Show SYNOPSIS james lambert tries in vain to dissuade his beautiful foster daughter leonora from marrying don mason young rolling stone whom he likes but oi of whom he diss disapproves proves according to his conventional easiness businessman business man standards lie he tells her unless a house Is founded upon a rock it will not survive leonora suspects the influence of 0 her hall half brother ned always jealous of the girl since the day addy his father brought her home from the deathbed of her mother abandoned by her italian baritone lover don bon arrives in n the midst of the argument ent and lambert realizes the rank frank understanding between the two sitting up late into the night lambert reviews the whole story of nora asa as a child at boarding school studying music abroad meeting don on the return trip in the morning he delivers his ultimatum to give don a job with ned for a years showdown when nora suggests the possibility lity of 0 running away with don larn lam bert threatens disinheritance don agrees to the job CHAPTER it II 11 continued 3 by the end of the first month Dong Dons nerves were taut andee and he had lost his bli appetite at the end of three he had lost ten pounds later till still when a strained expression gath gathered red about abou this his eyes nora began to worry though scorning himself for this reaction to a steady job don had not complained then came an evening when he telephoned that he was too tired to come out and heard her quick drawn breath of disappointment but bu f don its the night of the carens careys dance and im all dressell dres it hl dismayed surprise showed in his tired voice my dear I 1 forgot completely but li if you dont mind being a bit late ill she broke in then with sudden understanding of course we wont go it if youre used up don but you wanted to go noral nora he ha spoke in genuine distress youve been looking forward to it i a lot see here would you go without mea me tag along with corinne andied and ned Honest honestly lyp darling im all in too tod tired to eat said nora very quietly are you keeping something back don are you sick A reassuring laugh came over the wire ot of course pott but I 1 been 0 sleeping well tor for weeks tt if you won wont t the truth ind and last night was rather the borston wor worst ston on record I 1 t close my eyes till daylight ill be 0 K tomorrow but dont think me a piker will you ym crazy crazym Cra and go to the dance with ned promise she laughed and told him to sleep the clock around but she gr go to the dance next evening the girl said laid out of a silence donits don its appalling watching her lover closely she had observed with something of a shock how those months of confinement had changed his whole appearance pe arance it had been a gradual change ot of course and seeing him dally daily nora had not realized the growing hollows below his cheek bones or of that the tan born ol of years in the open was quite gone leaving his face with an unnatural pallor even his sea blue eyes that made her think ot of sunlit sun lit dancing water were more opaque more lifeless and his feet which always seemed to touch earth lightly dragged now as ho he came over to sit beside her appalling beloved you said nora 1 I 1 her voice trembled im not worth the price don lie he kissed her not pretending to misunderstand tm im the best judge of that dear play to me wont you something make me believe there are things in the world like brooks and birds and wind on the prairie im stifled I 1 it was tho the arst admission of the sort that hed allowed himself to make nora played for an hour lilting gypsy strains at first that led dons troubled spirit tat tar away to the green pastures and still waters tor for which it hungered the music grew quieter old things things one remembered Ku Ilu binstein mendelssohn ahl ah Beetho vent the moonlight sonata play played edas as only nora played it so quiet so sure so firm andyes and yet so tranquil when tho the last note of that matchless lullaby had died away don was asleep his head pillowed billowed pill owed on one arm armi his face more peaceful than it had been tor for many weeks CHAPTER III nora grew noticeably thoughtful after that evening don had slept for a long time while she sat be side him gazing into tho the fire are as it if its slowly fading glow might light her way it was all so futi futile lethis this whole experiment she mused the timeworn time worn simile of the round peg in the square hole came back to her that was don poor boyl sho she knew full well that the years sentence james lambert had imposed on him would ma make i ke no diff difference rence in their future yet unless he h stuck it out the older man would look upon him as a failure a neer do well what was her duty the girl pondered it was useless to expect a product of the metropolis like her father to understand or even make allowances his whole world was the well ordered world of the successful business man his horizon was bounded by city streets what more should one ask of life than a steady job and a salary which supported in comfort those one loved was his sole argument he saw no other ile he could not comprehend what such an existence meant to don nor dimly vision that call of the gypsy trail which tugged at the young mans heart leading him onward making of life a glorious adventure so tile the girl grew more thoughtful more quiet in the days that followed don said youve lost your pep darling arling d happened and nora laughed at him but when her hei father questioned her one evening a night when don pleading a dull head had gone home early she made no effort to evade the answer lie he said Some things upset et you lately the matter child life ilife said nora james lr mes smiled is wrong with life dear dea r right countered the girl shrugging her fathers eyes grew puzzled as he regarded her have you and don been quarreling ho he asked nora laughed softly it would be hard work to pick a fight with don she answered no we quarreled but im worried about him dad theres nothing to worry about my dear things are not going badly ill make a business man of don mason yet yei nora if give me time make a corpse of him more likely the girl retorted with so much bitterness in her voice that james raised his head bead looking at her in blank amazement what do you mean 1 I mean that all his nerves are jaw on edge dad 11 r the contempt ila an her fat fathers tiers exclamation cut Le leonora onorato ito the qu quick ick james said after a tense silence 4 see here nora its absurd to think that a year in a well ventilated modern office can cause a breakdown such as you hint at that young man ts Is was anyway the picture of health if theres anything bothering him now it must be as you say a case ot of nerves which sef seems tris to my mind almost nonsensical ithell it If hell make an attempt to pull himself together get the taa best of thie the trouble instead of dwelling on lt it P dwelling on lt itt broke in nora with indignation why hes never mentioned but tm im not blind dad and the signs are there tor for anyone to read I 1 think you ought to call