Show FICTION GHOST ON BROADWAY by ROBERT deblair ea IN TN THINKING ot 0 f it afterward nettle braina Br alnard r d could coul d never get rid 0 of f the feeling that the light actually did change in her empty tea room the telephone on the cashiers cash lerg de desk k rang Although It was nearly noon all of broadway near union S square quare seemed to dim to a queer eerie twilight Is this miss nettle brainard a mans voice inquired yes nettle said into the instrument are you the daughter of bena m aln in brainard Br alnard deceased and nettle sher sharp p yes yes I 1 am i Is mother there ashes busy in the kitchen just how ow shell be busy for or hau half an hour who Is this please this Is thomas sharp your uncle tom nettle gasped uncle tom but but but you are deada the mans laugh had a hollow aund not quite he said but five years ago up home in maine bills we got a registered package nettle insisted her voice shaking slightly it held four our british bonds and his your passport camped tamped d in chinese and russian and a letter from harbin at ened by jerry angus saying that you had the man laughed again now nettle nettie dont be so upset by this I 1 anything may happen in the far east besides I 1 left home years ago before you were born well wel said laid nettle swallowing no now dont say anything to your mother mothe I 1 want lantto to speak to you alone ill be right ov over r he hung up the light seemed to flood back into the deserted tea room heavens alovel nettle caid aid rio aloud ad un uncle c a tom alive I 1 alive after aall wh what ever shall I 1 lever say gay to him why does doe he want to talk to me alone why its like baving a visit from from a ghosal set A cross 0 s the street her mortal enemies the two quick lunch places with their reon neon signs and their bargains in coffee and doughnuts now became friends for once they assured her that she was not in some timeless world of the spirit instead the she was in the bustling world of today where a girl of twenty two who loves a young doctor way back in her home town Is glad to stand by her ailing mother in new york and try to make a tea room pay in a section where there Is no room tor for tea rooms uncle torn nettle nettie said again all al she he c could 0 uld remember of him was that he was a black sheep or something worse her own father berle bena ani n brainard Br alnard never would permit his name to be spoken this was be because c buse over twenty five years ago to tom in sharp nearly had broken off Ile benaman namin brainards engagement to nettles netties mother tom sharp had brought home some ome ruffian named jerry angus and had introduced him to his bis sis els ter nettle at a time when her flance fiance benamin brainard Br alnard was out of town on business nettle sharp then a girl of seventeen had found jerry angus the irresponsible wastrel west more enchanting than her bustnes businesslike nes and absent flance fiance her parents ended that romance but riot not before jerry angus and nettle sharp pledged eternal devotion in a secret meeting arranged by the b black ack sheep tom sharp it was wag a heartbreaking heartbreaking farewell jerry angus and tom sharp left together to hunt gold in alaska and after that adventured in the rat far east young nettle nettie sharp married benaman brainard alnard Br after all and had one child nettle before bena mini min brainard Br alnard died f g S 1 I tom sharp became an occasional rambling letter from i some unknown j tar far eastern place then from liari ilari bin his passport and his legacy hd had c ome come to his sister now tom sharp was alive again and hurrying to see his sister ci daughter just then the front door opened in stepped a bouncy stocky grey gray haired man well weh nettle nettie he said heartily come sit by your uncle tom yes youve got your mothers bright brown eyes he led her to orie ode ot of the yellow tables yes yes my dear no one likes to be visited by a ghosal he roared with laughter it afas as poor jerry angus who played that joke on me lett left me with no passport and no money the crazy fool he glanced toward the kitchen but I 1 waste time me like this I 1 found you by phoning the doctor to in the old home town the same name but the son of the one I 1 used to know how bow time wes he told me about the operation your yo ur mother needs which requires require money he told me more nettle something about himself but that was confident confidential lal 11 nettles heart stopped beating was it some other girl what did d I 1 d he tell y you ou ell she e cr cried I 1 ed never mind but look nettle this cash came from a smuggling gling arms aims in a good cause let it do some good I 1 he laid a brown envelope in nettles netties palm his hand band she noticed was weathered and had on its back a large strawberry birthmark but uncle tom I 1 she protested vow now bowl he got up ot of course you take ten tho thousand usand dollars from just anybody 1 Y 4 V i 71 5 00 W Z f ne lie laid a brown envelope in nettles palm ills hand she noticed had on its back a large strawberry birthmark youve too much pride tor for that I 1 hope but bloods thicker than we wa ter child besides if 11 you and your mother mother mu must t have a tea room this will let you have one back home take the advice of a wanderer nettie marry settle down dont miss love when it comes by he kissed her roughly on the mouth then he was gone leaving nettle nettie feeling that this visit from one mourned as dead simply could bouldi never have happened the kitchen door opened nettles nettle mother came in how can I 1 begin to tell her nettle thought 1 I hear what that man was saying her mother was talking but his voice seemed to be one I 1 had heard as a girl I 1 kept expecting you to call me nettle I 1 wondered if I 1 would know anyone I 1 seen for so long like your uncle tom tern well I 1 suppose I 1 would know him she sat down and picked up a fork As for jerry angus she went on the boy who wanted to marry me years ago I 1 would know him anywhere he had a strawberry birthmark on the back of his left hand sile she cut off a bit of lettuce why are you suddenly looking so BO happy nettle nettie do stop in mooning 0 0 ning dear and bring your moth mother e r her tea |