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Show COPYRIGHT, KATHLEEN NORRIS W.N.U. S ERVICE SYNOPSIS Antoinette Taft, twenty-three, attractive at-tractive and ambitious but unable to hold a job, lives in a drab San Francisco Fran-cisco flat with her sister Brenda and brother Cliff, who are older, her seventeen-year-old brother Bruce, and their Aunt Meg. In her job hunting rounds she interviews Lawrence Bellamy, Bel-lamy, editor of the Journal of Commerce, Com-merce, but finds he has no place for a woman writer. She likes him very much, as she tells Brenda later. Diffident Dif-fident Barney Kerr drops in. Tony gets a telephone call from Mr. Greenwood, Green-wood, city editor of the Call, offering her a job as society reporter. CI returning just then, accompanies Tony to the newspaper office. Tony finds the men in the office friendly and helpful. The first night she goes with Cliff and Joe Burke of the sports department to a restaurant and sees Bellamy. She thrills when he nods to her. She is thoroughly happy in the hustle and bustle of the newspaper olfice. She solves the problem of getting photos. The only other woman on the staff is Bess Cutter, who is very friendly with Fitch, general manager. Bess comes to depend on Tony. Bess invites Tony to dine with her at her apartment apart-ment with Fitch and then go to the theater. Barney proposes to Tony and is rejected. Tony attends the Cutter affair and is displeased. She covers the mid-winter carnival at Piedmont. She meets elderly Mrs. Patterson and her daughter Ruth, wife of Larry Bellamy. Ruth Is in poor health. Bellamy appears in carnival costume and recognizes Tony. Mrs. Bellamy becomes very fond of Tony and has her with her frequently. Tony is in love with Larry. CHAPTER X Continued 8 "He can't get away with it." "Did he say anything about it the last time you saw him?" "I haven't seen him since Saturday." Satur-day." "And this is Thursday " Tony said slowly, sparring for time. "She's probably persuading him to go back to his wife." "He's never left his wife." "Well !" The younger woman's face flushed uncomfortably, in spite of all that she could do. "It seems funny," she said feebly. "Frank's always had a tremendous tremen-dous opinion of himself," Bess said, from smouldering thought; "now this 'Sunshine Gospel' thing fits right in, and he's going to be a whiteheaded angel. Lucky for him he didn't get converted three years ago, when he and I first were friends There he is!" Tony looked across the swinging lights and littered desks, saw Mr. Fitch slipping quietly through to his own office door. Bess was immediately im-mediately after him; the various men grinned significantly ns she went nbsorbedly by, with her fine feathers somewhat draggled by the rain, and her rouged cheeks redder red-der than even her own bold artifice had made them. She was breathing breath-ing hard and angrily; she saw nobody. no-body. The door of Mr. Fitch's office of-fice closed behind her. When Tony went up to Mr. Greenwood's Green-wood's desk a few minutes later he gave her an Impish and signifl cant smile. "Fireworks In the old man's office, of-fice, eh?" "Sounds like It." "What'd she say?" "Oh-h-h, everything. They're go Ing to cut the feature. " "I heard that. Well, Bess'll take care of herself." "She's paying two hundred for that apartment." "Who said so?" "She did." "We're paying her a hundred a week," the city editor said musingly. mus-ingly. "Well, if he says she's to get out, she'll get out." "Could he keep her if he wanted to. Greeny?" "Sure he could !" Tlie sound of a woman's raised angry voice came from Fitch's office; of-fice; then tliey could hear his placating pla-cating murmur. "Landed the Porter engagement, did you?" Greenwood asked in sudden sud-den excitement, as he glanced at the social notes. "Yep." "Scooped It?" "I think so." He never praised; no city editor ever did. I'.ut she knew how pleased he was when he said with a look that was almost a wink : i "All right. That'll make tip for some of the roiion stories you've been turning In." j "I suppose so." said Tony. In sn perh scorn. "I'm about the best social editor you ever had a chance to bully. Greeny." she loUl him. "But you won't get my h'U'i'ta; story