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Show TRAILER GIRL By VERA BROWN uS. THE STORY THUS FAR Lynn Morrow, beautiful blonde Now York ls strandod In Palm Bench In her bathing suit with only 50 cenls when her employer, Mrs. Helen Warren, disappears dis-appears with car and trailer from a camp where she, Buddy, her son, and Lynn had been livlnn. A note from Mrs. Warren advises Lynn to cnll at her New York attorney's oflicc for her clothes and wae.es. She Is rescued by Terry McNair, whom she met at the beach. "There is nothing to say. You wouldn't understand. I have just 50 cents. Take me some place where I can stay tonight for that." The man bent down, tried to see her face in the moonlight. Then he laughed lightly, put the car in gear and they roared down the road again. Finally he swung up the drive and turned in at a house which she judged to be not far from Terry's home. Suddenly Lynn felt an hysterical desire to laugh. It was all too absurd ab-surd and fantastic. The man led the way through into a sun parlor all done in white and gold. It faced the ocean and Lynn walked over toward to-ward the windows. Behind her the man was standing beside a glass-topped table lighting a cigarette. "Well?" His voice broke into Lynn's turbulent thoughts. Lynn turned toward him then. She stood there, her frock rumpled, her eyes blazing. Then as the ignominy of her position swept over her she covered her face with her hands. "Quite a charming picture, my dear." The man laughed. "There is no need for me to introduce myself. You know who I am, of course." Lynn did not answer him. "As you well know, 1 am Raymond Carver Austin. Now I hope you're satisfied. You're here, in my house, the home of a most eligible bachelor in Palm Beach." Then he added by way of warning: "But a most canny one. I'm not to be caught so simply, Miss " He rived the doorman took Terry's car. The place was crowded, but an attendant at-tendant found a place beside a big roulette table for Terry and Lynn. "What shall I play, Lynn?" he kept asking. And he was winning. "How old are you, Lynn?" "Eighteen." Terry started playing eighteen, continuously. He won. The tension grew. Lynn felt she must get away. She slipped back of Terry as he bent over the table to watch the ball drop into No. 18 again. From the shout that rose as she left the gambling room she knew he was again a winner. win-ner. The night air was cool and soothing sooth-ing on her hot forehead. But she was there on the terrace only a few seconds when an attendant found her, told her Mr. McNair wanted her at the table. Terry was wild when she came back to him. "Haven't you any sense? We'll break the bank if you stay here. I lost that last turn!" His eyes were bloodshot. Suddenly he grabbed her, tore off the pale green satin sash on her frock. Quickly he knotted it about her wrist, ordered the attendant attend-ant to tie the other end to his left arm. "You won't get away again!" It seemed hours to Lynn that she was there, tied to Terry. Number 18 fell again. Terry was mad with his success. He was not conscious of Lynn now. Suddenly from nowhere a swirl of red silk came dashing to the table where Terry was playing, fought CHATTER I Continued 2 "Don't know?" Lynn did not answer. an-swer. She began to sob, great shaking, shak-ing, silent sobs of desperation. Terry took hold of Lynn's shoulders and pushed her across to the road and into his car. Then he got in beside be-side her, and, seeing the note in her hand, he took it and read it in the light of the instrument board. "She's got a ritzy attorney " he remarked as he looked at the card. Lynn continued to sob. Terry, without with-out speaking, drove down the road for half a mile and stopped. "I wanted to get away from old 'Prying Eyes,' " he explained, for Alexander had come to the door of his office. "Have you any money?" "Fifty cents," Lynn managed to blurt out. "That's a big help. What about clothes?" Lynn could not answer, for she was bent double, her head on her knees as she cried. Lynn was shaking with cold and nervousness. Terry got out and unlocked the rear deck of his car and pulled out a topcoat. He came sj W ml i IftMJ back, threw it over Lynn's knees and settled back into the car. "Now we'll have to talk things over," he said, lighting a cigarette, and slumped into a more comfortable comforta-ble position. "Here's the problem. You're stranded and broke. We'll get you a job tomorrow. All right That's settled. But what about your clothes? You can't go hunting jobs in a white bathing suit." Then he turned the key of his car, started it, and they rolled way up the road. Terry drove at a fast clip now, straight back toward the bridge. "Where are we going?" "To my house. My sister's about your size. You should be able to wear her things. She has too many anyway." "I couldn't." "Can you suggest anything else? We can't buy any tonight. The shops are closed." Lynn could not help him. She huddled hud-dled there under his topcoat, sobbing sob-bing intermittently. The butler met Terry at the door. "Is Miss Helen home, Morton?" "She's dining at the club, Mr. Terry." paused, realizing he did not know her name. "Morrow," Lynn finally supplied. "Lynn Morrow." "Well, Miss Morrow, you managed man-aged things beautifully to intrigue my interest, but I've been tricked before by young women much cleverer clev-erer than you." "I don't know what you mean?" "You still persist in playing this little game?" Lynn was too confused to answer, but she was furious at him, at herself, her-self, at the world. "You're welcome to remain here tonight if you wish." Lynn lifted her face and he saw her remarkable gold-flecked eyes in her tanned face. She was a beautiful beauti-ful girl, certainly. He continued without altering his tone: "You'll be quite comfortable." He paused to be sure his next words would have their full effect "Your little plan has failed. My mother is here with me. She came this afternoon. We are quite properly prop-erly chaperoned, Miss Morrow." Lynn stared at him uncompre-hendingly. uncompre-hendingly. "Florida is full of women like yourself. What should really happen hap-pen to you is that your mother ought to take you home and give you a good spanking. If girls like you would try to earn your livings honestly, hon-estly, there would be no