Show r v k 1 I i. i if i- i l r i W 11 1 f fI t J J Ii f J r ft r F 1 fh r J l v l Y lf fal J. J I r to i 41 J y y J i v I T i 7 04 t. t l lL i t t f t L 10 J t t. 1 r j 7 i i V It i. i J I i. 0 1 l r h Hk DB m B I ou z zt eva B B erSi rs 4 e lf An Amateur Sleuth z Almost fr Proves ves to Himself That the G Girl rl He Lov Loves Is a Thie t HENRI HENRi the he chief designer of Bacourt Freres Freres walk walked d the floor and moaned and held his aching head h ad and in in between be between between be- be tween moans and gestures he called upon heaven with flaming French adjectives that nothing not a II single infinitesimal minute thing was was' too horrible too bad for this the most depraved the lowest the the- most utterly unmentionable of all aU human vultures Henri was having a tantrum tantrum tan tan- trum and next to a a. creative spasm Henris Henri's tantrums ranked first Brice Att Atterbury the pleasant- pleasant faced quiet young man who only three weeks back had stepped into his deceased uncles uncle's shoes and end business sat at his huge mahogany desk and t toyed with a a. listened a great deal and spoke very little BrIce was thinking that this was a a. funny sort of dramatic scene to indulge In all because of a few clothes Sh Shut t up Henri advised Janey Sturgis gis th the foreign buyer Q of the firm all ail that walling and gnashing of teeth d doesn't nt get us anywhere ere what hat w weve we've ve got to do dois dois dois is is hunt this this boulevard this boulevard buccaneer to fo earth and stop his plundering our exclusive exclusive ex exclusive ex- ex styles But yes Mme Jeanne but certainly certainly- and how shall we we do that beamed Henri already we have listed that gown as an exclusive model mOd l and it is positive that it would sell for and and now now now- and by Henris Henri's eloquent shrug one gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered that wouldn't surprise him a abit abit abit bit as the selling price of the desecrated model Four of at them I counted with my myOn myown myown own On eyes at the St. St Regis tea dance and probably a a. dozen more scattered all aU over overtown overtown overtown town And IT Ill IU bet murmured Janey wisely that every last one of em was was' wass was's sold ld as asan asan asan an absolutely original exclusive model For that I tear my hair wailed walled Henri anew and to think that I 1 should live to see the day when hen a creation of nine mine I Ine should hould be by the gross and there were real tears of regret glistening glistening glis glis- t ning on the fat Tat round face of the emotIonal emotional emotional emo emo- grieved Henri as he contemplated his ruin Some one cb observed r cd Brice quietly must have either lost her card or else brought an untrustworthy companion along to our Friday afternoon showing I tell you ou repeated Madame Louise pa patiently patiently pa- pa I know every single person who sat through that o opening and not one of them was t even remotely connected with anything like dressmaking or drawing Then how demanded BrIce coolly dId dida S copy of ot that dress get out if it it h has 5 only been exhibited once and you can canouch vouch ouch for every person who saw it that once and every one was silent thinkIng thinking thinking think think- ing the matter matt over for the hundredth time As the silence deepened and each one wrestled silently with the knotty problem Brice brought to bear the New England shrewdness that was a a. heritage from his beautiful clever Yankee mother and said quietly Were not getting anywhere like Uke this I have a a. plan that may mayor or may not work out and I hope you'll all operate co-operate with me by giving me your our luncheon addresses addresses addresses ad ad- dresses and the nam names s of or any other places you visit during luncheon hour And the only person whom he failed to ask that question You draw or sk sketch tchi was Henri it was as most obvious that the creator cre cre- creator Cleator ator of n court F Freres er s gowns' gowns not only drew and sketched but did everything else that was remotely associated with creating gowns THAT HAT noon Brice dined at the saute same little cafe down the avenue that was aas regularly frequented by Henri and he even sat Eat at the same table that Henri sat at and in a a. way Brice was rewarded Forit was at the little secluded table that Henri frequented so regularly that Brice met the girl Just when Brice stopped thinking about the girls girl's softly curling blond ash-blond hair or wondering about her great velvety brown eyes or wishing that she wouldn't tantalize him so with her soft sweet smile he never knew His French blood took account of ot her modish clothes noted with ith approval the smart woolly brown suit and the cream-colored cream silk crepe blouse the colored coffee long gloves and the hat that fitted her lovely head like Uke a s. tight little helmet and he would have been less than human had he not noticed slim feet shod In the ruddiest of warm brown suede with an odd in intriguing intriguing In- In buckle buckIe that was Colonial in appearance appearance appearance ap ap- ap but in reality was the last gasp from Paris But it was his Yankee blood that warned him shrewdly when she asked him if it he be heas was as not Mr of Ra Ra- court