Show TW r W f s1 fit 01 i f 1 P. P K 1 r- r b S i t t J I f O 0 i f s 1 sZ FIC IO J tJ i 1st i Y Je g ro Ii Gs a. a J. J A usi ca r U 9 W X rv V A Wi V. aus austin tin i v CD 1927 to IN flA riA Service oc lac nc THIS HAS HAPPENED fly illy Wells Yells Nyda Lomax and andIe Inie nie Ie Shelton are selected by T. T urUs from the of his big store to come Into his hisIe hise hisle e le as his wards for a year be- be ehe wants to help them further furth r Ie each has has' expressed ambitious to be a concert vio- vio Bt t Is the only one that Is sin i e the others having haying lied to en- en 4 f r Qs generosity lly y is Infatuated with Dal R Rorie Ro Rone Ro- Ro W rie ne nephew of Mrs Me Meadows dows tess less but she he Is troubled when slip she sh learns that he Is playing both her and Winnie Shelton Billy tenderly remembers Clay Curtis Cures son of her benefactor who has disinherited himself and Is living fly liv ing big at the Wells VeIls home in a poor part of town working In the Truman Truman Tru Tru- man factory by day and writing music at night The girls unknown to T. T Q learn that he Intends to adopt one of them when the year Is up A series Of if intrigues Instituted by Nyda ana and Winnie to gain old T. T Qs affection affection tion and Involving Mrs I Dal Romaine and and Eddie Banning uniting Nyda's chauffeur sweetheart st store re days turn the house into a hotbed of sch scheming Billy Bihy Is disgusted She loses interest in ins terest In her music She She has a breakdown and leaves leaves' town and returns believing she has routes routed Dal from her heart healt but his spelt spell over her isas Is as powerful as e avner fer ferT er T T. Q fits a kindergarten room in in his home for Nyda who has lias professed professed pro pro- an ambition to become a teacher When he learns that she Is careless and unkind to the chil children dren under her care he Is deeply hurt Believing the girls need a it change he takes take's them to Europe Just before their return Billy re receives receives re re- a letter from froma from a friend telling of a remarkable fortune teller and begging her her- herto to hurry Burry home NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY CHAPTER It was remarkable how q quickly 1 klY the oddly oddly- assorted Curtis family settled into their lives in the Curtis mansion and in Colf Colfax x after their return from Europe To Billy It seen became almost Incredible that they had been away at all that she had heard divine music seen een seen age- age old wonders trod highways highways' famous for thousands of years They all seemed so little changed Within a week after their return Nyda was again an unwilling pupil In the Cordelia Blount School for for Kindergarten Teachers Winnie was once more prattling at the luncheon table of her shorthand and typewriting lessons at the Knox Secretarial and Billy was vas again taking a violin lesson a week from Professor Na But B Billy III 3 knew that she herself had changed had grown more humble and timid about her hel own genius as a vl violinist She had heard the thc best bes artists in Euro Europe e. e had come home with a strongly de developed de Inferiority interiority complex as to jo her her own powers And did little to bolster up her sha shattered self He taught her but painstakingly On h her r first visit to her mother sho gave Mrs 1 Wells blushing scarlet as she did so for It had been more than three months since she had given her a penny But Buther Buther Buther her mother did not ot reproach ch her herfor for fOI her neglect pretended instead th that t she did not really need so much muc But ut Billy ashamed changed the subject to Clay Hes ties working like a house afire on his symphony Mrs Wells told her daughter her eyes growing so f fond nd that Billy felt a pang of That Prof Professor of yours anda and a big pianist who vho was visiting here from Chicago h have ve heard some of it and they think hes he's going to be be famous its it's presented I think Its It's awfully noisy myself she added indulgently gently Ilow How is Clay otherwise Billy asked casually but her throat was constricted with tears Oh hes he's well enough I 1 guess guess guess- leastways lie he says he Is Hes He's fl up a bit He says Its It's my home cooking but I lay It all to the hard manual lab labor r hes he's doing Nothing like work to give a man man an appetite and develop his his his' muscles s. s He likes like's the factory work too and