for me. and von d.n't want to faint in Marker street?" "I do not!" It reminded her of Larry nr., I the comforting hour he side the fire that n''temoon. "By the way." she said, "yon f.lt.v ! ' up my little City Hall story; here's something that may interest you : Lawrence Bellamy is going over to the Examiner with the Journal." "What Journal?" Greenwood's voice was as swift as a bullet. "There's only one. His Journal. The Journal of Commerce and Business." Busi-ness." "Who said so?" "He did. I know him and his wife quite well. I saw him today, and he told me. They're going to have a weekly supplement, and then he's to do a daily column." The enigmatic, slightly impish face of Greenwood went blank. "Got your Sunday column In?" lie asked, in a flat voice. "Hour ago." "What's keeping you? It's almost ten." "I'm going with Van to get some oysters." The lights of Market street were caught in the long lines of the softly soft-ly falling rain; the pavements glittered glit-tered black ; the air was deliciously fresh to Tony's lungs. She and Van had their oysters; Van talked about a girl named Frances. She was a swell girl; but her family was terrible. She had a mother that could talk the roof off the Russ building. Tony absorbed the hot, heartening hearten-ing food and thought her own thoughts. Barney Kerr wanted her to go to dinner with his family in Piedmont on Sunday; she did not want to go. On the boat trip home, he would ask her again to marry him; he was constantly asking her, now, or rather he was giving her rn XL If w "He Can't Get Away With It." J those strong hints that mean that a man is anxious to put the direct question to the test again. None of it seemed significant any more, or even Interesting. Tony couldn't take It seriously; she couldn't take seriously anything that wasn't the newspaper office and the old typewriters, type-writers, lounging or excited men, the atmosphere of blue smoke and ink and pencil dust. And tonight she had to keep coming back to the warm little secret memory of that moment with Larry in the hnlL When she reached' home she told Brenda that she was not going to the Kerrs' on Sunday. CHAPTER XI IT WAS good to awaken in the sl- lent spring morning, rested and content, with everything well in the best of ail worlds. The clock's hands stood at nine when Tony opened op-ened her eyes; Brenda, dressed except ex-cept for her jacket and hat, was packing a suitcase that lay open on the other bed. "Santa Cruz today!" Brenda chanted. "My vacation was to begin be-gin tw-o weeks from tomorrow, but the publishers' convention comes in there, and so they telephoned to ask me If I'd take It this week Instead. In-stead. And and " the older sister sis-ter went on, folding prijamns, wrapping wrap-ping soap in tissue paper, dragging out her wnrds into a singsong for the pleasure of saying them, "and so Cliff has to drive down to Santa Cruz today, and so he's taking Margaret and Mary P.e anil me, and are w-e going to have fun!" "Oh, Bendy, how delirions. In tii's hot weather, het'nre tlie fog begin! And to drive down ! I 'id they get tlie Ferge,.n ce;',:je?" "( '"a. o. right no:ir the siiere. I h. ir.y r.l"'.e-:i " She wen; nT to ge; It. and T.my leaded from her Ik-.). snnv'iM f-.. a lower teirenn drawer !er fre.'i linen tennis frock and the laven der dotted Swiss, tucked them hurriedly hur-riedly under the clothing Brenda had already packed in the bag, and slipped in two pairs of stockings and a white duck hat. She was back in bed again, the picture of innocence, inno-cence, when Brenda returned. "Get up, lazy," said Brenda. "I haven't had my breakfast yet." "See the paper?" "Oh, yes, and I meant to tell you! Your engagement's signed, on the front page." "Oh, Bendy," Tony said, actually pale. "On the front page, and signed !" She went out to the kitchen, where on the table, cleared from the three earlier breakfasts, were the cream and sugar, the empty clean cups, the tumbled newspaper. Tony seized upon it, whirled pages. Ah-h-h ! there it was, on the front page, with photographs. Miss Patricia Page Porter, a debutante of the season before last, and Mr. Lee Carolan Scott, both members of the most exclusive Hillsborough set, were about to announce to their