Show II CEO TS THE TIlE STORY THUS FAR Zone Corey a I Is s expected by her employers employer's wife Mrs l Folsome to deliver er thirty Invitations to ro f tea tea tea-In In person She calls cans at her employers employers employer's employers employer's em home borne during durin a rainy evening i and picks up the Invitations She has a 1 date this evening with Paul Duncan her fiance but fears she will be late for It lt Utterly despondent about delivering the Invitations she leans against a telephone pole and cries Suddenly a man appears He lie listens to her story gravely then rips the Invitations from her hand tears them up and tosses them into the trash basket He lie hails balls a taxi and instructs the driver to take her where she directs Pauls Paul's uncle Admiral Duncan calls on Zone Zorie CHAPTER IV he demanded demand demand- What did you say ed oed hoarsely What did you say to McGonigle Did you promise an endowment endowment en en- I dont don't recall just what I said his grandfather answered vaguely But its it's all right It means menns Ill I'll lose my job What of it I have better ideas y a for you On that plantation Paul asked hoarsely He was breathing hard Yes Theres There's a fine opening for you you better better than the one I men men- I dont don't want it Paul cried I t Well youre you're going to take it it- it hm You have just time to pack and nd meet us us at the plane L Look ok at Miss Corey he said smiling benevolently benevolentlY be be- at Zorie Zone as ns if she were the final proof of something all ready Aunt Hannahs Hannah's voice broke in with sleepy irritability Ready for what She came down the stairs holding holding holding hold hold- ing her pink quilted dressing gown about her short plump figure This is my Aunt Hannah Hannah Hannah-Ad- Ad Admiral miral Duncan Zorie Zone murmured Ready for what Aunt Hannah repeated aggressively Good morning Aunt Hannah Paul said in a sardonic voice My ty grandfather has just decided to 10 take Zorie Zone to Hawaii Aunt Hannah stared What for agreed to help me write my memoirs Admiral Duncan anSwered an an- She stared at him then at Zorie Zone How How how long will it take she gasped Paul Its At least a year said a dandy job But what's to become come of me af- af afford afford Aunt Hannah wailed I cant can't ford to run this house without the the the- the assistance that Zorie Zone gives me Rent a smaller house said the admiral coldly Why should I she cried Her nose had become pink as it always did when she was angry Zone Zorie is perfectly happy here She's quite satisfied I I-I I I wont won't let her go Ive I've always sheltered her She's never traveled She's too too too-too too young young too too innocent She's How old is she the admiral curtly interrupted twenty four Paul ans ant an an- t s vered She can legally do as she pleases the admiral said firmly She is coming with us to the Islands Is Is- lands lands lands-hm hm She cannot go Aunt Hannah cried She has obligations She has a very responsible position with the head head head- She resigned it the admiral curtly cut her off You have no right coming in here and interfering in our lives You are Admiral Duncan said testily a meddlesome woman with nothing to say about it Listen to them Zorie Zone marveled Not one of them h L ib considering me or what I want They're pushing me around as if il I were a puck in a I hockey game I Aunt Hannah at this moment uttered uttered ut ut- a small scream She was staring past the admiral at nt the stairs The admiral turned and glanced at the stairs Paul was looking at the stairs Zorie Zone turned and nd looked A man was slowly coming down In his left hand was one of Zories Zorie's suitcases The other was hugged under his right elbow while with his right hand he was balancing on his shoulder her small trunk Zorie Zone swayed She thought for a moment she would faint The man descending the stairs was the pig gig bronzed eyed blue-eyed young man to whom she had talked in the rain He was smiling mysteriously at her with one eyebrow up He looked sinister 1 Put that luggage down I Aunt Hannah ordered Put it in the car the admiral said in the same calm but authoritative tive voice he might have used on the h historic occasion many years previously previously previously pre pre- when he had issued his histOrIC historic historic his his- order When you have the range Lieutenant Horton you may let those torpedoes go The mysterious young man walked leisurely past Aunt Hannah and out of the door Zorie Zone Aunt Hannah bleated Who Zorie Zone asked huskily is that Wed better be moving Admiral Duncan said cheerily We mustn't miss that plane