Show T he girl who came back BY JACK WOODFORD copyright W N U service CHAPTER IX continued 16 oil oh dont say that hes quite changed drink ta is working lip bp his own business iles hes so different I 1 hardly beltete soud recognize him lies iles asked me to marry film wil a 1111 gertrudes query could be heard the entire length of the room yes he asked me to marry him film and I 1 rejected him oil oh oh oh you rejected two million dollars when you got enough money to eat I 1 could crown you etith a bottle why on earth did you turn him down because Be couse I 1 dont love lore him well nhat of it nobody could loe him but think of the money 1 I 1 thought of 0 kt it but now that you mention it it would be nice what a difference money dues does make still een leavans leavan that phase ot of the question out of at it I 1 do r rather ahr like him cut but I 1 most certainly dont love him gertrude leaned across the to ta ble to speak earnestly now kid dont you be any d n fool however wever you look at tile the thing thin and not wanting to hurt jour feelings let me say that after happened to you jou boull jou ll 11 loul look different to roust most men bien if they find cud out about it and they always do somehow soon er r or later tind find out those things and they never forgae em its the han hall lacap decap every anian has in life take it II from froin me if boue got a chance to grab a ring you grab it lt if aou duri dun t like the lie guy it wont be any trouble at all to get something on him film later and divorce him and knock him film for a row few of stocks and bonds fur alimony that reformation stuff Is all the bunk oh ob he may be serious enough about it and be fouling even himself but bul take it from me I 1 know tits his breed they take a notion to reform about every five bears j cars or su so but it neier neer sticks do better to marry him inot cot loving him than to marry sume one whom aou ou did love loe for I 1 or every reason in tile hie world if you can get boung watterson you grab him film take it from one who etc etc etc I 1 guess I 1 dont need to explain lolita rw wa s a little moved by the others un oil forensic foret isle despite herself here elt and the fact that she was a little moved though not by the argument rier per se was to her significant what got under her skin was vlas the thought that should slie she marry watterson she would have plenty of leisure for solid study and real worthwhile writing slid and the tact fact that this thought did touch her made her see in a vivid new light just how had thought and felt thoughtfully as site he walked toward her room she remembered the last words that had passed between gertrude certrude and herself after luncheon she remembered and wondered just how much she find really meant by them gertrude had said at parting you take me seriously now and cultivate this chap Walter soo chile title hes in a marrying mood well maybe lad had been tier her reply CHAPTER X the follow following ln morning sunday was a beautiful bright day lolito had an appointment iab with watterson Watter roo at one they were to liae haie lunch to gether Though thoughtfully tray slie site recalled her remark to gertrude the day before watterson Wat lerson she knew could be made to propose again today by the slight est word or look her room rent redl she reflected was due in the morning and she had out nui the money to tiny pay it had altogether alto ether only city seven senen cents she had count ed it carefully the night before she dressed with fib infinite care pick ing out the prettiest and most becom ing rf of the things that she found pro pre cestable ceu seri table tuble the remit was not wholly satisfactory her clothes were be ginning to have that worn rumpled look slie she happened to glance at the calendar in ta two wo more days it would be the first of june would be married in the lie first neek of june slie site would in ilk all probability not see haw again as loog long as she lived with each increasing week and month it 11 seemed that life got harder and harder in order to conserve to tile hie ultimate the fifty tifty reven cents remaining to her bur she he decided to walk down to the meet ing place tills this take the bellei belle port part of nn an hour and start atari ing at once tier her eyes sh she powdered again carefully and set out oui at a street corner a familiar voice 4 at tier her elbow allow bow do you do miss forbes lo 10 ilta looked up of in surprise into the face of miss truxton why site she breathed in some dinbar rae how do you do miss bliss truxtun fell into step elep beside tier she was a woman of thirty live five or forty of whom Gerl gertrude rude hud once said theres no possible chante that at thell ie 11 ever go wrong wt lj help her nevertheless illa tilou gIll that there wits siline lhing almost alin beau ulmus tier her this ini orning tile hla never seon seen tier hei took duj baj in all anre store ive often Aon derea what became of t you IOD mr trulin TrulA lri laj in ili a level tone you were always such a little thin tiling well returned lolita A little CA ally ily it if you iou read tile hie papers and be lle lieveld sed M yes I 1 rend them but I 1 be lieve them there was always some thing about you that led we me to sus KUS peel thai even een under the circumstances come out on top somehow im far from rom the top laughed lo 10 lita but on the oilier biller hand I 1 am not exactly on the bottom butt oin elthel miss truxton laughed gaily eally at this ive often wanted to ask gertrude about you but gertrude and I 1 barely speak peal to 0 o each other site she thinks that I 1 am an prude anil and know nothing about life and ive ill al ways nys been afraid to be the lea ecat t bit friendly with ith her anyway for fear shed shea take advantage of it and lay jus down on the lob job sties an excellent saleslady if sties held tightly in hand lolita smiled to herself and asked a diring adoring question after all what do you know about life miss truxton for or some reason title this question caused bolitas Lo litas former boss to tough laugh unrestrainedly be surprised my dear that Is if I 1 to tell you but I 1 shant except to sly say that thai alien i lien I 1 was a good deal younger I 1 had much the same experience peri ence that ou on bud bad with that tor I 1 once person iu in fact faa the man I 1 have in mind was nus so much like harvey torrence it must be hard for the devil to tell thew them apart now I 1 learned about life ficklin him film and no other man luau has aias ever eer gotten within slopping slapping dl