Show J Jk i John k Gi t s Girl Gile GirlIA c By IA EJ Ej m j I Co Service t a Ra n e fl n n e Rr e r A is a l t r THE STORY By Dy chance James Lee meets Lucy Gresham daughter of oC Sir John Gresham wealthy ship builder Lee Leo unjustly accused of oC I robbing the Gresham Cresham firm was sent to prison He lie blames Oliver Ames Lucys Lucy's cousin and Gresham's Gresh- Gresh J ams am's manager and seeks revenue revenge Lee Inherits wealth and In compliance compliance com corn with the tho will chan chanson changes es his name from He lie secures an Invitation to the girls girl's birthday party CHAPTER II 2 2 Lucy Meets James Lee Again When Oliver Ames gorgeously and effectively disguised as ns a Spanish grandee of the lie time of Velasquez arrived arrived ar ar- arrived ar- ar rived for Lucy Gresham's birthday festivities luc Lucy herself was Just coniing comIng com com- Ing downstairs into the hall tall She was dressed after the fashion of or her own grandmother in flounce upon flounce of delicate creamy lace that billowed Ved cloudily round her as she moved mo Her Iler wide-set wide e eyes es so almost unbelievably blue flue were bright with kIddIsh excitement excite excIte- went ment in the occasion She greeted him very s sweetly with only the smallest hint of nervousness and took him into the drawing room V where her father was ready to help hell her recel receive e guests Sir John Gresham tall white haired and handsome welcomed him warmly Im Tin glad youve you've come In good time Oliver he said as they shook hands f f Well sir I have to go early so I 1 wanted to have all the time I could answered Ames Theres some hitch over that big Norwegian timber deal dealand and the they've ve cabled me to go over and see about It without delay Wont old Nilsen sell after all i asked Sir JohnI John I fancy it ft Is young Nilsen who Is 19 creating obstacles Perhaps he thinks s she he can get a better price answered Ames Sir John glanced at him quickly You dont don't mean that arc are bidding g against us he asked Have they the m means ns 1 Ames rubbed his chin thoughtfully Then said Three months ago I should have hae said no without hesitation But lately lately late late- ly Iy they have bave shown signs of renewed life lite Im I'm not sure of ot them Anyway Im I'm going over to look into this business m myself Im I'm taking the midnight to Hull lulL Luc Lucy knows I dont don't want to Ames turned to the girl 1 H u. u 1110 iu ij 15 VU on nit Lue ne plC- plC ture of grace and loveliness she made Oh Im I'm awfully sorry she said cordially But of ot course I under under- stand Well Oliver If it you must go you must But Im I'm sorry An Anyway way enjoy en joy the meantime said Sir John Lucy is keen for you to see the ballroom ballroom ball ball- room before the crowd arrives She planned the decorations all herself herselt and I think lc they're quite tolerable His handsome old eyes twinkled round at Lucy In his e eyes es she was the sweetest and the most beautiful girl In the whole world She could do nothing wrong he the spoilt her so consistently that it says all that need be said for her Innate soundness of ot nature that she was almost entirely by it He lie had married late In life having reached fifty before meeting his Ideal He had Idolized his wife and when she lied died when Lucy was only five was wasso wasso wasso so frantic with grief that his friends all feared he would not long survive sur her lIe He pulled through however but was greatly changed Something had been knocked completely out of life for him He lIe could no longer give to the business of ot Gresham's the Interest he always had given Year by year he lie had left It more mor and more in Ames' Ames hands until five years ago he had definitely retired from active service f 1 Lucy growing up in the n lI living Image of her mother absorbed most of ot his interest in life It had been an understood thing timing for years that some da day Lucy was vas going to marry Ames Every Everyone one looked I. I upon it as settled except for tor such details as precisely when and exactly where Lucy had known Ames all her life She had been brought up so much with him that she looked upon him almost more as a brother than thanas as a cousin And although she had always known that some day she was going to marry him yet It was none the less a surprise and something of ot ofa ofa ota a shock to her when nearly three weeks ago he had asked her to make the some day a definite day He loved loyed her tremendously and und it seemed to him that loving her was the chief reason reason rea rea- reason son of his existence the thing he had been born for He lIe felt that he had waited long enough But Lucy had been curiously unready when he had asked her to name a definite day she had not known what to say and didn't know why she should be so unI un un- I sure She could find no reason for tor being heing suddenly so flustered when he asked her when she would marry him Perhaps It was just because In- In r stead of ot r. r asking would she marry him he lie had asked when would she marry him Or perhaps it had been because ho lie had by some unlucky chance lilt hit on the evening of that very ery day when she hud bud had hall that queer fleeting adventure with the stormy- stormy eyed eed man who had nearly run her down