Freres Although he smiled at her warmly and ud introduced himself his brain vas yas as saying Watch your jour step Brice this may b be the thief youre you're looking for He was actually murmuring that he was Just I leaving and couldn't he drive her to hero her destination He could and did and after dropping her at the docks where the fast liner Uner from Paris was due In an hour Brice drove slowly back uptown his thoughts In a a. chaos She was so beautiful and so cultured end and so 50 sweet and looking Innocent why looking why she couldn't stoop to such a trick as st stealing stealing steal steal- al- al ing inS a a. designers designer's model and selling it to torome some rome cheap imitator And yet yet how how did she know his name And was It coincidence dence that she happened to be sitting at Henris Henri's table or was It a part of ot her systematic systematic business of looting Henris Henri's mind Of pf all its brilliant Ideas before they were cre even enn hatched Perhaps she sat here and watched him absently sketching some Idea roughly on scratch paper before he got down to the business of tr translating it t tot to t f actual drafting sheet Or perhaps she talked with ith him drawing him out a and d luring him to talk over his plans so she he could steal them for her own gain I Well time alone alon would tell Only it was a a. beastly shame that the only girl hed he'd ever er cared two pins about knowing better should be under such a a. ghastly cloud of suspicion m Pe Perhaps haps he wouldn't wouldn I r r r 1 1 l 1 i J I mind It so 0 much If hed he'd ever been much of a a. hand for girls Meanwhile he was learning everything he could about pam Pamela la Lane Where she lived ed and with whom what her occupation occupation occupation tion was as and whom she played around with Everything that he learned only Increased his' his adoration for her even as it it Intensified intensified the pall of ot suspicion that hung over over her her fair young young head It seemed that the L Lane ne house was a big old place In the west end of the fashionable Just- Just the park district and although the place was obviously run down and neglected neglected neg neg- it still held remnants of its past glory despite the Insistent march of pov pov- erty There was a discreet sign at the lower basement window and it told the passing world that rooms could be hired for girl bachelor-girl U light ht housekeeping Then Thon there was her mother or whoever the feminine relative was She Sha had made madea a a. brave and pitiful effort to find happiness happiness happiness happi happi- ness despite persistent slaps from an un unkind unkind unkind un- un kind fate For the might have overlooked divorce and remarriage but no Atterbury ever had thought so lightly So So accordingly Brice frowned over the fact that Pamela Lanes Lane's mother had been married three times widowed times widowed once and divorced twice Perhaps it was his fathers father's tolerant racial generosity that caused ed Brice to decide that after all aU a girl was not responsible for her mothers mother's actions but Just the same he was cautious cautious cautious cau cau- and res reserved heaps of girls were Just like their mothers Then the little HUle matter of what she shedid shedid shedid did for a a. living It seemed that she was wasa a magazine worker of some sort Brice assumed that she wrote as It was learned that she derived her income through checks that came from various magazines always through the mail mall Probably he decided bitterly they were style notes or else fashion chatter He discovered her at a fashionable night club once and It might have been beena a a. natural Jealousy that caused him to criticize her escort but It did seem to Brice that the man was neither young nor nice for his face was flushed with drink and he essayed a gayety that was conspicuous even cven In a night club It was with difficulty that Brice restrained himsel himself himself him him- self sel from offering to take her home every outraged nerve cried out to rescue her from her offensive partner of the evening c but something held held him bac back S SHE HE saw him as he got up to leave and motioning him to her table she spoke a few words and then whispered Please vou would d It trouble you greatly to get me mea a cab and find see me to It Im I'm afraid my escort Is forgetting himself and himself and me as aswell aswell aswell well And with racing pulse Brice held her cloak and followed her to the door watching to see sec If lC her escort would return and start a a. scene before they could escape es eS- cape He could not recall afterward what they talked of during the ride homeward He knew that he was dismayed ed at the sudden arrival at her home and surprised that he wanted to prolong the ride in indefinitely In- In definitely At luncheon luncheon for for he always found her herat herat herat at the same table every afternoon they afternoon they talked general topics topic He was discovering I 7 I 1 lb 1 j w things that to her unquestionable guilt gunt and just as always he was Wa trying to find excuses for her There was the occasion when they got into an argument about a hat that a a. fellow diner wore ore Brice stated that it was a a. draped felt brim brims but Pamela just justas as heatedly argued that the