Show I A I By I THE TENTH GIRL PRISCILLA I SERIAL I WAYNE CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT Jim hated Mr X and himself as much when he left Lindas Linda's mother He had been obliged to evade most of Mary Leos Lees questions Yes I Ido Ido Ido do know something about where Miss Lee got the money money he had admitted at last under the crossfire crossfire crossfire cross cross- fire of her questioning I am embarrassed to doubt her Lindas Linda's mother mOther told him repeatedly but sometimes I even question the I prize m money mey she received from the soap contest It all seems so queer I never saw the letter but she said she received t the e mon mony y fo fa for a prize Professional P Prize ile Winner Jim argued Winning huge prizes is an almost almos daily occurrence with bank night and everyone trying to win something Why there are even professional prize winners winners- folks who make their living working working working work work- ing out prize contests Maybe Linda Linda- Oh but you dont don't understand Mr Delaney Mary was almost in m tears I trust my girl I love her She's good and honorable but you cant can't understand what a strain The she was under Her brother was so ill and we wewer were all so unhappy over over his ill ill ill- ness More than anything else in life Linda wanted to get the x money oney that would help her br brother her Cant Can't you understand my worry cant can't you understand why I had to ask I you Jim could understand That was the trouble He was thinking of Marys Mary's worries worries worries wor wor- ries as he made his way to Mr X's office The whole thing had started out to be just an interesting interesting inter inter- esting experiment experiment-a a bit of gaiety for a young girl girl- girlard a and ard d he lie had been glad to enter into it Now Now- it was becoming a heart break Jim could understand why Lindas Linda's mother was worried Looking Looking Look Look- ing ahead he could see endless unhappiness unhappiness Unhappiness un un- happiness for the girl he admired L so greatly It wasn't fair to let lether lether her go on He meant to appeal to Mr X with every bit of eloquence he could comm command an d to t terminate this strange agreement At least he could try to get Mr X to relinquish relinquish relin relin- uis his determination to go wun me- me agreement as originally planned If It Linda could only tell her mother the source of her income income could could only be fortified by DY her mothers mother's understanding and help help then then the whole thing would change from a heartbreak into the happy thing that Mr X Intended it should be Surely Mr X would understand But Mr X sat in his sumptuous office and listened to Jims Jim's pleadIng pleading pleading plead plead- ing without altering the expression on his face at all To Jim he seemed an entirely different creature from the patient old man who called himself Uncle David who opened and closed doors after the the- customers custo ers at To Tools Tool's s 's little shop and seemed to be so kind and sincere The Th situation is is bad enough Jim said hotly without your our going down to gloat ov over r it I am angry every time I see you down tl there ere Mr X smiled a little at that His faded blue eyes looked over at Jim with the same patient understanding understanding under under- standing that Uncle Davids David's eyes could hold bold Arent you using rather rath rath- er strong lang language age son 1 Perhaps I am Pardon me please if I have been too blunt about it but I had a talk with Lindas Linda's mother Mrs Lee is most unhappy She asks Linda constantly constantly con con- abo about t the money Linda is at her wits wit's ends to account for itc it c Cit Cant rit you you see Mr X that your money is far from being the blessing you yot intended it to be It is rapidly becoming a burden too great for fox any girl to endure Let Linda take care of that she's strong and resourceful I see her every day Jim She hasn't com complained How could she complain to you 1 She doesn't even guess who you are does she No I think she doesn't I take fairly good pains to see that no nc noone noone one guesses my identity It would I become a bit embarrassing to me inc if anyone did Then why do you go there so sc persistently Why dont don't you give up the whole silly scheme It isn't making sense Would you be willing to give up ur your share of it Jim the old I man man asked slowly watching the younger ma mans man's s 's expression carefully Yes I would Jim said without without with with- out a seconds second's hesitation Do you mean that you would I be perfectly willing to drop your part of the scheme right now and I profit not a penny more by it 1 exactly what I do mean sir You r realize alize that youre you're giving upa up upa a fortune at least a considerable fortune for a man of your age I do realize it Do you realize that youre you're just justs s arting out in m your profession and I that the lot of a young attorney here in n New York is a slow arduous arduous ous climb that few ever make with I entire success Yes sir I do realize it It You would absolve me then from any agreement I have made with you and let the he situation nb be S just as it was before we ever met each other Yes I would Jim said em em- I dont don't believe youre you're