that helps a lot What does he do for fot amusement amuse 4 ment He cant can't spend every minute minute minute min min- ute of his time away from th the factory factory factory fac fac- tory on his music Billy prodded Does Does does he go out with the girls He really ought Ito to you know she added hypocritically aIly Odd how her heart hurt when she thought of Clay with any other girl Was Vas she really foolish enough and cruel enough to hope that she had ruined his life Oh hes he's bought himself a flivver vet ver Mrs Wells VelIs laughed and he takes Leila Sampson driving sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times on a Sunday and ami occasionally occasionally occasionally occasion occasion- ally they go dancing together Leilas Leila's getting to be bo a n. real pretty stylish looking girl You wouldn't be how that Irl's changed changed- D Dancing Billy Interrupted I 1 never danced with Clay she added wistfully Well darling Ive I've got gotto gotto gotto to be running Youre You're sure you like th the things I brought you from Europe Europe Eu Eu- rope ope Her eyes roved about the shabby little living room room in which the lovely fragile bits of a brie br brae brac at and the neatly framed eten- eten Ings she had brought her mother Oom Europe looked a It mos most moss ludicrously ludicrously ludi ludi- c out of place She was as glad to escape the house house- houseIn In which she had lived In poverty glad gla almost to escape escape her mothers mother's wistful questioning eyes I She Kho had been back In in Coif Colfax ax less than forty eight hours when she heard hoarel more about th the mrs relo elous s soothsayer crystal gu oar er and clairvoyant clair elair- Bradley Brad Drall- of ot whom Constance ley had written her Everyone as Constance had assured her was consulting him and spreading his tame But a week elapsed before she sh had the opportunity to see him herself Mrs Meadows had gone to to her room Immediate y after unel dinner dinkier that evening leaving D Dal Romaine anu mu Truman alone with Nyda a aid id DIlly Billy Winnie and T. T 1 Q Q were Inthe in to inthe the library Winnie again busily playing the game of being the milt mil private secretary I say Romaine Ralph suggested suggested suggested sug sug- travelers Ill bet these blase would get a a. kick out ot of od Din the fortune teller What say we call hint him up and se see if if- w we can make ari an appointment for them for tor tonight tonight Dal smiled I haven't consulted consult d Namir or whatever he calls himself bu but bu buit If it the girls would like togo to-go He rose smiling smil In ing again at Billys Billy's an and Nyda's excited ex ex- cited c amor of assent aBsent and excused using the in instrument instrument In- In strument in the hall rather than The me one which was discreetly concealed concealed concealed con con- ce-aled ce in in a lacquered cabinet in 11 inthe inthe the drawing He took so long to telephone that the girls were frankly Impatient wh when n he r returned turnEd Line was busy the first three three times 1 tried it It he explained Odd what a tremendous vogue he has achieved But I finally succeeded in getting him or rather his secre score tar tary and we a are e to come immediately imme imme- me- me meI I I might add he said with witha I a rueful rue smile that I. I got got- him to forget that he had other appointments appointments appointments appoint appoint- ments waiting by doubting doubling his usual fee Winnie attracted from the li library library U. U br ry by the bustle of their departure departure departure depar depar- ture stamped her small foot oot with anger and disappointment when she found v what hat she was to miss Never ever mind Dal smiled O IY to tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow to- to upon her Ill take you myself morrow afternoon Ill I'll make the appointment for you tonight Isn't that better than getting a hurried reading tonight when he will be terribly busy Billys Billy's nails nabs dug into her palms as she saw the radiance that quivered quivered quivered ered over Winnies Winnie's beautiful fac face I Ill In let Winnie Vinnie go In my place tonight she cried cred then flushed with shame as Ralphs Ralph's quizzical gray eyes told her that he had se seen n I through her cheap little gesture gestur of self self sacrifIce Winnie had seen through her too No thank you darling its darling Its It's awfully awfully awfully aw aw- aw- aw