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Show TRAILER GIRL By VERA BROWN WNU Service THE STORY THUS FAR I.ynn Morrow, beautiful blonde New Vork Klrl. Js stranded In Palm Beach in her bathlntf suit with only 50 cent3 when her employer, Mrs. Helen Warren, disappears dis-appears with car and trailer from a camp where she, Ikjddy, her son, and I.ynn had been living. A note from Mrs. Warren advises I.ynn to call at her New York attorney's ollice for her clothes and wanes. Stie Is rescued by Terry Mc-Nuir, Mc-Nuir, whom she met at the beach. She goes to his home, where he has a maid frovlde her with some of his sister's evening clothes. They then go to a beach eluh. His sister appears and a quarrel ensues. I.ynn accepts the help of a stranger to escape. He takes her to his home where he Identifies himself as Raymond Ray-mond (Wild) Austin. He accuses her of trying to blackmail him. Greatly Incensed, In-censed, Lynn Hues. Stopping at a coffee cof-fee shop, she meets a young artist, Itene fiouchler, who Is returning to New York by trailer and offers to take her there. She finds Rene to be a decent sort of a fellow. Lynn tells Rene her story. The car breaks down. They are forced to stay at the Lovell farmhou.se during repairs, the Lovells believing them new-lyweds. new-lyweds. The Lovells discover they are not married and InsLst a marriage take place. There being no way out, Lynn and Rene agree. They decide their marriage Is to be one In name only, with a divorce to follow. The wedding takes place. Their car repaired, they go on. Arriving In New York, they go to a trailer camp. Rene Is taken 111. Lynn nurses him through. Their funds are gone. Lynn goes to see Mr. Mortimer, Mrs. Warren's attorney, who gives her a check for $200. Lynn secure's a position ' with Mine. Reanoud as a dress model. A friend of Rene's, Marty Sledenberg, art editor of a nationally known weekly, calls and accepts one of Rene's paintings paint-ings of Lynn for a magazine cover. Rene rents a studio and Lynn rooms nearby. Austin discovers Lynn Is modeling for Mine. Reanoud and sends her .orchids. He visits Lynn and begs forgiveness for his conduct at Palm Beach. CHAPTER XII Continued was after 9 when Lynn finally left Rene. She had cooked him some chops, but could not eat herself. She felt tired and tense. It was very hot and she dreaded her little apartment. apart-ment. As she walked out of the building, she heard her name called. It was Wild. "I waited. Thought you might want to get cooled off." Lynn accepted reluctantly. "Just for a few minutes," she said. "I wish you'd let me drive you out on Long Island. It's wonderful out there. It isn't far, and the Sound is marvelous." They rode in silence through the city traffic, over the bridge to the island. It was halt an hour before traffic began to thin and Wild could step on it. The wind, the speed, the cooler air, were refreshing. Lynn was content just to ride on into the dark. When they'd gone on toward Great Neck, Wild said: "I'll bet you didn't eat any dinner." "I had a cup' of tea." "We'll stop at a cool place I know." "I look pretty messy," Lynn said. Wild did not even bother to answer. an-swer. He pulled in at a sheltered little place on the shore, and shortly they faced each other across the table. "There, that's better." He touched her hand as it lay on the table. "Now I feel you've really forgiven me." "There's nothing to forgive, really. real-ly. I can see you might have been suspicious of me," Lynn replied. "It was all pretty crazy. But you were a little harsh." He did not answer, but sat looking look-ing at her lovely, mobile face in the soft light from the table lamp. "Yes, you're as lovely as I remembered re-membered you." Lynn's cheeks colored unexpectedly unexpect-edly under his eyes. "I know what you're going to say. Please don't say it. Let me talk." He moved restlessly. "I've done nothing but think of you since you left that night," he went on. "I tried to find you, but there wasn't a trace." He tried to make her look at him. "Please, Mr. Austin." "Lynn, look at me." She finally obeyed him. "Do you believe me?" Under his intense gaze she had to answer honestly: hon-estly: "Yes." "Will you let me see you now and then?" Lynn hesitated. The conversation was getting well out of hand. "Yes, if you wish," she finally said. "Will you let me prove, too, all I want to say to you and can't?" She did not answer and