draped effect was acquired by cutting off the brim and replacing it at the desired angle Like this she e explained digging out a notebook and sketching rapidly with deft sure strokes that somehow seemed to slash clear across Brices Brice's heart as she illustrated the three stages of construction construction construction tion the hat In Its original shape the slashed-off slashed brim and Its replacement Do you see sec she smiled her warm brown e eyes es sparkling with interest as ashe she he leaned across the table to point out the various steps I see he answered ered slowly but she shedid shedid shedid did not see the bleak look that crept Into his eyes as he realized that here was areal artist capable of creating any sort of model model and and of or catching down on paper in a few deft strokes any others other's creation AT T LAST he had formulated a plan whereby hereby he could catch her red- red handed at the game Hed He'd show her a de design design design de- de sign that nobody else knew about and then hed he'd wait walt and see sec if shed she'd copy it and send It to whomever It was who took her pilfered designs and made them up into salable stuffs stuff s Sill m far away In the clouds she smiled shyly as they ate in silence for several moments have to forgive me etc he apologized apologized apologized apolo apolo- contritely Im in a a. sort of ot business business business busi busi- ness jam and I keep sneaking back to it all the time hoping to think the tangle out Reluctant to end the lovely dream easer eager to delay the final proving of her guilt Cum Brice made another engagement with her this time lime to dance and attend the theatre with a late supper afterward after aHer- ward He excused himself this action on the grounds that perhaps after all his suspicions were all wrong Iong and that she was just a a. perfectly nice young girl in Impoverished circumstances carrying on the best way she knew how So he en enjoyed enjoyed enjoyed en- en joyed the excellent play with her and danced away the fleeting night hours giddy with the sheer joy of holding her herin herin herin in his arms even in the restricted de decorum decorum decorum de- de corum of dancing dancin In an exclusive supper club Somehow Pamela had grown to loathe the little tin Un god cod of business that hounded Brice so constantly It seemed to draw him away from her to erect a cold wall b between tween them As If he were coldly disapproving disapproving disapproving dis dis- dis- dis approving of her when of course fie Not when he could relax and forget business for a while and be such an enchanting companion as he heas as was to to- to night It n was the business that was to blame for it all just all Just nonsense that she shei i 1 had fancied he disapproved of ofner her on on such occasions I That night as Brice stood l looking down at Pamela he almost almOt lost all aU his newfound newfound newfound new new- found courage courage almost t forgot o got that he was not yet sure about her but was about to tomake make sure almost forgot everything but buther buther buther her sweetness and the soft light shining in in her liar wide I i brown eyes But the Pilgrim forefathers of f his mothers mother's ancestral strain l had bad their Indisputable in indisputable indisputable in- in disputable hold on his spirit and Brice stepped back Just as he had hac been about to place his arms about Pamela and In Instead Instead Instead In- In stead he t took k her hand handin in his big gloved fist and looking down at her gravely he said It may be a a. long time thus before we have another such evening as this and as wonderful as It Is to have luncheon luncheon lunch- lunch eon con together as we do its it's been more than wonderful to share these occasional evenings eve evenings eve eve- ve- ve together That she smiled up at him Is ls be because because because be- be cause man likes to play better than work and therefore he remembers his play hours while his business contacts are forgotten I 1 suspect you of being a philosopher he said lightly Slowly carefully Brice knelt and picked up the c cards cards' and then raised his e eyes es to confront the annoyed annoyed an- an noyed oed nervous waiter So o YO you he muttered thickly were the thief IOne V I One has to in my walk of life she retorted easily Shall we see each other tomorrow he asked reluctant to leave her without the Joy of locking looking forward to another meeting meeting meeting meet meet- ing and wondering a bit vaguely just what she had meant by h her r last remark Oh yes I always lunch at t 1 Will WUl you OU be free then she asked wistfully aware that some shadow had stepped d in when he had been about to make a much more ardent statement I shall shaH make It my business to be free then he assured her but lets let's be ex extravagant extravagant extravagant ex- ex and walk over to the St St. Regis Shall ShaH we I believe they have an all ex excellent excellent excellent ex- ex orchestra there for luncheon Oh she gasped delightedly You do think of ot the most gorgeous things 1 I I Ishall Ishall shall shaH dig out all my hoarded finery and spend hours on preparation It was settled and Brice walked briskly down the street to the avenue thence to his club thinking dismally all aH th the way He was a a. cheat and |