Show I The Thirteenth Commandment By RUPERT HUGHES Copyright by Harper A Brothers CHAPTER Continued Continued 16 16 That mal makes es no difference Daphne Daphne stormed already converted to the shop religion Customers must not find the lire door shut Run Hun open It It-at It at once Suppose Mrs Romilly dropped in Wed We'd ed lose her unless her unless this notoriety notoriety no no- drives her away A little blush of shame flickered In Daphnes Daphne's pale cheeks a moment and went out She sighed I suppose Mr Duane ha has stopped that ch check ck too too too-if if he ever sent it ft Oh dear I IThen Then a nurse knocked brought Ina ina in ina a card growing In a large little azalea azalea azalea aza aza- lea tree Daphne scanned it Mr Air Thomas Varick Duane She peered closer at the and read aloud U II I just learned earned Im I'm heart heart- broken n. n Isn't there anything I can cando cando cando do Daphne felt as If outraged society had forgiven her he a darling she murmured Mrs vis begrudged a stingy Well ell of course course- She had the thc poor folks' folks conscientious scruple scruples against wasting praise on the rich want to see him him I presume But nut Daphne had had enough of evil appearance See him here Never 1 She glar glared d at poor Mrs Chivvis with witha a reproof that was excruciating to accept accept accept ac ac- ac- ac and ordered her to go down and meet Mr Duane and incidentally learn about the check Business is busine busl- busl ne o chi hi i Mrs Mrs s. s Chivvis lI I descended In all the confusion of a Puritan wife meeting a Cavalier Ca beau She came back later Inter to say that Mr Duane Dunne was really very nice and spoke beautifully and had sent the check and would send another another another an an- other if Daphne wished It and would make old Mrs Romilly go on with the order and would she like some special special special cial fruits or so soups ps or something He Be was r really lIy verY nI nice e. e i Daphne Daphne- eyed her with ironic horror and said Youve been flirting with him and me so helpless here JIt J-hee J nee neel I ii Kip Mrs C Chivvis Chiv iv- iv vis screamed The only thrust counter she she could think of ofas was was as And what does Mr WImburn rn say This sobered Daphne Why had Clay sent no wor- wor word Everybody else In town had seen the papers Clay read rend the papers Surel Surely he was not capable of such monstrous pique When your worst enemy gets badly I hurt youve you've just got to forgive forgIve If If I youre you're human CHAPTER I Leila was determined to endure everything that might be necessary to regain her beauty She would go through any ordeal of knives or plaster plaster plas pIns ter casts or splints or medicines for that She was quite grim about it Her Iler resolution extended to the sp spend spend- nd- nd ing lag of as much of B yards yard's money as might be necessary on surgeons' surgeons fees and doctors' doctors bills If she bankrupted Bayard It would be with the motives Five times she went to the operatIng operating operating ing table made that Infernal journey into knowing what after- after anguishes waited her what retching and burning and bleeding She braved death again and again agnin took long chances with cowering bravado And Andall Andall Andall all for Bayards Bayard's sake One morning when Bayard reached his office after a harrowing night all at Leilas Leila's side he was just falling asleep over O the first mail mall when his telephone snarled He lie reached for it with alarm A voice boomed in his ear Ah AI you ou YES Yos Kt KOp p p the line Une please Now you all ah through sir Then a growl replaced the boom a gr growl wl that made the receiver rattle Ah you Mr Kip This is ins Colonel Marchmont I I. I dare daresay say you remember our conversation about those damned contracts with erell A little farther discussion might not be amiss amiss if If you could make it perfectly convenient to drop at say a fah Good Good I shall expect you at that tha t ah Bayard pondered What net ne new persecution persecution per persecution per per- was fate preparing As h he e went vent to the the the- theoffice office he bought an evening evening evening eve eve- ning paper A heavily headed cab cablegram cable cable- e- e gram announced ed that the laborers i ithe Inthe in inthe en n the British works were strIkIng striking ing lag or threatening to strike A gl glean gleam nm of understanding of-understanding came Into Bayard's Bayards s eye eye- ey When he reached the desk o ol of f Colonel Marchmont he looked unabashed unabashed unabashed un un- abashed Into the revolver muzzle o of f the old war horses horse's one eye Without any preliminary courtesies s or any softening of his previous tone ton P the colonel snorted Those devilish h contracts you ou made with Wetherell Wetherell- The poor fellow is ms no longer alive aliv e- e mores more's the pity but but but- butWell butell Well ell Im I'm afraid d I was a bit severe with you I fanc y t we e might see sec our way to renewing g those those contracts at a n reasonable figure say say at a 25 per ver cent reduction fro from m the terms you quoted Bayard smiled and simon shoot his head H He bluffed the bluffer The liThe prices w we e quoted included only a fair fall profit I colonel Since then materials hav e een Cell going up