The Wingham Advance-Times, 1939-12-21, Page 11THE WINGHAM ADVANCE-TIMES
me! And then moving us to this love-’
ly, lovely suite—”
Dora, although her face was pale .
from the strain and emotional up
heaval of the last few days, would not
admit that there was anything unusual
in Jan’s sudden good fortune. She ad
ored her younger sister and had of
ten dreamed of success for her. But
x even she had not imagined that they'
could be so quickly transported from
the squalid bedroom-and-k'itchenette
at. Mrs, Mallord’s to this beautiful
suite at the Devon Arms.
"Mr. Harris looked so mad, too, as
he came in that day,’’ she remember
ed. “And those dreadful boys knock
ing off his- hat — no wonder! But
he’s really the kindest person in the
world, I think,” she added fervently.
“M.-mm, yes,” J'an agreed absently.
All she knew of Paul Harris had not
led her to second Dora’s opinion, yet
she could not deny that he had offer
ed. — ever! insisted — on her having
this new position at what was surely
a fabulous salary. She had been un
able to believe it that day and now,
two days later, it still seemed some
thing of a dream. There must be, she
knew, something more to it than
; Paul had Told her. But with Dora’s
childlike enjoyment of the lovely
rooms and their sunny view of the
river, with the trays of orange juice
and milk that came up at regular in
tervals, no matter whether she was
rehearsing or not, with the whole
glorious Arabian Nights atmosphere
of it all, Jan could not quarrel.
She prayed that she could keep the
dream a reality for a few weeks. If
only she could sing or dance a little
better! But they seemed to like her
anyway — at least Zambrini, the or
chestra leader, who had been coaching
her in a cute little song, had smiled
when she finished her number that
morning. His round little body fairly
bounced with approval as she turned
to him at the end.
. “Zat ess eet,” he had declared in
his funny high voice. "You do eet
joost like zat zee opening night. Re
member!” His cherubic face attempt
ed a serious expression. “Eet ees a
Christmas song. You sing eet simple,
like a leetle girl. Joost at the end of
each vdrse you look up sideways —
’so — like you make fun. But no
Broadway — nonono — or Zambrini
tear zee hair out!”
A knock at the door interrupted the
girl’s thoughts and made Dora jump,
“I forget and think it’s Mrs. Mal
lord again,” she laughed shamefaced
ly. Jan patted her shoulder reassur
ingly, as she went to the door.
“I am Mary Elizabeth Howard,” a
smart young woman announced.
“This is my assistant, Pringle,” she
added, nodding toward the drab wo
man who stood beside her laden with
a number of cardboard boxes.
Jan knew the name — a Howard
“creation” was the ultimate in sports
wear or evening frocks, even for the
patrons of Devon Arms, But it was
surprising to see Miss Howard her
self. She was a thin wisp of a girl,
scarcely taller than Jan herself, with
sparkling dark eyes and dark hair pil
ed high under a fantastic turban. Her
suit, as she walked past Jan and into
the blue and white sitting room, was
startlingly simple, Jan noted, but its
soft blackness clung to her figure
with the grace of a perfectly cut gar
ment. Dora was looking almost
frightened as. the visitor advanced
with determination and motioned
Pringle to put her boxes on a long
refectory table.
“But — you must have the wrong
suite!” Jan protested when she could
find her voice.
“Oh, no!” Miss Howard moved
quickly about the room, adjusting the
shades, pushing back the furniture
with, quick, birdlike movements.
“You’re Jrin Payson, aren’t you?” At
jan’s noa she continued, “I’m to do
yon an evening dress and a few
sports things,. Mr. Harris said yott
are to appear in the new floor show.”
“Oh!” said Jan, and for the life of
her she could not think of another
thing to say.
But Miss Howard was in no such
predicament. She flung herself into
a chair and proceeded to rap out ord
ers that Jan did not even think of
hesitating to follow. She slipped out
of her well-washed kimono and pro
ceeded to allow the silent Pringle to
encase her in what Miss Howard re
ferred to as “the correct foundation
for evening” — to help her don
stockings finer that Jan had ever se'en
in her life — and to fit her slender
feet into a pair of evening sandals
Studded with “jewels.’'' Dora gasped
as she looked at them and Miss How-
larcj threw In $ of explanation
in her crisp, hurried tones:
“The latest, Jeweled sandals. You
are practically the first to wear them
in New York.”
Pringle, by this time, was sliding
something that shimmered and rust
led oyer Jan’s head. She gazed into
the mirror in astonishment as Prin
gle, behind her back, manipulated fas
tenings that tightened the 'brief bod
ice so that it outined her slender fig
ure in what Jan thought, privately,
was a very flattering manner. The
white taffeta looked like frost on a
window pane. It was cut on severely
simple lines, dropped off the should
ers and just touched the floor all
around. Here and there, all over the
skirt 'were shining flowers that re
flected the blue of the walls. Jan
touched one and discovered that it
was made of tiny bits of mirror fas
tened, goodness knew how, to the
delicate silk.
“But, Miss Howard!” she burst, out,
turning a perturbed face to the bright
eyed young woman who was making
a note on the small pad she had tak
en from her hand bag. Miss Howard
looked up.
“It’s perfect for you,” she announc
ed. “And,” with a smile, “you’re per
fect for the dress. I seldom have a
chance to say anything like that to
my customers, Miss Payson. As one
working girl to another, I’ll let you
in on a trade secret: it’s usually my
Paul watched his progress to the swi tchboard and the lengthy conversation
that (followed.
problem to make an overweight dow
ager look a frail eighteen, and it’s
some problem! But the fat ones are
the girls who run to money,” she
sighed.
