Show a 1 A 4 B t tai a SYNOPSIS STORY f SO FAns FAIt Bruce Druc Har- Har Maska per er on engineer finds a satin su sUper sUp sUp- it Filth FUth A venue and d on answering an f t slater sIster Ister r of belongs to Janice Trent a college chum Janice Janke with her fiance flance rich Ned a Paxton gay cay ay VM blade Made tried dropping her sUpper as she ahe to leae VB U his auto aoto Impulsively Bruce Druce asks ask t not hot Botto to m many airy Ned Harcourt Har- Har court returns to to M Alaska saves laves a bridge count trod hale nale Hale chief chef en S1 engineer neer blundered ThIs Ws and other failures led to his dismissal Bruce Druce Is 11 made chief The e camp has na a new secretary ji Jimmy ny y Delevan Vi hired d by Tubby Grant Bruce Braces Jimmy seems a tubercular youth who keeps out oot of sight as much as Possible Bruce Druce had never seen him when one day he walked Into the cabin of the Samp sisters who run the Waffle Shop and discovers the youth Is Jan Jan- Ice ce She is asleep In a chair Martha howl chows him a a. newspaper which which- arrived that t day it tells of Janice disappearing tour four days before her wedding Now continue with the story CHAPTER IV Has she seen that paper asked Harcourt No replied Martha That helps Be sure sure that no one else sees ees it Burn it A useless pre pre- caution Others like it doubtless have come in this mail I must go goto goto goto to the office You haven't told me yet why you sent for me Miss MarI Mar Mar- tha I want another room built on the cabin for her She's brought all her handsome wedding things sheets and pillow slips made of pink crepe Marys Mary's near gone out of her mind over it all She loves pretties If It the girl is goin to stay she ought to have a cabin hitched on to ours Ill talk with you about that later Im I'm due now now at the office So is is-is is is Jimmy Delevan but tell him not notto notto notto to come Grant must take the notes His mind was in hi a turmoil Should he be let Janice stay He must get in tou touch h with her brother Billy couldn't have known that she was coming Pasca his part Indian part Eskimo Eskimo Eskimo Eski Eski- mo servant who filled the dual role of house house boy boy and mechanic was shuffling about the cabin living room living room when he entered for his papers We all mighty glad you big boss now yes sirree Thank you Dont Don't put on any anymore anymore anymore more wood You'll have me roasted alive Cold later I know these coun coun- try Much number cold nights But I do what you say He lingered What is it Got something on your mind The mans man's confirmatory grunt deepened the two little lines between between be be- tween Harcourt's brows I got on mind the matter with him Doesn't he like helping at the Waffie Waffle fie Shop after his regular work Want more money Pascas Pasca's dark eyes narrowed to glinting slits in his heavy face No sirree He lak helpin Samp much good eats He tink be he marry on He big chiefs chief's son One day Hale tell her hershe hershe hershe she fine gal gal Hale off in Seattle Se Se- attle pay attle-pay pay her plenty money to keep bees cabin clean lak mon mon- ey She lak beads an gold nug nug- gets Now she tell Kad ama Who me marry on Indian No sirree I Ilak Ilak Ilak lak gol hair gol hair men An he say he heget heget heget get Hale some day You big boss mak Ta Ta- now You do to tima lak heem Save much trou trou- ble Harcourt's lips tightened as he looked up into the earnest face Another complication Tell to take it easy Pasca Hale goes out on the boat day after tomorrow Hell He'll never come back The mans man's expression lightened He go day after you say I tell teU yes sirree He fink tink under spell Says black rat cat black black Tings happen after after after aft aft- er be he come Bad Bad Bad He keel him He shuffled out Harcourt looked after him in consternation He had known that the native laborers regarded regarded regarded re re- the black cat askance buthe but buthe buthe he hadn't realized that Blot was looked upon with ith superstition Better Better Bet Bet- ter suggest suggest to t the Samp sisters that they keep pet under guard wonders if he were as colorless colorless color color- He less as he felt as later he faced the men men Y y le he e outfit the consulting e engine engineers engineer's i ilie a heads of divisions What the dickens has Janice done to her hair I thought it was bro n he caught himself wondering wonder- wonder b roWs roWs' he directed curtly before tog ing of the Take the minutes meeting Grant But my secretary secretary- coming He was conscious of