Show g van 4 PEI I 1 M iy ay IN JL alj arl GELL T T DUR JL J L 5 ay r MY IT ari GY a y carr 53 continued from last week rf t W CHAPTER VII after jonas Hassing bury had left ment to the telephone and called up a number mrs airs royalton yes this thi 11 Is miss fisher at mr air Bonis telles s you know about lour our pictures could you drop in this afternoon and see some proofs ob oh yes level lovel I 1 think about three 0 clock if you will good by I 1 next she called up miss dallys and said nearly the same thing both la dies agreed to call but how about r its it hard to ketch you alone you know rosamund she wandered man dered from stu dio to studio well flodde must risk it perhaps she could be found later meanwhile she had much to do she flew stew back to the printing room and v ment ent to work on the negatives they must all be finished before the ladles ladies arrived that they might suspect noth ing quickly her fingers flew sud denly she looked up who was that in the office flodie went in fn and found alfred the pale with a big bunch of evergreen garlands he lie pulled off his bat hat and grinned will I 1 fix up the studio nowel now he asked yes said flodde right away she held up a proof of carolyn dallys and inspected it critically alfred meanwhile was regarding hia his idol well why don t you go ahead about it flodde inquired severely V say miss fisher alfred set down his bundle and approached her its eo so hard to ketch you alone you know no I 1 don t we must have those decorations up in a hurry flodde however bow ever did see something in the poor janitors face which made her start hastily tor for the stockroom oh I 1 know it ain sin t no use miss fisher but etli it 11 be a satisfaction even to be thrower down it 11 be some thing anyway I 1 can cant t stand it any longer flodie stared at the hopeless janitor faint heart neer won mou fair lady but still his look was flattering there was a mild balm in his dei demotion fotion as be he fawned on her it softened her heart now alfred she began don t you be silly I 1 just can cant t help it miss fisher f he exclaimed I 1 got to be silly if I 1 didn dian t see you every day here oh dear ain t they any hope for mea not nevera he waited a moment wistfully flo die watched matched him with mith a curious tar far away interest as at an injured animal then she said gently it a not use al at fred you know I 1 couldn coulden t possibly I 1 don traut t w ant you to say another word about it flodie hs its she spoke fin flu a thin gold chain about her neck dangling warm on her breast was a tiny golden locket one of hall a few gifts treasured jeal bously by flodie worn night and day alfred smallish had already given up all hope oh I 1 know he said apathetically of course I 1 im in bothin but a janitor now but miss fisher it if I 1 only had you I 1 d show em and say don t go yet please miss fisher wait till I 1 get rid of it for once and for all itil it 11 do me good you ever have the likes of me I 1 know that ain t all of it it a only I 1 want to do something tor for you just to prove how I 1 feel feell if I 1 could only help you acme mine way t don t you understand how it Is miss fishera won t you give me a try sometime that a all I 1 want now fa flodde I 1 odie leaning against the table watched matched him with tears in her eyes ah ali flodie understood I 1 how well she knewl she could no longer laugh at him kindly she stretched forth her I 1 land and and the janitor who in all his life had never known gallantry reached tor for it and kissed it as natu rally as might a courtier he ile touched flodde a little hand as it if it were a holy relic and on it there fell a soft rain of tears flodde bit her lip she slowly shook her head I 1 m awfully sorry alfred really but I 1 don t see what I 1 can do alfred a lips quivered and his hands writhed as he rep ed why all I 1 want you to do is to promise miss fisher ask me to do something tor for you something hard to do the very hardest thing you know why I 1 id d do anything miss fisher anything alfred meant literally what he said she put her soft band hand in his I 1 know what you mean alfred she said so berly you re so good III call you it if ever I 1 need you III promise she turned a little sadly back to desk all right alfred a fook took feasted her he paused by the door really more than I 1 ever hoped for fisher what you just said you I 1 he left almost with dignity flodie turned to her work the telephone to her printing she vl berated and from that to her accounts occasional onal inspection of alfred alfreds s ress and arrangements for the eve eye ning s refreshments meanwhile her busy mind was going over the problem of managing her trio of rivals it if she could only find Rosa rosamund 1 rosamund she had bad from the first disliked she had always resented her appearance now she fairly longed tor for her to open the door she thought and thought of some possible way to reach her in a half hour miraculously as if summoned by flodie s mental demand who but rosamund did open the door rosamund gale more patronizing more assured and nonchalant than ever hello she said coolly hall herec she sauntered up to the mir and poked at her golden ringlets why no mr air Boni stelIe has just left said flodie suspiciously cordial stopping her w biting but I 1 in expect