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Show I .y i i i ri inn)' r . V ' " ' t ', r rrj '4. i J i A K -7 The date frock this smart New Yorker it wearing at the Rlh it of critp black taffeta painted with gold and black lacquer "eyet." The jewelled sunburst at the neckline and the skirt, made rather full for dancing, arc two of ih featuret. The black felt calot it trimmed with a felt chou. YES GIRL THT" Louise Holmes CHAPTER THIRTY Linda and Richie trimmed the tree In a atata of hilarious excitement. excite-ment. Never had a tree been ao beautiful, never had a little boy been ao happy. Fleecy silent snowflakea slid down the window penes and made downy mountains outsids on ths sills. It made the little apartment snug and added to Richie's delight. At last Linda accomplished the Impossible feat of getting her small guest to bed In his own room which had never been changed. He wriggled with joy. he laughed and shoutsd and finally dropped asleep from sheer exhaustion. She dragged packages from the closet, among other fascinating things a long low sled. Piling ths gifts around the tree shs suddenly stopped, not breathing, breath-ing, only waiting. Nick Comet At List Why shs knelt there with her heart beating like a trip hammer she had no idea. A car door had slammed In the atreet. That was all But she paled and slowly ross. Footsteps on the stairs, quick-eager. quick-eager. Linda got ths door open and tha next inatant she was in Nick's arms. She closed her eyes, the dampness of snowflakes on his shoulder brushed her cheek. He said no word, only uttered a little crooning sound of love and tenderness and wonder. After all the weary bitter weeks shs was waiting for him. His eyes were wst with tears. He had come home. Wordlessly, shy and sweet, Linda backed away from him. Her welcome wel-come had been a bit abandoned and she dropped her lashes. But Nick laughed and caught her again. Ha kiaaed the little hollow undar her ear, hia lips moved across the satin emcothneaa of her cheek until they found hers, warm and eager. The world outside faded away, ths universe held only two people who clung together in mad enchantment. enchant-ment. It was 10 minutes laUr, Nick had removed hia big coat and looked about him with the utter joy of homecoming, that Linda took hla hand. Leading him to Richie's door she softly opened It Light from the doorway fell on Richie's little sleeping face. Nick caught his breath as he tip-toed to the bed and teare filled Linda's eyes aa he leaned there, breathlessly breath-lessly yearning over hia son. After a moment he gently touched Richie's cheeks with his 11 pa. It was a homecoming Indeed. Christmas day was perfect from dawn till dark. After a first aa-toniahed aa-toniahed moment Richie had taken Nick aa part of the wonderful day. He waa charming and excited over hla gifts, running to Linda and Nick, rapturously exclaiming, boyishly noisy. Worn with blissful sxcltement he napped early and afterward they took the new aled to tha park. Linda waa like another child, stunningly youthful In a bright blua anow auit and faaclnatlog cap. Richie's suit was red, a tassel bobbed on his small head as he walked. Nick brought a heavy sweater and high laced boots for the occasion oc-casion and no group of merrymakers merry-makers on ths sllds were mora utterly Joyous than they. As the sun dropped behind the Jumbled roofs and night crept through the park. Linda and Nick grew silent They avoided each other's eyes and held fast to Richie. Then Ellen appeared and Richie's little face lengthened. But gallantly he allowed himself to be led away. Nick and Linda would be waiting for him on the morrow, he would play with his new toys and rids on his new sled. Thsy watched him go, sturdily plodding along beside Ellen, turning to wave and call back to them. Did they only Imagine that his small shoulders sagged, that he waa chlld-iahly chlld-iahly aaddened? When he was out of sight Nick took Linda's mittaned hand and, pulling ths sled behind them, led her to tha car. "It's all right, dear," he said tenderly. ten-derly. "We had today." On New Year'a eve they celebrated. cele-brated. Nick, handsome In evening clothes, Linda like a lovely flower In a trailing, backless gown of soft blue vslvet. They dined and danced at the exclusive ex-clusive Athens club. They were together, to-gether, they were happy, they were desperately In love, but they thought of Richie. Dancing at the midnight hour thalr kiaa laated until tha laat peeling peel-ing stroke of 12. "It's our year, darling." Nick murmured. mur-mured. "The beginning of life for us." For they were going away together. to-gether. After long consideration Nick had accepted ths contract to plan and build a mammoth hotel in Honolulu. Richie had been the consideration. By ataying in the city they might continue seeing the child, but the prospect waa dubious. For one thing Richie had several times mentioned the fact that his mother wanted to go away. Obviously Nick and Linda could not follow the small boy. And if Mildred ever heard of the secret meetings, and she would, such luck could not last, shs would put a stop to them In short order. And after all were they pursuing the wisest course? Were they only making things more difficult for the beloved child? The break had been