f Tubby's grunt of surprise As in a haze naze he read instructions outlined plans from the data furnished fur fur- and nd a authorities Ls bed by the Later in the living room living room of his be he slipped into a brocaded cabin abin robe lounging robe crimson as a Harvard Har Har- 1 o ward vard banner girdled like a monks monk's His gig taut nerves relaxed as asbe ashe f track frock ck vf he be felt its softness You should see the fighting line linet mouth Janice had said f t Y auk Sat in New York t that at night The present complication wont won't any it-any Jan Jan he thought often otten Tubby Grant slammed In the big idea cutting out secretary tonight His green green- mY Ink were indignant his voice ish sh le ed r 1 r rL r L Pasca said He keel him Delevan Do you OU know who Delevan Delevan Delevan Dele- Dele van is For an instant the guarded eyes of the two men met Grant grinned sheepishly Im not dumb if 11 I am fat fat No and no use bristling like a turkey cock Tubby My minds mind's made up Ill I'll send her back to Se Se- attle attIe gosh Ba Dont The plea was a wail Think of the time we had find finding g a secretary And she's good Did Martha Samp show you that paper She did Its up to us to shield the girl Why send her back to the man she sheran sheran sheran ran away from Shield her Of course course but but how Its It's a tricky situation Tell DeleVan Delevan Del Del- evan to stay in the Samp cabin till I see see him her him tomorrow Goodnight Good Good- night Harcourt stood at the open door watching Grants Grant's stubby figure tillit till tillit tillit it melted into the dusk What ought he to do There were two al al- Send her back or acknowledge acknowledge ack ack- to the men that she had been sent under false pretenses and have her appear as a girl e Good morning Bruce With a barely repressed exclamation exclamation tion of annoyance Harcourt returned the greeting of the woman who i smiled at him from the office door She was small and slender Its great to see you ou back again Mrs Hale Color flooded the thin face Mrs I Hale Why this sudden assumption of ceremony Mr Harcourt He laughed Business for business business business busi busi- ness hours I picked up that slogan when I was in the States Remembering Hales Hale's ugly thrust Home breaker uncomfortable feeling like a cad Harcourt stuck to his guns Could he warn the little woman without seeming a conceited fool Come out Millicent I want to talk to you As they stood in the strong warm sunshine outside the thedoor thedoor thedoor door he regretted gravely Im sorry about Hales Hale's demotion He cant can't have a very friendly feelIng feeling feel- feel Ing jag toward me You'd better better- She shrugged her understanding Better keep away from your office office of of- fice Lice you mean Why should you be sorry The best man wins in the end always doesn't he Ive I've felt all that I can feel about Joe When he reached S Seattle attle I was refreshed rested He was like his old self I had the courage to go on but since he heard of his demotion he has been unbearable I suppose I shouldn't have left him alone last winter winter they they tell me that he was worse than ever ever but but I had reached the stage where I couldn't endure my life here another moment However However However How How- ever I shant shan't be on your mind much longer I came to tell you that we weare weare weare are gong going out on tomorrows tomorrow's boat to ask you to help If It Id I'd known that he was to be sent home I wouldn't have come back I dont don't dare confide in Jimmy he goes of off like a rocket if he thinks me unhappy un un- un- un happy happy Joe says he wont won't go but hes he's going Ive I've ceased being a dumb Dora Hes He's going Her voice rose on the last word and broke in ina ina ina a sob Take it easy M Millicent Grant and I will help you get him off Ill I'll I see that Jimmy keeps on the track- track laying job till you get away Perhaps Per Per- haps when Joe is back among his bis own people hell he'll straighten out outDo Do you think I fool myself Do you think I believe that a man who has let himself go so far as ns he has hascan hascan hascan can ever come back Oh well what's the use talking about it Youve You've YOU ve been dear to me Bruce If It only-If only only I 1 could stay with you Her reckless suggestion sent the blood surging to Harcourt's fore fore- head nead Millicent youve you've heard me say before that an engineers' engineers cam camp p was no place for Women Im I'm mighty glad that y you U ar are going back to civi- civi liza But you like