Show auddy I 1 1 eq e q aw 5 6 MY 13 LUN q icy iss SYNOPSIS 11 hall artist photographer pro pre dare for the days day g work in his studio pres lodie fisher maher his h assistant reminds him of a party he Is in to give in the studio that night mr air doremus attorney calls an and informs ila flail that his uncle john a will haa has left him ta M ow on condition that he marry before his twenty eighth birthday which begins at midnight that night mrs airs rna rena royalton calls at the studio hall aska asks her to marry him she agree agrees to give him an answer at the party that night miss carolyn dallas calls hall P pro pones to her she agrees to give him 1 11 m an ln answer at the party rosam rosamund oale art model calls hall tries to rush her into an immediate marriage she too defers her answer until the evening I 1 lodle lodie tries to show hall a certain way out of the but he Is obtuse jonas beir heir to the millions in case hall full falls to marry on time plots with flottle to block hall a marriage to any ot the three women before midnight IP lodle arranges to have the three meet at the studio as aa it if by chance carolyn rosamund and mrs royalton come in and much feminine fencing ensues in which flodde uses her own foil adroitly CHAPTER VIII continued mrs lira royalton looked up through big teary eyes why she bald said taint faint ly you see well I 1 give him a definite answer really that Is not exactly I 1 said she said shed tell him later to the two girls cried in unison as if they had rehearsed it tonight I 1 rosa mund added and carolyn dian dlan t ou now rena mrs airs royalton nodded tremulously how did you know oh ohl carolyn ab shouted how did I 1 know oh I 1 know all righta she blew a kiss to rosamund you couldn t quite believe him i and eo so you couldn coulden t decide and you re to give him your answer tonight when hen you come to hla his unnatural old party Is that right well he must have wanted me moat most anyway said rena drying her tears he proposed to me first to carolyn held up her hand second thoughts are always beatt meaning row me I 1 P he lie changed hla his mind though rosamund protested he proposed to me basti carolyn grinned at her why he might just as well have counted us out like playing tag to see who a it to she pointed to each in turn calling out my mother told me to take this one I 1 to the last was rosamund no thanks rosamund resumed I 1 don t intend to be woo it she dropped her voice a little glancing at the door why you ought to hear bear what miss alias fisher has been telling me about the business here beret why it seems mr Donis telles awfully hard up barely paying expenses all sorts of unpaid bills piling up too he may have to moye over to sixth avenue event even chasn t he got a nerve though mrs royalton rose like a spartan determined hard I 1 girls I 1 know what I 1 in going to dot do I 1 intend to tell him just what I 1 think of him and send him pac packing kingl there thereto carolyn interposed I 1 now youre talking rena lets get down to business and decide what to do were all in the same fix and we vie must bold hold together yes we ought to take a stand rena agreed and hall ought to take a tumble from rosamund see here let a do this thing accord ing to hoyle said carolyn taking the lead with all her humor first thing Is are we e ono one and all agreed to reject him tonight yes yeal mrs royalton and rosamund came in chorus well then said carolyn I 1 prom ise as well hope to die she crossed herself I 1 now this la Is a serious thing ladles ladies no one of us can go back on our word it must be one two three and out tor for H Dont atelle well that a agreed now tor for the details oh I 1 simply can t wait to tell him exclaimed mrs airs royalton I 1 hate the mant man so do 11 growled rosamund 1 I think be he ought to be horsewhipped horse whipped well said carolyn I 1 must say I 1 agree with you both I 1 consider hall Doni stelle Is a perfectly conceived and admirably rendered cad at this moment the door poor swung open and bumming humming a jolly tune in walked hall there was a trio of oh a in soprano mezzo so and contralto as the ladles ladies caught sight of him CHAPTER IX he ile came in with a smile but at first glimpse of hla his visitors it faded swiftly into a look of terror but hall was game he pulled himself together and smiled again it was with a fairly creditable expression of affability that he exclaimed well this Is an anex pecked plea pleasure surel he ile went from 0 one ne to another offering ott ering his band hand then he be drew off his gloves and looked his guests over anxiously the atmos I 1 phere vt was as like that before a thunderstorm then be he drew a breath of sudden re ilet liet flodde was entering flodde was smiling seeing that smile he seemed to c come 0 in e to himself as it if after a dis dream oh ohl said ald flodde are you back already I 1 was as so busy I 1 hear to you yes I 1 forgot my watch atch you know I 1 re ve got to have it repaired get it now he turned to the ladles ladies with a new enthusiasm I 1 I 1 in awfully sorry I 1 in in such a hurry but I 1 ve got a lot to do this afternoon flodde appeared nervous miss alias gale Is waiting for me to do her proofs as you know she bald said I 1 I 1 ve fin shed the others mr I 1 think the ladles will excuse you I 1 can attend to them all right I 1 she walked slowly back to the stockroom giving him a meaning glance as she left 4 oh yes don t wait mr bir Donl Doni stelle said mrs airs royalton well have to go then I 1 suppose make yourselves quite at home adles ladle sN be back in a minute 1 he left impatiently i carolyn thought a moment say says weve got so much to talk over we can t discuss it here hall may be back any moment tell you walt wait a momen moment tl she walked up to the stockroom door and opened it miss fisher Fi sherl she called flodde appeared wondering what nhat she could be wanted tor for 1 I 1 say miss alias fisher could rit we go into the reception room for a while T weve got some things to talk over about the party tonight you know to why certainly was aa firdies reply I 1 the studio a being decorated but the reception room is all ready and nobody will disturb you go right in come on said carolyn turning to the other ladles ladies we well 11 have it it out now and decide on ever every thing she led the way aay la in hardly bad they disappeared when