The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1939-01-26, Page 61WBSBAY, MHW 20. 1»3#THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE
David’s Letter
“JSIoise dear, the scrawl read,
’’please find a way io see me soon
at the Spanish Serenders Club. Ra
mez, the master of ceremonies, was
interested when I told him about
ycur marvelous voice. He’ll give you
an audition, I'm sure. Come soon,
Eloise. I’m hungry to see you.”
"It’s too late now,” Bardin! swung
into the driver's seat and started
the motor, “I’m getting road maps
for Juarez, and it’s good-bye Miami
fcr you.”
Nevertheless Eloise was determin
ed, and when King approached her
that evening, she begged him to take
her to the Serenaders’ 'Club.
They entered to find the hilarity
at its height. An orchestra stepped
up the 'pulse beat with tantalizing
Spanish rhythms. The famous or
chestra leader, Ramez, also acted as
master of ceremonies and stood in
the spotlight, a posturing pictures
que figure in mess jacket, white
trousers and vivid waist sash.
Eloise elected to remain an on
looker during the general dancing.
She felt King might be proud of
her. Over her low-cut gown of pail
lette-studded white chiffon she had
drasped a fragile cape trimmed with
ostrich. Her lustrous black hah’ was
emphasized with a band of brilliants
She looked vainly for David, and at
King’s suggestion scribbled a note
giving it to a waiter to deliver back-
stage.
When the press of riotous danc
ing jammed cue .couple against the
ringside table where she sat, Eloise,
with a thrill of excitement, recogniz
ed the man as Rufus Burchette. His
hair was tousled, his shirt front bad
ly rumpled, and he bore all the ear
marks of an evening cf swift-paced
celebration. She leaned forward,
but over the unnaturally .golden head
■of the girl in his arms, Bur-
chette’s eyes met hers with no sign
■cf recognition. Eloise felt her heart
sink. He did not remember having
met her in Gilthrop’s apartment.
Somehow she must recall herself to
him.
‘‘Eloise! You look like an angel,”
and at King’s suggestion pulled out
a chair. "I thought you’d never come.
The boy's eyes devoured her. “In
the intermission I want you to go
around back stage and meet Ramez.’
Eloise glanced at Burchette’s table
where he was centering with a wait
er, apparently ordering dinner. She
had a daring plan, which with Da
vid's help, she might be able to .put
across.
“We’ll go right away.” she. decid
ed. King excused them, and Eloise
and David made their way to the
small real’ room reserved for music
ians.
Her Audition
At the intermission Ramez enter
ed, dripping perspiration and de
manding a cigarette. He stared bold
ly as David introduced her. “Oh,
yes,” he acknowledged eare’essly.
“Mason’s songbird.” His eyes swept
her approvingly. “You know your
stuff on get-up, anyway. Come to
morrow at 11, and bring your music.
He turned away.
“Why not tonight?” Eloise sug
gested coolly. Ramez stared. “The
only piano we have is on the stage,”
he said with finality.
“Well?” Eloise challenged. “I’m
a professional, you know.” She dis
regarded David’s agonized glance.
Ramez shrugged. “Put you on as
a special intermission number, you
mean—?” His voice was doubtful.
“Sure! I’ll play her accompaniment
David put in quickly.
"Well, jut as long as she’s a visit
ing artist only,” Ramaz sent in
structions to the spotlight operator,
and almost before she realized it,
Eloise wsa on the stage being intro
duced to the roomful of inattentive
diners.
“If yu ve get anything, sister,
make it hot,” Ramez said ominously,
as he retreated. Standing in the
curve of the grand piano, while Da-
vidvid ripped o’ut the opening bars
of a song they had practiced many
times, Eloise resolved to sing as she
had never dene in her life. She pour
ed out her contralto voice, compell
ing. until it penetrated the conscious
ness of the men and women laughing
and chattering of their own affairs.