friends one of the year's most interesting in-teresting engagements. Tony felt a delicious thrill of pride, presently tinged, but only pleasantly, with fear. Suppose they got mad and denied de-nied it? But no, said her common sense, they couldn't do that They would just be angry for a while at the premature announcement, ns many another person had been, and then accept the situation with whatever what-ever philosophy they might. " Tony had propped up the paper where she could feast her eyes on it. She drank her orange juice slowly. "Is Antoinette Taft, the great newspaper woman, within?" said Clifford, at the door. "Hello, Antoinette!" An-toinette!" he said, coming in. "Cliff you saw it. And It's a scoop, too !" "The other papers haven't got it?" "Absolutely not." "Well, congratulations," Cliff said, smiling. He joined his sisters in a second breakfast; the kitchen was full of pleasantness and youth and excitement this morning, and for Tony at least the day had the thrilling thrill-ing taste of success. She and Brenda expertly disposed dis-posed of the kitchen disorder, and Brenda went back with Tony to the bedroom, putting on her hat, taking her shabby old topcoat on her arm ; her gloves, her bag, her suitcase. Meanwhile Tony started bath water running, and wandered about, assisting as-sisting her sister with small last gifts and advice. "Good-by, darling, be a good girl, and leave the marines alone. I'll take care of Bruce and write you every other day." Going back into the apartment, Tony remembered suddenly that she had promised to telephone Ruth Bellamy. She dialed the familiar number n moment later, humming as she did so. "Hello, Minnl. Is Mrs. Bellamy there? It's Miss Taft." "Just a moment, Miss Taft." Min-ni's Min-ni's slow feet retreating; and then a subdued, distant: "Is that you, Tony?" "Is that you, Ruth?" Tony echoed in turn, her voice surprised and uneasy. For Ruth's tone bespoke calamity of some sort. "What's the matter?" "Nothing. Only I feel rather sick over the whole affair," Ruth said. "What affair? What's happened?" "Oh, that Journal and Examiner thing getting out, Tony. It's just well, Larry's frantic. He knows we both know," Ruth said hastily, "that it wasn't you. Don't worry about that. But he feels terribly. He had a telegram from the chief early this morning: that's the way we knew. They were all wild, of course. It had been absolutely confidential con-fidential ! Now the whole thing may be off. Larry says he'll have to take any terms they offer. lie's gone he flew to Los Antonlos about nn hour ago. And here's something he very much wanted you to do for him, Tony. He wants to know how that thing leaked out. He says you can find out in the office; of-fice; he can't. It's on the front page of the paper. You've seen the paper?" Tony had listened so far In a state of stupefied horror. Her wits were in complete confusion; what had she done, how on earth had she come to do It, and what was best to do now? They didn't suspect sus-pect her; they were too generous, they were too honorable themselves them-selves to do that. Wouldn't It be decenter not to undeceive them, not to let them know " "I wish you could have seen the telegram from the chief." "What'd It say?" "I'll read it to yon. No, I can't; he took it. It said something about very much regretting that he had felt It neee?sary to discuss the proposed pro-posed changes with persons he couldn't trust, and to see it as a front-page Call story, and that this this mut be considered ns changing chang-ing tiie entire basis of the negotja tions. Something like that. Poor Larry!" Ruth said, "it was just pith ful to pee how It upset him. But will you do that. T ny? I mn .rifl nut who g.ive It to the Call. Larry snys he to' I abir.iut'-iy no ; one. But Kit, listen." siiO broite nff to r'-p-;it lm;.r-v -:.v, "we ' kre'w :Vit yrei d' in't. Larry's g Ir.i to te'l t! e ,!,',-' t!.;: t' " on'.r ;.; n to w!ii,:!i be t.i!