Show I ft r l i mJ Ji l ki tJ J L- L 1 lI r J I hll an Justin v sj Ozi Orin Ut II I THIS rH IS HAS HAPPEN HAPPENED ED i 1 r Curtis millionaire ll depart dopart- ment store owner selects three girls fro i his est establishment Billy Nyda da Ij Lomax ma and Winnie Vinnie Sh Shelton to to come come Im Into bis home as his hi ms wards for one one year ye r because he belIeves they have worthy ambi- ambi t nL BIl Billy Wells VeIls WI who o wants to become a concert violinist Is la the only one of the three who vho is serious The others lie thereby winning the ad adVantage advantage ad- ad vantage of or his home homeY Y wealth alth nd posItion for the year r 1 Mrs rs Meadows widow of f a former formet for for- mer met governor is acting hostess for the girls Her lien nephew Dal Ro Ro- m maine lne a fascinating man of orien tal jal al appearance Is cleverly playing I up to all three ot of the girls girls girls' much to the anguish of Billy who is in infatuated infatuated in- in with him When Billy re returns returns re- re turns to her mothers mother home for a flying visit she is s s Irked by its plainness Clay Curtis son Ion o of the store owner has has' disinherited himself und and nd Is living with the Wells VeIls family in the poor section of the town workIng work work- ing lag in in- inthe the Truman automobile f fac tor tory in the day time and writing music at night Billy is discouraged discouraged discouraged aged because Professor tells her she will have to work hard five years years before she can at at- at tam tain her goal At the luncheon table Billy learns s that Dal and nd Winnie Vinnie Shel- Shel ton are going skating When Dal Dat includes her and ana N Nyda da in the in invitation invitation In- In vita lon both refuse though Billy Billj is 15 l tormented with the knowledge that Winnie will have Dal to herse her her- se self Bill Billy learns she is the Only one of ot the tiie- three girls invited to the Bradleys Bradleys' to a dance Ralph Truman Truman Tru Tru- man asks s her herto to q go 7 NOW GO GOON O ON WITH THE STORY CH CHAPTER PTER When Billy went ent to her room to change the autumn lear leaf evening dress for for- foran an afternoon frock she shew she w was s reminded 1 by ly the telephone on her dark dall walnut secretary that she should telephone her mother the the added report of on her playing that T T. Q had passed Onto on onto n nto to her She lifted the Hie receiver recel r of the phone phone phone-It it was an extension extension- and arid was startled t to hear Nyda's voice sharp and nd angry rapping out outa a peremptory command Now lis listen listen usten us- us ten Eddie Ive I've told you not to call me here Ill I'll meet you like I 1 promIsed promised promised prom prom- Hilly Billy replaced ced the receiver receiver- as noiselessly as possible So Winnie VInnie had bad been beeh right Nyda yda was going out with Banning But why did she want ant to o lie about it T T. Q had made it very plain that the chauffeur chauffeur chauffeur would be welcomed in his home as a of ot And Nyda yda most certainly had bad been engaged to Eddie Banning Why e everyone in the store knew that Of course course course- Billy mused the agreement which th the girls had signed had specifically stated d that t they ey were not to m marry rry during the year But an engagement was not nota a marriage Perhaps Nyda looked higher than Eddie Banning now now o But If she had brok broken n off oct the en engagement engagement en- en in the hope hope- of snaring bigger game why did she meet him clandestinely Billy shrugged and gave it up as asa asa asa a hopeless puzzle She took her violin and began beglin to to practice the scales to which had sentenced sentenced sentenced sen sen- herShe her She had pla played ed for only five flye minutes when Mrs Meadows J in a purple silk negligee knocked at her door and sweetly asked So sorry to interrupt you ou my dear but would y you ou mind practicing practicing ing in the music room downstairs I r alwa always s take an afternoon nap and since my Jy r room oni is just across the hall from She he paused delicately with uplifted brows brow and an ingratiating but somehow unfriendly unfriendly un un- un- un friendly smile in If h her l' l faded eyes ejes Certainly Im I'm so sorry I dis disturbed you Billy apologized A About bout the dance tonight d dear r girl Mrs Meadows l stepped into the room room rOom- shut the door and lowered lowered lowered low low- ered her voice c confidentially As Asan Asan Asan an artist a a. a person person of very great talent you will undoubtedly be lie asked Into homes Jomes that Will ri not t wel wel- copic come Nyda and Winnie They are ared d dear i 1 girls o of of- c course couse b but not t hot not ot quite quite quite- J- J f Neither am I r I s. s Meadows Billy cut In flatly If I 1 receive receIve invitations from the inner circle Ill I'll not suffer any illusions ions about It Ill I'll know Im I'm expected to pay my wa way with my fiddle G Good od practice I 1 suppose suppose get get me n used to a high hat audience Dont be difficult my dear Mrs Meadows shrugged then hen surprised sur sun the girl by turning back to her and kissing her on the cheek Now why Billy thought h her r hand unconsciously going to her cheek why did she do that She he doesn't look as if she really cares whoops about any of oC us What's she up to Oh Im I'm getting to be a catty and suspicious little beast Get wise to yourself B Billy U UShe She march down the stairs lugging lugging lugging lug lug- ging her precious violin a sheaf of music and the tall iron stand to tol l hold ld the sheets The music room was the first ro room room m on the left of the hall opposite the drawing room and opening into the library I where T T. Q had been in the habit of spending most of his leisure hours She was absorbed In her pl playing her brow furrowed with a frown of f concentration as she sh tried to recall all of the criticisms had made of her fingering and bowing when a voice paralyzed her bow wrist stiffening the fluttering fingers fingers fingers fin fin- gers of her left hand into graceful graceful- rigidity Mignon l May