Show T e m 1 J RI RICH H R RELATIOnS 1 j Wayne Wye Pr lIa BEGIN HERE TODAY Left an orphan Nancy Tilton leaves lea the only homo home she Bhe has over ever known and gets a aJob ajob ajob job with Blair Benn Denn and Com Coin Company Company pany in Chicago Pretty and redheaded redheaded redheaded red red- headed Nancy soon finds Don Blair dashing stepson of the head of tho the firm hovering about her And before long Nancy Nanc discovers that just to look at Don in theoffice theoffice the tho office sets acts her heart pounding David Walton Valton executive of the tho i company appeals to Nancy too but not as thrillingly as ns Don Daid David David Da Da- I vid id tells her that Don is apt to tomake make her unhappy and Nancy realizes that he Is Is' Is only trying tring to protect her But t she cant can't deny that she loves lo tho the philanderer in spite of Trixie Lanes Lane's possessive e attitude Just for fun Nancy tells Dons Don's mother moth r who 15 is socially ambitious that she is related to the wealthy wealth Chicago Tilton s. s That knowledge ledge stimulates Mrs r. Blair's Blairs Interest until Nancy becomes becomes' so deeply Iy involved that there thero is ls no turning back She Is 15 disconcerted when Mrs Irl Blair comes to call coil on her one ono day when Don is 15 out of town NOW V O GO ON WITH THE STORY CHAPTER XI Hello You didn't expect me did you La Belle Bello Mere asked I thought hought maybe I ought to telephone telephone tele- tele tele tele- phone before I came caine to be be sure roud you'd be in and then I decided later latero laterI to o chance It it She beamed upon Nancy a cy in her gracious poised fashion fash- fash lion ion on Nancy tried to be cordial al although although although al- al though she wished herself hersell a n t thousand thousand thou thou- ou- ou sand miles mUes away Talking with with withLa La LaBelle Belle Betle Mere meant continuing theold the theold theold old pretense that she had learned to o dread Wont Vont you come and ride LaBello La LaBelle LaBello Bello Belle Mere seated on one of the cheap overstuffed chairs looked as sadly out of ot place as a flaming orchid might have appeared in a vegetable garden Perhaps it would be pleasanter Being in Mrs Blairs Blair's presence always al- al a- a ways made Nancy feel apologetic Its Us very pleasant here although al- al though hough of course not q quite ite the right setting for tor you my child To Tobe Tobe Toie be ie sure I understand your motive living Jiving here and all aU that You want actually to place yourself in the working girls girl's environment loarn what she has to endure I under under- stand Smiles to Herself An ironical ironic l something Inside Nancy smiled at that Wish she could see Grandmother Lucas' Lucas bare old house b back ck home she thought But Jut aloud It It is pleasant here Mrs Murphy is kind Don Is coming in La BelleMere Belle BelleMere Mere said His plane is duo due in half halt an hour He wired me I thought hought perhaps you'd drive out to the airport with me Nancys Nancy's heart be beat t wildly at the thought hought To see lee Don It seemed to o her he had been gone for years And Don came laughing from the he plane as pleased to see Nancy as she was to see him They had a wonderful evening together with never a mention of temperamental Trixie nor even a mention of ot the tempestuous occasion occasion occasion occa occa- sion when they had last been to to- geth gether r. r Nancy liked Dons Don's stepfather On xOn th he the occasional times she had I seen een seen him at the office he seemed rath rather r stern stem and austere Seen however in n the intimacy of ot his own home he was was' jovial good natured natured natured-jus just justan just justan an ordinary sort of ot man Dons Don's mother was all aU effusive cordiality I 1 suppose you noticed the he rotogravure section in the morning paper It has an an excellent excel excel- excellent lent ent of grandmother picture your our In n it it It It occurred to N Nancy that it might b be interesting to Bee see a picture pIcture picture pic pIc- ture o of ones one's grandmother even a make-believe make one But she disclaimed disclaimed disclaimed dis dis- claimed having seen the morning paper aper a at all having slept la late e aDdLa and aDd andLa La A Belle Mere rang fang for a servant to bring the paper Presently she put the p paper per before before before be