he did not demand one. When they left, although Lynn did not notice, they passed close to a group of people dining which included includ-ed Mortimer. Mortimer saw Lynn and her companion, and turned away so she could not recognize him. Wild tried to get her to promise she'd come out to Long Island some week-end when his mother was having hav-ing guests. "I'm busy all week-ends, for Monday Mon-day I'm off and Rene works all day." "You can't keep on working this way." "For a while, until we're sure how Rene's pictures are going to stand the test." "I want to ask you something. Are you in love with this artist?" "Of course not!" Lynn answered quickly, almost breathlessly, in a kind of panic. He bent suddenly and kissed her on her red lips. "Lynn, I'm going to make you love me whether you want to oi r.ot!" Then he let her go. CHAPTER XIII The weeks of Summer flew. 1 Lynn's life was a mad whirl of ! work, admiration, flowers, posing. Both Wild and Terry were giving the young woman the rush of her life. The day after Lynn had first dined ! with Wild, Mr. Mortimer had telephoned tele-phoned the shop and asked her to stop off at his office on her lunch hour. It had been a queer interview inter-view and if Lynn's head had not been in such a whirl, she would : have puzzled more about it at the time. During the whole conversation Lynn wondered what Mr. Mortimer wanted. He seemed ill at ease, trying try-ing to find out something. It was not until she rose to leave that he remarked: "I saw you dining with Mr. Austin last night at "The Fairway." Fair-way." "Yes, I met him once in Florida, in fact, the night I left there." Lynn's cheeks flushed. "It might be well not to mention you'd had business dealings with Mrs. Warren, or me," he said with apparent casualness. So that was it. Lynn smiled a little. Men were so stupid. Why didn't he say that in the beginning? "I won't mention it, Mr. Mortimer," Morti-mer," she promised. "You know I it ' I tf 1 I " . r ih v 1 ! h Y Marty felt sorry for the girl. The studio was stilling. feel very grateful to you for getting me my job." But Lynn had little time for speculation. spec-ulation. Mme. Reanoud was closing for three weeks in August to get ready for the September opening. Lynn had promised to come back for that, although Rene had protested protest-ed that he needed her and Marty wanted her to quit her job. When Wild found out about the vacation he begged her to come up to Long Island, but Lynn refused. Rene needed her. She had -to stay in town. Wild had a deep desire to meet Rene Bouchier. He set about to work on Marty. When Wild made up his mind he usually achieved what he wanted. Marty invited him to Rene's for tea. They arrived about 5 o'clock and found Lynn wrapped up in masses of silver fox from Mme. Reanoud's shop. She was sweltering. "All in the cause of art," Rene remarked. Lynn was in utter confusion seeing see-ing Wild here in the studio. She did not know why she minded so much, but she was afraid Wild would not appreciate Rene. The dark, slender painter in his rumpled clothes was dwarfed by Marty's huge frame, and Wild's impeccable flannels. But the three men seemed to get along famously. "I've wondered why you didn't try a serious picture of Lynn," Wild said. Rene frowned as Wild spoke and Marty interposed: "Don't go giving him any high falutin' ideas, Wild. He's got a gold mine here! Leave him alone." "But he's a good painter!" Wild protested as though Rene were not present. "Well, he's doing the best magazine maga-zine covers made in this country today!" "I said he was a fine painter, Marty!" Wild persisted. Lynn, watching Rene, saw him flinch. It had never occurred to Lynn that Rene might hate doing the magazine stuff. Suddenly she realized quite clearly, as though he had spoken. "We'll forget about that," Rene's voice was harsh. "I've had enough of poverty and so has Lynn. That's over." "There is poverty and poverty," Wild replied. It was odd that Wild meeting Rene for the first time, could know what she did not know about him, seeing him work so many hours! Lynn sat silent, shocked by her discovery. ; Rene was doing all this for her, to buy her freedom for her. "When there's money enough I'm going to Rome, and Florence, just i so I know Lynn is all right," he ' said. I Shortly afterward Marty and Wild took their leave. Rene asked Wild to come again. Back in the studio the departure of the two men left