-,-.. at nil i :;s a fri-:.d u !; i live n r;;...,Vr "f ivs own f!ir.:;y ; he's nt L-, tO ne;-i'irl fi; y, XfTf a l,e'S ' "(ill, I feel terribly about it," p Tony said slowly, as the other woman paused. "I feel terribly." "It seems such a pity ! It's just made me feel sick!" Ruth lamented. "When'll Larry be back?" Tony was trying to get her thoughts in order, trying to think what she could do. "Tonight, late. And he's got to be in tiie office late. Tomorrow's Saturday. They go to press tonight." to-night." Tony sat silent; thinking. "Tony, are you there? Come up and have tea with me at five?" "Unless they send me to the Federated Fed-erated Clubs across the bay. And I'm doing a lecture tonight." Tony replaced the telephone on its stand ; sat on in the little hallway, hall-way, staring. Presently it would be half-past eleven, and Miss Betsy Ann Frelinghuysen would be arrayed ar-rayed in her bridal white, and going to the Cathedral to be married to Johnnie Wood. And after that Tony must somehow go down to the office, somehow force herself to enter, en-ter, somehow face Greeny. She had been betrayed And there was nothing to do, nothing to do, nothing to do! She had been feeling it a great joke to steal news, during these exciting months; now she knew how it felt to have it stolen. She picked up the paper; forced her eyes to read tlie hateful headlines. head-lines. The story was placed right next to the engagement story. "News of Newspaper Merger. Journal Jour-nal and Examiner Surprise Friends." In her excitement over her scoop she had not seen it. Tony put it down ; It made her feel actually sick. She went out into the hot spring streets. At the newsstand there were other headlines: head-lines: the afternooon papers had quoted the story. She walked up the street, turned east, and came out on the big avenue opposite the cathedral. The cars were already stopping there in a long file, and the wedding guests trooping up the great banked steps under an awning. awn-ing. Tony went with them. "You' would scoop the Porter girl, Tony." said Kate Oliver, from the Chronicle. "How'd you do it?" Ann Wilde, of the Examiner, .whispered. "I'll probably go to jail for it," Tony whispered back. "I've got the whole thing in our first edition," said Elise Mooney of the afternoon paper. "Everyone knows It, anyway." Tony could draw a great breath of relief on that score, at least; they might be mad the Scotts and the Porters but at least they weren't going to deny it and make a fuss. "Maybe you think there isn't hell popping over our way on that Journal Jour-nal story," Ann said. "Nobody knew it; they say Pixley himself didn't know it." "Oh, what did they say?" Tony murmured, with a sick heart. "They said everything and then some I Listen, Tony," Ann whispered, whis-pered, under cover of the first glorious glo-rious strains of the wedding march, "who did spill it? Tixley's wild to know." Tony could only acknowledge this with a wretched smile. "The chief telephoned Moran," Ann whispered on, "and said that it was someone on Bellamy's side of it that spilled it. I hear Bellamy Bel-lamy went down there this morning." Tony felt a sensation of actual hate for Greeny. CHAPTER XII A FTER the wedding Tony walked downtown slowly, languidly; the day was uncomfortably warm, and the noontime streets looked cheap and woodeny to her eves. Greeny was In the office when Tony went In, but she took her place at her desk without glancing his way. Presently Joe Burke came over to sit on the edge of her desk. "That was a nice engagement you landed. See how we played it up! Tlie others boys are wild." "The other boys," always meant the editors and reporters of the rival ri-val papers. Tony raised her somber som-ber eyes. "That Journal story has just about ruined the finest friendship I have!" she said, breathing deep. She saw from Joe's expression that he knew how tlie land lay. "Aw, well, Greeny hail to use It!" "He did not have to use It," Tony said warmly. "He knew very well he wasn't supposed to use It If he'd thought I wanted him to use it he'd have asked me to write It." Joe, looking Intensely troubled, went away. In their turn, Van and Spike and Buck Moore Buck, who was next to Greeny In Importance came over shyly to present Greeny's case. Tony took refuge In smouldering monosyllables. She was very busy, very oblivious of Greeny's neighborhood. neigh-borhood. Her heart was heavy; she could not rise to their kindly overtures. over-tures. Presently Greenwood came- over to her. (TO nr. c.nTixur:n) |