be- fore Nancy ancy delighted Its ns quite a natural picture isn't it 1 she asked anxiously Raises Little Nancy could get very little enthusiasm en en enthusiasm into her answer It is natural v very natural very ry natural natura Standing at the rail of ot a steamship was was was-a a a avery very very aristocratic little old lady and at it at her sIde a distinguished lookIng looking looking look look- ing man of middle age The caption underneath the picture picture pic plc- ture said Mrs James Tilton andson and andson son sor James Tilton Jr as they salt sailed d don on the Mrs Blair examined the picture critically comparing it with Nancy You look exa exactly like y your ur fat father er I dear Arent Aren't you glad 7 Nancy nodded She wanted to tol laugh despite h her r embarrassment Absurd to think that she looked lik like the aristocratic James Tilton In Iii the very few and arid brief briet talks tallis she had h had d with her mother about her tier own father tather she knew him just justas justas' justas justas' justas as as' a red-headed red boy a l lonely nely boy who had been treated rather shab shabbily bUy bily by her mothers mother's people The haughty domineering woman woman woman wo wo- wo- wo man in the picture could the be no nomore nomore nomore more domineering than her her- own grandmother Nancy thought Her Grandmother Lucas h had d always ruled her family with a rod of ot iron Many any times Nancy ancy thought of ot how ow d drab Ab her mothers mother's life had been and h how w subservient she sho had been to her own mothers mother's wit will The brief Texas sojourn t to fo o teach school chool had ad been because her mother was was- was not of f legal age to teach at at home Grandmother Lucas never let l t hers herself forget that she ha had per permitted p permitted per per- r- r mUted Mary Lucas t to go down alone atone to Texas But sh she had del deliberately deliberately de de- de- de l pta placed e the very young girl in the p path th of ot romance romance- and Mary had fallen In love with a redheaded redheaded redheaded red red- headed boy boy Jim Jim Tilton She had been happy too in tn her brief briet marbled married mar mar- bled ried life with him She had written written written writ writ- ten fearfully to tell her er parents of her heE marriage V Would u d An Annul l l I Marriage Grandmother cr Lucas h had c boarded J i the train Immediately and gone to Texas prepared to bring Mary home with her and annul the mar mar- She had not been quite so 80 drastic as that but she he had managed man managed managed man man- aged eventually to separate the two who loved each other ver very devotedly devotedly devotedly de de- and to the day of er her death the domineering old woman never told a of ot intercepted letters and i of a determination to part the two married lovers that did not wane 1 until that separation was acco pUshed A lon longing surged again into Nancys Nancy's heart heart to to go to Texas to find lind her father t to thank thant hint him for forthe forthe the tho small allowance that came to her regularly regular He Ho must have loved his unknown daughter whom hom he had never seen to provide for her herall herall herall all these years ears It woula would be easy enough to find tind him Nancy thought It would be easy to find the firm of ol attorneys through whom the allowance ance came and from them she could learn whether or not her father still aWl lived She came out of ol her reverie still holding the newspaper LaBelle La LaBelle LaBelle Belle Mere was wu barraging her with questions for lor the third or fourth Um time Have you heard from Mrs Tilton lately Is she well wen And w when en do you ou expect her to be coming coming coming com com- ing home She Sho didn't didt say lay when Nancy lied desperately but she's sho's well welt and having oa a delightful time I 1 think its it's so O splendid to think yo youre you're r living In such an interesting interesting interesting interest interest- ing f fashion hion working gaining a lot lotof lotof of ot experience La LaBelle Belle Mere chattered chattered chattered chat chat- on But tell teU me do you ou really like it 1 Nancy assured her host hostess ss th that t she did didI I want want to look after my my- self I get a real thrill out of ot It it Mr Blair lr seemed to be pleased He had been listening silently to tho the conversation The office manag