shyster lawyers law-yers and not so much work for the courts. "Now I'll call somebody and see you are" sent to your quarters. I hope you'll find them comfortable anything before you go, anything to drink? To eat?" Lynn stepped forward, her blonde head silver in the soft light. She could not believe what she had heard. The whole thing was so incredible. in-credible. Lynn's hands were clenched, but she tried to keep control con-trol of her voice. "I think you are the most conceited, con-ceited, most smug, stupid person I have ever met. "I don't know who you are, and I don't give a darn. I never saw you before in my life, and I hope honestly hon-estly I never do again. I I " Her voice broke. "Bravo! Miss Morrow. You're excellent. ex-cellent. Too bad all this is wasted on me. I'm a woman-hater, you see. I'm suspicious of all of you. I have had reason to be." He laughed a little. lit-tle. Lynn opened Helen McNair's expensive ex-pensive evening bag, and took out the 50-cent piece. "There is no need for me to introduce in-troduce myself. You know who I am, of course." her way through the crowd to McNair's Mc-Nair's side. "Terry McNair, you're drunk!" Then her eyes fell on Lynn, swept her from head to foot "And you've dressed up another 'pick-up' in my clothes." There was a resounding smack as Helen McNair slapped her brother's face. Suddenly everything was confusion. con-fusion. People came running, they pushed and exclaimed. Lynn, crimson with embarrassment, embarrass-ment, grabbed the arm of an attendant. at-tendant. "Cut this!" she demanded holding up her bruised wrist. He snipped the silk band quickly, for Terry was now fully occupied with the furious Helen. They were having a violent quarrel quar-rel with the whole room as delighted de-lighted spectators. The customers loved it. The McNairs were at it again. Lynn escaped unnoticed to the terrace, ter-race, paused for a moment to see which course to take in her flight. "Well done, my dear. This way," said a masculine voice. It was a dark young man with an annoying 'smile. He took her arm and hurried her down through the wardens until thev came out by a "Good. How soon can we have dinner, we're starving?" "When you're ready, Mr. Terry," the butler said. "Then make it in half an hour. And take Miss Morrow up to Miss Helen's room and have Ruth dig up some clothes." Half an hour later Lynn came slowly down the stairway to meet Terry. When she walked across the flagged patio Terry set down his glass and came forward to meet her. "You're simply gorgeous." Terry's Ter-ry's voice was full of wonder. "I knew it, but I didn't realize " his voice trailed off as he looked at Lynn. "Congratulations," Terry raised his glass, then he set it down. "You're lovely, all right." Terry came over and bent suddenly and kissed her lips lightly. Startled, Lynn sat up straight. "Don't get alarmed. That's just a tribute to your beauty. Yes, a McNair Mc-Nair never makes a mistake, Lynn. Remember that. I picked a winner this time." He chuckled and poured himself another drink. It was not until dinner was finished fin-ished and they rose to have coffee on the terrace to watch the rising moon that Lynn realized Terry seemed a little unsteady on his feet. path at the front doorway. "My car's down here." In a few seconds they were driving driv-ing away in the moonlight, Lynn and another strange young man. Lynn began crying. "I'll drive you home." "Oh! Oh!" Lynn sat there limp beside him and did not answer. "Where do you live?" As Lynn remained silent he slowed the car down. "Just tell me where you live, young woman " "I don't live anywhere " Lynn managed to blurt out CHAPTER n The man driving brought the car to a sudden halt there on the boulevard. boule-vard. He turned toward the girl and his voice had a note of irony in it as he spoke: "Come, come, my child. Don't let's get whimsical. You're not deal-ing deal-ing with a college boy now. You've had a little experience with 'pickups' 'pick-ups' tonight. ' It should teach you something. Where shall I drop you?" Lynn gasped. A sudden fury took possession of her. How she hated this supercilious stuffed shirt beside her. It seemed too useless even to attempt an explanation. He had drunk his way determinedly through the dinner. The next hour was difficult. Terry insisted on her dancing with him, and he held her so closely she struggled strug-gled to get away. Finally, when Terry suggested they go to the Beach Club, Lynn jumped at the idea just to get him away from that moonlit terrace. Terry sent for a light silk wrap for Lynn, and she carried one of Helen's Hel-en's small white evening bags, with her lone 50 cents in it. "Let me drive," Lynn begged as they walked to Terry's car. "Can you?" "That's my one accomplishment. We learn that in Vermont" She took the keys. Lynn sent the long car down the driveway with an expert hand and she thrilled to the touch of such a splendid bit of mechanism. "I feel lucky tonight, and I am. We'll break the bank and you'll be worth thousands by midnight," Terry Ter-ry cried as he put his arm around her. Then he promptly went to sleep on Lynn's shoulder, and she drove on in the moonlight for a long time, up and down the ocean drive. Finally Terry roused, directed her to the Beach Club, which was only five minutes away. When they ar- "This is all tne money i nave in the world. I stay here because I cannot help myself. That's all." Austin, still srfiiling unbelievingly, bowed. After she left, Austin stood for a long time at the windows looking out into the beautiful Florida night. Then he shrugged, stamped out his cigarette and went to join his mother, moth-er, to tell her of the amusing incident. inci-dent. Lynn, in the meantime, stood in the middle of the beautiful green bedroom to which the maid had led her. Tears filled the girl's eyes. She turned to the woman appeal-ingly. appeal-ingly. "Will you help me?" "Certainly, mademoiselle." "No, I mean really help me. I'm in trouble. I can't stay here." "Why not, mademoiselle?" The maid's voice tried to be sooihing. "There is no reason why you shouldn't. This happens often. You are perfectly safe here, though." The maid hesitated. "You see, the women just won't let Mr. Wild alone, mademoiselle." "Mr. Wild?" "That's what they call Mr. Austin." Aus-tin." "Oh." (TO BE CONTINUED) |