Into the 'Chorus of yearning and de
feated love, the girl put the vital
force of her womanhood. All eyes
turned to her, and there was a genu
ine burst of applause as she ended
cn a note of heartbreak.
“You’ll do,” Ramez approved
backstage. “Go on for a snappy en
core.” But Eloise shook her head,
She had won her point.
Note From Burchette
Returning to the table, Eloise and
David found King ordering cham
pagne to celebrate their success.
A bowing waiter approached, sal
ver outstretched. “A note for the
lady,” he murmured.
Elcise, glancing at the words
scribbled across the signature of Ru
fus Burchette, felt her heart leap.
“Congratulations to my little friend
from New York,” she read. “May I
see you soon? This week-end, for
instance, when I’m having a party
on my yacht?”
Glancing to where Burchette sat,
Eloise met his eyes and raised her
glass in gay salutation.
“Here’s to a new world,” she
thought as the wine warmed her
veins. “Whether he knows it or not
Rufus Burchette is going to open
the door fcr me wide.”
CHAPTER IX
During the days that elapsed after
her appearance in the night club,
Eloise Mowbray felt that she stood
between the devil and the deep blue
sea.
On cne side, demanding a mar
riage for which she had no heart,
was Tito Bardini, who had turned
thief for her and now, furiously jea
lous, demanded payment for his mas
querade as her chauffeur.
Oil the other was Rufus Burchette
beckoning her toward the. mirage of
wealth and pleasure that was her
goal. Tonight Eloise intended to
take a long step toward that goal
when she boarded his yacht, the No
mad, that lay idling off the Florida
Keys. ,
As her taxi speeded to the wharf,
i Eloise felt no remorse for her
j treachery and deceit in eluding
I dint Let him search for her vain
phis week-end! She would he safe- | iy out at sea among the guests on
Burchette’s yacht.
! To lull Burchette’s constant sus
picion, Eloise had refused the West-
j timer's repeated invitations since
their encounter in the Serenaders’
Club. He had kept her room filled
with flowers, however, and begged
Her not to disappoint him at the
i week-end.
“A beautiful ship and a beautiful
woman belong together,” Burchette
insisted when they made final ar
rangements by telephone.
“The Nomad and her owner are ‘bowed to the seat beside him on the
yours tc- command,” Burchette told
her as they headed toward the yacht
that lay silhouetted against the sun
set like a giant bird, her rigging
aflutter with pennants.
She Goes Aboard
At the tc>p of the gangway Eloise
was presented to Captain Macintosh,
a square-faced man of middle age,
with uncompromising grey eyes in a
weather-beaten face.
As Burchette conducted her to the
awning-shaded*Tounge in the stern,
Eloise felt the liveliest curiosity con
cerning the other women guests.
“Why—where are the others?"
Eloise asked, seating herself, “Have
n’t they come yet?”
“What others?” Burchette asked
easily. “You’ll have to be content
with me alone on this voyage, young
lady.”
His eyes were upon her, ardent,
inscrutable. Eloise felt her heart con
tract.
“I thought you told me—-I some
how expected other pec.plb,” she
floundered. “We’re going on a week
end cruise aren’t we?”
“Of course.” Burchette looked sur
prised. ‘Do you object to this ar
rangement?” In the uncomfortable
silence that followed Eloise felt that
her future relations with his depend
ed on her reply.
“I’m afraid I de,” she said final
ly.
“What! After your visit to Gil
throp’s apartment and what I saw
there?” Burchette’s ' eyes expressed
frank disbelief. Eloise did some ra
pid thinking, then gave a relieved
laugh.
“You’re remembering that you
saw me take money,” sue said, “and
you misunderstood it entirely. That
was for my sister. Mr. Gilthrop felt
he owed it to her—that she had lost
her job because of him.”
"At least you’ll stay to dinner?”
Burcetto’s voice was smooth. I’ll hhve
you shown to your ■cabin, where you
can change if you like.”
