Show fI 1 L J t u Jo j- j l Finances i Shelley Wee Wees s sL L u N no 0 A SYNOPSIS Bryn Brn James III a n atall atall tall bronzed young man of oC wealth and his chum Tubby Forbes are discussing Bryns Bryn's coming marriage Tubby believes It a n. scheme to get Bryns Bryn's wealth from Crom him Should the girl Deborah whom Bryn had met metat metat metat at the office of oC his attorney Ted Hoi fbi worthy orth marry Stuart Graham before her twenty-first twenty birthday she will Inherit a vast fortune from Crom her grandfather Stuart bad great greatly displeased displeased dis dis- ls- ls pleased Deborah who refuses to marry him Bryn posing as an un unemployed unemployed unemployed un- un employed engineer offers to marry Deborah as Stuart for Cor the they not to live as man and wife Twentythree Twentythree three ty-three years previous Anno Anne Larned Larned Larned Lar- Lar ned had eloped with an adventurer on the day set for tor her wedding to Courtney Graham Two days Dys after arter the birth of oC her daughter aughter Anno Anne died Shortly after arter the father died le The Larne Larneds s grandparents took the child with them to Oregon where without child companions Deborah grew up To safeguard her from some soma fortune fortune for tor- tune tune- hunter her grandfather had arranged for tor her to marry Stuart son eon on of ot Courtney G Graham when of ot age nee CHAPTER I I-C I Continued i-Continued 2 2 It was here that Mr Lamed showed that his unhappy experience experience ence had not gone for nothing He was determined to leave nothing to toch ch chance nce He was determined that everything e should contribute toward toward toward to to- ward making the le young people willIng will will- Ing to marry each other He lie made his will and it was a model of In in- In It he said that his I granddaughter De Deborah orah should Inherit Inherit In In- i herit the tike large part parl of his fortune amounting to something over oyer a million mil mu- lion dollars dollar In go government bonds If and only l If she married Stuart Graham Gra Gra- Graham ham mm on or before her twenty first birthday On her twenty first birthday birthday birth birth- day her grandfather If he were alive would be five eighty years ears of a age It was not likely that he would live long Jong after that date so the old man faced the situation squarely If he should die before her first ty-first birthday she and her grandmother grandmother grand grand- mother were to live on the Income from a selected list of more profitable profitable profit profit- able securities chosen by him with great care and If It an anything happened happened hap hap- to prevent Deborah from marrying young Graham then the fotune was to go to charities but she was to have the Income from the securities for life The latter was sufficient to make her comfortable comfortable comfort comfort- able and keep her from want or poverty but It was not sufficient to attract the attention of a drelly fortune hunter su such h as her bel father had been The will was carefully planned and executed and Grandfather smiled and nodded to himself whenever when ever he be thought of It An absolute proof fool-proof and rogue-proof rogue plan he be said sah to his wife over and over Grandfather had bad dle died when Deborah Deborah Debo Debo- rah was Just past fifteen and fl things had gone quite smoothly for nearly three years ears longer with Gary managing everything the house lOuse the business letters Jetters the money mon mono money ey matters But then something strange and unexpected had happened happened hap hap- out In the world and Gary began to go about with a worried frown Finally Finally and and Deborah was eighteen th then then she she n-she she bad had made him tell her the truth There was something about a crash In New York York something something had toppled and fallen and their careful careful care care- ful list of securities had collapsed into a careless heap which was bringing them scarcely enough to live on Grandmother didn't know of course Grandmother couldn't be told anything like that Gary had been most relieved to tell Deborah Deborah Debo Debo- rah and It had been good fun at first to think of themselves as poor Of course It would be be only until Deborah was twenty-one twenty and then they would be wealthier than ever Until Deborah was twenty- twenty one one one-It It had run like a thread of song Bong through er e everything they did through ugh all the little subterfuges to keep Grandmother from knowing knowIng know know- In Ing through the hard work the 4 gardening the building of the smoke house to cure venison and fish for the Jar larder er And then suddenly Deborah was twenty and a half halt Twenty and a half halt and marriage was something unknown unknown- and fright fright- ening What was marriage Why did a girl have to marry a m man n a ayoung young man she had never seen and andr andL r L well weil when she did ld marry him what happened Grandmother I. I t wouldn't explain ex She sald said Stuart was a gentleman and anything r Deborah didn't quite understand he be would explain to her But It wasn't F enough h. h And for the first time In her life Ute De Deborah orah couldn't ask Gary They talked about love Well th that was easy Deborah loved Grandmother Grand mother dearly her sweet