Show LONE T M UL T LITT F iq illustrated ED 6 DAY 0 y ar 1 ss continued from last eek t U sa welt w why by den don t you kiss me hall T rosamund RoQ amunds eyes mere v ere on the door watching anxiously for Interrupt lona flodde gazed in hall looked over his shoulder em barra bar raised sed oh these musi musicians clans I 1 dont don it want ant them to say wait till wo can be alone she stared at him in annoy annoyed ed sur prise then gae gaie another irritated glance at the door the sound of women a voices goaded her on non ledsel sense why I 1 intend to announce our engagement immediately terror stricken hall exclaimed oh no that won wont t do at all rosa mund really we 11 have to wait a lit tie tle while not tonight anyway why that s halt the tun fun of being engaged talking about it then after another quick look toward the office she gazed up at him and pressed bis his hand we are engaged aren t me hall ob oll yes certain certainly lyl only rosamund Hos amund bad had an instant of triumph and relief it was all right then she tossed her head as it if in secret revolt renolt she would have her own way see if she t well she said coldly wait a N while bile if you insist only I 1 should think you might look happier about it you act so tunny funny he ile was saved from having to reply by jonas Hassing bury who ho glimpsing the encounter and impelled by flodie bad had plunged boldly forward foiw ard to the res cue say he began pointblank to rosa mund be you any relation to abijah gale I 1 believe his mother was a nettleton rosamund glared and hall seizing the happy chance had already begun tu to edge off with a mumbled some thing about duties and guests people bad had in truth begun to arrive and the place was filling rapidly the musi had bad begun to play flodde looked in with a distressed face and beck boned still rosamund held him by the sleeve jonas fired again ain t never bee i flown down branford Bran tord way have ye sa say you ought to run down to our village some time misa miss and git a mesa mess 0 clama clams we got some fust clasa class lobsters down home know it rosamund turned the full glory 0 of ber lier gaze upon him oh yes she said sweetly 1 I can easily believe th that tt but alas tor for her irony this andul gence genes had coat cost her her prey hall was already acra across the room and jonas clung like a leech she could not with all her insolence detach him L CHAPTER XII guests were coming in bunches now and kept hall sa busy for halt half an hour that be he had no time to plan how he should escape from the other two women with whom he must in evitable evit ably have matrimonial converse so tar far he was not particularly anxious rosamund he thought he could dis pose of somehow putting her off till flodde should change her mind and from carolyn dallys and mrs koyal royal ton he feared little he ile would trust at any rate to the inspiration of the moment with four millions and flo die he dad dian didn I 1 t much care what they thought of hl him it was a caddish trick perhaps but four millions the end would have to justify the means so hand handsome ome and elegant and lar nitty and well bred he laughed and gossiped with his guests started the dancing introduced one to another his color prints and between times watched the mousy girl in white who had so suddenly assumed an ex tra ordinary importance in his life flodie merely bowed to and patron iced by most of the guests had dincov ered an unexpected friend in mr dore mus he finding her his only ac had stuck to her like a burr flodie liked him at a one step he could not cut much of a figure but seat seated d in the office v ith flodie where she could keep an eye on alfred and the caterer it was m as not long before she felt impelled to make him her ally with all hia his elephantine wit and his manners of the old school mr air dore mus treated her tn in a jocose fatherly indulgent way that inspired her trust and that evening flodie had dire need of a coadjutor she began to give him her confidence bit by bit watching his face more than listening to his replies and decided that she could trust him ha he had sympathy and slid tact when at last after many inter eruptions her story was told mr mir dore mus took off his misty glasses and wiped them miss fisher he said soberly it I 1 can help in this crisis let me implore you to tell me we how flodde got up slowly and looked into his kind blue eyes would you mind coming into the studio for a few min utes she asked I 1 im rn so afraid we may be interrupted or overheard I 1 want to tell you something mr doremus offered her his arm and escorted her into the studio by eleven 0 clock both carolyn dal lys and mrs royalton had come they had in fact arrived together having shared mrs royalton a limousine this action was caused less by friendship than a mutual suspicion the two ladies dared not trust each other out of sight and each for fear the other might gain an advantage sacrificed her own desire to be be forehand with her plans the party was now in full awing swing some twenty were in the reception room dancing or watching the dancers the evening grew in life and merriment mr doremus back from his interview with flodie was in fectea by the revels he blossomed suddenly and unexpectedly into hilar ity and encouraged and stimulated by the gayer of the young actresses became in spite of himself the center of the party the company did not let him off till alfred smallish blushing furiously appeared in the doorway supper Is ready I 1 mean er sup per Is served 1 he announced and coughed into his hand the three soubrettes who had been pelting mr Dore doremus with pinks now surrounded him bound him with ever green garlands and carried him off en ell slaved through the office where flo die was presiding over tables of salad and sandwiches into the reception room where they enthroned him on an old spanish chair and waited on him like bouris the gentlemen rushed back and forth with plates and nap bins hills everybody began to talk a and nd laugh beer bottles popped hall was a now becoming desperate it did not seem at all so easy as he had expected if 1 only flodie hadrit got her er back ack up so foolishly well he must at least be off with his old loves before be he w was as on with the new and for that he must have the an of the two women he lett left the company and walked into the studio now deserted to look at the clock heavens Heaven st it was already halt after eleven something would have to happen in n a hurry if carolyn dallys appeared in the door way smiling she was wearing corn color in a costume no man could have described five minutes after he had seen it carolyn Ca s clothes were abw always ays not only original but characteristic of her she sauntered in and dropped upon the couch to look up at jitni good na tiredly hall a s hopes rose it was going to be easy thank heaven she