Show 3 X NJ J SYNOPSIS james la lambert bert tries in vain to dissuade Ms ls beautiful foster daughter leonora from marrying don mason young frilling fr rolling stone atone he tells her unless a house la is founded upon a rock it will not survive leonora leonor suspects the influence of her ball bait brother ned always jealous of the girl since the day his father brought her h home ome from the deathbed of 0 her mother aban doald by her italian baritone lover don arrives in the midst of the argument and lambert realizes the frank understanding between the two sitting up late into the night lambert reviews the whole story of nora as a child at boarding school studying music abroad meeting don on the return trip in the morning he delivers his ultimatum to give don a job with ned for a years showdown when nora suggests the possibility of running away with don lambert threatens disinheritance don 11 grees agrees to the job but before a month Is ver over his nerves arc jumpy he cr cannot sleep beep at night he be Is too tired to go out much with th nora nora soothes him with her music nora grows grow quieter and broods over don complains 0 to o 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 it don quits she will min quit with him that he will be through with ith her he adds that it if she tires ol of her bargain it will be useless to come to him lor for help later don and nora discuss the situation don promises to buck up and take life alf more calmly well stick it out he sai s with the coming of spring don Is full of arrest and wanderlust and takes long ions walks alks at night one evening a poor girl speaks to him and in his pity tor for her he gives her money A car passes at that moment flashes headlights and moves on A terrific heat wave ushers in the summer r and nora refuses to go to the country with her father ned meanwhile mean hile insinuates to his father about dons evenings away from nora but lambert refuses to listen meanwhile don broods over the undermining of his morale CHAPTER V continued G don answered a curious dryness in his throat too hot to go out not to mention eating ill say it is we had ours sent in but were likely to get it hotter come july father says moving to the country on monday you cant work without food mason better skip out and get a bite I 1 A his voice trailed off as he came nearer now pausing beside the desk he lifted the newspaper and stared down a while utterly unconscious of dons tense attitude with maddening accuracy his lean white finger found the elusive error youve made a mistake there mason he might have been correcting some small boy that six should have been a sixty see he sauntered idly to the window gazing down at the mass of sweltering humanity below while don suppressed a murderous impulse to throw him out but ned had turned again was speaking see here don theres something I 1 feel I 1 ought to say to you the young man braced himself if its about my work I 1 can save you the trouble he replied brusquely 1 I know im a dumbbell at this sort of thing always will be suppose you keep those comments for a day when the mer burys somewhere below one hundred there are limits you know to what even a cog in this machine can endure without exploding and for your sisters sake I 1 prefer to keep my temper ned sat down slowly on the window ledge he speak for a moment and regarding him closely don wondered how many times that morning the man had changed his collar the thought made him conscious of his own much wrinkled linen trousers and he slid his long legs under the desk to hide them you happen to be on the wrong track ned replied my comments have nothing whatever to do with your work here you do as well as most beginners I 1 suppose what I 1 refer to is a different matter altogether ive no desire to meddle with your private life mason get that straight but father tells me that nora sends you home earl early Y and twice ive caught you nodding by three it stands to reason that a man who gets to bed before midnight ought to be able to keep awake through the next day I 1 can only surmise 0 wen well don prodded ominous quiet io in his voice 1 I can only surmise repeated ned that well to speak plainly that you dont go home after you leave nora 1 I see said don he was desperately pera tely angry but making a brave attempt to hold his temper may I 1 ask where your active imagination sees me passing the night hours ned flushed looking hot thought don for the first time that stifling day though he answered calmly 4 sarcasm wont help mason because as it happens ive got the goods 0 on ayou you do you understand most certainly I 1 do hotl make yourself clear please ill ill be only too glad to ned spoke briskly as if concluding some successful business deal 1 I dont like beating about the bush myself and you can cant t deny that you were with another girl late friday evening because I 1 saw you the hell you dial dons eyes were blazing while seven thousand imps seemed to be pound pounding ing the top of his head with tiny hammers where he was asking himself frantically had he been on friday of course there was no girl but he must produce an alibi and he seem to think noras oras br brother t e was S accusing sing him oi of being untrue to her it was beastly horrible and then he heard ned say a triumphant ring in his usually level voice you dont deny it then perhaps a admit d rn it what corinne suspected at the time you were giving her money eylo i to the mans complete surprise instant relief sprang into dons harrasser harr assed face money that girl on the bridge of course the kid he had talked wiehl those blinding headlights that had lingered on him so ned lambert and his wife had been behind them goehl what a situation 1 perhaps under the circumstances cum stances it so strange the thing thought about him he said almost laughing in relief yes I 1 gave her money she set me back a whole months board poor kid you see he told the story eagerly excitedly cit edly he told it well it had seemed a colorful experience a bit out of the heart of life to don he did not realize how it would seem to ned until at its close the man said dryly and you really expect to put that over on me mason don stared at him amazement in his eyes put it over on you do do you mean to imply anger was surging through him hot waves of anger never had don felt anything just like them he arose slowly his dazed head pounding did noras brother actually doubt his word it was unthinkable sc ne hideous mistake he grippedo gripp gripped edl a chair his nervous fingers tense as ned who had also risen risen answered 1 I imply nothing I 1 have no use for implications in such a e 4 eli tl 4 V e ij at ra W 14 ill ned lambert never finished that sentence matter but for you to expect me to believe that any man in his senses sees a girl for the first time the first time mind you and because she tells him a flimsy sob story hands over his whole roll well it simply wont go down young fellow A yarn like that hold water people dont meet by chance on bridges and confide their life histories to each other not in this age and decent girls dont accept money from complete strangers anyhow I 1 hate to say this mason but after all noras my sister and if youve been double crossin crossing g her running around till morning with some cheap jane who fit t to 0 ned