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Show YGS GIRL . .'fir By Louise Holmes CHAPTER U . Linda was admitted at once to Carter Crawford's private office. It waa a sumptuous room, deep carpet, car-pet, heavy velvet drapes, massive furniture. At her entrance he stood up behind be-hind a huie dsk. His face wore a faintly triumphant, wholly unpleasant unpleas-ant expression. "I've been expecting you," he said. Linda Feels Funny Linda's fingers closed convul.lv. ly ever the edge of tha desk. Bh had a d.flnlta "spld.r and fly" fading. "Carter hav. you h.ard about Nick?" Her voice shook and sh. wallowed painfully. He nodded. "Have this chair." She dropped Into It and leaned forward, for-ward, her hand, tightly folded. Carter ssld. "I guess she needed eyes, of a trapped animal. "You sre hard. Carter Crawford, hard and cruel. Why should you wsnt me when I love Nick?" "I want you." he anewered evenly, even-ly, "and I always get what I want." Linda went to the door and opened It, then tha flame died within her. Swiftly she crosied to his de.k. "I'll do this," sh. said. "If you aav. Nick I will msrry you, if not" Carter tosssd a pencil he had been fumbling on the de.k and sat down. "I said nothing about aavlng him," he ssld coldly. "I'll do the best I csn and I seldom fall, but I will have your oone.nt before I take the caae." Tims was slipping away. Unless something hsppened quickly Nick would apend the night behind bore Linda .huddrred. Bars. Clanking Clank-ing chalna. Bolted door.. Fiercely .he spoke, end something was gone from her voice, something of life and failt) and tru.t. "I'll marry you. Carter." h. said, and held out a cold littl. hand, "I promt..." If Linda had d.alred action she got It. Carter pushed button., gav. order., ha got Into hla coat and was gone. H. went without another glance at Linda. Dasedly shs called Nick from Carter'e office. "Carter Crawford is on hi. way to aee you." she said when he an-awered. an-awered. The blesk helplessness In hi. voice twl.ted her heart. "He .ay. there I. afwaya a loophole, loop-hole, Nick, and he has proml.ed to find It." "I had thought of him, but I loathe tha fellow, Linda." Linda It A Pawn She wondered what ha would think If he knew the price .he had paid for Carter', aid. But the price waa amall If Nick were to be treed from au.plclon and wor... Sjme other time ahe would think of tha price, not now. New hope flooded her and a great aelfless love for Nick. Not once did shs realise that again ahe had become a pawn In tha game killing all right, but I didn't think the passive Nick hsd It In him." "He didn't do It, Carter." "They never do," shrugging. "Judging from th. account in the paper, it look. Ilka an air-tight cas. to me." "But th. paper, haven't told the truth." She breathed rapidly. Carter', Car-ter', ready assumption that Nick waa guilty fright.n.d ha more than she wss willing to admit. "Let me tell you about it." "Why tell me?" Indifferently. "Because I've com. to ask you to take tha caa." For the tint tim. h. showed a trace of interest "What about the e.tlmabla Mr. Lander.?" Linda ignored the question. "Nick la In a bad spot. Carter. He mu.t have help and quickly. Frank Stafford, the county attorney, believe, be-lieve, in hi. innoc.nce and la holding hold-ing up the Indictment, but he will be forced to take atcpa eoon." Her lips .hook, but she spoke steadily. "If he i. Indicted it means priaon, it mean, he must face trial. And he didn't do thla dreadful thing." Her hand, went out to him, palm, up. "You can clear him. Carter won't you?" search of Nick, came back to Carter's Car-ter's face. "Any news?" ahe breathed. "Nothing yet, but we're not discouraged," dis-couraged," ha answered cheerfully. She had the oddest lmpreuion that Carter waa none too anxious to find his famous loophole in this cas. Disappointment took her remaining remain-ing strength and .he leaned against the door, clinging to the knob. "You aeem to have unbounded faith In me." Linda flared at him. "I've liatened to enough atorlea of your prow...," ahe said. "I'm giving you a chanc. to prove yourself." Carter raised hi. neat eyebrow., hi. lip. twisted into a .mil., Linda, with her .oft aweetneas, was a constant aource of aurpriae to film. Her strength of will and ability to atand up to him were Immensely Immense-ly Intriguing. Her very inaccessibility inaccessi-bility was tha factor which drove him on. Had she been ea.lly won hi. Interest In-terest would have died a natural death. She put him on hla mettle and he enjoyed a battle. With her announcement that ahe loved Nick'Corbin and expected to of life, a commodity to be bartered for gain. "Everything will be all right, darling." darl-ing." .he .aid to Nick. "You're so sweet, Linda, and 1 love you so," Ijr asid