plane plane-hm hm Who Vho Zorie Zone repeated is that Thin lipped Paul answered Lets just call him an evil force in motion That is my bi brother other Steve Sieve Zone Zorie Aunt Hannah whimpered whim whim- You cant can't desert me like this Zorie Zone wondered at that moment if the three kisses she had bestowed on the brow of the iron cast Buddha had anything to do with all ll this When the two stewards had placed her two suitcases and her small trunk in the middle of the stateroom stateroom stateroom state state- room Zorie Zone Corey tipped each a dollar and wondered if it was enough From their smiles and their thanks she assumed that it was Never having traveled she was ignorant ignorant ignorant ig ig- ig- ig about such things She closed the door She took a adeep adeep adeep deep breath and looked about the room which was to be hers alone for four days and five nights It was a cozy room done in ivory and pale green There were twin beds each against a wall There was a dress dress- table ing with triple mirrors She wondered what Mrs Folsome was thinking about the telegram she had sent her from Salt Lake City She had been tempted to send one saying So sorry Going to Ha Ha- Your invitations in corner trash basket The one she had sent said Dreadfully Dreadfully Dreadfully Dread fully sorry In haste of departure lost your tea invitations Please duplicate duplicate duplicate du du- du- du plicate and send me bill And she had sent a telegram to Jimmy saying Your term paper finished In drawer my typewriter table Hope you pass all courses with flying colors Her thoughts drifted to the big bronzed young man she had met in inthe inthe inthe the rain Although she now knew who he was he remained mys mys- His full name was Stephen a e 3 1 Y 1 S r r 1 t r ra a l e t tl l r r r C S' S 1 t t j. j v vt t t o L She said coolly What Vb a t are you doing doing doing do do- ing here Decatur Duncan and he was Paul had told her in the plane in dis dis- dis- dis grace Steve had been living in Germany His political sympathies sympathies sympathies thies were very pro He had hada a rascally reputation Steve was being taken back to Uluwehi by his grandfather who Paul said was disgusted with him Steve is in the doghouse Paul had explained and the less said the better She slipped into sod sodden en sleep A series of hangings aroused her Three men were in hi the stateroom and they were depositing luggage on the floor beside hers It was beautiful luggage of all shapes and sizes but all of a pattern a soft faun color with bright red blue bands about it and all stamped in ingold ingold ingold gold with the initials AL Zorie Zone sat up and gazed at it it There were at least ten pieces of this handsome luggage Then a girl came sailing into the room room room-a a girl of about Zories Zorie's age and size and she was slim dark and beautiful She had brown eyes and a dusky lovely skin She looked as if she might be Spanish or French She hardly glanced at Zorie Zone She said coolly What are you ou doing in inhere inhere inhere here She had the kind of accent that you associate with sophisticated people who have lived a n great deal abroad not abroad not English or French or German or Italian or Russian but blending of them allI all I I 11 I thought this was my room Zorie Zone answered meekly The girl glanced at nt Zorie Zone again then stared Her eyes seemed to grow huge Her lovely color faded Who Vho are you she gasped My name is Zorie Zone Corey Where are you from Confused by her sharpness Zorie Zone old her x The rhe girl stared at her a few sec- sec longer then her color im im- proved She laughed and said Well see about this I 1 paid for exclusive occupancy of this room and I intend to have it She was once again sharp and vigorous and sure She was the kind pf of girl Zorie Zone thought enviously whom people dont don't push around The girl sat down on the unoccupied unoccupied unoccupied pied bed and snatched up the tele tele- phone She asked sharply for the purser When she got him she said vigorously This is Amber La Lanning ning Stateroom Theres There's someone else in here I paid for or exclusive occupancy occupancy occupancy pancy of this cabin and I insist on having it I was supposed to have exclusive exclusive sive occupancy too Zorie Zone said meekly Amber Lanning glanced at her with raised eyebrows She said vigorously vigorously vigorously vig vig- The person who's in here says she also paid for exclusive occupancy occupancy occupancy oc oc- oc- oc What Well Vell do something something something some some- thing about it I cant can't travel with another person I refuse What For some time Miss