had been one who hel helP c with her Intense and exotic co co charm to give rom romant t color to the affairs of ot that silt American hostesses wl w o of aspiring In themselves can provide on dullness Men who were with o a a. sense of humor fell desperate In love with her She t women and the they bored her drea dreg fully J J To h be continued M |