Show SYNOPSIS ja james m es lambert irie tries in vain to dissuade Us his b beau foster daughter leonora from mai marrying crying don mason young rolling stone ile he tells her unless a house I 1 Is founded upon a rock it fiill not survive leonora suspects the influence ol of her half brother ned always jealous of 0 the girl since ince the day tits his father brought her home from the deathbed of 0 her mother abandoned boned by her italian baritone lover don arrives in the midst of the argument and lamb lambert realizes the rank frank understanding between betge ert n the two sitting up late into the night lambert reviews the whole story ot of nora nor as a child at boarding school studying tu dying music abroad meeting don on the return trip in the morning he delivers his ul ultimatum u maburn to give don a job with ned tor for a years showdown when nora suggests th the e possibility ot of running away with don lambert threatens disinheritance don agrees to the job but before a month Is over Ms his nerves are arc jumpy he cannot sleep at t night he Is too tired to go out much with nora nora soothes him with her music nora hora grows quieter and broods over don complains to her father of neds spying on him and decides that rather than see dons spirit broken she will run away she urges her father to put an end to the futile experiment james lambert is obdurate and angry lambert tells her that if don quits she will quit with him that he will be through with her he adds acids that it if she tires ot of her bargain it will be useless to come to him for help later don and nora discuss the situation don promises to buck up and take life ide more calmly well stick it out he says with the coming of spring don Is full ot of unrest and wanderlust and takes long walks at night one evening a poor girl speaks to him and in Ms his pity for her he gives her money A c car ar passes at that moment flashes headlights and moves on A terrific heat wave ushers in the summer and nora refuses to go to the country with her father CHAPTER IV continued 5 im staying here all as seated leonora ned and his family will be only too glad to keep you company it will save them money that always appeals to ned you know amow and corinne will be spared the bother of opening her own big house something she grumbles about for weeks beforehand or if this plan work out aunt jean would stay with you perhaps me like that better anyway ned junior is getting to be a pest that boy needs some good old fashioned chores if you ask me what do you know about chores chuckled her father then added before the girl could answer you cant stay here child why not the house is always open but suffocate nora and what about don with no place but a i boarding house bedroom or a park bench to spend hot evenings hes enduring a lot for roe me daddy if I 1 cant hang around and drive him out into the country after his works done I 1 im a slacker her father considered this in silence pondering on the miracle of what love lovd does to one he had sometimes thought nora a bit heedless of other people partly because most of her own desires had been gratified so easily yet she was deliberately libera tely contemplating a summer in the city just to make life pleas anter for that young man it was he reflected immensely surprising he said will don let you do it hes not to be consulted of course hell protest when he finds out dad but you know how stubborn I 1 can be 1 I do smiled james ring for a cold drink nora you look apoplectic tic I 1 cant say I 1 like this plan of yours my dear but I 1 suppose you 11 honor us tor for the weekends week ends does that invitation include don it does if I 1 can get you no other way her father confessed with honesty dont you realize daughter that im likely to miss you nora was touched she said gently nice of you dad especially when im driving you almost crazy id kiss you it if it so blazing hot D dont OW ti james protested human contact a day like this would be unbearable yet the truth was he would have welcomed her kiss with pleasure because he felt that they were friends again the knowledge comforted him greatly despite the heat and noras decision about the summer james felt more lighthearted light hearted than he had for weeks even some guarded questions put by ned that night questions as to where don mason spent the evenings he spend with nora tailed failed to disturb him have trouble pinning any damaging conduct on that young man ned lies iles not our sort of course but theres nothing wrong with his morals im sure of that what makes you so sure father partly things hes told me himself things about his life you know and partly from observation did you spend every evening with corinne the year you were engaged ned no but look here broke in the older man have you heard something about don something unsavory ned admitted he and deciding there would be no virtue in worrying his father dropped the subject to james evident relief in fact james lambert went to bed in an uncommonly agreeable frame of mind things seemed to be working out all right the knowledge that don had lined not once but several times with a world famous arctic explorer had made am impression and several people had spoken warmly about the fellow folks liked him apparently and he was doing well enough in the office considering that the work was new nev to him that hed had no training no doubt don would see after a while that a man with a family must settle down yes james went to bed in a peaceful frame of mind not so nora to save don the trip across town by trolley she had driven out and picked him up at his boarding place he was waiting for her on the steps in white trousers and blue coat the correct picture of a handsome young man appropriately attired for a hot evening but one glance told the astute nora that something was wrong she said returning his somewhat patient smile of greeting hop in in don but slip your coat off first no reason for being more uncomfortable than necessary oh may I 1 at his tone nora threw a covert glance in dons direction on edge she decided and answered tactfully of course you may toss it in back you can take off your necktie too for all of me his face softened save for that one wan smile it had been grim before youre a good scout nora ill take advantage of that offer after it gets dark the girl smiled as they started a smile of understanding blent with amusement you were so formally correct oh may 17 IV did you by any aff if all I 1 I 1 ll 11 look here have you beard something about don chance mistake me for emily post dear don really smiled im afraid I 1 dont know what the lady looks like my formality was the result of an ugly dispose disposition tion I 1 suppose you looked so cool and comfortable and sleeveless darling it made me resentful ive been so damnably hot all day will you forgive me one soft hand left the wheel touching his a moment then sh she said briskly remove that tie and un unfasten fasten your collar too don now slump down comfortably and forget your manners who cares for appearances after a day like U this ds once we get far enough from these hot pavements revive dont try to talk if your head has gone on strike just rest im sorry dear don obeyed grateful for silence the healing cool of evening and noras nearness the city was left behind after a while the silence deepened