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Show W immmm " - i fey OCTAVUS ROY COHEN tt: . l0K SYNOPSIS Si(!-Inette Peyton, senior at itjtuthern university of Mar--esents Paterson Thayer's ons to Ivy Welch, seven-Vclwar-old coed, and there Is iu, ny scene, ending with blt-'criminations, blt-'criminations, the tension s c-lncreaned by Max Vernon, !ater student, long Thayer's ivjf reproaching Ivy for , ing a date" with him. asi and Vernon threaten ''ilk.ther. Lit , I Ivy's nobody's fpol. She can take care of herself." Tony bit her lip. She spoke in a hard little voice. "You refuse to worry about it, Larry ?" "Sure, I do. Even my sister has got to cut her eyeteeth some time, and so " The color drained from the girl's cheeks. "I'm afraid, then," she said in a hard little voice, "that I've got to tell you more than I intended." She hesitated, but only for a sec-and. sec-and. Then, without looking at her companion, she told of the scene In the Bower of Pat Thayer and Ivy Welch, of her intrusion and of the bitterness which had followed Larry listened attentively, reserving reserv-ing comment. He was more concerned con-cerned about Tony than about his sister. "You're worried about Ivy?" he asked, when she had finished. "Yes." "Because Pat Thayer doesn't seem to be the right sort of fel-i fel-i low?" The girl took his hand In both of hers and gazed straight into nis eyes. "I'm married to Pat," she said quietly, and her cheeks were crim son ; "but I've never been his wife." He drew in his breath sharply. "You you mean, Tony " "Just that, Larry. There has never been anything between Pat and myself except a ceremony." A great load lifted crom the heart of the young man. He dared a question. "Do you love him?" Her eyes widened. "I despise him." And young Mr. Welch threw back his head and smiled. "Gosh!" he said. "That makes me happy. When yon told me he was your husband I felt sick all over Now It doesn't seem important. Not a bit Oh ! I know I'm silly, but it seems as though everything can be adjusted If It's true that you hate him." "It's true all right enough." Then she lowered her voice. "Can't, you understand now why I worried for Ivy when I saw her in his arms? Don't you see how different it Is? I happened to know that Pat Thayer Thay-er Is legally married. That being the case, it isn't exactly fair to Ivy to permit the thing to continue, ts it?" "Scarcely." A new and square set came to his jaw. "I'll have to fix things. ... I sure will." He was silent for a moment, then seated himself again. "Sit down, Tony." She was glad enough to obey. She was glad he took her hand and spoke in a gentle, understanding voice. "Can you tell me all about it. Tony?" She nodded. "When did it happen?" She answered without turning. "Last year November, 1927." "Where?" "Nashville. When the team wept up to play Vanderbilt." "I see. . . . You hadn't known Thayer very long then." "No. He had only been in college col-lege two months. The whole cam pus was wild about him. I was a year and a half younger than 1 am now. From the day he arrived at Marland the girls were all crazy about him. He seemed to have singled me out for his particular attention at-tention " "I remember," said Larry grimly. "I sure do !" "I was flattered. I ran around with him a good deal. He took me She looked at him. There was no sign of color in her cheeks. "I will tell you something 1 have never said before, Larry. I love you. ... No !" as he impulsively impulsive-ly stepped close to her. "Don't touch me please ! Not now. I'm not finished." "But you do love me . . .?" "Yes. I wonder that you haven't known it. I wonder that you haven't seen it in every look and word that has passed between us. You have; haven't you?" "1 have "hoped," he said humbly. "But when one cares for a girl as 1 do for you, dear. . . . Is is it because you do care, Tony, that you've worried about Ivy?" "Yes. And It's more than that." She made a helpless little gesture. "You see. Larry I had hoped, to get you to put a stop to the affair without forcing me to say what 1 have to. There is something I didn't want to tell you " "Don't you tell me a thing you don't want, Tony." A wistful little smile played fitfully fit-fully about her lips. "This time 1 have to. Perhaps ' I'm glad. ... I guess I've sounded sound-ed rather ridiculous and catty. I . shouldn't wonder "but that you're somewhat disgusted with me." He laughed shakily. "I'm only thinking of one thing . . . what you just told me." "I'm thinking of that, too, Larry. 