| Show I T TELEGRAM FICTION t JUDITH JUD ITH H LANE By Jeanne Bowman Bo SYNOPSIS 0 Judith Lanes Lane's friend the newspaper girl Clia Sanford just has called to say he must Interview Judith as the perfect stenographer Waiting to join Clia Judith recalls the kindness lof of her employer Big Tom Torn Bevins who has has' watched over her since the death of her engineer father She has just taken a letter from Big Tom to his hilS attorney Morton ampere Lampere which said that tha Big Tom planned to begin construction on an abandoned dam project in western Texas through the failure of which man many small mall t farmers had been ruined I II I CHAPTER TWO I 1 NORMAN NOR DALE I Judiths Judith's stenographic training her herl practical and md technical knowledge of 1 en engineering and the trust Tom Bevins was as able to place in the daughter of a lifelong friend made her invaluable to him At first the work seemed to her like a compromise between engineering engi engi- and business domesticity and th then gradually she became more the stenographer and less the en giner And as she caught up the I loose ends of daily work and wove them into the pattern of the construction construction construe construe- tion company's business her respect for the office wives of the world deepened until it verged on pride in ina a apro profession The moon faced clock elock brought I Judith to the realization she was due to meet Clia CUa in five minutes She s scurried to the locker pulled the perky deUt delft blue hat to a smart angle donned the jacket of her new suit whisked a powder puff putt acro across her nose a alip lip stick across her lips and grabbing letters to be dropped into the mail chute darted out of orthe the of lice fice to the el elevator Normans Norman's Invitation The letters letter slithered down the glass lass chute like winged one pigeons Judith heard the ele elevator tor doors clang open She stepped briskly into the car then then Oh Oh she said breathlessly looking up into laughIng laughing laugh bugh in ing dark eyes which seemed amused at her start of surprise Working late arent aren't you Miss Lane asked Norman Dale Junior partner of the firm to lo which she had hadj j just st mailed a letter No uNo she countered Just using the office as a waiting room I had hada a late appointment And under her breath words were singing In ing the perky blue hat hat the trim trim trin new suit let the thc rain ruin them they've Continued on P Pin Faze je SU Six I I TELEGRAM FICTION C M JUD JUDITH ITH LANE LAN By By Jeanne Bowman BO Continued from tram Pare lau One served their purpose Norman Dale has seen me as something other than thana a CO cog in the office machinery My cars car's just outside and its it's raining rain ing pitchforks May I take tale you wherever youre you're going oin The elevator had made swift descent de scent to the lobby before Judith had recovered her breath sufficiently to respond to Normans Norman's invitation Judith Accepts For two years she had been watch watching ing lag him across th the width of or the thc board room table a barrier a as dell nit a n the tho social wall which seemed i to rear er itself between between aspiring young young stenographers and promising young la lawyers Dale DaJe Lampere and l Morrison on had been retained b by the Bevins Construction Con Con- company to handle its le legal al affairs since the Inception of the company and Norman Dale assuming assuming assuming assum assum- ing his fathers father's place with the law firm at the elder Dales Dale's death had gradually assumed his duties Now that the board table and Its symbolical barrier had been removed been removed Judith found herself responding to Normans Norman's invitation with a still It it Il breathless breathless ford Id so o appreciate The car was at the curb The Rice was four blocks beyond but somehow somehow somehow some some- how due to traffic lights on way one way thoroughfares or perchance the Inclination inclination in In- of or the man at al' the wheel Judith found them speeding across the arch of ot the bayou bridge with the queer town of little homes lying beyond the dusk On the crest of the arch traffic cau caught ht and held them a fleeting mo mo- ment Judith looked down on the roofs of oC the little town town always always reminds reminds re rc re- re minds me of a library she confided The roofs are like colored bindings of oC books turned upside down think Id I'd like to live in one No countered her companion meshing gears You should live in ina a house with slim white pillars and anda a green roof green shutters and window boxes with pink geraniums And then in the sheltered intimacy of a storm assailed coupe they talked of homes and houses Ive never lived in a house Judith Ju confided Its always always' been construction con con- camp shacks tents hotels apartments and once while Dad was building a bridge I 1 lived in a monastery monastery monas monas- tery deserted of ot course It would have ha been deserted once the occupants had seen you jou came the chivalrous r response and Judith tilting her head forward orward to laugh caught a glimpse Jimpse of the clock on the dashboard Please I must go back Im I'm Clia Sanford and while she's always at t is least 15 minutes s late its it's now 20 minutes after the time I Iwas Iwas Iwas was due to m meet t her Conversation to Continue Traffic was disappointingly light as the they returned swiftly to the city and Norman Dale assisting Judith to alight asked i if they couldn't resume the discussion soon I 1 really dont don't know Judith an an- Were leaving for the Rio Diablo basin June first and Big Tom Is quite liable to keep me working evenings ening to catch up with his other affairs before we go JO Suppose you ou telephone me mc I will or else Ill I'll see sec ce you ou at board meeting or drop down for a clint chat while Toms Tom's of off on one of his wiles wife's pink teas Judith hurried into the hotel lobby discovered Clia hurrying in behind hind her and turned to accept the red haired girls girl's apologies As if jf you weren't late too pro protested tested Clia preceding her into the main dining room i And didn't I see sec you crawling out of ot Norman Dales Dale's ear admitted Judith as they were seated at a window table Any objections Plenty Plent retorted Clia with the frankness of or an old school friend Dont want you jou ou suffering from angina an an- gina pectoris or some other heart ailment What do you mean Ls Lc there anything any any- thing wrong with Mr Dale No That's the trouble Hes He's so ro completely all aU right every woman oman who eV ever r sees him wants want to take him home for keeps Money Inquired Judith guile guile- lessly Not much Doesn't need it Not that hes he's so heartbreakingly handsome hand hand- some but he has got a nice sort of a man he-man look about him Theres There's a lot of millionaire mammas of marriageable mar mar- daughters willing to make up the deficit if hell he'll only promise to love honor and cherish their off spring sprin How hes he's managed to reach the ripe old of age 28 without exchanging ex cx- changing his freedom for a franchise is beyond my powers Copyright 1934 by Jeanne Bowman Tomorrow Clia and Judith cook ook up a story |