fragile lle old face her tender hands her soft gentle smile She would have done anything for Cor Grandmother But t It r wasn't like Uke that Grandmother had said so herself herselt blushing furiously She said the the love love a n woman had for tor her husband was something quite different more wonderful Stuart Graham was writing to her now He had begun when she was twenty and over oyer the first letter Gary had shaken his head and said It sounded very ery sudden somehow I and over the second he said the fellow fellow fel fel- low seemed to want to know an awful lot about what kind of or Investments investments In in- vestments Grandfather had left lett hi his money In He lIe and Deborah talked It over o and Deborah had said with those cold fingers at nt her heart and anda a smile on her lips Ups that It didn't matter whether Stuart had any money or not that surely she had enough for two and the situation was that If she sho didn't marry him poor or not poor there wouldn't be anything for any of them The time was desperate Gary said miserably that they wouldn't be abie able ablo to pay the taxes es on the only home they the o r rhad had If they didn't get pet some money 1 soon So of or course there was nothIng nothing nothing noth noth- ing to do but go through with It And then the tho very worst thing of all happened Fo For some reason that Grandmother couldn't understand except that since a Graham had done It there must be a reason and anda a good one Stuart had Joined the navy two or three years ago And now something had occurred something something some some- th thing ng he didn't quite explain As Asa a result he ho was not going to be beable beable able to leave Jea his ship by Deborah's twenty first birthday For a few days Gary and Grandmother Grandmother Grand Grand- mother and Deborah were thrown Into consternation and although for a moment when his letter Jetter first came Deborah had bad run out and hugged a tree for sheer Joy she had seen In no time that something had to be done Stuart had a plan He had gone on to explain that fortunately fortunately for for- enough his ship would be with the rest of the Pacific fleet anchored In Golden Gate harbor In San Francisco bay and that It Il would be quite simple after all Deborah could come down and meet him In San Francisco and they could be married there Quite simple for Stuart perhaps but a most upsetting Idea for Deborah Deborah Debo Debo- rah and Grandmother and Gar Gary Obviously If Deborah w went nt she must go alone since Grandmother er could not possibly go and Gary could not possibly leave her And Deborah had been so little In the world she had bad never traveled anywhere anywhere anywhere any any- where alone The world was a huge noisy whirling place and she had bad lived always In Inthe the quiet and peace pence of the mountains Still It was only a a matter of a trip to San Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco because once there she could go to the hotel Grandmother knew about the hotel at which they had stayed years ago and from the hotel botel she could coup go to Mr Holworthy's office where Stuart would meet her bel Stuart was wasa a Graham and a gentleman lD and andas andas andas as soon as she met him her troubles troubles troubles trou trou- bles would be over This was what Grandmother said and outwardly Deborah assented but to her he was really a n man and anda a stranger and In her heart was a deadly terror of marriage and whatever whatever whatever what what- ever It might mean of or meeting this strange man and being with him being alone with him Grandmother was horrified when they came to contemplate Deborah's Deborah's Debo Debo- rah's wardrobe She wanted to write Immediately to Boston and have a large selection of or articles sent out but hut Deborah convinced her that there was no time and that they would have ha to manage with what was In the house So they made a traveling costume from Prom one of Grandmothers Grandmother's It was quiet and und reserved although perhaps the i iHnes lines were not such as a n professional professional dressmaker would have put Into It It would serve sene The dress was made of brown cloth very neat and plain A hat was rather a problem but they evolved one finally a neat small black t turban with u n modest cluster cluster clus clus- ter tel of velvet pansies on one side Grandmother sent only one other dress with Deborah her own wedding wed ding dress When they tried It on on It fitted perfectly De Deborah orah looked at nt herself In the glass and andt then t then jn quickly back at Grandmother with dark startled eyes Its Ils Its It's she touched touche the neck It Is for your husband my darling dar dar- darling ar ling Grandmother said gently and anel Deborah's blood was cold again In her veins CHAPTER II had finally finished dress T Tunny A lag Ing and now after a hurried trip across the city In Bryns Bryn's road roadster roadster roadster ster they stood waiting In the his hk parlor of ot oni of or the old and emi r I- I respectable hotels Tubby hands In pockets stared unseeingly unseeing unseeing- ly at the candle sconces on the wall fitted now with weary electric elec elec- electric bulbs which gave out burel barely enough light to dl disclose close the dangling dan dan- dangling gling cr crystal stal