1 haven't thought about anything else for a long time." She stopped talking. Her hands were tightly clasped. Then she stepped very close and looked lev-elly lev-elly into his eyes. "You've known for a long time that 1 loved you, Larry. I know I've never said it in so many words but you've known it just the same. Have you ever wondered, dear, why loving you I would never consent to marry you?" He shook his head slowly. "I've never dared wonder that far, Tony. I've been too busy I wondering and wondering about whether you cared." "I do care. You know It now. And yet, saying that I tell you in the same breath that I can't marry yon. Now do you wonder why?" "Yes," he answered quietly. "I do." For a long time she did not speak. She felt like a woman about to plunge from a great height. Then she told him with a rush of words whlch hurt and which required sheer physical courage. "Larry," she said steadily, "the ttle-'PTER II Continued -you a class this hour, Lar-An; Lar-An; :ep; n "ce can we talk?" 11 Nobody's likely to bother i to l classroom on such a day 't r He took her chin in his lutial turned her head this way lissh regarding her quizzically. e misery?" .ook her head and seated :i inh one of the benches, liedaxt to me, Larry. I want ourtyou close when 1 talk Ifooi the necessity of looking Aat you." s tw: suffering tomatoes I I auriE d that one pulled before." s'itti:rjnus mean I want to -itisly." 'noreiuh I Tony this is no day tlle icholy. Forget what's eat-lndeind eat-lndeind let's thresh it out to- ln :Vhat say? Let's grab my 1e -'d take the air for an hour. meiws no healthy person has 1,113 to stay Indoors on this Calk: (.iy !Ssed his hand. "Trying to ry 'iut of It, aren't you, Larry? yearjtl But It's no go. We're :1 su?.a) timtled himself beside her. 3es,:n ready. But there's noth that!! world to Justify such se-elpfi.. se-elpfi.. lere Is. Plenty." ce me. If it's anything ar job they've offered me quin :atyo't, Larry. It Isn't about re nr , iunti . He glanced at wiiafc corners of his eyes i premonition of trouble. 't the Tony he knew. Usu Sfliliad i laugh on her lips; jUil with quick repartee . . . p , ) look upon life with a wjjlut now the cameo face lomac1 "nes which bordered on ourb? Larry received the lm-ichkthat lm-ichkthat she was older than ig soi thing manifestly absurd, 'ierct'ijs trouble reflected In fecfc, eyes Her firsf jj.eai' ,'hlch came hesitatingly. Iary,'hls fear, en. I- "It's because I know he Isn't." He shook his head and a slow, tolerant tol-erant smile played about his lips. "I'm afraid you're not fair to Thayer," he said. "We understand, of course, that ugly rumors followed fol-lowed him to Marland. But nothing was ever substantiated. Now listen, Tony, I'm going to be honest with you. I think you've gone off the deep end. We're friends and Ivy Is my sister. You forget that she's a kid girl just like any one of a hundred other freshmen coeds. Perhaps it's better that she picked a man like Pat Thayer for her first love affair. I reckon every girl has to go through that once an infatuation infat-uation for a man older than herself-. I'll admit frankly that I don't know anything about him. and " "How has he been living since he came to Marland?" she questioned abruptly. Larry frowned. "You mean the Max Vernon thing?" "Exactly. It's common knowledge, knowl-edge, Larry, that Thayer has bled Vernon of every cent he had. They've played cards for big money . . . and Max has lost. Have you watched that kid In the past few months? Up to last fall you never saw him that he wasn't grinning. But now . . . he's older, and he's serious. Every one knows that he's broke." "Isn't that Vernon's lookout? But you're accepting rumor as fact. We don't know that Pat has been trimming trim-ming Vernon." "Trimming! Stealing his money, you mean. Of course, we don't know it But the whole college Is pretty sure. And now he's gone out after Ivy. He seems to take a perverse delight in making Vernon miserable now that he's got his money. Max Is crazy about Ivy." "Sure he is. And he's a nice kid. But I've got no right to tell my sis ter whom she shall run with. She's got a good head on her shoulders. Tony ; a darned good head. I'm fond of her and I think she likes me retty well. But she wouldn't stand for It a minute If I chased after her telling her what she must and mustn't do. Now listen " He faced her once again and took one of her hands In his: '"Something '"Some-thing has run off with your nanny. You've magnified nothing Into something some-thing terrible . . . and you're all wrong. I don't hold any brief for Thayer, but I do say that until we know something we have no right to butt Into his relationships with any girl on the enmpus even If that girl Is Ivy. Let's forget It, Tony." She rose and walked to the window. win-dow. Her figure was outlined In the brilliant sunlight and Larry Welch stared at her curiously Here was a girl he didn't know at all ; a girl gripped by a resentment which he could not understand. Tony looked out across the campus. cam-pus. It was all so peaceful and quiet; the stage was so magnificent ly set for gentle romance untinc turod by primness. And yet . . Oh I Larry was right not to understand. un-derstand. He was a generous per son who had the faculty of look Ing at things through the other fel low's eyes. She knew tha. he didn'' , like Thayer. It was equally certain that Larry could not be Incited ti action by mere conjecture or rumor Tony Peyton