fully sweet of you but Daddy Curtis Curtis Curtis Cur Cur- and I are really awfully busy Things are in a dreadful shape you have no idea Youre You're a dear Dal to make a special trip to Namir with me Ralph was voluble with tales of the mysterious omniscient Namir as he piloted his car through maze of ot traffic Believe that me eyed black baby is getting the goods on our most prominent citizens I wouldn't be a bit surprised if hell broke loose In this town before he moves moves' onto on onto onto to fresher greener lands What do you mean Ralph Ralph- Billy demanded but she hardly kne knew what she way was wa saying for tor forDal's torDal's Dals Dal's right closed thrillingly thrilling thrilling- ly iy over her left left as they sat sat veo ve vory close besides each other on the rack Back Backseat seat seat Why that bird has enough facts in in his noodle noodle and and heaven only knows where he got them for I dont don't swallow this crystal stuff for a n. minute minute to to divorce halt half the society couples In this town and to ruin two-thirds two of the business What a swell litt e a blackmailer h hell he'll 11 make if It he ever decides that this tills present graft of his is small po po- po You talk more like a roughneck every day Ralph Billy mUy laughed 1 But Ill I'll bet youre you're not nearly as ashard ashard ashard hard boiled as you pretend where this Namir person parson is concerned Constance wrote me about him She at least believes hes he's the real thing Do we go In In- together or separately tely Dal Separately You dont don't give him your name unless you wish to I Imade Imade Imade made the appointments appointment by the way for lor Miss l Williams Williams' and Miss l Newman New New- man He has no idea what your real names are are Youre You're Miss 1 Williams Williams' Wil VIl liams' liams Mignon liams' lIgnon darling darling He whispered red the last words as he raised her hand to his lips Say riD Im afraid of this fortune fortuneteller fortuneteller teller telle Nyda announced d suddenly In a voice very different from her usual drawl J I 1 always was seas as sup superstitious superstitious super super- r- r and If it he tells me anything terrible Ill I'll faint I faint I know I will Ralph was still rallying Nyda on her superstitions when the four of f th them m ent entered red the reception room of Namir suite in highest st priced apartment hotel Billy was disappointed to find that it was not at all exotic or oriental In its furnishings just furnishings just a quietly luxurious room which might might- have served a a. successful doctor as n waiting room for tor patients patients' But Bui when a small thin wiry Hindu dressed in his native garb secretary tary according to toRalph's toRalph's Ralphs Ralph's hs h's whispered r d information bowed to her Ignoring the tn iU protests of the eight men and Women Wom vom I en who ho were waiting for an enc with the soothsayer she slie felt felta felta a- a a curious hesitancy to if follo him wished that Nyda had been heen given precedence over he heSe her I ISe Se followed the d dark rk s stoned skinned youth into an inner room sd f slim Mm y lighted that at first she coil d distinguish distinguish distinguish dis dis- nothing but a t tall n robed probed figure its ft's turbaned hE head d b over a great crystal ball The T Tbt le art ail artof of the shrouded room w was S heavy with with a po powerful Incense smoldering smolderIng smoldering smolder smolder- ing ing In jade jade and brass bowls se s H t at ai i ithe the feet fee of ugly great greatly ugly ly idols It seemed to the trembling girl Sill that the soothsayer would never speak sp ak but at t l last st he raised his is head and rid gazed at her the heavy drooping drooping droop droop- ing irig lids of his eyes widening until she had the insane idea that by try the power of his terrible will he was drawing the very soul from her body to to- drown it In those glittering black depths India A daughter of a deep voice h intoned toned An Ate exile from home Sit down child of destiny I and Namir will tell you what whal he sees es ln in the crystal al for for you 1 I have waited long for YOU to pome came and now my mission here is annual done Biily Bily started to laugh but with those eyes widening and andl widening to engulf her the sound strangled in her throat To be continued i Namir amazes Billy with his clairvoyance clairvoyance but but he overplays his game i t |