ornaments on the sconces themselves The grandfather clock In the corner corner cor cor- ner ticked slowly Youre crazy Bryn murmured and took out his watch Me Mel Tubby asked In amazement amazement amaze amaze- ment and sat down In a comfortable ble chair The clock Its It's slow My watch says ten minutes to nine Oh Ob So you were talking to the clock Merely a slip Slip Is right Tubby muttered Talking to clocks 1 I Tubby went so sotar far tar as ns to say that If It Bryn at the age of six had not fallen faJen upon him violently one day as they rolled ot off offa a roof together he would not have bitten the end of ot his ton tongue ue and so begun a lisp which would endure to his dying day Tulip ith right Bryn repeated absently to himself to o Go to hell hen Tubby said bitterly He folded his hands before him There was a long silence nr Bryn n Tubby said abruptly and stopped Tubby Bryn answered politely Br Bryn n what are you doing It for tor There Isn't l tiny any reason renson why I shouldn't do It It Well Tubby lubby exploded youre not getting an anything out of ot it That's what I mean Youre You're getting getting get get- ting Into an nn awful mix up with all kinds s of possible Je consequences and youre you're not getting an anything out of It Consequences i iTu Tu Tubby by still sat In the big chair and considered his his' blue Jue eyes on Br Bryns Bryn's nB gray ones Pilar for one You'd make a very nice couple That Is PIlar would make a nice couple with anybody And weve we've w e settled about her so dont don't go back over that again Tubby Only theres there's a suggestion Id I'd like to make If It I were you I wouldn't rush over to Pilar's tonight right after the ceremony ceremony cere cere- mony because If you were to get down on your knees In my pants there would certainly be a catas catas- He Ile stopped In front of or the grandfather grandfather grand grand- 10 father ther clock and gazed earnestly into Its dingy face until Tu Tubby b had stopped making his spluttering noises There was another long si sl si- si lence Seven minutes to nine What about this sailor this Graham Graham Gra Gra- ham feU fellow ow Tubby demanded abruptly Do you think hes he's goIng going go go- Ing to let Jet any man crack him in the Jaw and then marr marry his girl without without with with- out doing anything about It What about him Oh hes he's all right Bryn said lazily Ills enlisted time doesn't expire for tor two months And he Isn isn't t much to worry over o anyway I Ob Oh Lord Tubby said prayerfully prayerfully prayer prayer- fully and put his head In his hands Bryn went over oyer and sat down beside beside beside be be- side him He tweaked the yellow lock Jock The whole trouble with you Tubby Is that youre you're one of these stones sermons people I mean you cant can't help looking for trouble Why cant can't you take a thing at Its r h 1 for 11 1 e r 1 I lu li lir lir r t r lw I There Isn't Any Reason Why I Shouldn't Do It face fn e value and stop worrying All that's thais happening Is that Im I'm lending my name and my charming personality personality person person- because I have to win ove over the grandmother mother too perhaps I forgot to mention It for a year What's a a- a year The last pair of elephant tusks I brought home borne cost me a year and Ive I've been sick of the darn things for tor a long Jong longtime longtime time After Atter all an nn elephant tusk Is riM not exactly a thing a man wants to l look ok at more than two or three times a day and It Isn't a thing you ou ever get really fond of and like Ilke to cherish you know Tu Tubby by raised his head Oh Ob he be said sah So ominously youre you're planning planning plan plan- ning to cherIsh this Deborah woman and get fond of her are you Now that I un understand why youre you're marrying marrying mar mar- r her do you mind telling me mo why she Is marr marrying you 1 It doesn't work both wa ways was s you know It couldn't be even If It Its It's what Im I'm beginning to think it might be But I told you why she's marryIng marrying marry marry- ing me Rr Bryn n said kindly I really really really real real- ly explained It very nicely She's marrying me to get fiet a million dollars dol dol- dollars lars one year from today when the conditions of ot the lie will are arc fulfilled and when her grandmother Is convinced convinced con con- vinced that I am Ilm no hunt fortune er and that I am nm a steady going young g gentleman with no bad ad habits hab hab- habits its and the a ability to make De Deborah orah happy Oh no she Isn't Tubby con con- she Tubby ubby straightened He put his hand on nr Bryns Bryn's ns arm Look here Br Bryn n he said the use of or your tr trying to hold out on me Why dont don't you come across with the whole story I know what It Is anyway Its It's another nother of those crazy quixotic notions of yours ours What are you ou trying to put over oer now Nothing You lie The girl cant can't be marrying marrying mar mar- r you to get her grandfathers grandfather's money because youre you're not Stuart Graham and you said yourself that the will hill stated specifically that unless unless un un- un I less Jess she married Graham and Graham Graham Gra ham only on or before her birthday today she wouldn't get the money Didn't you ou And nd youre you're not Graham Well Wen said |