left the window snd denly and returned to Larry. She stood before him. slim and deter mined, and something in her man nor caused him to rise from hi seat. He waited for her to speak his face grave. And when she did ! her words startled him. "Larry." she said in a oiee a lit j tie above a whisper, "you've often 1 told me that you love me. Do yon ?" II is face flamed and. Impulsively, his arms went out toward her . . . then dropped again. "I love you, Tony." to lots of dances. ... I wasn't with you much then, Larry. You were on the team and Coach'hfld you training pretty hard, and you were always making up classes you had missed on football trips. Any way, I was just a silly kid. That's why I know how Ivy feels right now . . . she regards Pat Thayer pretty much as I did for awhile; not in love with him nearly so much as she's dazzled by his manner and experience. "Anyway, I knew I was battered because the most picturesque man on the campus had chosen me. I liked to be with him . . . and for a while I was fond of him. He can be pretty charming if he wants to. Looking back on it, I know it was a kid infatuation with no more depth than the water In a goldfish gold-fish bowl." Her voice trailed off, and when he did not speak, she continued. "I'm trying very hard to make you see through my eyes as they were then, Larry; trying to make you un derstand me as I was, rather than as I am. What the Antoinette Pey ton of Novembei. 1927, did would "Larry," She Said Steadily, "the Reason I Cannot Marry You Is Because Pat Thayer Is My Husband." and ii dug's wrong, Larry; aw-f$,'ig. aw-f$,'ig. I've got to talk It out c Jusl -" ving in with her mood. "AH rey- '-ct'3 have It. You know can-well If there's anything I ; dlsW CIIA ; That's why I came to any rate, It's one of the llim mpkB other?" tJ(e. . . ." She hesitated, the plunge bravely. "Well, Lei! Ivy." cfIgl)tened. "My sister?" (led, and something In her 'octe'iHsoj a look of worry to ""'jlils own eyes. Not even ere fathomed the depth of ilxni"1 wlilc-li existed between .mBofleh and his sister, hislflhout Ivy?" ltraefirned In her seat until she Addrfry directly. Mal alii straight, can't I?" "'mv you can. As a matter 've never known you to ,ig else. You've got me a to." she said simply. tj i trouble?" 'St . and no. That Is. i isn't now but she may , something Is done. I'm iij, In It, too. You'll most from Ivy about It . . f.'Ught I'd better come to fj.'! moment his thoughts tlie kid sister whom he wrong, Tony?" t his eyes levelly. 'ffp you like Pat Thayer?" ated, and shook his head , f f'arly," he admitted, fjl't the sort of man you'd -v y. Is he?" JflNot if I were doing the Jvy Is in love with him 1" ; at Thayer?" ;0o nil she thinks she Is en-fIl0him." en-fIl0him." (i Tony's arm and leaned W"" that what has been wor HOl'. Tony? Is that what you jssS to see mo about?" Cfto suddenly he threw back ,4 Mud laughed. He laughed sdcl"t wilh tremendous relief, jss What a goose yon are ! be Impossible for the Tony of May, 1929. Do you understand?" "Sure. Go ahead." She drew a long breath. "The girls all envied me. I was silly enough to let my head get turned by that, too. See, I'm not sparing myself at all. And then came the game with Vandy. I went. And so did Pat. "You don't know much about that day, Larry, because you were witb the team all the time. But we de scended on Nashville and took Ii by storm. 1 went to tne game with Pat, and yon remember what hap pened there. Our last minute rally that tied the score. Marland had tied one of the greatest teams In the southern conference . . and done It for the first time in his tory. It was an intoxication. Everything Every-thing was wonderful . . . and now yon can get ready to laugh at me. Now you're going to learn what an idiot I am." I "Well," he prompted: "What?" TO BE CONTINUED.) teason 1 cannot marry you ts because be-cause Pat Thayer Is my husband 1" An expression of utter bewilderment bewilder-ment crossed Larry's face. He understood un-derstood the girl's words without being able immediately to grasp their significance. And then he understood more poignantly than ever before just how much he loved this slender level-eyed girl. His blue eyes sought her black ones to exchange a mes sage of frank and unashamed love Then It seemed that a sinister shadow came between them a shadow very real to any man and woman in a like situation, but starkly tragic to persons as young and filled with the passion of life as these two. Pat Thayer's wife. She belonged to Thayer. She was married to the man about whose commanding and exotic and .highly unpleasant per sonality there existed unsavory ru mors. Tony looked at him compassionately. compassion-ately. She suffered because she had hurt him. yet she felt a sense of infinite relief that she had elected to share her burden. She saw I.arry's blond head move slowly from side to side as though he were Struggling to understand what it meant: striving to peer into the fu ture and reconstruct his dreams |