distance 0 of rue me since that lime however I 1 was foolish terribly foolish in letting wy my experience with one man loan cause we me to hate bate all men shortly atler after occurred another man wanted me to marry him I 1 was a fool not to do it personally I 1 think that vien men ought to be abolished but as they exist the best way is to marry a halfway half halt way decent one it if you can call find such and theu then ilo do tile the best you can with him you mean even it if you dont love loile him must particularly it if you dont love him tile the best thing to do about a man you love loe Is to run from froin him as from the plague pl igue hell torture you pick out a sober respectable reliable one and thank our lucky stars tor for him 1 I 1 wonder it if aure joure right mused lolita loilta aloud 1 I 1 gather trum from that thal went on miss truxton swiftly that you already b have ve a prospect nyes ayes yes im on my way to meet him film at the present moment well salt him down before some other scoops him film up lolita laughed and then hen grew suddenly seri ous as a new thought struck tier her would ion take me buck back at the sto store re rhe die asked miss bliss truxton looked down at her curiously yes I 1 would you were nil an excellent salesgirl and no one would remember the first class news you provided for the papers except emeit the girls around the and get over the shock the first day clay lord knows few of 0 them have any right to talk about you but in heavens name why go back there I 1 pay ou on any more than you were getting before 1 I just wanted to know kno whether or not I 1 could come back im pretty well viell up against it 11 for or money I 1 may have to its been nice to see you again goodby good by smiled miss bliss truxton swinging on watterson win was walling waiting for tier her at the end of the hie luncheon they started blurted for or a drive and at a little park he stopped the car and reaching down into his port tt brought up ill a purple plush box the sight of which struck terror to Uil billias lias heart opening li it lie displayed a diann diamond ond solitaire which nearly took lollias breath away she fingered it lovingly put it carefully upon the wrong finger and held it out at arms teng ali suddenly she was in his arms and he was covering her face with kisses my ily dear oh my dear he be murmured with passionate overtones in tits his voice beyond anything bolits lad had ever heard before 1 I 1 love you so ont you marry rap nip it was on the tip of I bolitas Lo litas tongue to say yes but something stopped tier ber ill give you my answer tomorrow it if meet we ne as usual about ten tea and with this shie she made him be content though he begged tier her for 11 something more definite again and again he kissed tier end and loleta shut her eyes find and tried to be thrilled by it and did succeed in being thrilled but only by the thought of how wonderful it would be were it mr at length he drove her back to her bet room after reading for several hours and working up a current assignment on the writing course lillta lay down fully dressed upon the bed and for I 1 hours gave herself up to thought though te wholly in tile the in orning her room rent would be due and she sha had no money with which to pay it after she had bought brenk breakfast fast she would have no money left at nil alt certain it was that thai she would have to to do OIK oil of three things filings marry watterson Watters nn go to work nork at the emporium or get in touch with gray cray pies bjes and ask film for help the latter exigency slit slid mentally cri ossed out of tile alie hazards at once sir mr would not like ilka it still that was silly boink somehow h iw mr farrill care a flit iop even it if she he married watterson it was all quite she rose and undressed rapidly and tried to go to sleep the very depth of her despair hou however eier finally roused something deep within tier her nature natural which bad started to grow the nighal night that slie she hail had refused to accept on its his own terms since then it had been growing steadily now what ever it was as it came to her rescue slie she sat up in the dark jaws tightly cli clicked ched together hinds hands clenched ill be d d it if ill give in phe die said aloud to lo herself 1 I wont marry watterson it be fair to him I 1 wont crawl back to work at the emporium corium that be fair to myself and I 1 wont call on gray cray eyes for help ill light fight it out somehow some other way anybody can quit and lay down it if im ever going coins to t be somebody I 1 cant afford to let my self net act like any anybody bodyl 1 with grin grim determination and a brave little son in her hearth heart she rose turned on tits tin light snatched the cover off on her typewriter read the last chapter of her serial consulted notes on a new chapter and set furiously to work hours later slie site dropped on the bed exhausted t an excellent chapter fished Gl gushed shed sleep came to her instantly the following morning she rose lots lat and dressed in a leisurely fashion fas lilon to delay the moment when she abou should d have to look on the hall tree downstairs to see what the mailman tied had brought her having had no cuppet the night before she felt a little weak arnd exhausted physically but mentally tile courage which had come to tier her in the night was still functioning there was a grim set to her mouth which would have amazed her father I 1 it made her took look years older and 1 stronger and transformed her sheet I 1 prettiness into something deeper that was as very close to beautiful even she as she fastened a little bow on her chemise and caught a glimpse ot of tier her eyes in the mirror saw a new depth la in them walking downstairs she looked upon lie there were reveral postal to cards and a letter or two all ot of I 1 these hose addressed to other roomers in the lie house nothing for her hurrying Hur on out lest the landlady lum llady y come and ond ind her in the halt hall and ask for the rent she went to a little restaurant and ordered rolls and coffee coffea she ate right down to the list last crumb an hour later after a brisk walk she met watterson ne he did not even ask tier her what her answer wa wae somehow he be read it instantly in her eyes still let me see you though wont you LOMA Loll tu well she temporized 1 dont know I 1 can never marry you and it seems to me that it would be better tor for you it if we were not to meet again ive always been afraid that its taken too much time lime from your work 11 TO ITO OB DE CONTINUED |