incoherently. "If Carter turna the trick we'll leave all this behind tomorrow; we'll forget for-get snd be happy." Tomorrow. His tender words brought realisation. Come what would, there waa to be no tomorrow for them. "Nick .he he.itated. "Yea, dear." "No matter what happena you know that I love you?" "My darling if I doubted it" "I'll always love you." "I know. Your love la tha one real thing in the world today." Linda went home. She must be near the telephone. Richie was eating eat-ing hia lunch and hailed h.r with delight "I'll eat my apinach If you'll have aome, too." he suggested, and Linda wondered If term, and bribery brib-ery were the order of the day. But she sat down oppoaite him And accepted a portion of apinach. Marie, atanding behind Richie, raised Inquiring eyebrow, and Lin- "Llnda," Carter went on genially, "may I present Frank Stafford, who wants to ask you a few questions? ques-tions? Mrs. Raymond. Frank," and he added quite unnecessarily, "Mrs. Raymond and I are to be married." An expression of surprise creased the attorney's round, amiable face, but he smiled pleasantly and extended ex-tended his hand. "May I wish you every happiness, Mrs. Raymond?" "And these are gentlemen from the press," Carter continued. "Coma in. boya. and ait down." Carter and Stafford, with Linda between them, drew chairs to the fire. The two reporter, took chaira in tha background. Richie cam. in and shook hands all around." "I thought daddy had com.," h. explained to Linda and ahe put her arm around him in a rush of tenderness. ten-derness. - "Soon, darling, soon," shs answered. an-swered. Hia eyea moved from Carter Car-ter to the county attorney, beseeching, be-seeching, imploring, black with terror. ter-ror. Continued Thursday, (Copyright. 137, for The Telegram.) marry him. Carter'a pride had received re-ceived a blow. Accustomed to conquest, con-quest, ha had been extremely annoyed. an-noyed. Now the fates had given him the upper hand and he proceeded to push hia advantage. "What do I stand to get out of the case?" he Inquired. "You shall name the fee, of courHe. Let's not haggle over details. de-tails. Time 1. precious." For the first time her voice was edged with nervoua insiatence. "Please, Carter go to Nick now aee what can be done I tell you he la innocent " Carter got to his feet. "Whether he is Innocent or guilty makes no difference to ma," he .aid 'The thing I must find is the loophole there Is always a loophole," he mused. At a Price da shook her head. "Where's my dsddy?" he demanded, demand-ed, watching Linda to see If she really intended eating the obnox-1 ious food before he chanced a bite. "He's busy, dear." Linda man-, fully attacked the spinach and he followed suit ; "He's busy 'cause we're getting I married tomorrow," Richie ob-1 served. "Will I be your really little ; boy when w. ar. married?" Every word was like a knife In Linda's heart. A nauseating hatred for Carter Crawford msde her drop her fork with a clatter. She had promised to marry him. It waa fantastic, incredible, unbelievable. unbe-lievable. "What's the matter, Linda?" Richie's treble voice broke across her harried thoughts. "You look awful funny." He laughed joyously and shouted. shout-ed. "I beat. My spinach is gone I beat." Somehow the afternoon passed. Linda spent much of it restlessly pacing from one room to the next. Richie and Marie went for a walk, but returned soon, as tha wind blew a gale and tiny splinters of sleet whirled in the blast. At four o'clock Linda lighted candlea and made a fire. The wind howled In the chimney and sleet pricked .gainst the window win-dow panes. Ceaselessly pacing again, ahe was startled by heavy steps on the stairs. Faint with hope and fear, mentally men-tally paralysed, she opened the door. Carter stood in the foreground. He was flanked by several men. Linda', eye., sweeping them In Linda waa alao on her feet. "Then you'll tak. th. case, Carter?" "Yes," he agreed, hia hard eye. on her face. "For a price." "Naturally, Carter whatever you say" "I always demand a guarantee In advance." "Nick will raiae the money." "I don't want money, Linda." Slowly turning ahe stood with her back to him. Weakly she leaned against th. de.k. Unconsciously she had been waiting for this. When she decided to go to Carter Car-ter it had been with the thought that no sacrifice was too great, no payment too large. But th. light of him aickened her and she atared at the wall, waiting for him to continue. "I will go to Corbln at once and I feel reaaonably certain that I can find the aforementioned loophole," loop-hole," he .aid with deadly emphaaia. "For thia service I ask you to break with him immediately and to accept my offer of marriage. I will take the case on these terma." Linda whirled on him with the |