Show TELEGRAM FICTION Substitute Sweet Sweetheart 1 By Priscilla Wayne BEGIN HERE TODAY TODA Ruth Da Dayton ton 18 beautiful has hns I been hired to impersonate June Bradley whom she greatly bles The she Impersonation she had been told by Joe and Clara Bradley Brad Brad- ley is Icy is an innocent attempt to ease case the dying hours of their nephew Jim Dim Bradley Junos Juno's step brother who has been blinded in a motor accident They had explained June could not go to Jim because of at ill ill ill- ness However Ruth finds herself falling falling fall taU ing in love with the tho man she had bad been hired to deceive who deceive who seems likely to get well The prospect of Jims Jim's recovery appears not to please his relatives They fire his nurses and hire a man A new doctor takes over the case Jim grows s 's worse and they exult Ruth is a virtual prisoner She cannot get help help she she cannot confide In Jim who is too ill The Bradle Bradleys Brad- Brad le Joys leys s 's hoping to lull her suspicions suggest a shopping trip Ruth writes a letter Jetter to her brother Jerry 20 explaining her predicament She hopes to mail mall it It downtown NOW V GO ON WITH THE STORY CHAPTER ELEVEN Ruth almost forgot the letter Jetter This was the type of shopping she had always longed to do In do-In in exclusive exclusive exclusive ex ex- shops with lovely girls modeling modeling modeling mod mod- eling each garment Mr and Mrs Bradley stayed right with her intensely intensely in in- in tensely interested in everything she looked at Mrs Bradley urged her on to more buying Two or three handsome handsome handsome hand hand- some negligees June Junc You'll need them It wont won't be bo so long now You Youx cant can't telL Better bu buy an an- other Ruth decided on another Mrs Bradley evidently thou thought ht she had surmounted all suspicions Now how about an evening gown Another Gown n GonYou You bought one for me I wont won't need another Better Belter Mrs Bradley urged If Jim is really getting better hell he'll be wanting to sit up tip soon Therell There'll be people in One evening gown couldn't possibly do It was easy enough to follow such advice Shoes Lingerie A creamy lace blouse to go with the little suit New hats er E Everywhere where the Bradleys were known it seemed At the hat shop Ruth had a sudden sudden sudden sud sud- den inspiration She remembered the letter The salon was lovely exclusive Just a tiny little place off the corridor of a great office building lobby but carpeted sumptuously sumptuously furnished extravagantly Through the beautifully draped length full windows opening on the lobb lobby obby Ruth could see sec a mail box one ono of the kind that is just under undera a glass letter drop that serves several several several sev sev- eral floors It was just a step from the door of the salon to that mail box Now Was Vas Time Mr Bradley was deep in a paper he le had purchased just a few minutes minutes min minutes min min- utes before settled down in the depths of an easy chair smoking his and reading non non- Mrs Bradley was trying on hats It seemed the logical los time Ruth opened her bag made mado pretense of renewing her makeup sUpped slipped the letter out hid it behind the bag Closed the bag bas slowly watching furtively Mr Bradle Bradley still seemed engrossed engrossed en- en grossed in his newspaper and cig- cig aret arct Now seemed the tho appointed time Ruth rose quickly turned in a flash to the door She was quick quick but but not too quick for Joseph Bradley Quicker than thana a wink ho he was on an his his' feet had crossed tho the floor and caught the girls girl's wrist What is it Mr Bradley the obsequious manager asked Curry lurry- ing forward Mr Bradley was charmingly frank rank in his explanation Just nothing Mr r. r Sawyer Miss bliss Juno is is well well you ou know know- A bit willful The cr very er very courteous manager smiled I know Most ost young persons are Mail Mall Letter LetterI I 1 wanted to mail mall a letter Ru Ruth h said resentfully You see sec She Sho wanted to mail maila a letter Mr Bradley smiled spread his hands in a deprecating apologetic apologetic apologetic apolo apolo- getic fashion Young folks will be young folks I the proprietor said suavely Miss June will correspond or ortry ortry ortry try to Joseph Bradley smiled mockingly at his niece with people people people peo peo- I beneath her This young man manIs manIs manis Is a fortune hunter Mr Bradley Bradleyd d doesn't want his sister having anything anything anything any any- thing to do with him Ruth said no more Why tr try 7 The proprietor would not believe anything she had to say Why tr try to make malte him Mr Bradley summoned the carThey car They sat together waiting for or it Mr Bradley spoke softly seemingly without concern The unsuspecting proprietor back in his office was not noticing or listening Please June Bradleys Bradley's voice was almost patient Please dont don't make a break like that again It may get gd you into trouble Into trouble Tell Tom Well another proprietor might not know us Ho He might be tempted tempt tempt- ed to believe what you had to sayI say I might have to do something more drastic Suppose I tell teU the chauffeur Mr Bradley laughed aloud quietly quiet quiet- ly but gleefully at the very thought Why dont don't you try it 1 Tom knows the real