Show E T LE by MAE FOSTER J JAY 1 AV XA service copyright by W A wilde co SYNOPSIS mary alary daughter r ot of a millionaire has the idea that her personality la Is obscured by the fact act that she is the child of the rich david brown and determines ter mines to make her way in life unaided she has a nin million lion dollars do llara wh which ach she he insists her father invest in the wildest dream Imaginable and about which she must know nothing she Js s a graduate engineer As al brown mary alary secures a position as engineer with the paradise valley project a development concern she is engaged by letter on the train on her way to her job she meets denis craig who vibo immediately antagonizes her alighting from the train mary Is left at a way station practically penniless craig coming to tier her assistance Is also lefi left behind he befriends her despite her coldness toward him film enabling her to continue her journey arriving at t the he project she Is accused by john stark chief engineer of deception in concealing tier her sex and again meets craig who Is the promoter of the project CHAPTER IV continued 6 nis eyes blazed at tier lier ills stern lips set repress repressing n mary very well guessed words which would ha have v e m made a de the air sulPhur sulphurous wis if she had been a man well ill have to put you on so somewhere but just until youre on your feet understand lie ile threw out liis ills hands bands a again ain impatiently but mary brown threw up lip her head the blaze in her eyes m matched that in ills his you can keep beep your old job under those terms im not asking for charry charity I 1 I 1 ask for work only on the same status as any other engineer in your employ hire me only because im qualified fire me if my work Is not satisfactory but retain me only for merit not because im a girl lii li I out of luck I 1 ask ash no quarter I 1 can can do anything a man can do starks savage brows contracted conti acted as he studied her the keen eyes bored into her like gimlets giblets gim lets the scrutiny seemed endless the silence of tile the room became deafen deafening Dg mary vaguely sensed denis craigs uneasiness but during the tense crucial moment her eyes never left those of jolin john star stark k never w wavered ue lie ended the suspense at last report for duty tomorrow morning at seven to hilton dorsey lies s needing a rear on ills his field party take that position thank you sir ue ile thought hed get rid of tier her by giving tier her the hard h ard end did he lowest pay lowest rank well hed see slie she moved toward the outside door which denis craig sprang to open for h her er ue he accompanied tier her outside im oad glad to have run across you again mary quickly said being in your debt she was opening 0 her purse may I 1 return this to you and thank you for saving me from an embarrassing barr assing situation by your thoughtfulness ful ness must you do that he asked in distress it lias has been such a pleasure to think ielati helped you in spite or ol yourself but ab mary continued to hold out the bills lie he took them reluctantly and now dow said mary 1 must be getting edtill back to my taxi ue ile walked beside her bland and smiling by her frigi frigidity dit y 1 I wonder whimsically as he ran a hand through fair hair already ruffled by the wind whether vl etler it will increase or lessen your hostility it if I 1 wish you luck you see I 1 have faith in you it you in me but you will have confidently have co have for were partners now I 1 provide an outpost you mal make e it livable for mankind I 1 bring mankind to live upon it miss brown the look of a dreamer supplanting the hardheaded hard bard headed business mans look on his face this Is the hie greatest game in the world were in you and I 1 II 11 V ills his enthusiasm real or professional profession a 1 was contagious it made the tire fire spring to tier her eyes put the boyish buoyancy into her walk and the natural heartiness and frankness into her voice as she held out tier her hand band spontaneously success to the project in every way mr craig to tile the builders and the settlers the ideal were working for he be told tier her ills handclasp hand clasp wa was S warm and firm trumpeting his sincell sincerity ty for the moment her doubts and questionings seemed dissolved by magic so completely was she disarmed of her hostility that when denis craig halted in the act of putting her into her taxi to cry impulsively walt wait a minute 1 im driving down to the south end of the project ride with me and let me have a hand in shaping your first impressions I 1 wilen when he be said this so urgently mary looked up at the forbidding countenance of her chauffeur inquiringly but denis craig volunteered with assurance oh ob mr johnson will wait for you at the foot of lone mountain air john joanson son A moment later mary found herse lf if being whisked down the winding drive beside denis craig in his roadster the october morning was perfect the sun warm and caressing craig swerved from the main road and followed a trail toward a low mountain at the toot foot of it lie he stopped the roadster astl r will you climb lone mountain with me miss brown id love toll to I 1 like a small boy appeased id rather show my paradise than juarez anyhow I 1 mary looked at him as they climbed the chivalrous cavalier that was the atmosphere about him and yet he was A N A 0 0 4 11 it did that to me too said denis craig simply not so much as placing a perfunctory per S hand at her elbow a as s she took the rugged slope with long iong strides A man whom you trust in the deep deel woods Is a man to be trusted anywhere Is he be not asked marys instinct 1 I was rattier rather horrid there at el paso she half apologized he laughed uld did you think I 1 understand that I 1 know you were a girl first adventuring abroad alone of course you would be wary of stran strange e men suppose she su suggested we put my conduct down as womans comans perversity ver sity 1 I shall love with will his dizzying smile crediting you with will a woman comans IS perversity ityl 1 it makes such a nice balance for the quirk that makes you an engineer lie ile parted a clump of young pine as he be spoke to let mary through and they climbed on to the top from the arr T r i eminence mary gazed down upon an exquisite valley several square miles la in area all hemmed in by huddles of enfold en folding in hills which the purple ridge of the coast range overpowered over towered like a guardian in the west there were vistas of smaller valleys between the hills faint intriguing trails that plunged into canyons or climbed gallantly toward the uplands there was som something ethan about the scene that provoked her reverence and something intimate and tender that tugged at her heartstrings heart strings conscious of the long silence mary tried to speak but something caught in tier her throat and no words would come it did that to me too said denis craig simply 1 I came through here on horseback and happened to stop on this very spot I 1 had a little money and was looking for a piece of land harln having decided to settle down to ranching when I 1 could find just the right place then came my big idea were there not many other people just like myself looking for an ideal home spot why not pool our interests why not induce others to this place of rare charm of perfect climate lie he turned toward tier her his face of the dreamer miss drown brownl 1 that was the vision now tell me those mules down there their shoulders sore from the yank of the harness as they broke up virgin ground are they real the survey party laying out the headquarters house on that k knoll noll the force of engineers overflowing that old ranch house bouse you beside me on this mountaintop mountain top all real they seem convincing enough proof mary said wistfully that dreams do come true lie ile smiled come shall we go down they bounded down the trackless mountainside when they were well under the chaperoning chape roning eye of hank johnson craig held out his hand heres a short cut but a steep one le lets t s make a run for the bottom hand in hand they raced down the last fifty feet laughing V stumbling at all I 1 but falling until they landed abruptly by the side of marys waiting taxi basl man A last glimpse of his dizzying smile and mary was swirled away abruptly by hank flank johnson so youve fallen for the slicker too tool I 1 A great hot wave swept marys cheeks how little it had taken to sweep away tier her defenses defens esi still slicker A little resentment would show in her voice why do you call him that dont you call it slick the way hes putting t over his game 1 I its none done of my business im here as an engineer hank johnson chuckled he stood on one of the mountain tops that young feller did and looked about him a and rid dreamed tills this dream of his so they say 19 hank chuckled again with just five hundred dollars in the pockets of them classy riding pants of his TO BB 1333 CONTINUED |