Show i I The Luck of o Geraldine Laird au auBy 0 I IBy By KATHLEEN NORRIS i Author of The Story of Julia Page Heart of Rachall i I Wife Josselyn Sisters etc Copyright by Kathleen Norris lie Ile remembered other things things things-a a night when she sat up with him pale and cheerful and always considerate for his hl comfort through an ugly touch of Ill Illness m- m ness Honeymoon days davs and Jerry like a radiant child In new ginghams that smelt of the loom winter nights when I they talked of Janey's Juney's coming sumI summer summet sum sum- I mer met picnics when she nursed the sweet drowsy child by some far fur brook and laid to sleep under a h haycock all haycock all these swarmed back upon him and filled his eyes ejes with salt Halt tears and made his throat constrict bitterly lie would look up from his desk inthe In fn Inthe the wide loft lott and the whole group of I desks tables lockers and typewriters cabinets and chairs chain would grow dim before him film My Iy wife My Iy little old brave Jer Jerry t Ills his ls heart said over and over One winter afternoon they chanced to bo be near each other at a studio tea when Dean heard her voice olce In a a. jumble of ot laughing voices and caught a a. glimpse of ot her furred and rosy In the center of a a. group of men and women It seemed to him unavoidable that she must see him but It ft was was' quite evident that she did not She was swept on Into the room beyond beyond beyond be be- yond the studio where punch was being being beIng be be- ing served ed and Dean with a fast tast beatIng beatIng beatIng beat- beat Ing heart slipped quietly away and blindly walked and walked in the bright snowy sunshine trying to re recover recover recover re- re cover the self control the sight of her had shattered Laird was here a minute ago said one of the men to Ger Geraldine on this occasion You know Dean Laird Taken unawares Geraldine could only smile mechanically and wonder how much her fluttered breath and sudden color betrayed her Have I have I-have have I met him she asked wrinkling her brows bro I thought you must have Hes He's a are re gar feller The talk went on about her she heard somebody say that Mr 1 Laird was trying to break Into play- play writing somebody else added that ho hI was awfully nice Somehow hl his hi nearness and the ready use llIe of his name nam frightened Geraldine she was conscious conscious con con- of something like Uke terror at III the idea of meeting him anywhere any day or night and In any place but to tu herself she would say Nonsense I 1 Imay Imay may never ne meet him There Then are six million persons In tn this city city it it isn't a u chance of ot one In a thousand She was surprised at her own relief when she chanced to hear that he had gone with a friend to Idle In Spain It was better for them both to have thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of miles mUes between them Tho The next night she met him It was vall a Sunday night G Geraldine's only time of freedom and she was dining with a certain Roger Catherwood Catherwood Cather- Cather wood a dignified middle aged widower widower widower wid wid- ower who was as suddenly and rather to her hE surprise affording her no little cause of speculation She had grown accustomed now to a a. certain surface form of masculine admiration a form that might always easily lead to supper supper sup sup- per parties partie drives s. s gifts and flowers uncounted But Roger Catherwood's case was different cliffe Gerald Geraldine mo had been Introduced introduced Intro intro- duce duce-d to the architect at a restaurant supper after the performance one evening evening evening eve eve- ning and had told him something of her story lie He was a gentleman a tall quiet man with grizzled hair hall and a charming charmine manner lie He had a pretty daughter 1 16 years e old oU and lived In a a. brownstone mansion in the East Eat Six Six- Sixties ties tiel Harriet Catherwood rode with daddy in In n the park and attended a fa fuh- fuh h- h I school and had aunts who I were members of the Colony club She bhe he j i adored daddys daddy's friend Mrs OBrien O'Brien In a way and Geraldine looked at nt her well groomed freshness and poise and listened to her cultivated voice with a little ache of envy for the sot I girl whose path was to be made so lovely and so smooth I She had dressed for the dinner with witha a 0 quick beating heart It was to be quite a large party but she knew herself herself her her- I self leU to be the honored west est She and Roger Catherwood had become great I friends j Entering the tho softly lighted softly i carpeted hall of or the Catherwood man- man mani i slon smiling at the butler botler allowing I herself to be relieved of ot her wraps bv by byi i ia i in a n smiling maid glancing at her lovely i self pelt In a great mirror sh shy sh knew that all the danger signals were wern lashing flashing every Continued on p page ge 7 7 I JUCK UCK OF GERALDINE I. I Continued from page 4 otton in her heart was as a semaphore warn her that the road oad was