ing him any minute 11 wont on t yo you U wait rosamund craned her neck trying to catch a glimpse of her barrette those pictures of mine developed 9 no miss gais mr air Doni stelle had to work on some of his customers I 1 im in sorry well I 1 should think he might 9 get et mine done first I 1 was in an awful hurry to eee see em well he has to attend to business part of the time you know miss gale said flodie oh indeed rosamund gave hera long cruel stare I 1 don t see rhylie why he bothers about his old business so much he can afford to take it easy well enough well of course I 1 wouldn t say any thing about it to a customer you know but so long as you and hall nall are such great friends why well ell the tact fact is I 1 in rather worried flodie noted with glee that rosa mund was losing color do you mean to say that hall isn t doing as well as well as well as he says rosamund de banded flodie smiled with secret sati satis stac fac tion oh I 1 wouldn t exactly say that you know but then well it costs a lot to run this place here look at those bills I 1 don dont t think he bed d mind so long as it s you I 1 she handed rosa mund a neatly folded parcel I 1 don t know how in the world we were re ever going to pay them rosamund turned them oven avci curl curt bously frown frowning I 1 n g R in she a 6 said sald to herbell through tightened lips lip s quite a bunch of em isn t there why I 1 don dont t see how he can expect to she gazed anxiously at flodie flodie seeing her advantage art fully receded oh mr Is optimistic you know he always thinks he a going to come put gut all right just a wee bit reckless perhaps but then well I 1 guess it 11 be all right leaving this to sink into rosa mund s alarmed mind flodie walked into the stockroom and proceeded with her printing and washing say miss fisher rosamund called out how much salary do you get anyway reappeared at the doorway she appear to resent the ques tion in the least seventeen a week rosamund s look had vitriol H in m her lips lost some of their beauty see one place where he could expenses pretty easily I 1 in willing oh I 1 ve had plenty of offers said flodie I 1 don t have to stay here I 1 only do because he wants me to so much and I 1 don t see how he could ever get along with out me well rosamund turned away scornfully I 1 think he 11 get along all right the next offer you get I 1 ad vise you to take it hall may change his plans pretty soon and you might be in the way rosemund had led trumps so flodde followed suit she took her time how ever biting the end of her penholder thoughtfully I 1 don t know but you re right miss gale she said finally perhaps I 1 had better leave you see mr air is likely to get married any time you never can tell with a man like him and I 1 would be in the way as you say rosamund s chin had risen an inch flodie watched matched it as she added it would be an awfully good thing for mr Honl stelle too you yoh see ci li a 3 wife could keep the books boots and stay in the office here and he lic d save by it of course he wouldn t have to pay her any salary rosamunde Ros amunds chin dropped why heavens he t think of having his wife oh you don dont t know him flodie did the airy fairy mood besides he couldn coulden t afford to marry any other way why I 1 thought by the way he talked that be he was doing a pretty good business well flodie replied with a an frankness it a this way you see mr thinks he s doing a lot of business when he s not he does a lot of work I 1 mean but he takes so many pictures for nothing its worse than it if he were idle for nothing T how why the same as he did yours ex acely and women do run after him so you t believe how manat many they re in here all the time rosamund Hos nos amund by this time didn dian t quite know where she was being herself a th a conscience ghe she altogether betle believe ve flodie but she m a as not nearly so confident and determined ps when she had entered she had coma come in with the intention of accepting hall these hints of hod e a disturbed her mightily she sat down and began to look over a pile of photographs nervously flodie read her indecision and be hind her account book delighted in it she had however little time to watch before the door opened and carolyn dallys trig and debonair sauntered into the tle room mow now here was a chin that was lifted naturally with none of rosamund gale s affectation of superiority caro lyn dallys was sure of herself jt was much easier to tool fool with her than to tool fool her her eye eyebrows broms were arched whimsically over her high bred aquiline nose iter eyes always held a humor ous spark oh how d you do thank you for telephoning me miss bliss fisher I 1 was 0 o anxious to see those proofs I 1 ran io right over ale sl e drawled amiably at klodie and smiled in remembrance of their forenoon forenoons s encounter S she ble could hardly take anything seriously enough to bear resentment then she gave rosamund a careless glance modified only by that quality of inter est which a brunette always gives her blonde haired sister and bowed slight ly rosamund frankly stared mr in ina carolyn in quiren caie lessly flodie replied that he was away on important business but that most of miss dallys proofs were ready would she wait till the last two had been printed 9 in point of tact