Show d THE o KATHLEEN NORRIS 4 MORRIS RIS W sTORY sTonY SO FAR An orphan ott otte Cherry Rawlings knows know al t nothing of ot her early history when to tp the wishes of ot her ber guardians I lot DI Marshbanks and Emma becomes the secretary of ot otI I 0 she I porteous Porter wealthy San Fran Fran- Invalid Busy Dasy as she is Is Cherry Cherrye he e judge jude from time lime to w time and the members of ot his household his orUl dal old mother Amy Marsh Marsh- r debutante c daughter r of his dead lt r r Fred and Fran his Jay gay young youn wife wife Cherry soon learns from that her mother never married en Emmas Emma's sister Charlotte that brother Fred Freds Fredi titer lter Was the Judges Judge's s i father and father and that shortly after and Amy were born Cherrys Cherry's had IUd switched the two babies c x oar r Cherry Rawlings Is really the themy The Judge jude con con- 1 my liny the story but to protect his Ui mother burns certain papers y rould hive have proved Its truth Mean Mean- had fallen In love with Cherry eberry artist who for a abad abad j Coates a young oun Il bad llad been beeD Infatuated with Fran bankS binks and Amy Is determined to w Count Coant Mario Marlo Logo Cogo Constantino f. f die re I Is shot to death In his library Is under suspicion Kelly that he Is over convinces cOD Cherry for Fran and she happily ito ato to marry him Amy flies dies to Reno fry iry Cogo Goro Cherry discovers there powder marks on Frans Fran's negligee i End Dd love letters Kelly eUy had written an II a but bat be he assures Cherry they are fo iss MI ess Returning from a restaurant home Kelly KeUy and Cher Cher- d four foar officers waiting wallin at the door r rJ rl continuo continue with the story r CHAPTER II It tou ou go upstairs and get into dry drys tS s Kelly said to Cherry No No your ur catching pneumonia sat down at the desk and Ty Ty reluctantly went away May waiting for her in the hall ball and my personally managed the hot i but descended afterward to the Ie en for tea and toast tiou enyou you you arent aren't in for flu fiu Ill I'll miss less ess said May Fiess n she came upstairs with the it Jt was to ask Cherry i if she shed shed d' d dhave have bave her little f fin In old Mrs Marshbanks' Marshbanks room V dont don't feel eel very good and she shed d dif tit if you wasn't too tired would some me in and see her fell h of course Cherry said ing ing achy and dull she was not vaguely flattered by the pro pro- Libut she was glad o of any comon corn come on this dreadful afternoon e erry erry y found her grandmother s ess ess and uneasy But to Cher Cher- great ireat relief she seemed dis- dis led ed to speak o of the affairs o of ment a clock struck four The old oldan oldan an n looked across at her com com- comein J in jn her voice sounded oddly firm clear in the silence was an honest man she but he never was fair to his ler ter Frederick FrederIck- erry erry was unable to speak She Sheier Shel l per ier r throat thicken tears stung ayes yes es The proud stiff old voice on on would would be very sorry to think anything I had ever done had you jou said Mrs Marshbanks i something surprises you and distresses you sometimes you thinking dont don't think It matters much J Cherry Cherry said with some di dlf- dlf 7 y It might have been int Nobody knew what was in envelope enve ope was vas unfortunate I suppose lId ild woman said reluctantly and andIly andily ily that my boy inherited his tion from me He would not o ou ou are much stronger than thac father said Mrs Marsh- Marsh i. i The girl felt an odd sense of t. t j It was something something even even on strange terrible day day to to have havethe havethe havethe the respect of her strange all ali Jd ad d old grandmother o tiu ou can stand what would have en him Mrs Marshbanks pres pres- added You know I suppose Judson left you a little proper- proper I Ms hrs will What I have will be bea bes s a too she went on toy lly It is not what you might had ad but it is something bank you Cherry said sim sim- There here was a tap at the door and sprang to it her heart henrt ham ham- ng g wildly It was Kelly i H looked locked tired and was graver tanner than she had ever seen I Iran tan ran an and I are going out with withe e lads lads a while he said without ruble ble I wanted you to know you OU later laler e caught caught at him her eyes fright fright- 7 He smiled and was gones gone s 's s. s Marshbanks and Cherry sat fly saying little It was a