not ar eraldine was laughing as she s-s s d the magnificent mag spaces feeling feelings s and rich beauty and her hep herti ti gown and mood happily attuned 1 found Und her host alone by a splendid Tand and gave him a surprised glance h her h her greeting Am I t so early re down at her spangled ck gown shining dark hair lovely e and plumy fan and the c era a trifle confused her No- No No the others are late He had own car for tor her she reflected Into a great chair and there- there i pt was his own fault If she sho came soon Mr Hardisty is coming tonight he heit it on and Hardisty is always late just telephoned hes he's bringing along Oh well we dont don't mind waiting aldine laughed recently two women fluttered Inthe in inthe inthe the library door two men behind n nl nt S There were laughter and intro- intro tio ls Geraldine was instantly pt into the general conversation er men and women came in there greater confusion wo pretty maids appeared with d'oeuvres hors and clear topaz red cocktails on trays The late Hardisty came joyfully hurrying ugh the door bringing his friend eraldine was standing at the great itel with its carved acanthus era She had been in deep talk tall flan ijan n elderly man Mason lason Marshall ictor who was earnestly and sym- sym l discussing discussing- with her the tupes of another actor But aRte as aR late te comers were introduced a made itself heard and she shea a almost like a vertigo shak- shak l Lher r whole body her finger tips led ed cold and her knees grew weak l to glance toward Mr Harnd Har- Har nd saw that the friend he had ight with him was Indeed Dean dj smiling quite at his ease handsomer than ever in his eve- eve dress Dean was undergoing in- in Roger welcomed him Jan Iran enthusiasm that surprised even under the sick flutter I I fright she was experiencing V Vere re old friends weve we've weve we've met beZ be- be I Z Roger said watched her husband his look through the big shell ned led glasses the beautiful hand Steadied them on their black rib rib- well remembered and sudden e ather Bather Dean said eagerly with a accent accent on the last syllable At lers ler's studio at was it Roger interrupted the auctions for a little intimate talk h Turners They had lived in ince ce the beginning of the war f And tAnd d how was the delicate child child child- Vr T eh h in Dean and Geraldine were fa face e ece ice ce cej after atter the long years The c lame came ame upon him In Its entirety fort fora or a dreadful minute she had to Ithe the conversation Superb In her hert t ful l gown with diamonds glint 1 massed dark hair and her I I white hand still resting against the carved marble of the mantelpiece she glanced at him negligently over a bare shoulder and smiled her casual ac acknowledgment acknowledgment acknowledgment ac- ac of his name and turned immediately to speak to her her- host Mr Marshall and I were talking of ot poor Bernard Rice Roger You must mustI ha have hae e known n him Very well Roger answered I frowning sorrowfully and shaking his head Sad case very Well VeIl well we'll go out Buffington you take Mrs 1 Thompson Thompson Thompson-Meigs Meigs Mrs Marshall 1 I please Hardisty Ive I've given you Miss OBrien O'Brien I OBrien I hope you'll remember it to tomy tomy tomy my advantage some day Laird you haven't a lady Iio o you'll have haye to take my aunts aunt's other side Aunt Fanny will you come to dinner With some laughter and stir they moved in pairs through the stately halls to the dining room Geraldine I felt too dizzy and frightened to speak she could only hope that the smile she gave Mr Ir Hardisty was not too obviously ob obviously obviously ob- ob forced Somehow they reached the table She sank into her chair conscious that she was br breathing athing very badly and that her tongue was cleavIng cleaving cleaving cleav cleav- ing to the roof of her mouth in a fashion that made it quite impossible for her to speak Dean was on her left then the old white haired hatred lady known as Aunt Fanny then the host To get away away to to get away before away before everybody guessed guessed before before there was a scene This was her first mad im im- im pulse But after a few tew moments she attempted to rally her scattered thoughts If she and Dean could manage manage manage man man- age not to awaken their suspicions suspicions- that would be best Perhaps not even Hardisty who was chattering away happily on her right suspected the situation As the laughter and rustle of ot the dinner began and the maids moved about the table she began to hope that thIs was so Roger was talking naturally Aunt Fanny was holding Dean with an involved narrative everyone e seemed cheerful and strained An effort effort and and she might live through th the next hour or two without without without with with- out catastrophe and might escape The Thea a alternative 1 was waR to escape on some pretext now and to the necessary pr pretense pretense pre pre- tense of a headache or faintness Geraldine Geraldine Geraldine Ger Ger- aldine did not feel teel equal although h the