Show LO NE il 0 ar r GELE ap TT V S 0 5 JJ illustrated 6 iby nj q a Y 1 aweas wC eis SYNOPSIS hall Doni stelle artist photographer pro pre parts for or the days daya work vork in tits hla studio l lodle fisher his ht assistant reminds him ct f a party lie he it to kite give in th tho dudlo that ight arid and that hta his busane s is la Is in bad financial mr dore remus mus attorney and justice of 0 tile the peace calls a and d informs mull hull that ills 1111 uncle johns will has haa left f alm ilm lewow lo wow on condition Eton that lie a marry before hla his twenty eighth birthday Ni which filch begins begins at hild midnight night that night mrs ito benu na za vaton culls ut at the studio liall hall asks ile tier r to him she agrees to gly give ailin n an answer tit the party art that night macs ss carolyn dallys cas cars 1 hall proposes proposed to h her e r she agrees agrees to give him an an fler n at t the party gale art model calla hall tries to rush tier her into i an immediate marriage she too defers tier her answer until the eveni nir 11 e tries y to show hall a certain way out ot of the but lie he Is in obese jonas classing bury lnor to th the millions in case hall fr falls to marry on time calls CHAPTER VI continued flodde stared at him fascinated as s I 1 abird A bird by a snake try as she ahe could it was impossible to deny his tion hold on a minute newt now I 1 ile ho shook his finger impressively id give a good deal if royas I 1 was satisfied he remarried ba be married before midnight i 4 flodde could stand it no longer it was useless to attempt to tilde hide her feelings from this man tier her heart at was bursting bui sting oh so BO would 1 I it if I 1 thad the money abl she e cried goebo gone 3 jonas onas lea leaned ned back a smile of victory ilc tory on tits his face wall I 1 guess I 1 got to the woman of at it at last he gloated all women Is just alike when you come right down to it ono man among a thousand have I 1 found but a woman among all those have hae I 1 not found that Is different but neither here nor there I 1 suspected you was sweet on hall your k face ace give you dead away wall then miss lie he brought it out deliberately seems to me our interests ought to be identical what ayou mean something in Flod feB les consciousness suL was awakened you byln a woman dont want him to marry anybody else wall neither y do L I 1 lie he watched her closely heartlessly 1 I see cald frigidly because lose a fortune oh ob it aint the money miss dont you misinterpret my motives I 1 dont want a cent of it for myself its what I 1 can do with it see beo here it if hall gets that money lies hes bound to throw it away on all sorts of foolishness it if he marries tonight some sheephead sheep head bead td ed extravagant woman will have the andin of it ile he watched the shaft strike flodde and went on as if I 1 inherit it why I 1 got my plans planer all laid out aready ile ho leaned forward earnestly why do you know rotes miss theys heathen tit in the tropics what dont know what clothes be let alone the bible they tell me bethey i they aint n i toothbrush nor a pair 0 corsets in all polynesia and all of them miss erable biggers got to be daane iver lasting then ihen theys hospital intend to endow and tracts ought to be printed gut but Flod Fl odies les oes were cast down lie ho saw that lie ho had lost his audience and came back to tits his best argument think 0 hall wife th throw rowin ln that cash round on parties and low necked dresses to say 0 balls and concerts and theaters theater sl ve well flodde said with a pa pathetic thelle look in lier her face 1 I dont sec what i e can do about it he ilea i made up tits his mind to carrr marr tonight and hris hes at al 1 ready proposed to three women I 1 jouas jonas whistled long lnig and low looks like we B got to get to work in a hurry dont it see here miss he spoke slowly and emphatically you can do it why women Is born tor for tricks like this that jeremiah says A woman shall compass a man right too find a way and depend on me to help all I 1 can what dyo say any Flod Fl odies les mind had already jumped to tho the task why not try to save hall that was the ji cusa she ile gave herself to be disloyal to him was unthinkable but to prevent n lifelong unhappiness due to hla his marring any one of the three women ho he had proposed to ah thai was another thing what it she could accomplish it and