with his big blue car e It had 1111 just seemed to her that to say definitely Yes I will marry you rou on such and such a n day dllY was a terribly irrevocable Ir Irrevocable Irrevocable Ir- Ir revocable thin thing to say say r Only to form the words In her mind mild had made her catch a quick breath almost almost almost al al- al- al most 0 of fear She explained It to herself herself herself her her- self that she did not want to marry an anyone yet That runt sho was wag utterly happy at home with her adored and amI adoring father that life and youth were so lovely and so sweet that she didn't want to do an anything to n change e ethe the happy course they were running run run- nin ning But Oliver Oll had been insistent and she had realized suddenly that his love loye for her was a much bigger emotion than she had ever er known So with an unaccountable feeling of being driven en she had compromised by hy I promIsing promising prom prom- rom rom- ising to give him a definite answer on this evening evening- of her nineteenth nth birth birth- day She had thought that she must surely have decided by hy then But she had awakened this morning with all her doubts still upon her That was why this evening was wassom som something so much more than a u birth birth- 1 A h he 1 u I e He Came a Step Nearer and Caught Her Hand day party to her and that was why It kept her In a quiver of restless excitement In the ballroom she began hegan a lively chatter simply because she was afraid of silence between them There are going to be heaps of people here tonight some I dont don't even know v. Mrs Irs Theodore Dale asked if she might bring a party so did the and Lady Cordelia Cordella Upton she wants to bring among others Perry St St. Abb and the man hes he's secretary to to Hes He's the latest thing In millionaires you ou know One James Lee Doesn't It sound lively Lucy rattled on more for the sake of a avoiding voidIng silence than anything He fie came a n step nearer and caught her hand In his Lucy you ou haven't forgotten have you ou Do you ou remember what you promised Of course of course I do o. o And I I will Oliver Only leave It a little longer longor she answered breathlessly Its such sucha a a. a Oh such a very big thing to decide Ive loved loyed you ou so long Lucy Waited Waited Waited Wait Wait- ed for you ou so long And Ive I've waited faithfully dear Theres There's been no woman in m heart but my you Youve You've got my may heart In these little hands of yours ours and got It forever She caught a breath It awful that It should be hers to make mul him happy or to make him suffer sulTer just with the speaking sneaking of a word From sheer pity the word that would make him puppy happy was on the very tip of her tongue all ready to be spoken when the sound of her fathers father's voice calling to her made her start away from him jerking her hand out of or his Theres dad dud He lIe wants us she said breathlessly I suppose people are beginning to ar ar- arrive rive How ITow awful of me to neglect my duties so so She Sho lau laughed hed a little tremulously and ran run to the door but buthe buthe he be came after her caught her hand and pulled her round Before I go Luc Lucy Give oe me memy memy my answer before I have to go o. o Remember wont won't you ou 1 he ur urged ed her lIer Of Ot course Oh Oil of ot course Ill I'll remember I And Arid she was on her herway herway herway way to the hall her full skirts skirts' swIngIng swingIng swinging swing- swing Ing round her The Thc bl big house seemed alive e with an uncountable crowd of young people all bent on carr carrying the occasion through on one unbroken ripple of gaiety But nut Ames scarcely knew how to live the evening through even though his time was all aU too short Lucy was so much In demand He ITe watched her all aU the time timo saw her glance at this man r smile upon Unit Hutt Inu laugh h with another and did not know that behind nil her brilliant gaiety galet she was thinking thinking- thinking tr trying to decide And she hind had n a feeling that hint the Jolly evening with nil all Its lI light ht and sound and mill gaiety Illet was rushing her toward some crisis It If was durIn during an nn Interval in the dancing that Ames saw faw her captured and cornered by three determined young men who whip each put forth excellent excellent excellent excel excel- lent ra reasons wh why he should have the next dance with herBut her But nut I cant can't dance Ilance with all nil three e Lucy was laughingly ly protesting when whenn n a tall tull youth In a u tI tight ht costume of green reen and und white stripes suddenly conf constituted con con- f himself master of or revels re and from the cleared center of the ballroom ballroom ballroom ball ball- room floor made this elegant proclamation proc proc- proclamation O O Oyez ez l' l Know now all ye e h by these presents and Presents and all that sort of ot Jolly old hunk bunk Boiled down Clown down what I nean Ilean Is this that if the tho girls who haven't fixed up the next ancell pop o off and ond hide hille well we'll give ive em cm three minutes and then thon come and find them How's Hows that for a braInwave brain brainwave brainwave wave A chorus answered him Fine I 1 Get on with It Scatter you girls And amid chatter and amI laughter the