flodde emerged again she took toole step toward the door they bad had left ajar and listened then she sat down at her desk smiling I 1 so far BO so good she thought her scheme bad had worked perfectly it was not tor for nothing that flodde had bad watched women laughed at them an them and filed them away in her mind but now what waa was she any nearer to getting hall for herself dubiously aishe ashe considered h her pros peels she was as intensely bodien concentrated on the effort as the tiger waiting to leap on her prey all to be seen of it however however was a little quaint gray eyed girl pathetically over her accounts it was not many minutes before hall came in thoughtfully winding In ding a gold watch he lie looked about surprised where are gone oh no said flodde in there therel I 1 she nodded toward the reception room hall walked toward the door and looked in watched him sharply I 1 say be he said finally turning to her I 1 there are three mighty nice gerlai did you know icv it 11 in to mumbled flodde they re all so sweet by jove I 1 hardly know which one I 1 like best I 1 he went ent on I 1 they re charming don t you think so flodde was very busy writing in a little book yes she said without looking up no but really flot oh yes really by jove I 1 hardly know which one I 1 ido do like bastl hall peeped into the reception room again curiously through a narrow slit alit in the doorway well you cant can t marry them all can you flodie looked up now biting the end of her penholder viciously no the deuce ot of it I 1 almo almost at wish I 1 could to mr air Bon latelle I 1 well then I 1 ve got to jilt tv two 0 of them I 1 wonder which one will be the lucky girl of course it all depends upon what they say to meto night he lie stopped suddenly and turned to flodde I 1 say what ara am they talking about in there anyway t oh I 1 don t know clothes I 1 guess to flodde held her breath by jove jovel t his ilia face changed swift ly oh pshaw though pice jilce girls don ago t go about telling their love at fairs do they what the deuce are you laughing at oh nol not said flodde nice girls never get as intimate as that on all subjects that concern the heart mr Bont atelle women are invariably as silent as the gravel he ile looked hard at her that a evidently sarcasm say I 1 in wor worried riedl I 1 he lie walked anxiously back to the door and looked in again I 1 by jove he exclaimed this Is getting on my nerves lord it they should find see here what were they talking about while they were in here wait alt ing ayou know she looked up Ingenuously and replied oh I 1 was in tho the stockroom proofs they were ere all alone here in theoffice to 4 welli wish to goodness you had listened I 1 d hate to lose four mil roll lions of dollars on account of tiem see here flo I 1 can cant t stand this I 1 feel as it I 1 were smoking a pipe on top of a barrel of 0 gunpowder there may be an explosion any minute you can t tell fell what may touch it oft off why a single word perhaps I 1 in not going to leave until they re out of here 1 I don t care how long they i il syl ay I 1 I 1 don t dare to till I 1 aea see what happens so go into my room now and you call me when gone will you he lie waited on the threshold of the studio flodde nodded assent all right and to he continued it 1 anything breaks you give me the tip and I 1 II 11 get out the back aahl way he lie left grinning sardonically As soon as be he had gone flodie rose and tiptoed to the half open door coor she watched and listened now with far more interest than she bad had displayed before hall inside the voices rosa rose and tell fell la in animated conversation mrs airs Royal royalton tons s always sentimental and reproachful Ca high and merry Ros rosamund amunds s a surly contralto note flodie a face changed from hope to fear fram hatred to mirth she was vms so absorbed in the scene that she did not notice when hen the ball hall doo opened and mr air smallish enter bearing a newspaper he ile stared at her then coughed flodie whirled round and faced him oh hohf I 1 she stammered I 1 how you frightened me alfred 1 I beg your pardon miss alias fisher but say did you know what list they got in the paper about mr air Bont stelle he lie displayed an afternoon edition impatiently flodie snatched the sheet from bis his hands ob oh dear I 1 what was as it about at this minute the three ladles ladies en berdd he room all talking at once at sight of flodie and alfred they grew silent tany it said how mr Bou latelle hada inherited nhe I 1 oh never mind mindl flodie exclaimed excitedly that a a lie anyway she tried to carry the paper to her desk glancing terrified at the ladles ladies what a it itt carolyn demanded Is there something about mr boni stelle in the paper t alfred bowed yes miss he a come into a lot of money it seems Al alfreda Alf redl fredt cried flodie you go downstairs and see if it those ice cream freezers have come yet yes yea m ml I 1 I 1 then he turned again to carolyn it was as on condition he flodie in her excitement bad had dropped the paper quick as a hawk carolyn up she scanned it oh dearl what wa was it about I 1 swiftly I 1 here it Is she cried in triumph I 1 eccentric Million millionaire alre a 8 queer bequest nephew will get four millions it Alar married ried in haste A good chance tor for some nice girl well taut isn t that disgust disgusting go onto on I 1 cried rosamund and mrs airs royalton angrily hall the well known photographer at to no fifth avenue o to Goodne Good sal it is hall ian t icv it mrs biro royalton exclaimed oh for heaven heavens s sake shut cupl up from rosamund 1566 fifth avenue will have to do bis his wooing in a hurry if be he wishes to capture the legacy left him by a rich and eccentric uncle the late john deasley beasley Donl Boni stelle stello of central park west As the residuary legatee the 11 nephew Is promised something over four million dollars on condition of hla bla being married on or before his twenty eighth birthday As this oc cure cu rg tomorrow mr air Bont atelle has a scant forty eight hours in which to make good and unless be he has ali already ready picked his bride I 1 let me see it I 1 rosamund whipped the paper out of carolyn a band hand and devoured the notice with her own on eyes I 1 what did it say by his twenty eighth birthday to mrs royalton asked in great anxiety TO DE BE CONTINUED CONTINUE DIr F |