fact they had been done a half hour ago but for 1 I lodie s plan carolyn and rosamund must be left alone together it was her opening experiment in psychology yes carolyn would wait malt and be gan gall to roam about theoffice theo the office frice idly hands in coat pockets chin up whistling softly rosamund from the deter mined way in which she was going through the pile of photographs in tended to wait also she would see what some of these women were like who came to see hall Donist ellel she sh had already appraised carolyn not no pretty consequently not dangerous still it would do no harm to watch her so flodie left them but saw to it tha that A began to look over a pile of pho to graphs the stockroom door was not quite closed the situation was tense it held po conflict flodie listening from the stockroom waited eagerly tor for the first shot there was however a lit tie tle preliminary skirmishing necessary neither of the two foes had yet lecog nihed the presence of a rival rosamund with beauty s contempt for mere brains had returned to her inspection of the photographs when a careless gesture sent some doze dozens of the prints slipping sliding falling to the foor with an expression of an boyance she stooped to pick then up carolyn watched her when two or three handfuls hand had been returned to the table and rosamund listless and ret restless less had taken a new pose one picture remained at her feet carolyn good natu walked over and pf picket akee it up then looked at it smiling posa mund became intrigued at once wonder who it Is D you know mrs royalton A friend of mr carolyn a lip had the slightest curl in her eyes was a subtle gleam oh oft rosamund gave it another look and added petulantly mr bon boni stelle seems to have a good many friends carolyn was frankly amused enough to say oh yes in tact fact I 1 im in one myself she gave a sharp woman to woman glance at rosamund indeed rosamund Ros amunds a little smile was acid she drew herself up well then when it comes down to it so am I 1 the two women s eyes flashed like crossed rapiers we certainly ought to be friends then said carolyn shrugging her shoulders there was but the faintest trace of mirth in her tone not enough for rosamund to register but the hos underneath rosamund per oh easily enough perhaps you think carolyn went on smiling as rosamund was silent that that s a good reason tor for our not being friends this was ras in the modern mode but frankness was not at all the game that rosamund played best wherefore she hastened to protest oh no indeed why should you think that carolan laughed she was now thor continued on next page j continued from pieced ng page a hughly enjoying h well then ina I 1 m carolyn Dally ti she volunteered I 1 think thin you must bs be miss gale aren t you I 1 ive ve seen hall halls s pictures of you you know something suspicious in rosamund Kos amund s face impelled her to acuti mischievously and he a often spoken to me about you ou rosamund showed shoed her irritation at the patronizing air of familiarity only by the slightest flush indeed she said bald it its s queer be he t told me about you oh there s very little to tell that was what carolyn s lips said but her whole hole face told a different story la in the comans womans s language of smiles she was an adept and cai Caio olyn lyns s smile was cruel it was now evident that unless rosa mund could distinguish herself fro from in the vast horde of hall Boni atelle s fe male friends she would expire of shame carolyn without knowing ex acely what caused the girl to suffer was rejoicing in her lack of ease she watched rosamund grope tor for an et ef tactual reply at last it cave carre with a proud toss of the blonde head and a d flah of the golden brown eyes oh I 1 see she ohe slid I 1 dian t r know by the way you spoke first but perhaps you know him pretty wel well of course hall and I 1 are quite good friends you know yesa carols carob n was more attentive not that I 1 v VL known him for such a long timo time I 1 don t mean exactly but well we re quite intimate 1 carolyn gave her a keen loo 1001 but did not show that she was nas particularly affected why I 1 rather un der stood he was aas interested in someone else oh no said rosamund placidly of course you understand I 1 have a right to know you know why no miss gale I 1 don dont t know that I 1 do I 1 now you know she drew her chair up to rosamund and sat don domn deliberately would you mind telling me what particular right you vou havea caroln at last had dropped her banter this was mas straight from the shoulder sho ulcer oh I 1 can hardly go into that rosa mund said softly satish satisfied led by her vie vic tory flodde behind the shelter of the door hugged ILer herself self in del L carolyn stared at the girl huzzle do you mean to tell me she said finally that yet yo i are engaged to hall 9 rosamund stirred uneasily and pouted well no not exactly that is but I 1 could be if I 1 wanted to carolyn exclaimed has he proposed to aou soua rosamund nodded sedately he ile s waiting for my answer right now carolyn jumped up excitedly and was about to speak when flodie suit smil ing like a book agent bustled into the room she walked up to carolyn oh here are your proofs miss dallys she said bl chely 1 I in sorry I 1 kept you waiting so long she |