relief oth when Greg came in That's hats hat's ats at's happened he be Inquired r trio jn in looked like Boris Karloff he let me in really happened at j b we dont don't believe it has CherId Cher Cher- bid ld Id him him choosing her words Tully But Fran went sort of today and told them a along long r A boUt about how she killed your far faA fa- fa aLt a- a wt Lt at do you know about that Commented scornful scornfully yr Its f he her nerves What'd they ell cli she and Kelly Coates went th to them-to police I suppose ales ates too Ay at Jj G Greg reg ejaculated I 1 more see se- seI e- e never knew there was g going on 00 there therel Ig a y a w. t u 1 II 4 t ti l' l 9 E JIP s 17 17 If u It Is to o Amys Amy's interest zen we wc must fight the thc count put in It was over anyway the girl stated And he and I 1 were going to be married she added after alter a pause It sounded as if U you said you said you didn't say old Mrs Marshbanks Marshbanks Marsh Marsh- banks stopped in fn lookIng looking look look- Ing keenly at the girl Yes we planned it only a few days ago Cherry said dully Fran knows it Nobody knows it But i if that's the case how could she possibly have quarreled with Jud about him one reason eason why I think she You mean youre you're to marry Kelly Kelly Kelly Kel Kel- ly The older woman still found it hard to believe Some day Cherry answered simply looking away to hide her filling eyes And how long has this been goIng going going go- go Ing on Ever since I first saw him him for for me He walked into my life lUe Cherry Cher Cher- ry said and hes he's never walked out Well said the old lady dryly that complicates matters I should think it would simplify matters I should think it would woul let Kelly out o of it at least Greg saidI saidI saidI said I dont don't think anything any anymore anymore anymore more his grandmother stated wearily I guess Ive I've lived long enough So you got him away from Fran did you That was all over They hadn't seen each other for months But Fran suddenly got all worked up about it She had letters from him that the police found Those letters the older woman womac said scornfully As Cherry was about to leave old Mrs Marshbanks Amy and Count Gogo burst inGran inGran inGran in Gran darling Amy said with her kiss we were going through town on our way to Del Monte and we got homesick and so were we're putting putting put put- ting off of off our honeymoon and we came home to see you You kiss her too Gogo Cherry informed the newcomers that Fran had been asked to go to police headquarters to explain something and that Fran had sort o of broken down earlier in inthe inthe inthe the day and they were questioning her But why She doesn't know anything anything anything any any- thing about it Amy exclaimed aghast You possibly know zat de de de-ar ar said the count She said It was on his account The thing is Gran Amy burst out that yesterday when I grabbed some things to go and meet Gogo there was some mall mail on the hall table two or three letters for me and I took them along We didn't look at them until this morning and then I we I-we-Gogo we Gogo felt felt we we both felt that It Jt might be important and that we ought to talk to someone about it it If It it is for Aimee's comforts zen zenit zenit zenit it is important to me Gogo said impressively You say its it's business Amy old Mrs Marshbanks said with a level look at Gogo What sort of business business business busi busi- ness Its from some lawyer Gran Amy explained Mr George Com Com- stock He says that owing to the sudden death o of his father Judge Thomas Comstock affairs In the office of of- fice Ill tice-I'll Ill I'll read it it Amy interrupted herself Affairs in the office have been In some inevitable confusion owing to the recent sudden death o of my father father she read aloud My partner Mr Edward Brace and I have been attempting to the best of ot our ability to straighten out his af af- fairs We now discover that a document document document docu docu- ment deliverable to you on the occasion occasion oc OCt oc- oc casion o of your twenty first birthday November seventeenth of this year has been overlooked and is now eleven days overdue The envelope sealed scaled was deposited here at the request o of your father the late Frederick Frederick Frederick Fred Fred- erick Archibald Marshbanks at the time o of his death The accompanying accompany accompany- ing lag instructions request that we also get in touch