June you ou know He Ho knows that she's willful erratic imaginative tive live maybe not too truthful Anyone Anyone Any Any- one ono who ever knew her knows that tha much Wh Why dont don't you try telling Toni Tom 1 Ruth did not try telling Tom She sat back quietly in the car saying sain not a word all the way home Sh Shwas She Shewa's was wa's remembering the tho other things Joseph Bradley had been saying to her just as the Bradley car swung up to the curbing He had been saying quite jovially jovial- jovial ly y Make a fuss if it you want to my dear even call this intercepting of your letter a criminal act The letter letter let Jet ter Is to your brother Isn't nt it 1 Yes StU Stay With Jim I Well VeIl do wo want ant him barging down on us here thinking wore were all aU kinds of crooks crook That certainly would upset the applecart Hed He'd take you ou away You'd never see sec Jim again You do want to stay wl with h Jim Yes oh yes es Well you see Take mice my advice and behave yourself You'll be glad when Jim Jhn gets get better that you didn't send the letter Jetter And you'll know we arent aren't crooks just crooks just having to be bea a little bit stern item that's all because youre you're so flighty Jim was sleeping when they returned returned re- re turned home He had a good lunch Hrs Hr's Hrs much better Pascoe told them Bette Betto is with him right now Im I'm going to roll in for a a. little sleep myself You can see him in an hour or so so when nhen he wakes up up Good old Pascoe Mrs Bradley said he pulled Uncle Joe through a a. serious spell of typhoid fever It was vas certainly lucky we could got Jet him ilm to come como on the case Undo Uncle Joe thought bought at first he couldn't There are plenty of ot nurses In Chicago Ruth demurred I 1 liked ho tho ones who were here when we came Flirtatious Good enough I guess Mrs Bradley agreed But not like Pas Pas- coe Weve We've k known own Pascoe for so 50 soong long ong a time We Ve wo feel so at case ease with him here Theres There's just one thing wrong with Pascoe Pascoe- Ruth remembered that scene in inthe inthe the he corridor Hed like to take me meo meto meto to o a picture show Yes hes he's very apt to be flir- flir But if it you ou know that then you just let him alone And that's all ill Ho cant can't resist a pretty face I had to speak sharply to him the theother theother theother other night He was forgetting his place Ru Ruth h studied Mrs Bradley carefully care care- full fully Certainly she seemed sin sin- cere But why not be perfectly frank rank Does he know who I am am Mrs Bradley Why certainly Youre You're Miss June Bradle Bradley the sister of ot his patient But he took care of Mr Bradley through the typhoid fever Yes he did Doesn't Suspect Well Tell then surely he knew the thereal thereal thereal real June He doesn't suspect I tell you my child the likeness is sov so great greatt's its t's uncanny Pascoe doesn't dream of anything queer He doesn't Then why did he ho 4 call me Ruth 7 For an instant that question dismayed dismayed dismayed dis dis- Mrs Bradley but Bradley but for only an instant Easy enough to answer answer answer an an- my dear Easy Then answer answer it it Ho He didn't You just imagined it t I didn't imagine It lt It hap hap- You think it happened Youve You've suspected everybody including your your- our self Now youre you're suspecting poor Pascoe Snap out of ot it my dear Pascoe Is 0 O. O K Hes He's a wonderful nurse And neither of us has to flirt lirt with him Stop arguing Why dont don't you go in and dress up Put on one of those pretty afternoon dresses I had them sent out cial You have this work to do Might as well do it Might as well weli get some fun out of ot it It will be fun to dress up in the new things Fun to Dress It was fun to dress up in the now things Fun to hang them in the closet to try them on one by one There was one ono one lovely afternoon gown gown gown-a a shimmering blue gown cut modestly in the tho front with huge hugo puff sleeves that accentuated Ruths Ruth's girlish figure At the neckline was wasa a a. huge red artificial poppy Ruth had never before owned a gown so simple or simple or so attractive It was the cutest most youthfully youthful youthful- ly alluring gown Ruth had ever worn She brushed her soft red gold goldhair hair Arranged it in careless ring ring ring- lets She dusted her arms and i shoulders with toilet powder anc and sprayed a bit of ot perfume upon her shoulders And then she slipped into the new blue gown Delight She stood in wordless delight before before be be- fore the mirror wondering if the tho girl who faced her ber could possibly be tho the girl who less than a n week before sold gloves In Younkers in inDes inDes Des Moines This girl radiant checked cheeked peering peering peer peer- ing inS back at her from the tho mirror looked as though she had never known anything but luxury in al aU all her brief happy life Her eyes were wide apart and bright the soft curves of her young body fitted the little blue gown as though they had hae been into it H. Ruth sighed with happiness June June Juno Bradley she whispered whispered whispered whis whis- to the tho girl in the mirror June no no Ruth Bradley Mrs Clara Bradley came to the door Jims awake Hes He's eager to see sec you ou To be continued Copyright 1936 for The rhe Telegram ram |