Show B BUYING YING BARBARA By Julia Cleft Addams I SYNOPSIS Mark Lodey crippled arrogant and nd cruel is the guest of Farrell Armitage Ar Ar- who Is trying to cure him and launch aunch him as an artist in order to permit Barbara Quentin Marks Mark's fiancee fi- fi ancee to to choose between them Unhampered un un- hampered by pity for Mark Mark has las been been- insinuating unfair things about bout Farrells Farrell's love for for Barbara Brbara when suddenly he faints taints Armitage's secretary Kenneth Poole rings for lor brandy randy Chapter 34 TO OUR MEMORIES The door opened to admit Thorn Thomas at atwith I with the brandy decanter and gl glasses esl esland and behind Thomas a girl I Its very characteristic said the theirl how girl irl how I always manage to comEIn come comeIn comen In n on the tho cocktail wagon Poole studied her as he advanced to o meet her He had not met Leil Lelli Cane before but he guessed that this must be she This isn't going to be a revel really really realy real- real ly y he explained when he had In introduced introduced reduced himself The intoxicant is isor for or t His heart isn't quite the thIng this this this-att afternoon She went up to the big chair and looked down at its occupant Supported Sup Sup- ported by Thomas he was sipping brandy randy A faint color had crept back backo to o his face Leila Lella smiled a faint taint biter bit ter er smile that Poole found rather at at- Hullo MarkI Markl Got the tho tantrums Poole took a chance he Hes been baiting Armitage explained Swords for two you know and brandy for one If u Mark needs brandy said Leila Farrell must be needing an lance Her bright eyes swept the room Where did you put him We uWe disagreed fundamentally on the subject of handling women came ame from Mark before Poole could make mke any retort He has just wandered wandered wan wan- dered out to dig a pit for tor himself and In n due course to fall tall into It What a cad you arc are commented Leila dispassionately She took a from the case Poole offered and lit it Jt he a cad Mr Poole Dont Don't you hate having him In the house louse On lOOn the contrary he fascinates me mel melAU All AU that artistic temperament stuff stuff stuff- Ive I've never met It before at close dont don't want brandy brandv I any more said Mark petulantly And as the footman withdrew withdrew I I haven't drawn your our soul yet Leila Have a care Poole thought she flinched but in inthe inthe the he next second she h had d recovered herself I I a soul soul and and youve you've I drawn all the rest of me Have you sat for your portrait then Miss Cane No though he pretends I did Could I have painted you like that from memory think protested protest protest- ed the artist Who would believe it Leila Only Barbara bless her she told hIm ilm steadily And she said you hadn't done me justice And started her kitchen fire with It Poole laughed suddenly With these hese two as with Armitage and he had the feeling that they were were talking over his head But whatever It was about he backed this Cane girl Never before had he seen man man cripple cripple or no look no-look look so childishly cross Barbara should have left It Jt alone It was mine he muttered I shall tell her so the moment she comes Is Barbara coming here Yes To do me a t studio that Isn't a silly clutter of sofa cushions When I saw her last week she said that if she did come up It would be beto beto beto to do Patsy's rooms not yours She will do them though His humor apparently restored Mark stretched up a hand and Leila LelIa giving him hers helped him up Pooles Poole's Oh I 1 say let me came too late ate Mark was already on hi his feet Leilas Leila's hand still In his before she could withdraw It he raised it to his lipsTo lipsTo lips To IOTo our memories Lena Leila Poole strolling across the room to see him out of the door wondered And then he wondered at himself for wondering She was just one of a thousand others He strolled back and found that the painful flush lush that tha had risen under her powder had gone again She was elaborately com com- posed po cd He does docs so hate It when you wont won't let him see youre you're Impressed she said Do you think genius Is always as unendurable as Mark No uNo Idea But he quite honestly doesn't Impress me except as an evil evil- tempered little cuss He makes people especially women women women wo wo- wo- wo men feel that if he would let them they could heal him of ot his s sins Well all I know Is that Id I'd throttle the woman who tried to heal me rue o of mine He spoke quite seriously but evidently evidently evi- evi dently something something perhaps perhaps his wholehearted whole wholehearted hearted dismay amused dismay amused her and she shebe be began an to laugh It was a friendly jolly laugh and he liked the sound o of it He was quite sorry when she stopped It had made him want to see her out on the moors in tweeds with some of ot that paint washed of oft off her face and one of those Jolly felt hats instead of his black provocative provocative provo I thing Its tIlts such a long time she said merriment still in her eyes ees since I 1 Imet Imet met a man who could give me so ferocious fero fero- cious claus a hint as that Heres Here's Mrs Hullo Judy darling How be vc ye e The west-country west greeting linked two chains of thought In Pooles Poole's mind Quentin rodely and Cane CIne Leila Cane Quentin and had cn cr crashed shed ced and Cane had han No Im I'm not with Patsy Raoul an any longer Leila was announcing as and when Mrs lau h would allow allow al al- al low Jow her to make herself heard Im not even een at a hotel Ive I've just taken what Marks Mark's lot call a decomposing Iv lv urgent service flat Ilat In a Caroline Square Youre go goin in the pace Lena Leila aint you You cant can't get flats in Caroline Square for a song though I remember i ber her 20 years ears ago I thought of of- of I ul blackmailed father into trebling my allowance said Leila Lena lightly And if that doesn't cover it well Im I'm sorry but no living woman can cando cando cando do more My dear gel what things you do And then tea te arrived and Mrs fell upon it Barbara received Marks Mark's wire just justas justus as us she put aw away y her work for the then n night hl Miss Quentin way end ou ouch h. h Come Mark She read It with a startled Ing of the breath Come Mark He lie wanted her she her she must 10 o to him i Any answer miss Sh darted to her work table for a pencil She needed only to say that she was coming at once He wo would ld know enow that she would catch the next train rain or if it necessary hire a car to Taunton Junction She had begun to write the words when something tugged tugged at her mind and stopped h her r. r She was remembering the letters she he had written during the first week of f his absence and the telegram she had tad sent asking for his advice about Miss MiM Raoul's commission He had hadnot hadnot hadnot not answered any of ot them though his mother had reported that he was well and active Of course Mark very rarely wrote to o her during their separations w was contemptuous In fact a t of the whole idea behind a daily correspond correspondence nce Still Still after after that first week she had written twice more and the only answer answer answer an an- had been a postcard telling her hero herto herto to o send his old sketchbooks by return mallAny mail mall Any answer miss please What w was the matter with her Again she poised the pencil But that something that fretted at her he- would not be denied It was like a whisper per perIn In n her ear and ear and a whisper very like Leilas Marks lazy lazy- Marks lazy Marks Mark's cruel An irritation a resentment of Mark rose In her that she had hd not known before She wrote her answer on impulse to o Judy Is my ray immediate presence essential to Mark Glancing at her watch as the boy ran off aU she saw that there was time for or Judy to reply the same evening She went to the telephone and arranged arranged arranged ar ar- ranged for the answer to be transmitted transmit transmit- ted d to her Then she sat down and tried ried to discover what had come over he her Mark had called to her and she had bad hadnot hadnot not gone to him What would v he what think hink what would he do She began to 0 be frightened now to construct a hundred ways In which Judy might reply to her Mark Ill Mark dying She was huddled miserably over her ler little oil stove her head and heart ac aching ing together when her telephone rang The message was brief Of course not Stay where you are arc Copyright 1932 Julia Clef Cleft Addams Barbara at last works herself up op tomorrow to an Important de de- |