In price every minute e owL u t. t 11 lu the demand from abroad d And the home market is booming We can enn sell all our product here and more too than we can make Colonel Marchmont squirmed but buthe buthe he be was a soldier and loved a good counter He smiled as he squirmed Wetherell was avenged when his successor signed new contracts contracts contracts con con- tracts at a higher price than he had made The changing times changed everything yesterdays yesterday's exorbitance was vas today's bar bargain aIn Ba Bayard ard departed with a wallet full of business lIe He got back to his office on feet fledged with Mercurial wings I His feet were beautiful on the rug of the presidents president's office Bayard felt so kindly to all the world that he be hurried to the hospital I II 1 I ti I I II fit I j I T I r Wetherell Was Avenged When His Successor Signed New Contracts at ata ata ata a Higher Price Than He Had Made to o scatter good news like flowers over Bella's Bellas couch She was In that humor when anybody anybody else's else's gool fortune was was an added grief to her Im no use to you now she wailed I I never was much But at least I dressed and kept looking fit And you said I was pretty But now now now- Oh Bayard Bayard You used to call me beautiful and I tried to be beautiful for or you ou But now now now- To To-be To be ugly and useless both Its both Its It's too much 1 Wise pathfinders say that when you are wandering in strange country you you should turn every now and then and look ook back at the way you came It wears a different aspect entirely fr from m mIts its look as you approached and you will twill need to know w how It will look when you return From childhood on Leila had been warned against extravagance as as Bayard Bayard Bay Bay- ard had as have we all But only now that she was looking backward could she realize the wisdom the Intolerable In In- Intolerable tolerable truth of the adage Waste not want wa-nt not Meanwhile Daphne was having so different a n. history that she felt ashamed It seemed unfair to her to get well quickly and with no blemish except a scar or two that would not show while Leila hung between death and deformity But seeing Bayard alone and hearing hearIng hearing hear hear- ing Leila Lella fret she felt confirmed in her belief that she had done lone the wholesome whole whole- some something thing when she Joined the laborIng laborIng laborIng labor- labor Ing classes There were discouragements discouragements discouragements discourage discourage- ments without cease yet Daphne was learning what a n remedy for how bow many troubles there is In work It seemed to be almost panacea It was exciting fatiguing but it was tive e She was on her way at last to that fifty thousand a year she had dreamed of She was uncertain yet et of earning a thousand a year but sh she was on the road rondo Clay WImburn seeking chances Inthe in inthe the West did not see the New York papers or any other record of Daphnes Daphne's Daphnes Daphne's Daphne's Daphnes nes ne's accident When he got back to New York his pockets full of contracts contracts con con- tracts Bayard Buyard equally successful I greeted him enthusiastically Then be lie learned of the accident and the file fact fat that Daphne was in trade He wa was s indignant at the news and wanted to t tsee o see her Ier at once Bayard gave gate him the address an and Clay waste wastes 1 no time asking further questions He lIe made haste taste to the subway subway sub sub- way fuming left the train at th the e Grand Central station and climbed u up p to a taxicab Then he found Daphne D She led him hili into a little shop empty empt y of er e everything but the debris of re re- moval Where are we said ClayThis ClayThIs Clay This was was my shop the mutter matter Busted Dusted already al al already already ready Cia Clay asked with a not unflattering unflattering cheerfulness Not in the least Daphne ex ex- plumed W Weve ve expanded s so so fast w we c had to move We sublet and move moved d across the street You remember Mrs Chivvis dont don t I you yon Mrs 1 Chivvis you ou haven't forgotten for for- gotten Mr Wimburn lies lie's kept away awny Y so long you rou might have though Where've you been Clay But Dut wait walt wait you can tell me on the way over ver to the new shop When she led him Into her new emporIum emporium emporium em em- the graceful fabrics displayed ed were all red rags to him He was a bull in a crimson shop Daphne made Clay sit down and asked him If it were not all perfectly lovely He lIe waited until Mrs Chivvis went on to the workroom He had a glimpse of a number of girls and on sewing bent They were laughing and chattering He answered Its perfectly loath loath- some some Instead of resenting this Insult Daphne laughed till she fell against the counter The worst of It was that her eyes were so tender Where did you get et all the capital for all this stock Clay demanded with sudden suspicion Oh part of it we bought on credit and part of it on borrowed money Borrowed from whom From Mr 1 Duane This was too much of too much Clay stormed Ill get him l lOh Oh no you wo wont won't t I Oh yes I will wIn t tI tI I wont won't have hate you ou assaulting the best friend Ive I've got in the world He groaned aloud at this not no- no no no- how she used the word word