I 1 interrupt for tor just a moment That low caressIng caressing caress caress- ing deep voice that was like no other voice in the world She did not hear his footsteps on the soft thick rug Before sh she knew linew that he was vas near near he stood before h her r his liis b black e eyes ejes es smiling somberly His lan His lean brown satin smooth hand t took o It the hand that was still curve curved in a clasp of the- the bow how above the thEY violin Very gently he disengaged the bow from her hel relaxed fingers and laid It ft on the music rac rack Then smiling a a. little h h he raised her hand to his lips lIs I She snatched her hand and away and anddrew anddrew drew diew back backi ack i 30 a little flushed and You Youn do that Her voice shook with th anger but buther buther buther her betraying e eyes ejes es pleaded with him not to believe what her lips lips- sa said Your ur hands are lii like e white butterflies butterflies but but- fUes he told told h her r Ive Iv Iv said paid that to you before haven't I. I Mignon Why do jou ou can call me that She reached for the bow but her l hands ands were vere shaking so that she wa was wM ashamed and aId cl clasped sped them hem tightly at her ner sides sides' Mignon l His voice was v very ry I tender Because you are so little so vera ery little And because I 1 do donot donot not not like to think of or you OU as a boyish lIttle girl named Billy But Iv Ive I've come ome to beg you beg you ou to join Miss Shelton Shel Shel- ton to-i and me for the skating party You thought of f It rather late hate Billy BUly reminded d him trying to re regain regain regain re- re gain h her r impudence and nd truculence Pardon It he contradicted her gravely I 1 asked for tor you ou when I called at 12 and Miss Shelton answered answered an an- anI I ln Instead l r I f toy cli her her- herto to relay my Invitation n to you you and Miss Lomax Lo- Lo max I 1 thought of ourse of-ourse course she he had done on s so so The reporters reporter and photographers photograph rs i came ame Billy Billy- smiled d with Ith sudden relief And I 1 suppose she forgot I Ive I've got to practice she reminded him forlornly Just this once once he begged There will Ul b be s so many many days to practice Hello there Dal Winnies Winnie's high tinkling voice came from the 1 doorway Im ready Sorry you I cant can't come Billy When the they had gone gont BUl Billy doggedly doggedly doggedly dog dog- gedly practiced scales but she no longer furrowed her brow over o many criticisms and In Instructions In- In She pla played ed call cally while she tortured herself with pictures of ot Dal and Winnie VInnie skating together on river Ice Oh she he exclaimed at last disgusted disgusted disgusted dis dis- dis- dis gusted with herself What hat a precious pre precious pre pie cious fool I 1 am am Here I 1 am In love Iov with Clay Curtis who probably doesn't know I l exist except as a apall pair pall of hands to play the fiddle and then J I go making a fool o of myself I over the first new man I meet What the devils devil's he done to me anyhow Cast a voodoo spell over m me e She practiced for two hours wIthout without without with wIth- out stopping th then n went for a brisk I walk alk in th the grounds scuffing snow viciously as her galoshes plow plowed d through drifts In t the e gardens At 4 she he felt entirely sane and in high good humor with herself for SOP SIte believed she had routed Dal Romaine Ro- Ro maine from her her- blood She practiced for another hour keeping her mind mindon on her music for tor at least forty minutes min min- utes of that time then tired and drowsy she went to sleep without in the least intending intending- to do db s a so curled like a contented kitten in one of the big over overstuffed tufted Ch chairS drawn up to a window overlooking the front lawn She snapped off the light in the floor lamp which she had drawn up to her hex music rack and the room In which soc she slept her first deep sleep in days was gray with early twilight She was dreaming of Dahart Romaine Ro- Ro maine a strange Dal dressed in queer robes seated before an idol his sleek dark head swathed in a turban of many nany colors Funny Punny- the idol looked like hike T. T Q Curtis It spoke and the voices wasT was T. T Qs gruff stern n clipped she cUpped she could hear the words I tell you Pres th theres there's res re's no use arguing and q quarreling about this thing any more Im I'm going to adopt one of ot those three girls as my daughter when he year is up UI and that's final I 1 want w. to know what's going to become of my money money- Youre a fool T. T Q SQ and Im I'm a good enough friend to tell you so so- so to sO-to It wasn't a adream dream BIll Billy blinked ed edin in the the twilight of the her her- sleep dazed brain groping for tor the meaning of ut the Incredible words she had heard Im I'm old enough to o do as I J please with the money I made myself myself my my- self she heard T T. Q say with s suppressed sUPpressed sup p. p pressed violence She was about to slip out of her chair let them thel see see that she was there when the door into the li library library library li- li opened and closed with a bang sh She sank back Into the hugging hugging hug hugS ging comfort of or the big chair huddled hud hud- dIed there ther trying to think to reason reason rea rea- son son son U 1 So that was what T. T Q had lad been up UI to all along He wanted a daughter She Nyda and Winnie were ware on probation as candidates for his name and his fortune She would have to tell him that she had heard But the thought dl did not send her tumbling out of the chair rushing into Info the library where the rumble of ofa a quarrel continued If she t told ld him hin that hat she knew his plans he would call It of off edly She would cheat Nyda da and ind nd Winnie and Winnie and herself out of ot their glorious year Suddenly she knew what she must do ho She slipped out of her chair snatched up her violin and sped noiselessly out of or the room and and amI up the stairs stair To be continued Billy flies to Clay for advice avice and I they quarrel as usual Read the next chapter |