a strained silence. si-lence. Lynn turned to the little kitchenette to prepare something for Rene. "Look at me, Lynn. Is Austin in love with you?" "Of course not, Rene." "You'd tell me if you were. You promised." "Of course I'd tell you." Rene walked restlessly about the studio as Lynn went back to her work. He went over and looked down at the painting he had done of Lynn. It was good, and Austin had known immediately. Just as he, Rene, had known. When Lynn had his supper ready, he could not eat much. But she sat across from him, just as she had in the old trailer days, and Rene was happy for a little. Lynn trie,d not to watch the clock. She knew Wild would be waiting at 9. At last, she got away, unconscious of the misery in Rene's eyes. She ran down the long flight of stairs, breathless when she got into the street. "I thought you were never coming," com-ing," Wild said as he opened the car door. "Where to?" "It doesn't matter!" Lynn's voice was gay. She was with Wild and quite happy, so the evening passed. Lynn, once she was in her room alone, did not turn on the light, but went to the window and sat down before it. There in her shabby shab-by little room life had seemed pretty pret-ty wonderful, to her. There had seemed some security. Tonight, she was troubled. Something in Rene's face worried her. He looked very ill. He was working too hard. But it seemed more than that. CHAPTER XIV Lynn hurried over to the studio to get Rene's breakfast the next morning and found him painting away for dear life. Lynn had never seen him like this. A fever burned in his eyes as he worked. , It must have been after 5 when Marty came and found Rene still hard at it. "Go away!" grumbled Rene. "Now, that's a welcome for you! I just wanted to see how the picture pic-ture was coming." Rene stood resolutely in front of the canvas, Marty, looking at Lynn's tired face, felt sorry for the girl. The studio was stifling. Marty pushed Rene aside and looked at the canvas. He gasped in surprise. There stood a slender, shimmering figure in deepest moonlight, Marty recognized the quality instantly. It was a lovely thing. Wild had been right. The guy could paint real pictures, pic-tures, not sugar and water stuff. - "Well, are you satisfied, now you've stuck your nose in here?" "Rene!" Lynn reported him for his rudeness. "Think nothing of it. I'm used to being insulted by artists." Marty walked around the canvas. "Good." Then he thrust his hands into his pockets. "What now? What about the lady of the furs?" "She can go hang!" Marty threw up his hands. "Whatever "What-ever you say " Rene threw himself upon a couch, exhausted. The shadows were lengthening in the big, bare room. Shortly, Rene was asleep. Marty, signaling to Lynn, tiptoed out, and she went with him. In the next few days, Lynn had little time for anything except work. Rene was painting like a madman now the spirit moved him. He finished fin-ished the fur picture, began planning plan-ning an ice one. He had finished the portrait of Lynn and it was carefully hidden away. He refused to allow anybody any-body to see it, even Wild, who appreciated ap-preciated his work so much. Lynn's vacation was over and she went back to Mme. Reanoud's again for the Fall showing as she had promised. Just before Labor Day, Rene went off for a few days' vacation up to Marty's cabin in Connecticut and Wild insisted that Lynn should keep her promise and come up to South Hampton. She hesitated, now that the time had come. "Does your mother know I'm the girl you brought home that night I left Florida?" "Of course she doesn't. I told her about it at the time, but that's all." "Are you sure?" "Certain! Wild smiled at Lynn and said: "There is not one other excuse you can give! You've got to come." So Lynn agreed. Wild was to bring Lynn down after aft-er work on Friday. He was waiting for her at 5:30, and he'd had his chauffeur pick up her bags at her room. When they arrived, the big house, set in magnificent gardens, was deserted. de-serted. The butler told Wild everybody every-body was at the swimming pool. Lynn was shown to her room, a lovely bedroom in rose and cream which overlooked the Atlantic. A maid hung up her clothes, noted the inexpensive toilet things. She sniffed a little to herself, but when she saw Lynn in a simple white wool bathing bath-ing suit, she quite understood whj Mr. WiM was interested in the girl (TO BE CO.T1i:ED) |