didn dian t at all have the smile of a pros owner well hall she began you dont don t seem particularly anxious to sea see your blushing bride I 1 had almost begun to think you were deliberately avoid ing me avoiding you nonsense carolyn hall laughed easily and tossed her a box of cigarettes really I 1 ve been so confoundedly busy with all these people and she broke in placidly well you re not busy now are you hall began to be afraid oh no of course not why he watched her as if she w mere ere about to strike him well then I 1 ve made up my mind hall what do you mean meana he lie asked and assuming a carelessness he was far from feeling be he walked to the table nd took up a flower idly why I 1 told you over the telephone 17 I 1 look pleasant hall she said its it s yes I 1 ve decided to accept you hall grew taint faint it was not alone the words that alarmed him it was the cold blooded tone in which they were uttered chere was a deliberate ness a fixity of purpose in it that threatened his complacency carolyn still maintained her usual jocular maa man ner but there was something keen and steely beneath it that he had never be fore felt he rose to meet it with all his skill at acting lord carolyn he exclaimed walk ing up to her impatiently you didn ada t really take me seriously this morning did you he burst out into forced laughter well that is tunny funny think of you of all women getting like that its perfectly absurd you cant make me believe you thought I 1 was in III earnest you know I 1 that s ab surd so the agile trout when he first feels the hook in his mouth thinks that by a bold struggle he can regain his freedom and thrashes the pool with hectic energy but carolyn with all her humor w was as a shrewd cool fisher of men calmly surely she kept her line taut she had struck four mil not for a moment had she lost her composure slowly she spoke she sue almost drawled why yes edid idid I 1 did hall surely you seemed to have a lucid interval you know this coining and I 1 believed every biord m ord you said and what s more she added I 1 ballere it now lazily to and fro her feather fan was sweeping hall floundered again wildly oh come on carolyn I 1 cant you take a joke yes she answered smilingly when I 1 see the point of it will you kindly explain the point hall well knew was in his own mouth he ile dabbed up and down the room fer vent gestures poor fish I 1 he still imagined he could get away from the hook good heavens I 1 have dave explained haven it 19 why I 1 only wanted anted m to hear al what you d say I 1 well youve heard I 1 say yes now what she took a cigarette from the table and gracefully lighted it puffed out the smoke and yawned i As she drew la in 1 r line thus bis his frenzied struggles were getting short er but more violent oh hang it all carolyn you know I 1 was only fooling of course why we were laughing all the time you know that I 1 had no idea you d ever accept mel do you mean to tell me that you are in love with me he asked bitingly not at all I 1 I 1 see no need of lying about it whatever but you certainly do amuse me her eyes danced ell 11 I 1 should say it was hardly enough to accept a man simply be cause he amused you this was the best hall could do now he was get ting winded oh yes she replied jauntily on the contrary I 1 im m quite sure that I 1 shall want to be amused all my life especially when I 1 in married heavens do you consider that we are engaged 7 9 she looked at him with surprised eyes her fishing was approaching appi caching a climax she began to v w ind in her line to short length speaking incisively see here hall you re not trying to get out of it or anything are you hall gashed gasped wearied with the duel now carolyn caolyn let me explain just how it ls 1 ill 11 have to tell you something I 1 want to hang it you make it so damned bard hard for me what I 1 mean Is carolyn rose and looked him in the eye she laid her hand on him and soft as was its touch he felt as if it it were gripping him like a handcuff hall see here are you trying to get out of it or area aren it you just tell me thail thy hy why I 1 think youre you re carrying the joke a little too tar far carolyn that a all honestly I 1 do dol carolyn now had him at the edge of 0 the boat sh mhd 0 J jerked er k e h him J m in with a dah isaid laugh my d dear ea r 0 old 1 hall a 1 1 shw she said and her voice was mas honey ajeet lm I 1 m carrying carrl ng it only far enough to want to wear i it ot ring you bought for me lre is ita it she actually be gan to feel in his waistcoat pocket he backed off in terror I 1 haven t any ring y carolyn smiled well never mind we don dont t want anyone to know just yet anyway do we rings can wait jow now come over here ana sit down and tell you exactly what we re going to do she proceeded to lead him too dazed to resist toward the co ich where they sat down together now be brave she said smiling 1 I II 11 let you hold my hand vou do just what I 1 say and you 11 never re gret it I 1 hate engagements they have neither the excitement of court ship nor the satisfaction of matri mony so at just nine 0 clock tomor row morning you are going to call on me and ni ell toddle down to a justice of the peace well just cut out the white veil and downcast eyes and everything all you 11 have to do Is to pit a gold band on my finger and my share will be to say I 1 will and become mrs hall what s the mat ter hall was staring toward the door my cousin jonas he said oh bother carolyn Ca s eyes shot fire just as we want to arrange everything jonas Hassing bury tall and gaunt eating a lettuce sandwich strolled in as cool and self possessed as the most experienced cotillion leader in town he was perfectly sure of himself without wealth or power or social training he was blessed with an ego ism that a king might have envied jonas had never been embarrassed in his life hall looked at him tor for the first time with relief and rose miss dallys he said let me pre sent my cousin mr Hassing bury jonas put the sandwich behind his back and bowed carolyn looked up at him annoyed jonas queried never heerd 0 that name before to my knowledge what be ye with the grace of a veteran he dropped down beside her on the couch at any other time carolyn would have welcomed hia his quaint charm but her eyes were now tor for hall and she was anxious her answer was vague jonas however did not lot appear to notice it his work was plain he had to make himself attractive and get rid of hall he launched forth therefore on a description of the town of branford while carolyn yawned behind her tan fan at the first pause hall broke in by jove love carolyn lie got to get some photographs in fn my room I 1 promised to show mr Dore doremus cousin jonas will take care of you all right carolyn carolyn he s a great man tor for the ladies I 1 and v with ith this slid out of range of her protest continued next week |