girls scattered Lucy with them thorn Most of did not bother to make their hiding places very obscure but Lucy left them nod and turned toward the back hack backof of the hOU house pushed through a green baize door Into Inte the main corridor r on the other side of the staircase and slipped into the library There was no one in the room A single light shaded In deep crimson cast a somber glow over her lacy flounces as she toed tip-toed across the room climbed Into a n deep window Feat seat and pulled a h heavy avy curtain curtain cur cur- tain In n front of ot her She was glad of the peace and quiet this refuge gave e a her She wanted to think Must think Must decide The sounds of ot Jollity came to her faintly Five minutes had not gone one by when she heard the door open and a step sounded soft upon the carpeted floor Her IIer father perhaps she thought and she moved very ery cautiously along the window seat sent to peep round the curtain A hand appeared and the curtain was flung aside Her startled e eyes es quickly lifted saw the dark unsmiling unsmiling unsmiling un un- smiling face of the necklace adventure man And once again her eyes were caught and held b by the look in those sullen storm stormy e eyes es that met hers You she cried out Yes he answered And you And you She laughed ever er so slightly a little tremulously I Im I'm hiding she said kid- kid a nervous quiver er in the words Yes he said a again aln his voice er very deep against the distant sound of revelry from be beyond ond the room And Im I'm finding you I didn't know you ou were In Inthe Inthe Inthe the game she said Its obvious that I am though Isn't It 1 he replied Yes I suppose it is Is She scrambled off ocr the seat seat and land stood before him looking like a little girl as she shook out her fleecy flounces But Id I'd no Idea of seeing you here Who who are you ou Lets introduce ourselves he said My I name Is Lee James Lee She looked up at him quickly So this was WIlS Perry St St. St Abb's Abbs chief The latest thing In millionaires She held out a quick girlish hand Im IIii so glad you were able to come Ive I've ve heard so much of ot you from Lad Lady Cordelia Cordella Im I'm Lucy Gresham you ou knowlie know lIe He took her hand In a rather mighty clasp that seemed to swallow it all allup allup allup up and said slowly How flow do Lucy Gresham She lau laughed up at him her hand still In his and How ow do you ou do James do-James James Lee she answered merrily But he lie didn't share her merriment His lIis queer dark eyes looked down rn ather at It ather Ither her unlit by an any least hint of amusement amuse ment until it made her quite quItu nervous and she twisted away from him the bright ht color coming up Into her face Have 11 lave a ae e you ou only just arrived she sho went on hurriedly I entered tha ballroom with Lady Cordelia Cordella and St. St Abb precisely as the young oung man In green stripes was proclaiming proclaiming pro pro- proclaiming claiming the rules of the game ho he told her hel I cant can't dance brit this next dance Is obviously mine if you ou will sit it out with me I came carne In here to find you ou I stood quite near you ou In the ballroom while the same game am was being arranged How flow many dances are you ou going goIng- to give me Sho She wasn't quite prepared for that she equivocated But you ou sa say you ou dont don't dance She was destined to find out then that equivocation didn't work with Tame James Lee Iee lIe He said Do you ou think you'll find It dull work sitting out nut a n dance dunce or two with me an and his hits sullen gray eyes ees were challenging She colored No she said slowly but hut quite truthfully No I shouldn't think Id I'd find it dull Only there are ure other men I must give Ive some dances to Theres There's Mr Green- Green stripes I promised him And a Romeo and a Nero I promised them and theres there's She caught a sudden sudden sudden sud sud- den quick breath and halted Yes he prompted Oh Olt just my c cousin Oliver Ames lIes lIe's going oln away tonight ht He lie has to lea leave leae e at eleven ele I must I mean I want to dance with him She broke off oft conscious that she was rattling on nervously Conscious too that those queer eyes of his never lefther left lefther her face You must or you want to Which 7 he asked abruptly She looked up at him looked away all around Things were going faster than was quite comfortable She equivocated a again aln I promised to To 10 her relief he for he-for for the time at least left least left It at that Well he said we are sitting slUIng out this one anyway any any- wa way t lie pushed up a deep leather- leather c vered chair for her Dont you want to go and watch the dancing she asked Why should I he lie answered And she had no good reasons to offer So the they remained in the library She sitting In the deep chair he standing stanlin leaning back against the mantel lookIng lookIng looking look- look Ing most of the time down at her She was recovering now from the surprise surprise surprise sur sur- prise of finding that this guest of hers was that man who had shared that tiny adventure ad with her and began bean began be be- gan an to feel that ever since the day of ot that adventure she had really been waiting waIting- to meet him again She hadn't known wn it but |