| Show Serial Money Isn't Everything By Anne Mary Lawler J Jill ill Faces the Fact That Lyle Really Jilted J Her and Avoids Reporters Reporters' I SYNOPSIS Lyle Putnam is la planning to marry wealthy Jill Morton for or her money although he Is desperately infatuated with Valerie Brooke Brooks ambitious showgirl showgirl show show- girl who Is not Interested In marryIng marrying marrying marry marry- ing a poor man Morton Jill's father and Aunt Lucy his sister are reluctant to have Jill marry Lyle but they cannot dissuade her Joan Merrill school friend of Jill's comes to Chicago asking for Sor help ii In securIng securing ing work which she needs badly since her fathers father's death Jill promises to have John Morton write a letter that will give Joan a job ob In his New York branch Three days before the wedding wedding wedding wed wed- ding Lyle receives notice that he has Inherited from an obscure cousins cousin's estate He Immediately elopes with Valerie Brooke leaving Jill to face the subsequent publicity Jill gets the shock of her life when she receives Lyles Lyle's telegram Chapter Six The Putnam Morton-Putnam engagement had riad merited considerable space in inthe inthe inthe the newspapers Much social column column column col col- col- col had been devoted to the he uniting of the Morton millions with the ancient Putnam aristocracy aris aris- But the story that Jill Morton had lad been left at the altar virtually at the eleventh hour by a fiance flance who eloped with a torch singer singer- that hat was scandal That merited the front page Reporters a and n d photographers haunted the Morton doorstep bothered the servants maintained a constant surveillance of the house louse in an effort to establish contact contact con- con tact act with the family The phone rang constantly until John Morton in n desperation had wrenched it from rom the connection Within the house John Morton fumed umed and swore Aunt Lucy worried wor- wor wor- wor ned ried from room to room and Jill walked aimlessly about like a homeless eh st st. mF For the hundredth time that morning Jill peered through the curtains down into the street Still there she sighed Th They y must have pent spent the night on the curb What's the proper social treatment Aunt Lucy for news- news hawks who camp on the doorstep Should we serve them or- or Ill order them away myself John Morton seemed grateful forthe for forthe the he opportunity to move to act Lucy murmured It wouldn't do a bit of good John Weve We've given them enough ammunition as asit asit ast it t is John thudded down the long living iving room pausing only long enough to aim a vicious kick at athe atthe atthe the he pile of newspapers on the floor The headlines jeered Heiress Jilted for Torch Singer Singer- Lyle yle Putnam Elopes With Cabaret Crooner Crooner and and in the cheap sheets pandering to scandal cravers Love ove Kayos Lucre in Wedding Ring This is awful he groaned How long does it keep up Jill's voice was clear and dis- dis Until I consent to make a aurther further urther exhibition of myself I suppose Until I pose with my broken heart on my sleeve and tears in n my my eyes Until Until Until- her father put ut a protecting arm about her shoulders She whirled away from him im Dont sympathize with me she said aid bitterly You were right all along long I know it now but it doesn't make matters any easier easier Ive I've S been jilted left jilted left at the stood altar up That wouldn't be so hard to take Daddy Its It's Its It's her voice broke pitifully Its bad enough to lose the man you love Only u see I didn't really lose him He was never mine to lose John Morton thought Ill kin him the first time I see him Ill I'll Ill I'll- Lucy smiled wanly No you wont won't John Her brother turned in amazement No John mind reading isn't isn one of my accomplishments But Bu youre you're so transparent Actually whether we like to admit it or not we owe a great debt of gratitude to Lyle Putnam Jill's gesture was large am and sweeping But definitely To Mr Putnam I owe the inestimable experience experience experience ex ex- ex- ex of having my heart heartbroken heartbroken heartbroken broken in the public prints of having the live on my doorstep of having friend and foe alike titter whenever my name is mentioned Its It's an open opp-n secret now that even the Morton mili millions mil ml- i lions couldn't get a husband for me Believe me Im I'm very grate grate- ful John Morton swore gently at first his voice gradually swelling until the discreet air crackled with purple profanity His sister eyed him with reluctant admiration His daughter merely smiled Very pretty Daddy Very pretty pretty pretty pret pret- ty indeed she said sweetly But ButI I could do better I spent all last night awake awake and and nights are long when youre you're awake Daddy think Daddy think thinking ing horrible and bitter and cruel lel and revolting things about Lyle Putnam But it do doesn't do any good Words never do any good I couldn't have told you that last week but I can tell you now Lucy stirred restlessly Jill continued in the same saccharine saccharine saccharine sac sac- charine accents I thought it all out I had plenty of time last night There are two things I Ican Ican Ican can do I can stay and brazen this thing off I can talk to the reporters and pose for the photographers photographers photographers pho pho- and generally put a astop astop astop stop to the whole business of entering entering entering en en- into it I can face my friends and laugh and pretend it really isn't so important after all Or I can go away for away for a while I Iguess Iguess Iguess guess I am a coward I I never had much practice in being brave There was never anything to be brave about I think think- the tears she was determined not to shed fell pH hark bark on her heart LI I 1 think Id I'd better go away Best thing in the world John Morton decided crisply A trip to Bermuda He juggled plans in his mind Give things time to get quieted down Oh no darling Not Not Bermuda Ive I've got to get a little farther than Bermuda Aunt Lucy said Not Europe