In the privacy -of a sumptuous suite
as she h. vered over her bags, Eloise
was aware that tho yacht had gotten
under way. The discreetly admiring
gaze of the steward who came to
conduct her to the indo-or lounge as
sured her to the success of her -cos
tume.—a sheath of cerise satin
that moulded every curve of her fi
gure with gracious overdrgperies of
tulle to soften its sophisticated dar
ing.
Htorm Ahead
Burchette, already flushed with
liquor, handed her a cocktail and
divan. She smiled to- hide the wave
of repulsion that suddenly swept
through her. She walked casually
to the piano and drifted into the se
rene appeal of old familiar song, her
beautiful voice lingering tenderly on
"Old Black Joe,” “In the Gloaming’
and finally Brahms’ lovely “Slumber
Song.” Burchette, ‘ listening with
his head in his hands, lurched to
ward her at the final chord. She
saw with amazement that his eyes
were wet.
‘You’re won’erful,” he lifted her
hand clumsily to his lips. “I got you
wrong. We’ll turn back. I’ll .gave old
Macintosh his way.” Eloise, attempt
ing to rise from the piano bench was
suddenly hurled back upon it with
violence; Burchette was tilted gro
tesquely sprawling on the piano and
the cabin tilted lopsidedly on a slant
and hung there.
“What is it?” Eloise screamed in
terror.
“A blow.” Burchette made an ef
fort to pull himself together. ‘Storm
warnings were out, but I told Macin
tosh to hell with them. What I want
I take.” He raised his voice against
a wind that howled like a million
whistling bombs. “I was going to
have this cruise whether you liked
it or not.”
The entrance of Captain Macin
tosh, who, dominated the -heaving
floor with a seaman’s assured bal
ance, brought further ominous news.
“We’re in for it, Mr. Burchette,”
the Scotchman said sourly. “From
now on I’m in sole command, I’ll
need every man to help, if we’re to
come through. You’d best look to the
lady. She’ll be safer in her bunk,
I’ll get a man to help—”
He was interrupted by a gust that
lifted the craft in midair, hurled it
back into the trough of the sea, and
shock the yacht until every timber
strained and groaned. On deck there
was a terrible rending sound as if
giant hands battered at wood and
iron.
“The mast’s snapped!” Macintosh
hurried out, and Burchette slumped
in a torpor on the divan. Under
the crash of mountainous waves the
Nomad keeled violently; silver and
glassware hurtled in a wild devil’s
dance; the wind howled in a mount
ing cressendo* of doom and death at
sea,
Cries for Help
Eloise staggered toward Burchet
te clutching at his inert figure with
impotent, trembling hands.
“This is your fault,” she raged.
“I wanted to live—tc- have things—
to be somebody. Now I’ll die here
with you, like a rat in a trap.” She
wept unrestralntedly and Burchette,
rousing, drew her to him as if she
were a frightened child.
“Sorry,” he said heavily, “I’ll make
it up to you, beautiful. If you want
money—I’ll do anything—”
Suddenly as if blown out, every
lighf on the yacht went black. Eloise
buried her face in Burchette’s shoul
der with a piercing scream, and the
two- clung together in the fetid dark
ness.
Time lost all meaning for Eloise
in the hours of terror that followed.
Stewards helped her to the cabin and
■lifted her into a built-in bed, where
she lay, too numb, too sick, too full
of despair to even pray,
She slept intermittently through
a horror of pichting and tossing. Oc
casionally brandy and biscuits were
brought. She knew nothing of the
heroic fight Captain Macintosh and
his crew made to save the Nomad;
nothing of the crippled radio that
left the owner powerless to summon
aid; nothing o f the racket flares
from the yacht that streaked the sky
like frantic, beckoning fingers.
There was gray light at the port
hole when a steward aroused her
and told Eloise that Burchette hoped
she could ioin him on deck. With
the heavy overcoat in which she had
been wrapped still 'drawn over the
draggled cerise frock, the girl strug
gled up, feeling as if she had been
reprieved from death. iOn deck she
looked thankfully at the sky, taking
in great breaths of air. She was
alive!—nothing else mattered. Bur
chette greeted her, concern on his
face. Around him was eloquent evi
dence of the storm’s wrath. The
bright grace of the Nomad had been
crumpled into wreckage.