manager manager man man- ag ager r Miss McIntosh says you are doing your work in really capable fashion he said Nancy flushed with real pleasure but the joy faded with Mr Mrs Blairs Blair's next qu question Uon Did you go to busi business i- i ness nw college Where did you go Of course you had to have a business business business busi busi- ness course to do your work so co capably For an instant Nancy flushed She school at couldn't say I went to I took shorthand Inthe in inthe inthe the high school And so she made another pretense I went to Miss MIM Smiths Smith's school at Tarrytown on the Hudson A A. girl had gone there the daughter of the village village vil vil- lage age ba banker and Nancy knew the tho school was supposed to be exclusive and swanky How Wonderful How wonderful Dons Don's mother beamed If nIt I had a daughter I should want her to go there too Its It's quite the thing my dear to togo togo togo go to an e eastern finishing school isn't it 1 Nancy nodded hopeful that the conversation would close She was glad when the time came for Don to take her home and she could sit back in the luxurious depths depths' of ot his car car and arid relax One never had to pretend with Don He accepted her for Cor exactly what she said she was as without any ques ques- ques It was a relief after La Belle Belt BelleMere's BelleMere's Meres Mere's effusive cordiality and curiosity A great distaste for tor the pretense was growing In Nancy Nancy's heart She had begun It innocently enough It hadn't been hard nor had it seemed pa particularly tI ul wicked when Dons Don's mother asked if if she belonged f to th the Chi Chicago ago merely to an an- an- an st cr affirmatively Dons Don's mother had seemed to want her to belong And surely with all ll her heart she had wanted Dons Don's mother to like her Some Som time and she felt that time coming swiftly tonight Don would t tell ll her that he loved her ask her herto herto herto to marry him him and and then them at the risk of ot losing loing the man she loved she would be ob obi obied ed to tell him th the truth Tell Ten him how the deception starting out so harmlessly had grown until she had been obliged to tell many lies to cover the first Don parked the car and they sat for a long time overlooking Lake Michigan Hundreds of people enjoyed enjoyed enjoyed en en- joyed the glorious June night Inthe in inthe inthe the park along the lake Bathers Batherson on the beaches dozens dozens dozens' of ot white while winged sailboats dotting the b blue le leol of ol the lake and a great golden moon making a brilliant pathway down over the water wate Night for Lovers It was a night for love and lovers Dons Don's arms were about Nancy Youre tho the pr prettiest little redhead in the In the w whole ole world Don whispered his lips on her hair her cheeks her throat I knew it it the minute I saw you that day in the office I love you And I 1 love you Don Nancy whispered her heart pounding madly M as as' she lifted her lips to his It was queer that she remembered afterward that even as 83 D Dons Don's n lips met her own Nancy thought of David It It was wa rapturous to b be kissed l d by Don but it hurt s somehow somehow some some- me- me how to think of David I want you to marry me soon Don said quite humbly I I I haven't much to offer you Its It's true that Im I'm Antho Anthony y Blairs Blair's stepson That doesn't mean meau anything for lor sure ure But ut Ive I've got a good job and Ml Ill work hard Ill Til get ahead Ill I'll give you you everything in life liCe you want little darling it if you'll marry me Id ld marry you OU if it you didn't have anything if it you didn't even have havea a job Nancy told him her little hand held tightly in his big one Even though my father well father well you know the story of ol my fn father her Even knowing that would you marry me Even knowing that Id I'd marry you It Isn't your fault It isn't an anything thin youve you've done But your people W Would uld they they they- would they want someone like me meIn mein mein in the family It wont won't be any of ot their business busi- busi busi ness nesa Nancy Nancy- said hating herself that she hadn't the moral strength to tell teU him the truth that minute It isn't what they say or what anyone else says that counts Its It's just what we that say ay that t counts count she whispered Continued Tuesday Copyright for The Telegram |