| Show 1 AM JA ra A jose H me COR THE STORY SO FAR larry cutter tell fen in love with jacqueline anthony public stenographer at the hotel ray near by watching her from the lobby in an effort to meet jack as jacque line ilae was called he dictated an limarl jacqueline was positive that she had declined larrys dinner invitation but she did recall admitting that she frequently dined down in in the cafeteria and might do so tonight mr clutter had accepted that as a promise and taken himself off with a smiling ill see you this evening thanks just like that jacqueline anthony had been entirely truthful when she told larrimore cutter that she know why she had listened to him in the first place As she recalled it she had been more amused than angry at his startling proposal she was intensely interested in his remarks about travel she had been attracted by him as well there was something in his direct assertive manner that appealed to her his casual solution for a trip to the orient stunned her for the moment left her almost speechless then he had gone away without giving her a chance to reply when and if he returned she would put a stop to any further conversation on that topic but the call from mr dennison had changed everything everything in the world how could he have picked that very moment to come there was no answer unless it was fate mr cutter said it was fate grant dennison was a partner m in the brokerage firm of falk and dennison jacqueline had made two modest investments with them and her contacts always had been with the junior partner he was a sharp little man who managed in some way to give an impression that anyone who played the market was more or less a fool but if the fool was determined to part with his money falk and dennison might as well have the commissions this morning dennison had come directly to the point of his errand in the Ray near 1 I found a memorandum on my desk yesterday miss anthony that you had called jacqueline nodded apprehensively 1 I dont know where you got your tip to buy that stock in the first place but you have plenty of company 11 you mean your loss would be heavy at the last quotation it might be wiser to hold it for a time but whatever you say let us know at any time was there anything else oh no thank you very much mr dennison for your trouble no trouble at all miss anthony and mr dennison had hurried out with him went all of jacqueline anthonys dreams of the future all security and in a state somewhere between inertia and panic she had listened to a renewal of larry cutters amazing proposal in a moment of sheer and unreasoning desperation pe ration she had said she would marry him she was sure by this time she had promised her decision was vas a gamble nothing more or less it was the sort of thing her father would have done jacqueline reflected perhaps she was more like her father than she suspected vincent anthony loving and irresponsible failure that he was had been his daughters outstanding trial during her more mature years she accepted him as her particular charge when she was seventeen the year that frail little madge anthony had laid down the same burden jacqueline was the pairs only child vincent always was in quest of and about to overtake big money steady work and systematic saving held no appeal for him let others plod if they cared to anthony knew he would strike it rich some day and had a ready excuse for each succeeding failure with the fading of one dream he was oil off in fresh pursuit it was the mother who was forced to provide most of the necessary income vince that was the name jacqueline bestowed upon her parent almost as soon as she was able to talk was quite the most charming companion a child co could uld know at the time the wife and mother passed unobtrusively from the family picture jacqueline had managed to complete a business course and was happy in her first position vince harboring an idea that the motherless girl needed his care and protection took time out to give the world some needed inventions he always had intended to do that installment THREE nary letter to a noted arche archaeologist archeologist when the she told him about her great longing for travel he casually replied that she could realize her dreams by marrying marry lne him another man entered the balce before the she could answer larry returned s as X when he got around it the anthonys living room promptly became a workshop housing an amazing miscellany of gadgets financed from elines meager salary several years passed in this unusual situation jacqueline prospered and finances became less of a problem the girl lived two separate lives one was in the world of business where she exhibited unusual proficiency appreciated by employers the other life was almost entirely between the four walls of that living room where she listened with patient enthusiasm to vince as he put with his contraptions one of his favorite pursuits was to outline a world trip they would take as a first celebration vince would produce an old atlas and with jac qu elines shining head close to his map out routes and ports of call outsiders almost never cintr intruded d ed in this life the anthony home had no room for guests nobody else would understand vince and so all her acquaintances were made in the workaday world and remained there with the building of the twenty story had come a change in the life of jacqueline anthony at that time the serious