Show Q mss i Q e Q Q t r. r c Iti EMILIE LORING WN NU U. U SERVICE of it CHAPTER I It t yit E Avenue In that quiet ho hoi g. g r a dawn In the middle of i d surface like a dark isle 1 ning ribbon of river rested ire r. r Black satin sating buckled wi wit its ts V MC ce e Harcourt stopped short W Ji Turned the bit of satin over a ai his hand It was warm TI lIt it it sent a curious glow dins ins ns It must quite recent 1 covered a slender holed foe ho m led ed d from the now distant au aut r. r et e thrust thrust the disturbing bit bitI I I fl Car e r into his top-coat top pock y regarded the glittering a afore 3 I I fore he entered the Club doI do doc four y-four four hours more of this a aI at I be on his way to the w wl I s. s s. s Soon he would be I rests g glaciers fields of sno steam shovels vels and the parlia par lia of engineering was not sorry to go back 1 classmates who had give i Inner ner for him tonight would n re ie it though What was s sl sll park ark Fair Hard Tender ing and his last day in Ne NeHe NeHe He stretched his long lea His last day in New full fuli one Before he left on th ht ht train he had to keep i ir n r able ble business appointment appointments tm jm orders for materials an ana ana anja a a secretary Why couldn 5 1 y J Grant have found one f fc elf lf on the coast J turned from his shower he r rd the slipper on the dresse dressel i the owner advertise He Hea 4 a look at the evening paper J following eight hours proved Je crowded and the search for atMa a amore more futile than he had hadt t A Af d. d The mere mention of the f d. d Alaska aska set the prospects he viewed into shivering refusal 1 l have to get one for him- him j n the coast r he concluded as the door of his room at Hub l lab b. b I 1 shook hook out the evening paper lIed led the Lost and Found column Bran an his finger down the list Jet ex it is He read the advert adver- adver tent t through twice i i ST ST. T. T Monday evening on Fifth l. l nue black satin slipper with S stone buckle Reward if Burned ned at once to J. J Trent 1 lj Madison Avenue Trent rent J. J Trent He heard combination before He turned 1 tame ame me over and over in his mind l It slipped into place Janice IT S Billy Trents Trent's sister Jan her as a leggy child twelve elve lve when he had spent his ollege vacation before the war warlie lie ie Trents' Trents country place She exasperated exasperated her brother and elf by tagging after them on onnig nig expeditions Darn shame that end nd Billy who had meant so soto to one another had drifted He had gone to Trents Trent's office ce upon his arrival in New only to learn that he was out W wn stared unseeingly at the ad- ad Last night at the din- din when he had regretted Billys Billy's nee Hice ce Silsbee the class gossip confided rents rent's a little gob of gloom j days Cant Can't blame him His HisT r T r played the market lost Y ly everything he had and passed His sister Janice is to be marI mariin mar- mar marin I in 1 a week Marrying a multi te s got a way with the ladies Theare There The are re at a prenuptial out blow-out in very hotel now Confidentially heard that Paxton Paxton that's that's the bridegrooms bridegroom's name name- been Jeen en making whoopee in an adf adt ad- ad f nt t city and he has gone to in- in Gosh how do these theses s get away with it hour later in answer to his J ra a trim maid admitted him to Madison Avenue house a slice time Id-time aristocracy sandwiched j been een en time new-time shops He gave errand not his name As he t i ed d. d in the cheerless reception n 11 where pictures leaned deject- deject against the walls walIs where chairs chairse el l e shrouded in ghostly covers furniture was crated he heard murmur of voices in a room bethe bethe be- be the imperative ring of a tele- tele cie Someone answered Harcourt d at his watch impatiently ld J J. J Trent keep him waiting lei 1 she gossiped He couldn't i hearing the tinged frost-tinged voice 1 6 It was unpardonable Jl I shall not see you Dont Don't I te Le fes I have said my last f J J. You would have thought liat at before Good line he e receiver clicked on the hook lid lId that have been a prospective We t e speaking Harcourt wondered voice olce had given him the creeps Jl course ourse there could be two J. J tits rits ts in the City of New York X You ou have my slipper cl curiously regarded the girl on on threshold Little Janice Trent Tren ren up The same boyish croak Yo 5 pier r r voice that he remembered ered i would have thought that the f ular lar ar child would develop into uty H Her He r glinting linting brown hair I waved softly close to her boyish 1 t c jr t rm J f. f i R I. I n. n r p fi J x a av v 1 y G t tr 4 f o f Her fingers seemed to cling to his His hold tightened morning I have been consumed with curiosity to know how it came there A flame of color tinged her face She freed her hands I started to get out of a roadster I had opened the door put one foot out to jump when when- Reckless child Go on when When I I-I I I changed my mind He had the sense as of a door closing closing closing clos clos- ing between them Its wonderful to see you ou I had been told that you were in Alaska Have been for years Im I'm starting starting starting start start- ing back tonight Tonight What a shame that Billy is away You will stay and dine with me wont won't you This house is a mess Weve We've sold it and are clearing it but we still have a cook I have a better suggestion Dine with me unless me-unless-I unless I was told last night that you were about to be mar mar- ried Perhaps you are not free I am free to do as I like The color which the surprise at l his s identity identity iden iden- identity had brought to her face faded Id love to go only let it be some quiet place where we can talk Anywhere you rou say You know your your New York better than I. I I She had selected an hotel up town They talked of her family the loss I of her mother and father of Billy of the enormous growth of the city of the changes in it in the fashion fashion fashion fash fash- ion of plays of books of clothes since he was last in New York As the haired gray-haired waiter set the coffee on the table and withdrew toa toa to toa a discreet distance Harcourt suggested suggested suggested sug sug- We Ve still have time for part of a show I dont don't leave until midnight I would rather sit here and talk Suits me Will Vill you smoke She shook her head Elbow on the table dimpled chin in one hand she drew hieroglyphics on the cloth with a