Indicating the vessels that lay aft.
Burchette said laconically: “Coast
Guard 'Cutters—they got our signals.
We’re heading back to Miami Beach
and after that—to the junk heap.”
Montreal-loronto
ROCHESTER &UFFALO - E Rl E
"I feel as though I belonged there
myself.” In the daylight Eloise was
miserably aware of her hisheveled
appearance, but -Burchette slipped
a reassuring arm through hers.
“You’ll always look good to me,”
he said gallantly, "but after these
three days,” he laughed ruefully
“you’ll never trust yourself with me
again, I suppose.”
Quickly Made Plans
“Three days!” Eloise exclaimed.
“Have we been away that lo-ng!”
Burchette’s face sobered as he noted
her obvious apprehension. Actually
Eloise was thinking of Bardini with
terror in her heart. Would he "beat
her—strangle her, pernaps — when
he found she had been alone with
Burchettet on the yacht? She clut
ched Burchette’s arm. “You must
help me,” he pleaded.” "It’s your
fault I’m here. You promised , . . .
She broke off and cried wildly. "I
can’t go- back to Miami after this.
I can’t—I can’t.”
(To be Continued)
TRUANCY—UP-TO-DATE
Father: “What do you mean by
playing truant? What makes you
stay away from school?”
Son (evidently reads newspapers
to keep informed): ‘‘Class hatred,
father.”
Nagging, Dragging Pains in Back
Many women have io do their own
housework, and the constant bending
over, lifting, malting beds, sweeping,
ironing, sewing so necessary to per
form their household duties put3 a
strain on the kidneys, and the back
aches are undoubtedly caused by
some derangement of the kidneys, for
if there were no kidney weakness
the back would be strong and well.
Doan’s Kidney Pills help to give
perfect’ relief and comfort to alb
weak, backache suffering women, and
make their household duties a
pleasure instead of a burden.
Tho T. Milburn Co., Ltd., Toronto, Ont.
am
r=—
FULLER BROS.
GENERAL
MERCHANTS
O- D. HUNTLEY
DRUGS
STATIONERY &
TOILET GOODS
E. I. SYERSEN
FARM '
PRODUCE
Rd. G. W. Robinson
PHYSICIAN
H. DOWDING
BLACKSMITH
AND
COAL DEALER
BROWN BROS.
GENERAL
MERCHANTS
JAS. EVANS
BARBER
H. HOLMES
MARKET
MEAT
Wilson’s Bakery
CONFECTIONERY
MEALS & LUNCHES
Dr. R. G. Woods
DENTIST
Johnston Bros.
MEAT
MARKET
. ■ ....• ; ....
H. DUNHAM
DAIRY
| Canadian Bank
of Commerce
GREETINGS FROM ARKONA....
’ MR. JOHN V1DT
These Arkona Business Men Wish You the Best of Success in Your
•
•
New Undertaking
S. MARSH
WHOLESALE I
EGGS |
1
ED. GINGERICH
GARAGE
& SERVICE STATION
OTTO SCHMIDT
HARDWARE
AND
COAL
The Arkona Woolen
and Knitting Mills
HOSIERY — BLANKETS
YAFyNS, ETC.
AUSTIN BROS.
CHICK
HATCHERY
R. Crawford & Son
TINSMITH
AND
HARDWARE
Gordon Murray
POULTRY |
AND RABBITS 1
geo. w. marsh
FEED
MILLS
FRANK LAMBE
COAL
AND COKE
X
PHILLIP AUSTIN
FLORIST
C. JOHNSON
PAINTER AND
DECORATOR
Parkhill-Arkona
Telephones Ltd.
Brown & Brown
POULTRY & EGGS
GRAIN & SEEDS