get the best of this scheming hypocrite into the bargain there was a magnificent chance tor for a womans comans i strate strategy gyl suddenly the thought canie came beautiful complete she sha jumped up t excitedly I knowl she ahe cried what gut got an ade idee arendy already jo nas grinned V yes ill tell you im going to A get those three women together in this y room and then ill just let nature take lie coursel course if something utako happen then I 1 dont know anything about bomp i jonna jonas chuckled delighted wall jl that will be a picnic wont it by p jominy jimimy id like to see the foil no said flodie have to t leave ive got lots lota to do if im to manage tills this thing and ive got to do it alone now lets seel seal walt wait a minute halls giving a party tonight 1 suppose I 1 tell him that I 1 invited you i and you come round at about eleven jc then ill tell you how matui alors 1 are ara coing eleven ocl lord I 1 generally git to bed by ten you wont tonight then detter better drink some coffee it youre sleepy and I 1 guess be worth sitting up for good afternoon mr classing bury flodie did not offer to shake halias jonas gazed at her in ever growing admiration say robs mus 11 he be ventured it aint often I 1 get loony over a woman I 1 dont trust em cm enough dut but ive took fancy to you 8 somehow you got a good head on your shoulders you bavel flodde evaded his hand band well its likely to stay there im afraid at any rate never bo be on yours mr hir 11 with which flodde went without aitho t honoring him with another glan glance ce into the stockroom leaving him to take lija its departure alone CHAPTER VII after jonas had left flodde went to the telephone and called up a number mrs royalton yes yea this Is miss fisher at mr Donis telles you know about your pictures could you drop in this afternoon and see sonic some proofs oh yes lovely I 1 think about thren it you will good byl next she called up miss dallys and said nearly the same things thing both indies agreed to call but how at about lout r 0 h f its ita hard to ketih keth you alone you kanom 9 rosamund she sha wandered from stu ato to studio V vell ell must risk it perhaps alir be found later meanwhile she had bad much to do sho she flow back to the printing room and went to work on the negatives they roust must all be finished before the ladles ladies arrived that they might suspect nothing quickly her fingers hew flew suddenly she looked up who was that in tile the onice office alodio went in hi and found alfred tho the palo pale with a big bunch of 0 evergreen garlands ile he pulled off tits ins hat and grinned will I 1 fix up the studio now he asked yes said flodde right away she held up a proof of carolyn dallys and inspected it critically alfred was regarding his idol well why dont you go ahead about it biodle inquired severely say miss fisher alfred set down his bis bundle and approached her its so hard to ketch you alone you know no I 1 dont we must have those de coratious up in a hurry flodde however did see something in the poor janitors face which made tier her start hastily lias for the tha stockroom oh I 1 know it aint no use miss visher fisher but bo be a satisfaction even to bs be thrower down bo be something anyway I 1 cant stand it any longer flodie stared at the hopeless janitor paint faint heart noer neer won fair lady but still his look was flattering there was a mild balm balin in ills his devotion as lie be fawned on her it softened tier her heart libart now alfred she elle began dont you bo be silly 1 I 1 just cant help belp it ft miss alaa fisher lie ho exclaimed 1 I got col to bo be billy it if I 1 L i s you every day hero oh dear aint they tiny any hope for me not beverl never lie ho waited a moment wistfully flo tile dlo watched him with a curious faraway interest as at an injured animal then she said gently ita not use alfred you know I 1 possibly I 1 dont want you to say bay another word about it flodde its as she spoke fingered a thin gold chain about her neck dangling warm on tier her breast was a tiny golden locket one of hall flail few gifts treasured jealously by flodde worn night flight and day alfred smallish had already given up all bove oh I 1 know ba 1 said apathetically 0 of course im kotbin but a janitor now but miss fisher it if I 1 only had you id show chow em and say dont go yot yet please miss fisher wait waft till I 1 get rid of it for once