thinking this thing through very carefully Jim Mr X reminded him Theres There I your sweetheart Ive I've Rosalie Ive Rosalie Ive I've been beer 1 seeing a good deal of her lately I know She's as perverse a as I von nr v Tim 1 mn oJ oV v down to that shop Theres There's must be an attraction about it There is Mr X said gravely But to go on I have been seeing considerable of your sweetheart too these days Ill I'll admit she is isa isa isa a very pretty girl The prettiest girl in the world Jim said loyally But I think she wouldn't care to spend her life the as wife of a poor man Jim Ever consider that Beauty has to pe be served you know and beauty languishes when it doesn't have the surroundings that make for beauty if it you know what I mean I do know what you mean but Rosalie Isn't that way Jim defended defended de de- de- de fended loyally I talked with her j only the other night I think I never loved her quite so much in my l life fe as I did the theother other night I realized then how much she means to me r I talked with her about the possibility of my losing the immediate f financial hope I had for th the future She knows about abou it then Yes I discussed with her in a confidential way the fact that I had received a handsome retainer from a wealthy man and that if if I made good on a project he had set for me to work out that it was altogether altogether altogether al al- al- al together possible I might become his permanent legal advisor And if you did that meant your success was assured Jim nodded Naturally I believed believed believed be be- that sir You have a perfect right to believe it Jim I meant exactly what I said but of course any agreement is off between us if you insist on ending my plan Ill IiI talk with Linda if you'll permit permit permit per per- mit me to do it Mr X Jim said seriously If It she feels as though she cannot go on and I have reason reason reason rea rea- son to believe that she does feel that way then I shall tell her that I am quite willing to relieve her of any promises to me Prettiest Girl He Has Seen Better be sure what youre you're doing Ill I'll agree with you that your Rosalie is one of the prettiest girls Ive I've ever seen if not the girl girt But Im I'm old-fashioned old enough yet my boy to think that pretty isas isas is isas as pretty does Im I'm not quite so hopeful as you are that your having money or your not having money wont won't make quite a difference in your sweethearts sweetheart's opinion of you Mr X glanced hastily at his watch Ill be getting back to work You know I go on the door at 11 o'clock don't dont AndTon will be expecting me Im I'm usually there hours bouts b before fore this time I think its it's about the craziest thing I ever heard of Jim said but he laughed in spite of himself One really couldn't get angry at Mr X or even at Uncle David There was certainly something intensely intensely in intensely in- in tensely likable about this modern Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde This is going to hurry me a bit Mr X said Want to come along Continued on Following Page TELEGRAM FICTION THE TENTH GIRL I I Continued from Preceding Page Where do you get into your old clothes Jim followed his employer employer employer em em- to the elevator At home Tom drives me Inthe Inthe in inthe the front way then a few minutes I later I come out the back way and get in my car and Tom brings me meto meto i ito to work Of course he doesn't really I know Im I'm working but I begin to believe he suspects Anyway he knows Im I'm having havinga a good time out of it and I c can can n absolutely trust him He drives within a couple of blocks of Tonys Tony's s shop and I drop out of the car cay then when my work is finished I go goback goback goback back to the vicinity where Tom let me out of the carIn carIn car In a minute or two I see him cruising around watching for me I get in the car and he takes tales me home There isn't anyone there but the housekeeper anSI and a few servants servants servants ser ser- ser ser- to care whether Im I'm Mr X or Uncle David Anyway Im I'm having having haying hav hay ing the time of my life Ill say you are Jim laughed in spite of himself I feel happier than Ive I've felt for days If Linda agrees to terminate our agreement your house of cards will have tumbled but all of us will wiIl be happier because of it dont don't you think so Maybe Uncle David agreed cryptically but the agreement hasn't been terminated yet you I know You haven't got Lindas Linda's I permission and what's more you I haven't got Rosalie's permission Mark my words things wont won't be as easy as you think they're going to be Well we shall see what we shall see Jim declared I i I WAYNE WAYNE-I 1 By PRISCILLA W WAYNE Shall we go on over to the shop together Mr X asked when Tom the chauffeur let them off on a aside aside aside side street Youre going to have your talk with Linda right away away Im going to ask her to go go out with me on a matter of business Then well we'll talk it over After your working hours well we'll come to your office and give you our answer Uncle David shrugged All right but are you coming with me n now w No Ill I'll come in later Im I'm Im I'm going to walk and smoke a bit and think this thing over Continued Friday V Copyright 1938 for The Tel Telegram gam |