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Show And you'll flx my nose? I wanted to have it done In Paris, but when yon sent me that cablegram I couldn't, of course. Can I have just the nose I want, Stephen?" "Yes, little wanderer. And when that's done you shall Rave the kind of home you want You've been lost In the woods, poor babe, but 111 lead yon out Into the loveliest sunshiny meadow Imaginable." McNamara had, throughout this scene, felt a lump In his throat He glanced at Lanny and saw the tears of sympathy In her brave, kindly eyes, so to avert a scene he growled huskily: "When do we eat?" For the first time since Penelope Gatlln, alias Nance Belden, had come under his notice, Stephen Burt had a reasonable opportunity to xamlne the girl, when, following dinner at Lanny's house, Penelope, Lanny, Dan McNamara McNa-mara and Stephen retired to the drawing draw-ing room. Despite the strain of her record-breaking journey from Europe, Penelope was not so tired that she wished to retire early. She joined In the general conversation, and Stephen noticed that she seemed Inclined to be argumentative, but her arguments Indicated In-dicated no cogent thought; frequently she employed the patois of the underworld under-world ; her language was racy and Idiomatic. He noticed that her laugh was sudden, loud the laugh of a vulgarian. vul-garian. She was nervous; her hands twined and Intertwined continuously, she moved about the room a great deal, and finally came to rest on Stephen's knees. She looked into his eyes search-Ingly search-Ingly for a long time and then said accusingly : "You don't care for me." "Why do you think that, Penelope?" "Because nobody could love a girl with a nose like mine." "Did you bring back the sketches that Parisian artist made of you?" She bounced off his lap and hurried upstairs, to return presently with a portfolio filled with sketches. There was one crayon drawing of her as she was. A half dozen additional sketches were copies of the first, with the exception ex-ception of the nose. The artist had fitted Into her features a nose of his own design, and viewed In profile some of his creations lent to the girl's face an aspect of singular beauty and sweetness. sweet-ness. "I like this one best," Stephen decided. decid-ed. "The patrician nose does you Justice. Jus-tice. Going to come over tomorrow and give you the most searching physical physi-cal examination you've ever had," he decided. He drew her over to him and kissed her on the cheek, paternally. "You're a nice, sweet, lovable girl, Penelope," he assured her as If she were a little girl, "and the shape of your nose Isn't taken Into consideration by the iort of people whose love and approval ap-proval you desire. And you can get along very well without the love and approval of any other sort. Dan and Lanny and I all love you and we want you to love us. We're your only real friends and you wouldn't do anything to hurt us, would you?" "I'd rather die, Stephen." "Fine. You're tired now, so supposa you run upstairs to bed, and tomorrow, when yon wake op, you'll be refreshed Golden Dawn By Peter B. Kyne Copyright by Bell SyndlcaU WNU Service. SYNOPSIS Theodor Gatlln adopts a baby, "Pe-nolope," "Pe-nolope," in an effort to solve his matrimonial matri-monial troubles. But his wife has never wanted her, and their affairs end 1n the divorce court. At a baseball game a ball strikes ten-year-old Penelope Pe-nelope on the nose. Mrs. Gatlin spirits the child to Europe. Gatlin wills Penelope Pe-nelope all his money, and Is about to begin a search for her when a motor accident ends his life. Some ten years later. In San Francisco, Stephen Burt, rising young psychiatrist, Is presented by Dan McNamara, chief of police, with a. new patient Nance Belden, a girl with a dual personality, for which her "saddle nose" is In part responsible. McNamara does not think she is a criminal and obtains Burt's testimony in court. Lanny, the doctor's office nurse, Is also won over. Nance's criminal crim-inal record outweighs Doctor Burt's explanation of her case and she Is sent to San Quentln penitentiary. Nance escapes, and goes to Lanny's apartment. apart-ment. Prom one of the men in the boat on which the girl escaped McNamara Mc-Namara learns that her real name Is Penelope Gatlln. He also discovers that she 1b heiress to $750,000. Fearful of McNamara, In his official capacity, Nance flees. Lanny finds her In her apartment, asleep. Then she disappears, and McNamara learns that she is living liv-ing In Paris. He also discovers he Is In , love with Lanny. Stephen