thought of finding herself herself herself her her- self safe sate and alone In the Catherwood motorcar was almost too desirable to resist If It Dean would not speak to her If It Ithe he would but realize as she did the madness of ot their attempting a conver conver- Geraldine let her soup go she was unable to swallow and nd hardly conscious of what was being said and served Suddenly she was conscious that Aunt Fanny and the host were talkIng talkIng talking talk- talk Ing and that Dean had turned toward her The blood forsook her heart She looked down at her plate and the spangles spangles span span- I against her white breast twinkled with the quick of her breath I didn't know where you were until untila a few weeks ago Dean began A quick protest half gasp and half laugh stopped him himi 1 Oh not about please about us please Certainly I see he assured her quickly And quietly and naturally he went on Do you know this man Im I'm with Hardisty Hes He's the fellow tellow whose comedy Is doing so well Miss Smith of Smith He lie was sent to Panama for weak weal lungs and he wrote it there it looks now as If he had struck his vein ills JIls wife and little boy go back backwith backwith backwith with him next week week week-they're they're up in Boston now He really likes the tropics and of course he is tickled to death to find a way of making easy money money- as he calls It Hed He'd never written a word before before before- Really Geraldine said naturally raising her eyes and smiling He lie has hasa a splendid face And he doesn't look delicate either They discussed him thoroughly discussed discussed discussed dis dis- dis- dis cussed their host Then suddenly they were talking of Louis whose marriage marriage marriage mar mar- in England to an English girl of 18 had astonished Geraldine a few months before Louis Louts must be be 50 50 Dean Oh Lord no Fort Forty It seems hes he's working with the Belgian relief and this girls girl's father and brother were tilled killed in the early part of ot the war They fell eagerly upon the war Would America go Into it Would America stay out of it How yell well dou know Catherwood Dean asked Ho He saw the color rise under her transparent skin but her eyes met his fearlessly Not long but long but pretty well she answered answered an- an with a glance at her host which he le caught He lie seems to be a fine fellow tellow Dean said aid said with agony at his hh heart lIe He is she answered confidently Dean refused the salad absent mindedly minded minded- ly Iy but Geraldine helped herself and ate it composedly Her heart had stopped throbbing so madly and she felt al almost almost almost al- al I most at ease Furtively she studied him the keen Intelligent face the eyeglasses eyeglasses eye eye- glasses that were so frankly a be becoming becoming becoming be- be coming affection the questioning grave look that was followed by his sudden and charming smile The children are well he ha asked her suddenly flushing Darlings she answered noncom- noncom He lie was evidently wistful for more news of ot them but she did not vouchsafe it It and the hand that she stretched for her water glass trembled trem trem- bled Its been quite like a. a a fairy tale hasn't it It Jerry your Jerry your success I mean he asked presently Would have been at 18 IS she conceded conceded conceded con con- ceded lightly even lightly even with a trace of ot distaste dis dis- taste But I had had I I had too much to worry about to take it at Its value at first Yes I Yes I cant can't deny it it-It it It still seems like a fairy tale sometimes It isn't quite what I would like to do but butI it il Is always amusing and amusing and people are always very kind It hasn't spoiled you ou at all events he he said But Instantly ho saw that the personality was a false note She Shei acknowledged ed It only by a faint shrug and a slight sUg-ht contraction of her eyebrows eye eye- brows and looked down in silence eye at atI ather her fan fn You You succeed succeed Dean she asked I putter he answered bitterly frowning In his its turn But you you you-you you love your wor work tho the thoI woman persisted Ho lIe gave her a straight unsmiling glance glance It it was as asI asIf It If he decided d to concede her the point of view she obviously wanted to toI hold Yes I love it It- It Ithe he assured her wearily Beca Because se otherwise Geraldine's voice with its childish note continued continued continued con con- Otherwise It ft would ho bo all wasted what wasted what you endured and what I f did wouldn't it Dean folding his arms leaned back and nodded with a grim g mouth Exactly he agreed Not Not not that I J consider my life a mistake exactly Geraldine mistress of herself at last added thoughtfully Do do Do you ou She raised the blue Irish eyes ees he knew so well well her her beauty and poise o here In this dignified dh setting almost took his breath away II ll would be e hard to look at you and I I i i I I I I I f I j I I I I I he told her with an say so so Jerr Jerry effort at lightness of manner To be continued |