having g the Samp sisters here r They are not women they're ministering I Dg an angels angels- gels J I suspect they theyS are fixtures S- S Were I to banish them and their waffles Wames Id I'd have a strike on my hands 1 Im I'm m going to the shop now to discuss building another cabin cabin cab cab- in for them gone maternal over Tubby Tubby Tubby Tub Tub- by Grants Grant's secretary Jimmy Dele Dele- van Have you seen him Hes He's an anI I effeminate little fellow Harcourt with difficulty swallowed his heart which took off to furiously run its engine in his throat I haven't spoken to the boy Tubby Tubby Tubby Tub Tub- by tells me that hes he's a wow at his job They started along the board boardwalk boardwalk boardwalk walk Tong at their heels toward the Waffle Shop connected by a covered covered covered cov cov- ered passage with the Samp cabin Millicent Hale stared at the snowcapped snowcapped snowcapped snow snow- capped mountain with the faint cloud of smoke hovering above it itI I hate I hate to leave you here with with with- with no one to look after you Sure you dont don't want me to stay Bruce I Sure Millicent Color stole over her thin face i With a quick drawn breath she 1 I turned away Harcourt pulled out his handkerchief and wiped beads of perspiration from his forehead He felt like a n brute Poor little woman woman woman wom wom- I an grasping at any hand which would hold her from going on with the man who had failed her She hadn't meant that about staying here with him It was only that she was crazed with despair She wouldn't leave Joe Hale to shift for himself now that hed he'd lost his job any more than she would desert a asick asick asick sick child His knock on the door of the Samp cabin was grimly im im- Come Corne in He closed the door behind him backed against it as he regarded Janice Trent alias Jimmy Dele Dele- van The soft yellow mustache had been discarded Eyes like velvety bronze pansies met his defiantly as the girl demanded in a voice forced to bravado pitch What What what are you going to do with me In the wall mirror he caught a glimpse of his face It was white his eyes were blazing It was no part of his plan to terrify her to death His attempt at a laugh was wasa a grim failure Why did you come Suspended sentence Prisoner to tobe tobe tobe be allowed to be heard in her own defense He took a quick step forward Cut out the sarcasm Jan Sit down and listen to me As she snuggled into the enfolding wings of the big chair the black cat touched her hair I with a velvet paw I Lets not start out as though we were about to fight and die over I this Why did you come here in disguise disguise disguise dis dis- guise The girl locked and interlocked I her fingers Now that your voice and eyes are human not like those of a tiger about to spring Ill I'll tell you Remember the evening you returned my slipper I had bad already broken my engagement to Ned Paxton Pax- Pax ton Early that morning when he was taking me home from a prenuptial prenuptial prenuptial pre- pre nuptial celebration I demanded the truth of a story which Billy Billy- had heard that heard that two nights before he had wined and dined some notorious notorious ous women show-women in a nearby near city He was insufferably flippant in his answer Insultingly sure of me I pushed open the roadster door to I jump He pulled me back but not my slipper Then he tried to cajole me into a forgiving mood You didn't forgive him No I returned his ring He laughed Said that with the marriage marriage marriage mar mar- but a few days ahead I wouldn't have the nerve to break it of oil off Assured me in his Ws caressing voice that I was the only girl he had ever asked to marry him He tried to make me understand that the man who played round with other women was an entirely different different different dif dif- ferent self sel from the one who loved me that his pursuit of ot the good and beautiful in me was to his credit cred credo it He was almost almod convincing but not quite I told him that not being Reno Reno minded minded the double personality I argument left me cold That I would cancel my part of the wedding preparations he must take care of his That night just after you entered entered en en- the house he called me on the phone to inform me that tha t he hadn't given me up that he was was wasI I sorry that he had pulled rough stuff in the roadster roadster Ned Ned c can n be appealingly appealingly appealingly appeal- appeal sorry its it's one of his charms- charms that he would see me later in the evening he had pearls for ne me le TO liE BE |