made, be was partially adjusted ad-justed to the new life. Now he lived again in the world of Nick and Linda and It was inevitable in-evitable that he must be weaned away. Should they go or stay? Ths question intruded Itself upon their happiness, dulled the rapture of their hours together. At last a notice in the paper decided de-cided them. Mrs. Mildred Corbin and son, Richard, ware leaving for Miami, there to apend the winter. So Linda and Nick were to be quietly married on a Tueaday early in January. They would leave for San Francisco Fran-cisco that night and sail four days later. They wanted to be happy In the prospsct, thsy wsre happy, but Richie crowded between them and perfect Joy. It waa not for themselves them-selves they grieved. It waa Richis. They were leaving him to be Ignored, neglected, unloved, un-loved, and they were helpless. - Sunday came, only two days before be-fore Nick and Linda were to be married. Soberly they went to ths park. After an hour of coasting Richie demanded food and they found a table in the shelter house. "Mother and I are going away on the train," Richie announced while they waited for hot chocolate. "That will be fun Linda said because she could think of nothing better to aay. "We gotta go 'causa mother hasn't ' any money. Wa gotta visit soma folks." Nick frowned. In September hs had aent Mildred a check for 110.-000. 110.-000. What could Richis mean. He waited until they had been carved. Then he aaid, "You muat be wrong, old man." The child's bright eyea peered at him over the edge of hia heavy cup. Ha drank luatily and aet it down. "I heard mother talking to Cliff" "Who la Cliff, dear?" Linda reflected re-flected Nick's interest. "I don't know he's always there She mother, I mean shs cried and said bad words. She yelled at Cliff and said it was all hia fault about her money." He looked at them big eyed. "She said he'd taken her money and now what was she going to do. An' he laughed awful mean. May I have another little cake, Linda?" She gave htm one. her questioning question-ing eyes on Nick's facs. "So that's why you're going away on the train." he said thoughtfully. "Um-hmm." Richis nibbled his cake. "Cliff said ha would give mother some money to go away on the train an' he told her never to come back. But Tm not going." hopefully. "I'm going to stay with you." That night all reatralnt left Linda. Shs cried and paced ths floor of the living room. Shs wrung her hands and begged Nick to do something. Shs couldn't go to Honolulu, not even with him, and leave Richie. They would never find happiness with the thought of him driving them mad. Nick, who had been very thoughtful thought-ful since ths conversation with Richis, got to his feet He had never looked more determined. Ha put on hia coat and drew Linda into hla arms. "Don't cry." hs begged, his cheek rubbing back and forth on hers comfortingly. "I have a plan." She raised her head with a pitifully piti-fully hopeful sob and he kissed her with lingering tenderness. "If Richie has it straight Mildred haa allowed aome gold brick artist to get her money. "She would have it In a lump sum, you remember. Now it's gone and she has no other course than to drop herself on the Crandalls In Miami until something turns up. Mrs. Crandall is her one woman friend." "Yes, but" "I'll go to her snd buy Richie back." "Oh." "I have my mother's inheritance, had always planned to save it for Richie, but I think perhaps this is the time to dip into it. If shs needs money badly she may." "Oh, she will, Nick I know she wilL" Linda was radiant with hope. "Just save enough to get us all to Honolulu imagins it, Nick the three of us on ship board!" He klsasd her tear drenched lashes. "I'll bring bim back to you," he promised. Nick had not been gone 15 minutes min-utes when Carter Crawford arrived. ar-rived. He had been detained in Cleveland and had only that day returned. re-turned. Linda gretted him almost with cordiality. In her hopeful frame of mind she felt strong and surs, able to cope with a dosen determined suitors. "Hello, stranger," she ssld gayly. "Come in. I have news for you." At this unexpected greeting, Carter Car-ter raised his narrow eyebrows. "I believe ths wench is glsd to see me," he muttered, but there .was a wary glint in his eyes. "I'm going to be married." she snnounced hsppily. She had not intended in-tended telling Carter of the coming com-ing event. Let him read it in the papers, ahe had thought. But the wiah to be rid of him forever made her blurt out tha truth. To Be Married "I are," his eyes nsrrowlng to a sinister line. "And who Is the fortunate for-tunate gentleman?" "You know everything. I'll give you three guesses." She waa trod-ding trod-ding on clouds. Nick said he would bring Richie to her. 8he and Nick were to be married. For ths first tims complete happiness fillsd her heart "Don't play games with me," Carter snapped. "Who is he?" Linda flushed angrily at hia tons. "I am to marry Nick Corbin In a few days," she said steadily., "And I love him. I'm sorry you must go, but" Shs opened the door. Carter stopped at the door. He looked down at Linda and amlled hia crafty, meaningful amila. "There ' ia many a alip ." ha aaid. Linda ahlvered as shs closed the door. (Continued Monday) (Copyright, 1937, for Tha Telegram) |