dusk drifted into dark while somewhere high high above them a star was born another and still more until at last myriads of tiny lights spangled the sky don thought if I 1 could get the feeling that im only a part of this immensity that my own small troubles dont really matter 0 or r if my head would sto stop p this confounded throbbing he said after a more miles had slipped away speaking so suddenly that the girl started nora what makes me different from other people she stopped the car and turning faced him in the starlight are the rest of us all cut from the same pattern don not you he answered god in never ever made your double yet even you can accept a way of living that suffocates me teu tell me the truth am I 1 a sort of savage she answered soberly youre just yourself darling I 1 dont want you different oh don dont fret about it any morel do you imagine there arent others who possess the craving to break away escape do something that no one else has done before how far would science advance without your kind my dear it take things more calmly not let yourself get gel tense relax a little quick anger sprang into his blue eyes relax C can an a man relax when ten thousand imps are pounding on his brain if I 1 could sleep for a week look here he broke off contrite all of a sudden ive no business talking to you like this im ashamed ol of myself sometimes I 1 think half the trouble these days being ashamed I 1 used to believe that I 1 amounted to something nora but now I 1 feel so inefficient effi cent perhaps I 1 cant judge things in their true proportion for even a trifling error in my work appears a crimel crime I 1 actually wonder if my morale is slipping I 1 cant help seeing myself as I 1 look to your brother nora and and that hurts A fellow cant go on scorning himself like that and get anywhere can he she answered her low voice very gentle 1 I think you exaggerate your failures don only today father told me that you were doing well lies hes not discouraged with your progress dear but ned makes you nervous and why he ive felt his scorn too don 1 inow know how it hurts for a long time ive suspected that he despises me a little because of my birth neds so conventional he cant help feeling a bit uncomfortable I 1 suppose that anybody born as I 1 was should be his sister there was a silence before don said grimly if I 1 believed that nora I 1 I 1 think id kill him with my bare hands thanks dear but that help matters nora spoke lightly and the tension of the moment broke as she wished it to besides ned has his own good points you know hes devoted to dad unselfishly devoted I 1 am sure and his morals are impeccable there are even moments when hes lovable when I 1 could love him myself if hed let me but you look for understanding in a man of neds type darling it may not be his fault that he sees only one side of life he was probably born that way and nothing has happened since to change him geel gee that breeze delicious perhaps tomorrow will be more bearable im going to take you home this minute don you need sleep more than conversation hows the head now better beloved thanks to your ministrations this was a lie told cheerfully in her behalf but nora her eyes on a spasmodically twitching eyebrow was not deceived CHAPTER V despite a refreshing coolness in the air as they rode toward home the the mercury soared next day promising though the breeze had seemed it came to a discouraged end before don got to sleep and after a few short hours of restless slumber he wakened to a sense of suffocation the only window of h his is small room faced east and alread already Y the sun streaming across his bed felt scorching the day before on seeing a woman walking the hot pavement with a summer fur thrown over her shoulders don had judged her an imbecile now with a glance at his own dark suit hanging neatly across a chair he called himself something 1 even stronger and rising delved into his trunk in search of some long packed linen trousers the work of a native tailor in jamaica batca the fact that they needed pressing was immaterial at least they would be more bearable than serge A glance into the hall showed him that miracle of boarding houses an empty bathroom and after indulging in a shower and donning the minimum of gar garments men ts he left the house unable to contemplate the inevitable dish of sloppy oatmeal that awaited him in the dining room below A roll and glass of milk at the nearest restaurant made life look brighter for a moment and out of sympathy for the waitress wilted even at this early hour dons tip was twice the cost of his simple meal her surprised question this a mistake mister brought a glimpse of the engaging grin that had been absent from his countenance for many days its a feeble attempt to counteract the weather he responded rising blow it in on ice cream sodas afy if you ou survive and the girls spontaneous smile of amazed gratitude stayed with him a while the one bright spot in the hectic subway jam so the day began a day that was to be of vast importance to don to nora and to her father also by ten the sidewalks swarmed with shirt sleeved figures by noon the ambulance gong was sounding with alarming frequency when one of the stenographers collapsed and was sent home in a taxicab don envied the girl he found it well nigh impossible to get down to work to concentrate yet there was an error somewhere which he thought nervously must be located before ned lambert happened in and to make things worse his head had begun its infernal hammering perhaps when the others were out at lunch and things were quieter it would clear up they were gone at last the noisy typewriters were silent and save for the rumble of traffic far be below low the room was still don stood at a window in an effort to fill his lungs with better air but it was too hot to be refreshing and back at his desk again discouragement engulfed him thick and impenetrable as a london fog four months more he could never stick it even for nora he was no good absolutely that wise old man had bad certainly shown him up nora once said that she worth all that these months had cost him well he mused bitterly was she was anything worth this terrible inertia was anything worth taking the joy from life joy don started raised his head as if wakened rudely from a bad dream he was a fool a damn ool fool not to see things clearer what joy would he find anywhere without nora what sacrifice was too great for her he had been right last evening when he said that hi his is morale was slipping why else should he have such thong thoughts ats ho ha must buck up it came to him then with a sense sensa of healing that the opinions of others matter if nora understood and she did bless her loyal heart his girl knew that he a weakling she scorn him because his nerves were jumpy and he sleep she realized the truth if no one else did that nothing in life had fitted him for a job of this sort and that when the damnable year was over and he got away from everything don turned nerves qui quivering vering again and with a gesture meant to appear casual covered his open ledger with the morning paper ned lambert apparently cool obviously unruffled stood on the threshold something about his smug immaculate appearance maddened don though the older man said pleasantly enough have you been to lunch TO BE CONTINUED |