warns Pe-nelope Pe-nelope by cable to leave Paris, as her whereabouts are known. CHAPTER IX Continued 22 "Make up your mind now that you will never mention those two names again as long as you live. You promise?" prom-ise?" "Yes, Doctor." "Now, what Is the name of the girl whose photograph you showed me?" A curious slight spasm of distaste flashed across Flynn's face. He shuddered. shud-dered. "I don't know," he replied. "What Is the name of the girl who escaped from San Quentln?" "I don't know." Stephen struck Flynn a smart slap on the top of the head. "Wake up," he commanded. Flynn came awake Instantly and looked extremely foolish. "Well, you didn't stand the test," Stephen assured him. "You were falling asleep, so I wakened you." "Am I pretty bad, Doc?" "You're this bad, that lf you do not take treatment you will be In a bad way. I'll give you a prescription. Come and see me again." "Thank you, Doc. You're mighty kind. Good Lord, Doc, am I going crazy? I don't remember why I called on you." "You asked me to Identify this passport pass-port photograph," and Stephen held out the little photo to Flynn, who thrust It away. "That's bad luck, Doc. Never mind. It's a matter of no Importance." He picked up his hat, bade Stephen good night and left CHAPTER X When the cablegram sent to Penelope Pene-lope Gatlln had been delivered for at least three days Dan McNamara telephoned tele-phoned Lanny to ask lf the girl had answered. Upon being told she had not, he was so cast down that Lanny felt sorry for him. So, like all women who feel sorry for a man, she decided to feed him, and Invited him for dinner din-ner that night She said Stephen would be there. "That's no Inducement," McNamara rumbled, "but I'll come anyhow. Thanks." McNamara's thoughts kept shuttling back to Penelope Gatlln all that busy day. Finally he telephoned Flynn to report to him. "How about that Merton case I sent up to the chief of detectives recently?" he asked, when Flynn appeared. (McNamara (Mc-Namara hadn't sent the case up at all, but he knew Flynn did not know this.) "Oh, yes," said Flynn, "I did some work on that but didn't get anywhere. I called on the Merton woman and tried to get her to Identify the girl's photograph, but she wouldn't or couldn't" "Did you get a Hue on the girl?" "Sure. Traced her to an address In Paris." "Under what name Is she registered with the Paris police?" "Chief, I can't Just recall It" "It was Penelope Gatlln, wasn't It?" Flynn flinched a little. "I don't know." "You're as bad as Mrs. Merton. What's the matter with you?" "I don't know. Chief. I think we might as well drop the case." "Very well, then, forget It, Pat I was mildly curious, that's alL" He dismissed dis-missed Flynn. "By Jupiter, that fellow's fel-low's getting too ieep for me!" he soliloquized. Ann he telephoned the captain of detectives. "What about that case of the lost Merton heiress?'' he demanded. "We're dropped It on Flynn'B advice." McNamara grunted and hung up. Lanny, wearing a kitchen apron, ceased cooking dinner long enough t let him Id that night Stephen had not yet arrived, so McNamara went out Into the kitchen with Lanny, while he related the news regarding the common nuisance. Lanny gazed upon him very benignly. be-nignly. "You're a good man, Dan McNamara. Mc-Namara. How come you've never married?" mar-ried?" "If I had, my mother would have lived with us," he declared. "How come you've never been married?" Lanny sighed. "Nobody ever asked me." McNamara sighed gustily. "My poor mother's very old and In bad health," he said. "A man like you should have sons fine, big, strapping, manly sons." "How old are you, Lanny?" "Forty-two." "I'm forty-six myself." He sighed again. "You're a fine woman, Lanny devil a finer. We might manage It." "Manage what?" "To put up with mother for the little time she has to live. God bless her." "I never could stand a left-handed proposal, Dan." Lanny shook her head and gazed at him solemnly. "Then here's my right hand on If, Lanny," and he laid his great right paw in hers. "If It's sons you'd have, you old darlin', 'tis little time we have to waste." A faint flush came to Lanny's slightly slight-ly faded cheeks. "What would Stevie do?" "It's been my observation, Lanny, that a woman without something to occupy her mind Is In a poor way. You could continue to look after the doctor's office." "You've a good theory, Dan, but It lacks one Ingredient." "Name the lack and Til get It" "You're not In love with me." "The h 1 I'm not! You're like all the women forever putting dogs In windows. I'm not used to passing words