Lanning listened listened listened lis lis- with a n bored expression to the th explanation from the purs pursers purser's rs r's d de d- She hung up the phone with violence violence violence vio vio- lence jumped up and said with gestures gestures gestures tures It isn't even a He says they're packed He says the government demands so many cabins cabins cabins cab cab- ins every voyage for defense workers work work- ers and navy wives and such and that were we're lucky to have accommodations accommodations at all He says hell he'll try to todo todo todo do something about it Vell Well hed he'd better She tipped the three waiting stew stew- ards She glanced at Zories Zorie's worn old suitcases and her battered old trunk It was the size and shape of ofa a modern field trunk or foot locker Zories Zorie's father had used it on camping camping camping camp camp- ing trips and it looked it Are these yours Miss Lanning asked uy yes Y yes said Zorie Zone If there had been any other place to go she would have gone But there were no other places Zorie Zone sat on her bed while the skinned dark-skinned girl briskly unpacked her bags and hung things up She hung up dresses and skirts and gowns and nightgowns and lounging pajamas and coats and other things in both closets until both were full Then she went about hanging things on hangers about the room until there wasn't a hook left Zorie Zone was sure she was hanging up a great many of these things needlessly that she would not have havea a chance to wear a fraction of this wardrobe on the trip The telephone rang Amber fairly leaped across the room to answer it Yes she cried on an ascending ascending ascend ascend- ing soprano scale Who Wait a minute She glanced resentfully at Zorie Zone Its for you Zorie Zone tremblingly took the phone She was relieved and happy at the interruption Now Miss Lanning could shower or dress or ordo do whatever whatever whatever what what- ever she wanted without the feeling that every movement she made was being watched Yes Zone Zorie said meekly Hullo honey It was Paul He sounded in much better spirits than when she had last seen him and she hoped he had had a couple of drinks although Paul disapproved of drink drink- ing mg Make yourself beautiful Paul said and come and join us in the admirals admiral's suite for cocktails and din din- ner Well We'll dance afterward Were We're dressing Will you Of course Zorie Zone said meekly Its number Twenty-seven Twenty on B Deck Paul said snide Make it snappy snappy snappy snap snap- py darling will you Yes said Zorie Zone When she turned from the phone she saw that Amber Lanning had hadnot hadnot hadnot not taken advantage of her privacy at all She was wandering about the room Zorie Zone was she realized caught in another trap set by her meekness She did not have the courage to go about the relatively simple job of undressing showering and dressing because this girl with her simple egotism her unquestioning self as had her buffaloed Zone Zorie glanced at her wrist It was almost six Ten minutes must have gone by while she sat there unable to move frozen by whatever the word is for the exact opposite of confidence sureness and courage The bed on which she sat was shaking gently but this was not entirely due to the state of her I nerves Even as she wondered about it the stateroom tilted ever everso everso everso so little and she realized that while she was sleeping the Samoa must have left its pier and that when Miss Lanning looked out of the porthole porthole porthole port port- hole and made her ecstatic remarks the last of San Francisco was to be seen and that they were now at sea Miss Lanning leisurely took from hangers and drawers the things she might or might not be intending to wear this evening The telephone rang again and she answered it Yes Uncle Win she cried Yes dear But of course darling darling dar dar- ling lingl She seemed very excited She spoke rapidly in Spanish Then No Im I'm sure She's just a nice sweet little American girl All AU right Ill I'll see you in about forty minutes Zorie Zone glanced again agnin at her watch Forty minutes The time was now G 28 More than half an hour since Paul had phoned But she could not move She was chained to her bed by her meekness Zorie Zone started to get off oft the bed bcd then relaxed again There was very little she could do or do-or or would do do- do until her roommate was gone So she waited and perspired and fumed Miss Lanning took a n long shower It took her forever to dry herself She came out of the bathroom bathroom bath bath- room all pink and glowing and sat down at the dressing table TO BE CONTINUED |