rosy-nailed rosy finger N No o. o My fiance so admires the accomplishment in his friends that I wonder he chose a girl so prewar prewar prewar pre pre- war in her tastes and habits as ns I. I And you have promised to marry a man of whom you can speak so contemptuously In the room beyond a violin swept into the music of Polish Polish Polish Po Po- Po- Po lish Dance with a swing and fire which set Bruce Harcourt's pulses thrumming to its tempo She folded her hands hands he noted in surprise surI sur sur- I prise lightly prise-lightly lightly on the table as she answered his question with another Ever met Ned Paxton No uNo Then UThen you wouldn't understand He has attracted me unbelievably while something deep within me protested protested pro pro- tested You know that you dont don't trust him Moth and candle I suppose He has hurt my heart and my pride yet when he smiled and explained I would dope my intelligence intelli intelli- gence instinct gence-instinct instinct rather rather forgive forgive him and remember his good qualities He has them Old people adore him children like him him but but he doesn't g geton get geton t ton on with dogs Why am I telling you all this I wonder He answered the troubled sweetness sweetness sweetness sweet sweet- ness of her eyes her mouth so proud so unhappy more than her words Because youve you've reached the point where youve you've got to talk You used to tell me everything when we went fishing together Remember I uI remember what a pest I was But lets let's not talk any more about Jan Trent Im I'm fed up with her and her problems How did you happen to go to Alaska Tell me about it It sounds so bracing and crisp and clean Harcourt lighted another cigarette ciga ciga- rette I UI wish that it always conveyed conveyed conveyed con con- that impression Ive I've fought and died trying to get a secretary for our outfit Ill I'll bet Ive I've interviewed interviewed interviewed inter inter- viewed fifty of them short and tall lean and fat The mere name of the country sets an applicants applicant's teeth to chattering I should think there'd be dozens of girls crazy to go Girls What would we do with a girl in our outfit We Ve go hundreds of miles into the interior Ours is no coast cinch Im I'm after a man Are there no women there Of course wonderful women inI in inthe inthe I the cities cultured chic keenly conversant conversant conversant con con- versant with world conditions others others others oth oth- ers on remote farms nuggets of gold if rough ones but not in our business That is not quite true There are three Millicent Hale wife of the chief engineer of the department department department de de- de- de to which Im I'm attached and the Samp sisters Samp What a curious name What do they do Two years ago Mary and Martha Samp appeared at our headquarters on the coast at the mouth of an inlet inlet in inlet in- in let and established a Waffle Valle Shop Can they cook conk Cook Ill I'll ll say they can Themen Themen The Themen men crowd the shop every night They would do anything for those two women who look as though they might have stepped out of the comics comics comics com com- ics of a colored supplement Martha Martha Martha Mar Mar- tha the elder is lean and gaun gaunt with a tight little top-knot top of rusty hair speaks her mind no matter how welcome or unwelcome her conclusions conclusions conclusions con con- conI I m may y be Mary is rou round d I and plump with big innocent blueeyes blueeyes blue blueeyes eyes which seem to be eternally interrogating interrogating in interrogating in- in l life and I e being eternally surprised at the answer Th They y I brought an enormous black cat Blot he he does look like spilled ink when lying on the rug The Eskimos and I Indians who work for us regarded him with the amazement they might have bestowed upon an elephant dont don't quite like him And the chiefs chief's w wife wife wife-Millicent Millicent e you called her She has a double interest in headquarters Her brother Jimmy Chester is third engineer He is devoted devoted devoted de de- de- de voted to her She is a pretty but pathetic little woman She has has has- You needn't describe her Calling Calling Calling Call Call- ing her little woman was as enlightening enlightening enlightening en en- lightening as sticking up a danger sign on thin ice I recognize the type Your description sounds delightfully delightfully delightfully de de- homey Not at all like what I thought life in Alaska would be L Life Life human human e-human human life in Alaska Alaska is is no different from life in other places People are born die marry marry marry mar mar- ry and divorce love and hate the thelast thelast thelast last two a little harder perhaps than when nearer civilization There Ther areas areas are areas as many people there to the hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred with ideas and ideals as anywhere anywhere anywhere any any- where else Tell me more Tell me about the country your work everything She was like an eager child begging begging begging beg beg- ging for another story It will keep my mind off my problems Her problems Paxton of course Impulsively he spoke to the little girl he had known Be a sport Acknowledge that youve you've made a mistake Dont Don't go goon goon goon on with this his marriage Jan I I Her eyes were intent on a slim finger tracing the pattern iIi in the damask cloth Are you suggesting that I back out at the eleventh hour Think of the stacks stacks' of presents I Think of the publicity Forget me Tell me about Alaska With the sensation as of knuckles smartly rapped conscious of deepening deepening deepening deep deep- ening color Harcourt acknowledged My mistake I Alaska is a big sub sub- Begin anywhere Can you get into the northern country at this time of year Will Vill you go by boat or sleds dog-sleds By plane You people in the States dont don't realize that the development development development devel devel- of airways in Alaska is one of the romances of aviation Then you are an aviator as well as an engineer Rather more engineer than aviator aviator aviator avi avi- ator at present I combined the two professions overseas Tonight I go to confer with the Crowned Heads of our department Im I'm due back at camp before the spring break What is that You see my curiosity curiosity curiosity curi curi- is insatiable It isn't all curiosity curiosity curiosity curi curi- she admitted in a voice half hal eager half mysterious TO 70 BL DE CONTINUED |