lambert never finished that sen sentence tence something as hard as it was unexpected came in contact with his jaw and he went down when cherf furiously he regained his feet a moment later a white faced don exploded will you take that back damned if I 1 will you lazy take carel care warned don or get the mate to itt it he reached for his hat set it firmly upon his head well im through here now ive that to thank you for he moved toward the door then turned forcing himself to say look here lambert for noras sake I 1 apologize for hitting you though hough id probably d do 0 it again under the same provocation but do well to remember that im not a liar and if youre unaware that your sisters the sort a fellow double cross I 1 advise you to make her acquaintance and I 1 advise you ned thundered his hand nursing an aching jaw to take the first train out of town I 1 nothing said don with a calm ironic little bow that enraged his adversary would give me gre greater ter pleasure good afternoon A sen sense se of joyous release possessed don mason as he closed the door of that hated office behind him in tact fact he stormed down three flights of stairs before realia ing that he was six stories above ground and paused use to awa await an llevat elevator but as he st stood there watching for a red signal all his elation in the combat vanished suddenly leaving an almost physical nausea in its wake for in those first ecstatic moments he had forgotten nora now at thought of her his own small triumph was completely lost in the knowledge that it would make things harder for her make them indeed well nigh unbearable what had he brought her anyway he asked himself save trouble and problems berha perhaps ps the kindest thing that he could do was to obey her brothers furious command and go away half dazed don went out into the midday mid day sunlight which beat down pitilessly on his throbbing head yes he would go away leave nora to the life of ease and luxury that should be her portion but his fighting spirit rising damned if hed go before shed heard his version of this mornings trouble and there was no time to lose already ned and his father might be on their way to her but he could telephone prepare the girl for what was coming and it hurt less to say goodby good by if he did not see her hot and breathless though the small booth was don closed the door no one save nora must hear what he had to say if she were out but no that was her own hello io 1 coming across the wire he said making the words as light as possible that you nora I 1 had to call to tell you some bad news A half hour back I 1 lost my temper knocked down your estimable brother so so im on my way there ere was a silence then your your way where don anywhere out of this cursed city he answered his voice gruff because the consternation in her own had made him a little sick your fathers right nora im no good why im leaving lea ving not because his royal highness ordered me out of town remember that but what possessed you to do such a thing don her voice was steadier now which gave him courage why I 1 called you nora he said quietly 1 I wanted my side of the story to reach you first I 1 I 1 tried my damnedest darn edest to be fair dear he saw me talking to that girl I 1 told you of the kid I 1 gave the money to you know soon as I 1 realized what he was driving at I 1 told him the whole story but well he believe it nora all I 1 think dons voice was crisp hard brittle recalling the insult hot rage ran over him like little flames said nora breathlessly you dont mean you cant mean don that ned called you a liar not in so many vv words perhaps but what he said amounted to the same ne thing oh he had it coming to him nora im not even sorry except for your sake hes got the idea firmly planted in his head that after I 1 say goodnight good night to you I 1 well fill in the story for yourself its not pretty but it require a great deal of imagination ima vina oh don he he have meant that he did my dear I 1 want you to know that I 1 had provocation I 1 apologized afterwards if that matters but of course this puts an end to everything there followed a pause a noticeable pause before he heard her say meaning me don he answered forcing his voice to steadiness im afraid so I 1 cant let you quarrel with your father for my sake nora it take two 0 to make a quarrel iu arrel don on not with a man like him besides besides what dear only what ive said before I 1 guess hes right about me nora hes shown me up in my t true rue colors ill never be that imp important octant member of so society biety a good provider im just a washout wash out and in the end be better off if you let me go the girl said after a moment in which something told her lover that she was fighting tears Is that what you want don are you so so weary of everything that I 1 seem a burden this was too much don simply bear it oh nora he said gently nora my dear it was the heartbreak in his voice that decided leonora she said drawing a quick breath listen don its all right central I 1 know were talking over time listen 1 dear 1 have you had lunch yet 11 practical question brought him a little smile as one smiles sometimes in the face of tragedy not yet forgot completely its not every day I 1 knock a fellow down noral nora and its so hot my head Is it still bad its fierce nora well get some bread and milk don you need it this call will set you back a whole weeks pay darling then go to your room and pack ill be outside there in a taxi as soon as possible if im late wait for me ive got to see you promise wait don what else could he do As for nora she hung up the receiver and sat quite still for a time thinking it seemed incredible that after all dons patience and forbearance this was the endl end another tragedy for her father how could she bear it happiness tarnished shed by regrets for herself and don yet there was no other way could be no other way for them now ow james would believe ned neds S vers version on of the encounter he would be angry past all forgiving nora knew anything she might say it tc him would be quite futile useless A scene would only hurt them both but could she do the easy thing leave him as her mother had done so many years ago with merely a letter of farewell being nora re mem bering the refuge his arms had been to a frightened child who had watched with death she could not her father deserved better than that though he would be unyielding nora knew how unyielding he would be she arose at last going up the wide staircase slowly almost reluctantly luct antly somehow this home had never seemed so dear to her nor so desirable passing her fathers room she paused a moment recalling the many times a little girl waking to bad dreams had scampered into his big bed for comfort and now she must leave him hurt him cruelly would he understand some day forgive her nora packed slipped into the cool dark dress that would be her wedding gown forgot her fathers picture the one taken specially for her when she went to college opened her suitcase and placed khz the photograph where it would not be broken A queer hard lump rose in her throat it hurt her she worked fast fast so that she would not weep and when all was done stood at the door a while letting her eyes dwell lovingly on every detail of the room her own first room TO BE CONTINUED |