lightly on such a subject. Give me a yes or no answer." "You great, lovable Idiot !" Lanny yelled. Advancing swiftly upon the chief, she kissed his pompadour. "I'll risk your mother, Dan," she said softly. soft-ly. "All my life I've been looking for a man with a heart In his chest and the day you first came Into the office, with your big, swaggering way and your blarney and your air of owning the world, I I wondered lf you were married. I'm no longer young, Dan. I have peculiar ways and I'm bossy, too" McNamara drew her face down and kissed it. "What a blessing I'm used to that, Lanny, and have learned to be kind to the aged. Here, quit pulling my hair, woman." The door bell began ringing. "What's wrong with you, Lanny?" Stephen demanded when Lanny admitted ad-mitted him. "I rang half a dozen times." "Do you good to wait once In a while," she snapped back at him. "Mac," he declared, "you have a proprietary air about you." "And well I may," McNamara replied pertly. "I've just popped the question to Lanny and we've agreed to jump over the broomstick together." "I've been expecting this, Dan. She hasn't been worth a canceled postage stamp to me since she met you." "But I'm not going to leave you, Stevie darling. Oh, I couldn't leave my boy I" Stephen held out his arms and Lanny ran Into them. And then Stephen warned Dan that If he wasn't good to Lanny he would hypnotize him, as he had hypnotized P. Flynn, and sell him the Idea he was a pet poodle, so Lanny could kick him around at will. "You what?" McNamara yelled. "You put the comether on Flynn?" "Certainly." And Stephen told him the story. "Three hundred years ago, In Salem, Massachusetts," said Dan McNamara, "you would have been burned for a witch." The door bell rang Insistently. "Now, who can that be?" Lanny exploded. Dan rolled out of the kitchen and down the hall. Then Stephen and Lanny heard the door slammed violently; violent-ly; there was a scuffle, and something crashed to the floor. He came Into the kitchen a moment later, leading by her handcuffed wrist none other than Penelope Gatlln. "She wouldn't kiss me first," he announced, "so I put the cuffs on her the little vixen." "Oh, Lanny, you darling! And Stevie, you sweetheart !" Penelope cried, and extended her manacled arms. Lanny dodged In under them and folded fold-ed the girl to her heart "You next, Stevie," Penelope ordered, and obediently obedi-ently Stephen lowered his head and the looped arms came around his neck and drew his face down. "And now, Dan," the girl cooed, and turned her face upward. McNamara laughingly uncuffed her. "Why didn't you cable us?" Stephen demanded, a trifle severely. "I adore surprises, that's why." "Why did you come back?" McNamara McNa-mara demanded. "The proper place to hide oneself Is In the spot one Is supposed to have fled from. Lanny, don't let them stand around staring at me and asking me questions," moaned Penelope. "I'm hungry and so tired. Can I have my same little bed tonight?" "You can have anything and everything every-thing you want, my dear." "I want Stephen," came the answer, faintly tired, and the girl went to him and leaned her sleek black head against his breast "I've missed you so, Stephen." Stephen held her close with his left arm, and his right hand came up and cautiously fingered her poor nose. "God's on our side, Lanny," he told his nurse. "Tomorrow I want you to arrange ar-range for a room In St Dunstan'a hospital. hos-pital. We'll get Boyd to operate," "Please, Stephen, do I have to go away any more?" asked Nance. "No. not any more, my dear." Lanny Sighed. "Nobody Ever Asked Me." and happy and we'll be able to discos! the making over of this poor nose. Kiss us all good night." Tenelope dutifully obeyed, and at she was starting up the stairs Stephen said : "And don't forget to say your prayers." She grimaced disdainfully. "Yon must think I'm a nut saying my prayers. I've been prayed to death." "By whom?" "I don't know, but by somebody. It makes me 111." "That was the subconscious rcvulalon to her adopted mother coming out" Stephen told McNamara. "Mrs. Merton has a strong religious mania. That girl's t mighty healthy specimen," he continued. "I noticed, when I was dressing the wound In her shoulder, that her skin Is soft and silky, not rough and dry, as In the case of psychopathic psy-chopathic personalities. Everything about her seems to Indicate sound ancestry, an-cestry, and I'm more than ever con-vlncad con-vlncad that her mental disturbance Ls not -organic. However, that's a lead we can run down after we've fixed her nose." TO BS CONTINUED. |