Things are too unsettled there the Perhaps Perhaps the orient Its It's a very long ong trip my dear Their eyes met metin metin in n understanding No not the orient Jill smiled a sharp pinched smile that touched the lips but not the eyes waste Besides why should we those honeymoon tickets Im I'm going going gong go go- ing ng to South America Mexico and Cuba as scheduled Are you OU out of your mind 1 I. I her father roared That That tha isn't even decent Jill faced him curiously calm Why not Ive I've been cheated out of my wedding Ive I've had my husband husband husband hus hus- band stolen from me The least I Ican Ican Ican can do is take my honeymoon before before before be be- fore somebody snatches that Oh it wont won't be Mr and Mrs Lyle Putnam Putnam Putnam Put Put- nam now It will merely be Jill be-Jill Jil Morton and her aunt Lucy two Lucy two quiet spinster ladies eager for forthe forthe forthe the educational advantages of a tropic tour I seem to be absorbing absorbing absorbing absorb absorb- ing education rapidly these days The idea John Morton flared I is idiotic I wont won't permit it Why not asked Jill inno inno- Make Secret Going-Away Going Plans Why not echoed Lucy Father and daughter swung about in sur sun prise She continued The perfect solution Who'd ever think of it When Jill vanishes nobody in their right mind would ever suspect suspect suspect sus sus- shell she'll be sailing on the same ship she planned for her honey honey- moon Its It's clear and logical Of course course- Jill seized the adv ad ad- v vantage You can cancel passage right away Then call your secretary secretary secretary secre secre- tary and have her rebook passage In another name if necessary Its It's quite simple John ohn Morton did not think so and said as much but his voice was drowned in a flurry of plans My passport thank heavens its it's in order Lucy sighed gratefully grate grate- fully Ill have to pack pack make make arrangements arrangements arrangements ar ar- ar- ar here at the house house- give the servants a vacation vacation- you'll have to stay at your club for a while John JohnJohn JohnJohn John John- John struggled for a place in the conversation but was defeated I dont don't have any packing to todo todo todo do Jill's voice tinkled clearly I like a glass bell jangled suddenly Mines practically all done But ButI I can go up and brood over my new I and handsome This is all I so so exciting She She She- swept proudly I through the door almost but not nol notI I quite quickly enough to conceal the tears tears' that would not be de de- de- de nied flied John and Lucy watched her go helplessly game her father said Its hard to swallow but she's taking it like a lady It may said Lucy Morton thoughtfully succeed in doing what neither you nor I could ever And And that is is- is Make a woman of her Nothing will ever hurt her quite so much from now BOW on Its It's a hard way to learn perhaps but it lasts longer Now John Lucy faced her brother broth broth- broth I er soberly you and I have a lot lotof lotof lotof of things to discuss and very littIe little little lit lit- tle tIe time to discuss them Before I go I want to make a new will What for Im disinheriting you John she smiled with malicious humor Not a penny of my money will vou yoU ever enjoy Thanks I f dont don't really need It you know Lucy welt on And Ive I've decided Jill has enough already too decided likewise he said grimly I think so But John John- Lucy Continued on th Us the Following P Page ge tt S Jill Decides to toGo Go Go on Trip 1 With Her Aunt Lucy 1 Continued From Preceding Pale Face tapped his shoulder with a 8 knowIng knowing knowing know know- ing finger what's happened once might happen again you know I want you to call Mr Carroll on the phone and have him come out outright outright outright right away Youre You re in a terrible hurry Lucy Cant Can't this wait till you come comeback comeback comeback back I I dont don't dont think so Lucy Morton Morton Morton Mor Mor- ton weighed the syllables with care I think this had Better ketter be done right away We never really know John what day is marked down for us Im I'm not a wealthy woman of course not as standards of wealth go but what I do have could be put to good use by by the right person John nodded puzzled I I intend to leave every thing with which I die possessed possessed-I I think that's the proper phrase isn isn't t it the John to the man who marries Jill Her brother gasped But Lucy Lucy- She went on heedless of the Interruption interruption in in- I I dont don't know who hell he'll be or what hell he'll be like or whether er hell he'll be rich or poor That's not my concern I simply want to leave the man who marries her free and independent of her wealth Money isn Isn't t everything Lucy Morton observed observed observed ob ob- ob- ob served but too much of it or it-or or too little makes little makes a lot of trouble I j d' d Friday became a nightmare of packing and plans of stealth and secrecy and feverish haste Jill moved through it all like a puppet propelled by the able hands of Aunt Lucy It seemed to Jill that nothing f existed between the arrival of the I fateful telegram and her final awakening in New York The Intervening intervening in- in J hours became vague and blurred like nightmares encountered encountered encountered under anesthesia It was not until Sunday afternoon that the e enormity of the situation swept upon herShe her She stood at the window of her hotel room and stared down at Central park green and fresh with the promise of summer To the west the sky was a tapestry of gold and crimson and mauve where the sun was slowly settling behind the trees Her heart stopped for a moment a short sharp moment but long enough to remember remember so s so 0 man many y things He had said Well have havea J a room wi with th a sunset He had said Well watch the dawn come come up together He had said she said she turned from the window in tears He had said so many things Forgetting For- For Forgetting F getting was not so easy J To Be C Continued d Monday Ledger Syndicate 1 U jr jj lW |