little stenographer with the shining cin vince assumed a politely injured air namon brown hair had reached the age of twenty two and looked eighteen days in the busy and fashionable opened an entirely new vista to jacqueline anthonys blue eyes it was much like that round the world trip yet it all exerted a strange and steadily growing influence it planted seeds of revolt growing fears assailed her she was following the same path already she had missed the life enjoyed by most girls her age A home intimate friends S social contacts men had no part in in her existence save as she encountered them in business it was all wrong then one day vince announced blithely that one of his pet schemes had been adopted previously by a fellow inventor he was dropping it for another project that offered infinitely greater returns and it wont be long now he assured his daughter airily in six months well be sailing vince ive got to tell you something and jacqueline found herself hurriedly reciting her declaration la of independence vincent anthony had been on trial in his own house for a quarter century hereafter he might find bed and board there but not one cent for dry batteries the family must and would have a growing savings account jacqueline eune managed to keep her voice steady there was no answering outburst vince assumed a politely injured air if jacqueline wished to throw aside the leisure and riches he was about to give her after all it was about what a father might expect these days it the first time that a genius family had proved a stumbling block it was a hard task for the girl to steel her heart against this martyr complex but she 1 knew instinctively when be left to and jacqueline greatly depressed ne lie offered a marriage contract permitting her to retain be her r mode 0 d of 0 living and to cancel the marriage ma la g alter after six months ill do it she agreed now continue with the story that she was doing the right thing for the two of them three days of the new order then vince was missing when jacqueline came home to prepare dinner she was almost ready to give in had her father known on the table was a note a note the girl deciphered through blinding tears vince was very sorry but he must conduct his work in a more congenial atmosphere following her first season of depression and anxiety jacqueline was rather ashamed to find a certain feeling of relief taking possession of her she found a modem one room apartment in a much more attractive part of the city and established herself there she planned to start life over to really live and business at the hotel was satisfactory is for the most part miss anthony public stenographer gained the reputation for rapid and accurate work dreams seemed to be coming true at last even the great dream of them all was slowly taking shape jacqueline was saving her money with calculating intent first there must be something against a rainy day and vince when that was attended to the crossing cross ingi it might be the one and only trip of her life she might spend the rest of her days paying for it but it would be glorious and daring there wu was but one trouble II if only there were some way to speed that cash reserve in the savings bank A chance remark from old martin jacobs showed her the way jacqueline knew very little about mr jacobs save that his occasional dictations revealed the fact that he lived somewhere out of the city he must be wealthy how would you like to make some been his unexpected question to the stenographer you could use it I 1 dare say of course was elines cautious reply do you ever invest in stocks my dear no sir im amazed youre probably the only girl in the city who mr jacobs lowered his voice let me give you an inside tip watch an industrial called southern furnace something nice is going to happen to it buy some shares and hold them thank me my dear girl jacqueline pondered the information she ventured some discreet questions to archibald potter the first time she had an opportunity so the fever has caught you miss anthony mr potter was tolerantly amused yes he recalled hearing southern furnace mentioned favorably it might be good for a flier why miss anthony talk to falk and dennison she might tell grant dennison that potter sent her miss anthony did in a spirit of grand recklessness jacqueline invested a goodly share of her bank account in southern furnace mr jacobs was right southern furnace forged slowly but surely up in price she purchased another modest block against grant dennisonn Denni sons lukewarm advice it was evident that mr dennison much of a gambler I 1 then something happened the whole list grew erratic so some me stocks fell sharply and southern furnace showed an ambition to lead the retreat almost in desperation she decided to have a talk with dennison and learn the worst H he e was not in when she called today he called upon her the great dream suddenly had vanished into oblivion reduced to ash in the devouring maw of sou southern ht furnace and now jacqueline anthony had gambled her future on a wild and unheard of throw for what A snatched at security paying for it with herself things of that sort never happened in real life when men she saw mr cutter again she would find that it all had been a hoax it if only she never had to see him she run away though she needed the worse than ever she would tell mr cutter what in some fashion the day dragged to an end TO BE CONTINUED |