and for all do me good you ever have the likes of roc me I 1 know that aint all of it its only I 1 want to do something for you lust juat to prove how I 1 feell if I 1 could only help you some way dont you understand how it Is miss fisher wont you give roe me a try sometime all I 1 want newt flodde leaning the table watched him with tears in tier her oyes eyes ah understood I 1 how we well I 1 she knew silo she could no longer laugh at him kindly she stretched forth her hand and the janitor who in all tits hla life had never known gallantry reached for it and kissed it as naturally as might a court courtier ler ile ho touched Flod les little hand as aa if it were a holy relic and on it there fell a soft rain of tears flodde bit tier her lip she elie slowly shook her head im awfully forry alfred really but I 1 dont see what I 1 can do alfreds lips quivered and his hands writhed as lie ho replied why at all 1 I 1 wa want t you ou I 1 to 0 do Is to promise alaa 1 rg ri ask mo to do something for you something hard to do the very hardest at thing you know why id do anat ing miss fisher anything alf alfed d meant literally what he said she itta i it her soft hand in ills his 1 I know what you mean alfred she said soberly youre so good ill call on you it if ever I 1 need you ill promise she turned a little sadly back to her desk all right alfreds look feasted on her ile he paused by the door its really more than I 1 ever hoped tor for miss l lyher her what you just thank you ile he left almost with dignity flodie turned to her work from the telephone to tier her printing sho she vibrated and from that to her accounts occasional inspection of alfreds progress and arrangements for the evenings refreshments refresh ments meanwhile her busy mind was going over the problem of managing tier her trio of rivals it if she could only find Hosa rosamund rosamund she had from the farst disliked she had always resented her appearance now she fairly longed for tier her to open tho the door she thought and thought of some possible way to reach her in a halt half hour miraculously as it simmone summoned d by Flod lea les mental demand who but rosamund did open the door rosamund gale more patronizing moro more assured and nonchalant than over ever I hello cifello she said coolly hall here she sauntered up to the mirror and poked at tier her golden ringlets why no mr air stello has just left said flodde auspiciously cordial stopping her writing but im expecting him any minute wont you wait rosamund llos amund craned tier her neck trying to catch a glimpse ef cf her barretto those pictures of mine developed no miss gale mr Donl Boni stelie stel lo 10 had to work on some ot of his bis customers im sorry 11 well I 1 should think he might get mine done first I 1 was in an awful hurry to seo bee em cm well he lias his to attend to business part of the time you know miss gale said flodia oh indeed Inde edl rosamund gave lier her a long cruel stare 1 I dont see why ho he bothers about lits his old business so much ile he can afford to take it easy well enough well of comiso I 1 say anything about it to a customer you know but so BO long as aa you and hall are such great friends why well the fact Is im Imi rather worried flodde noted with glee that rosamund was losing color do you mean to say that halt hall Donl stello doing as well as aa well as well na as ho he says rosamund llos amund tic de minded flodde with secret satis fac tion oh I 1 exactly say that you know but then well it costs coata a lot to run this place here look at those bills I 1 dont think hed mind so long as its you she handed rosamund a neatly folded parcel 1 I con dont I 1 know how in tile tho world were ever going to pay them I 1 rosamund turned them over curl j bously frowning iam she said to herself her helf through tighter lips quite a bunch of em cm tt tr why I 1 dont seo see how he can expect to silo she gazed anxiously at flodde flodde seeing tier her wi advantage vantage artfully receded oil oh mr Doni stelle la Is optimistic you know ile he always thinks hes going to come out all right just a wee bit reckless perhaps but then well I 1 guess bo be all right leaving this to sink into rosa munds alarmed mind 1710 alodio life walked into the stockroom and proceeded with tier her printing and washing sit say y miss Fi fisher sherl rosamund called out how much salary do yuu you get anyway TO DE CONTINUED |