friend She ran on She had not talked to him for so long that she was a n perfect chatterbox lie lle lent me five hundred dollars when I didn't know ImO where else to get et it And It nailed our first real contract con con- tract tract tract-a a big commission from old Mrs Romilly We Ve paid back Mr Duanes Duane's five hundred and then then then- She giggled In advance at what was coming to Clay And then I borrowed a thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand from him We Ve owe him that now Clay was as wroth as she had wished He took out a little book Well Ill I'll give you a n. check for that amount amount or or more And you can pay Duane off with interest I wont won't have you owing him money You wont won't have I Daphne mocked You wont won't have Since when did didou you ou become senior partner here Senior part partner er Clay railed no par partner faHner new In this business I hate this business It makes me sick to see see you In It It Then step out on the walk said Daphne Youre scaring away awny customers customers customers cus cus- and using up the thee time of the firm The boudoir is no place for you anyway A young woman with a bridal eye walked In and Daphne left Clay to blunder out sheepishly He Be did not see that she cast sheep's eyes after him He lIe was a most bewildered young man He lie had made a pile of money oney and still sUll he lle was not happy I 1 CHAPTER In the course of ot a few wretched days Clay picked up some of the facts about Daphnes Daphne's presence In Wetherell's Wetherell's Wether Wether- ells ell's fatal car He lie was more furious at her than ever and more Incapable of hating her He ITe saw Bayard often but Bayard knew little and said sald less One afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon he Invited Clay to ride with him to the hospital whence Leila was to graduate He lie warned Clay not to betray betray betray be be- tray how shocked he would be at Leila's Leilas Leilas Leila's Leilas Leila's Lei Lei- Lei Lei- I las la's appearance which he said was wasa a wonderful Improvement on what It had been She was indeed a m mere re shell and Clay was not entirely successful with his compliments Leila sighed Much obliged for your good intentions Im I'm a mere sack of bones but Im I'm going to get well The doctors say that If I take lake care are of m myself self every minute and goto go goto goto to a lot of specialists and go to Bar Harbor In the sot hot weather and to Palm Beach Deach in the cold and spend about a million dollars I Ill I'll l be myself some day That's not much but Its It's all Ive I've got to work for Poor Bydie I IlIe He lIe didn't know he be was endowing a hospital when he married me What do I care honey bOney Bayard cried with perfect chivalry The liThe money is ms rolling In and Id I'd rather spend it on you than thun on anybody else The liThe moneys money's rolling out just as fast as It rolls In Leila LeUa sighed The liThe Lord seems to provide a new expense far tor or every streak of luck And that's m my middle name name Expense She had Imd actually learned one lesson That TIm t was a hopeful sign Clay sought Daphne In her odious to him place of business She asked him what she could sell sen him He lie said he w would wait walt till Ull the tIle shop closed She raised her lter ler eyebrows Impudently and antl gave him a chair In n a corner He Heit Het i it tt t there feeling as us out of place as a strange man in a harem Eventually the last garrulous customer cus tomer t talked herself dumb the last sen sowIng Ing woman went Mrs Chivvis is pulled down the curtains in the show window and at the door and bade good night Then Daphne locked the door dropped wearily Into lIto a chair and sighed Well Wel Clay Glay I l want wont to know why you dont don't g up Tom Duane I She shrugged cd her excellent ghoul ghoul- l- l I 1 ders again but she did not smile She spoke instead I dont don't ask you to give ghe up your st stenographer Oh its it's like that eh V Well ell then why wont won't you let me lend you money Instead of Tom Duane Her TIer answer astounded him bim with Its feminine logic I 11 can borrow of Mr Duane because I dont don't love him and never did lid and and he knows It I cant can't borrow of you because because- He lie leaped at the implication Because Because Be ne cause you love me Because I used to Dont you any more more he be groaned How can an I tell Its It's been months and months since I saw the Clay Wimburn that came out to Cleveland and lured me on to New York The only Clay Wimburn Ive I've seen for some time has been a n. horribly prosperous prosperous pros pros- prosperous domineering snob who is too proud to be bo seen with a working woman He wants to marry a lady I never was one ono and dont don't want to tobe tobe tobe be one Im I'm a business woman and andI I love ft it And you wouldn't give up your shop for me Certainly not He ITe looked at her with baffled emo emo- ions She was so delectable and so obstinate so right hearted and so wrong It was intolerable that she should keep beep a shop lie He spoke spore after a lon Ion long delay May I come and see you once ina Ina in ina a while If you want to Where you living now Still at the ry You OU ought ough t to take better care of yourself than that Surely you can afford a n better home I |