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Show The Gir! j Who Came Back OSS By Jack Woodford E S S Copyright I W. N. U. Service j CHAPTER XIII Continued 20 Later, stepping out of the bath, she rubbed down briskly, and, clad only In her bathrobe, went back to her room, the landlady following her. Determining Determin-ing to spend the night in either writing writ-ing or reading, in order to staunch what seemed like a literal flow of blood from her heart, she dressed fully and carefully. But when she had fully dressed she could not read-She read-She opened a book and for diversion started to rend It aloud to the other with the result that the landlady went Immediately to sleep again, to awake instantly when there was a peal at (he front door bell below stairs. Lolita paid no attention as the woman wom-an rushed from the room, and she still ignored the sounds of several people entering downstairs until suddenly, as they ascended, a husky laugh galvanized gal-vanized her into almost painful attention. at-tention. Presently there was a knock at the door. Tt seemed to Lolita that her knees had turned to water. She supported herself with one hand upon the bureau bu-reau as she managed to squeeze out a squeaky: "Come in." The door opened. A solemn-looking individual whom she bad never seen before strode through, immediately followed by a man and a woman whom she did not recognize; then Gray Eyes followed them, and after him an apparition which sent her Oyiug across the room to u! her head in a familiar old gray sack suit soaked with tobacco fumes. "Father," she managed to get out, and then she buried her head on his shoulder, afraid to look up at his face for fear of seeing disapproval' there. "You'll forgive me and take me back, won't you, dad? I promise to be ever so good I I'ir so sorry at out what happened." Suddenly a misty form resolved Itself It-self before ber eyes. At first she thought that it was merely an illusion, illu-sion, but as her eyes cleared of tears she saw that It was no Illusicn. It was Don. In the flesh, and looking like a small boy at a funeral. lie smiled relievedly as she looked at him, as though her notice had marked him as on: who had some right to be p.esenL She rose and walked over to him. "Don," she began, "won't you let me explair " "No," he said almost roughly, "not what you're thinking about explaining, explain-ing, but If you can explain to me how you manage to have any patience with a c. d who Jumps to conclusions like a schoolboy and runs .1 II a huff, without an ounce of faith, from the most wonderful girl In the world, whenever It appears that she Deeds him most " "Oh, Don; there's nothing to explain ex-plain about that who could blame you? 1 seem to have a perfect genius for getting Into ridiculous situations, but I do love you, e-.en If I do get Into all sort of crnr.y fixes. You'll believe that, won't yon?" He looked like a man who fully believed. The room was ' literally crowded The strangers, one ot whom Lolita now saw was In clerlca' garb, stood about uncertainly the landlady stood In the door wide-eyed. Gray Eyes, apparently appar-ently coming out of a reverie. If one could only conjecture what thoughts, motioned to the ailn.s'er. He came across the room an-' stood before f'on and I.olita, qt'iolly opening his liible. It all seemed like a dream i the girl as the closing words o. tie cercmonj were ,noken and Don kissed hei for the flrsl time as her husband. She was LC happy to ask questions, contenting herself merely with answering one enthusiastically. When it was all over, the two other oth-er strangers signed a paper and Gray Eyes guve them each a bill. They left the room, and closed the door, leaving I.olita, Gray Eyes, her father and lion alone together. It was I.ollta'8 father who Hrst broke the silence. "I'm no end glad to see you married, mar-ried, Lnlito; you need a husband. Lord knows, with Biich a stubborn old bigot for a father. I'm ashamed of having acted toward you as I have, especially since Charlie here told me of your brave fight nil alone, after your trouble. I'm ashamed of (lie way I've acted toward Charlie nil of these years, I was brought up In an uge when damnation was automatically supposed to follow wrong action, when gambling and nil gamblers were considered emissaries of hell I still don't approve of gambling, and thai sort of Ihlng. but God only knows where you'd have been by this time If It hadn't been for Charlie here, my brother. You never heard him mentioned men-tioned at home, another one of my tlubborrinctws. I'm downright ishnmed, aler the way he's acted," "Well, I suppose t pair of old bucks like ourselves are entirely out of place here right now," remarked Gray Eyes with forced gayety. "Could yon kids possibly excuse us; we want to talk over some plans. I'm giving up all of my connections In Chicago. Your dad and I have In mind a farm proposition, proposi-tion, on a large scale, down near Elgin." El-gin." He did not wait for an nnswer but walked toward the door, bis arm about Lolita 's father's shoulders; they passed through the door and closed It. "I never knew him by any name but 'Charlie,'" explained Don; "nobody "no-body ever called him unythlng else. Can you forgive me for having doubted doubt-ed you?" For answer she snuggled Into the circle of his arms and raised her head, for what purpose Don was not long in discovering. "We've still got time to catch the Century for New York, for a honeymoon honey-moon among all of the people you and . I have been selling, or trying to sell stories to. for Bo long. It's a great town for a honeymoon. Can't you just throw some things into a satchel and come. I want to get you a whole new outfit, anyway, in New York. I don't want you to have anything you can possibly get rid of to remind you of all the things you've been through." "I can do It," she agreed, and ilew about the room, gathering up things Her eye lit upon the package on Ihe bureau and she tore herself from her husband's arms to run back a moment. "Might be some sort of a letter or something in It." she pleaded. "I'd ';?i mm "Oh, Don, There's Nothing to Explain About That." ' think about It all the time we were gone If I don't see." j Torn open, the package proved In- j deed to be her returned story. On lop of It was a typewritten letter. She ! glanced through it. then read it again ! aloud : "Dear Miss Forbes: This Is a tremendous "piece of work. We are pleased to accept it. We wish to start It running In the paper In not loss than two months. We are returning It so that you may write subcnptlons and chapter headings for the chapters we have marked. When this Is done, return the manuscript manu-script and we will forward our check." For a moment Lolita stood by the hureuu literally petrified. To think that her message would now go to thousands of girls throughout the city, perhaps be published In book j form later, perhaps even In motion pictures the vital and true message that a girl, exactly like a man. may he down, but never out. The thought was transporting. Don, watching her face, realized that he had only begun to know her beauty. He opened his I arms, and she ran to them with a happy cry. (THE END) |