with Charlotte Rawlings Rawlings Rawlings Rawl- Rawl ings whose whereabouts we are arc arenow now cow endeavoring to ascertain Assuring As As- suing suring you of ot our regret in the unavoidable unavoidable un un- avoidable delay Amy stopped short lowered the hand band holding the letter looked blankly at her grand grand- mother What on earth does doe it mean she demanded Why I 1 dont don't know dear faltered faltered faltered fal fal- fal- fal the old lady Aimee has tolt me of ot a story toll tolt by Cherie here the count began be bee beegan gan anxiously Coot it haf any- any sing to do wiz zis If It it is a duplicate o of that paper Uncle Jud said he had had Amy added again leaving her sentence sentence sen sen- tence unfinished If u It is to lo Aimee's interest zen we must fight the count put in Cherry did they write you Amy demanded The were of your father old Mrs Marshbanks Marshbanks Marshbanks Marsh- Marsh banks contributed But I never heard She stopped short shaking her head It seem to me zat I 1 should have known o of zis Aimee said the count Gogo why should I tell you a alot alot alot lot o of family rubbish that that I didn't believe myself Amy answered sharply Up to now now up up to the time I got this letter there wasn't any proof o of anything I am sure the old woman began began began be be- gan faintly I am sure there isn't any truth in what Judson said It put Amy in such a terrible tion lion Oh my child Amys Amy's grandmother grand grand- grandmother mother said in a burst o of anguish why did you marry until this matter matter matter mat mat- ter was settled How could you rush off without telling us us without without But you are not saying zat Aimee perhaps will be robt o of all ze money her gave her the count put in in a tone of tion There was a brief brier silence The I count moved to Amy and touched her on the shoulder It will be very hardt It will seem very strange to my my zat I have promise to help he said in an annoyed tone I 1 tell zem to come and stay wiz me I Itell Itell Itell tell zem zat my horse horse my my house all allis allis allis is for zem His reproachful look swept the circle he spread his hands open appealing for sympathy Your room is ready Countess May said from the doorway Cherry Cher Cher- ry saw a little pleased look a mollified molli molli- tied fled expression come into Amys Amy's face The title was impressive to them all The first thing that Gogo said when we read rend this horrible letter Amy said looking first at her grandmother grand grand- grandmother mother then at nt Cherry was that It wouldn't be fair nIr to me me-it me it would put me in a false position for him to have married me thinking that I Iwas was well was well was rich and that tha t I could help out all these people he has promised to help and that he could pay up some bills As i if Amy diverged diverged di di- verged suddenly with an attempt to speak scornfully that Cherry found infinitely pathetic as i if money mattered It was only only only-Gogo Gogo says its it's only that he expected something different and made all these plans and now o of course he wont won't be able to carry them outWell outWell out outWell Well know tomorrow Cherry said one hand over her aching eyes He says Gogo says that it its it's a abad abad bad sign that they want to get in touch with you Cherry Amy observed observed ob oh served as she trailed away disconsolately disconsolately disconsolately discon discon- leaving Cherry alone with her grandmother The old lady extended a hand to her and as Cherry went to stand before her grasping it It she drew the girl down so that Cherrys Cherry's ear was close destroyed her life illel the old woman said in an electric whisper The money was all he wanted Crossing the hall Cherry could hear bear Gogos Gogo's voice speaking high and angrily in Amys Amy's room she heard nothing from Amy in reply With a heartsick pang of sympathy sympathy sympathy thy for Amy Cherry turned away from her own doorway and went downstairs When she reached the lower hallway Fran and Kelly were just coming in Both looked beaten Kellys Kelly's face was gray and Fran was obviously exhausted Her eyes sunken in rings of pale violet went almost without recognition to Cherrys She said faintly she was going to rest before dinner want your dinner upstairs Fran Cherry said all sympathy No no the other woman said aId feverishly I dont don't want to be alone Ill I'll lie down for a TO BE DE CONTINUED |