time up dont you time up 1 I mean it F father ather this simply cant go on dons lived in the open since he was eighteen office life stifles glides him and ned 00 she paused while her father observed gravely well leave ned out of this discussion if you dont mind how cance can we the girl demanded with intrinsic honesty neds half the trouble lie he makes don frantic pouncing on him edly watching everything ho he does snooping g both insulting and unjust james interrupted angrily ned means to be helpful it if his methods are u upsetting ps etting to this young man its not your brothers fault nora but his own and considering that that that mat ned would welcome an excuse to throw don out the door finished leonora then as her father snorted she went on now dont explode dad jt it gets us nowhere besides being bad for you perhaps I 1 have no right to ask a favor anyway but im asking one now lowi it if youve any love at all for me darling and I 1 know you have I 1 as ask k you to show it by putting an end to this experiment but james wa was 8 obdurate he was also angry 1 1 I gave him a year nora I 1 dont like a quitter two red spots flamed like twin banners on noras cheeks Th atif not just father dons never stig suggested giving up but theres something in him that you and ned cant understand I 1 suppose iles hes not impatient dad I 1 think ho he scorns himself a little tor for chafing at things which other men accept so naturally and bad for him too dont you see father its like whipping a tired horse to keep a man of dons sort tied to a ledger it stifles slides him and I 1 warn you now that rather than see his sp spirit arit the thing I 1 love about h him im crushed and broken unnecessarily ill go away with him the mans lips tightened and forfeit alij all I 1 mean to do tor for you my dear moneys Money 8 not everything father how should you know dhove never been without it he retorted neds right ive spoiled you il I 1 suppose and now I 1 m must pay the penalty then because he was hurt and angry james said something he regretted later well take your choice but if 11 the fellow quits and you quit with him im through with you nora and when the cupboard Is bare when the lack of silk stockings and silver slippers becomes hateful and youre tired of your bargain dont come to me tor for help remember that ahat had he struck the girl he could not have hurt her more never before had her father felt such anger at leonora that she should even contemplate the idea of eloping with don mason after what he considered his forbearance in giving the young man a place in his own office was utterly beyond 4 g VA e 4 X 10 X 4 y 4 1 X e aa R dont wander your father hates to give you up james lamberts un unimaginative imaginative comar comprehension ehen sion since that long gone tragic day when the girl discovered their real relationship her foster father had felt that she was grate grateful fulfor for everything he had tried to be to her now he wondered and wondering krew grew bitter yet in apathetic lonely way james could not bear to be at odds with leonora his cifes last gift to him tossing restlessly on his bed that night he 6 longed to go to this dearly loved daughter whom he could not always understand to make his peace and ask her to forget his harshness but because of a stub born streak deep in his nature the man could not do it and this illumined moment which would have brought them infinitely closer passed and was gone it was however no small measure of comfort that the girls morning greeting was unchanged if noras night had been as restless as her fathers nothing revealed the fact she kissed him is as usual poured his coffee and chatted ami ably of nothing in particular but that evening james who had been thinking iny invaded abed the room where leonora was playing to her lover and sat tor for a half hour watching the young man closely nora was right he admitted the fellow had changed deplorably queer that he observed it sooner don looked what james called peaked and he was very pale not paler than ned per perhaps haPSt but shockingly paler than he had been six months ago still was there thera any reason tor for alarm james thought not dons pallor was merely the result of an indoor existence absurd tor for nora to worry about his health in another month or so he would become acclimated get used to it stop champing champine cham ping at the bit as he did now and there was no doubt t that don mason needed discipline hed been his own master since he was eighteen een it was high time he learned to meet responsibilities or how was he to take care of a girl like ilke leonora and they were both young enough it hurt them to wait a little longer hed give them a trip abroad as a wedding gift if don would agree to settle down after they got back 1 james smiled t to 0 himself pleased althis at this new idea it should be a trip de by georgel A trip such as that young vagabond had never dreamed of trust nora for thail she appreciated th the e luxuries of travel only a few months to wait and unless don proved himself a quitter hearese he arose roused by the cessation of noras music she said want something daddy no ive left my book round somewhere but its not here don too had risen he said smiling wont you stay for a while sir I 1 the exclusive right donoras to noras evenings perhaps haps not responded james but I 1 entirely forgotten my own youth besides I 1 want to turn in early lost slee sleep last night and the music has made me drowsy goodnight good night daughter ile he kissed her nodded pleasantly to don and went upstairs 1 I dont wonder your father hates to give you up said don if ever I 1 have a daughter as sweet as you nora ill be forced to stifle murderous intentions toward any fellow who makes love to ie her and yet she answered dad hurtie hurt me last night frightfully how dear she told him not all but part of that momentous momen toas conversation I 1 it was cruel don 1 I 1 I almo almost ST left him I 1 came near going S straight to you and begging you to run away with me im not the sort that runs nora he said she considered that not even tt I 1 asked you to my dear don shook his head never unless things get more desperate than they are now but boure youre nearing hearing end ot of your rope don she ahe protested what good will it do us to stick it out atit if iou you lose your health the young man laughed confess ing ima im a lot more likely to lose my tempera sometimes he stopped abruptly and nora asked has ned been bothering oh lets forget it don said in an attempt to end the discussion im going home nora I 1 seem to sleep better when I 1 turn in early i dont see how you put up withee with me a girl like you I 1 never sh chov aw you any sort of a good time I 1 even forget when I 1 promise to take you to a dancel dance I 1 dear ive wondered lately wh what at have you wondered she questioned as he looked away ive wondered if it might not be better for us to to ie part nora the girl caught her breath then said her voice unsteady better for you or or me don sensing herfurt her hurt he took toba her into his arms with tenderness TO BE CONTINUED |