“That’s just it,” broke in-Jan eag
erly. “This seems such an expensive
dress. I don’t know that I can afford
“Oh, you’re not paying for it your
self. Didn't Paul Harris tell you? As
a matter of fact, when he gave me the
order for your outfit it was a scoop
for me. Two other houses wanted
their names on the Christmas pro
gram.”
“But is Mr. Harris paying for it?”
Jan persisted.
“My name on the program is an
advertisement for my house,” Miss
Howard explained a little wearily.
“Other customers in the Devon Arms
will see you and I’ll get enough ord
ers to pay me for your clothes many
times over, I hope. Besides, you’re
an important person now — don’t you
know that?”
Jan turned back to the mirror to
hide her expression. There it was
again. That secret, knowing look
that she had surprised on Paul’s face
more than once since that, incredible
moment on Thanksgiving afternoon
when he had told her she was to have
a part in the floor show. She had seen
the same look on other faces, tod, as
if the whole world knew some extra
ordinary reason .why she should be
pampered and petted in this way. But
there was no such reason. It was all
a mistake. And sooner or later the
mistake would be discovered and this
lovely dream would come to an
abrupt end.
In the days that followed Jan found
herself far too busy to follow any
clues to the mystery that surrounded
her. She find Dora lived in a kind Pf
ecstacy,
“They do. like my singing, Dora/’
Jan would report, coming home from
a rehearsal, “And Zambrini, the or
chestra leader, you know, says that I
have ‘rhythm in my feet.’ ’’
“I told you so!”
Dora’s voice was almost strong as
she. caroled her loyal acceptance of
praise for Jan. Shining days seemed
to run into one another. It was two
days before “Opening Night” for the
new floor show in which Jan was to
appear; then it was the night before,
then the big night itself.
Then the night was over, and it
hadn’t been such a big night after all.
Chapter V
Jan knew tlidt Paul Harris was dis
appointed in the crowd that had turn
ed out for the opening, but she had
no idea /of the extent o'f that disap
pointment. A week later his "bitter
ness had grown to such proportions
that he had decided to do something
about it.
“Wait till that Payson girl gets
downstairs — I’ll have a plain talk
•with her,” Paul Harris was saying to
Mary Elizabeth Howard. She had in
tercepted him in the lobby just a week
after the opening night, and inquired
bluntly where all the business was
that was coming her way in return
for the -outfitting of that little sing
er. Paul had been -asking himself
questions of a similar nature and the
arrival of Miss Howard simply -pre
cipitated a moment that he had be
gun to feel was inevitable. Paul had
been not quite frank with himself in
regard to the Payson . girls. Ever
since opening night, which had been
in the words of Zambrini, ‘one beeg
flop,’ Paul “ had been telling himself
that Jan Payson would have to go.
All tbese-days liad gone’by and it was
obvious that if she had ever been an
object of interest to William Anthony
Deverest, that interest had faded. The
wealthy young man had avoided the
hotel as if it had been quarantined.
So far Paul’s path was clear.
But — and he hated to admit it —
he could not bring himself to ask the
fragile Dora to go back to that mis
erable hovel from which he had res
cued her. It must be that was getting
soft-h’earted .... and Paul had not
been troubled that way in years.
There was a flowerlike quality in
Dora’s white face and her pain-wid
ened blue eyes that 'reminded him —
yes, it didz— of Flelen.
The situation was complicated. It
made, his manner all the more brus
que now that a crisis in the form of
Mary Elizabeth Howard had arrived.
She would have to be paid in some
way for Jan’s outfit.
“I didn’t act hastily,” he now told
the dress designer, "because some
times these things take a few days to
straighten themselves out. But I’ve
finished waiting. This is the end,”
“And what about me?” Mary Eliz
abeth inquired smoothly,
“You won’t lose by it,” Paul' assur
ed her. “I’m the one who has lost.
Her salary —* that suite they have.”
He broke off as Jan, with.. a laughing
remark to the operator, stepped out
of the elevator,
“Miss Payson!” Paul called to her,
reproof for her untimely laughter in‘l
every syllable, 1
Mary Elizabeth eyed the girl aS Shr
approached and almost forgot the an-|
noyance the whole incident had caus-1
ed her, in admiration of her oww
handiwork. The girl — in the mid-j
winter costume Mary Elizabeth How4
ard, Inc., had designed — was -lovely!
What a pity she hadn’t made good!.?!
Jane, who had been ready to -dancA
across the lobby for delight when sliesS
first stepped out of the elevator, felffl
a sudden chill at Paul’s tone. She ha.qH
been on her way to buy a brand ixeml
kitten for Dora. The sick gift li?o|
always wanted a Persian kitten, and®
just yesterday Jan had seen a blu^jl
eyed bundle, of yellow fur in the Peggs
shop around the corner. It was twes^S
ty-five dollars. She had the money ®®
her bag this minute — the joy of.jbiS»
ing able to spend money on giym|||;
happiness to others! But Paul’s shaSHr
voice recalled her to unpleasant reaSH-
ity. ,
The uniformed man at the hotel en-J
trance, reaching out a gloved hand”
at this precise moment, set the re- |
volving door spinning, and it spun !
William Anthony Deverest, correctly I
hatted and coated, into the lobby. I
There he paused,, glancing involun- i
tarily toward the magazine stand. The |
dark girl there, who looked up with I
obvious interest, made him turn j
quickly the other way. And then he |
saw her! i
Or was that the girl he had last J
seen breathless, mud-stained and,re- 1
proachfu’? "Why, she was beautiful! I
Seen from the side this way, she J
seeijied,. standing still as she was; '
poised for flight, her face uptilted,
her lips parted eagerly. . Then she
turned toward him' so that he saw her
face. She was in trouble!
Paul was sayin, indeed, that he was
“disappointed, greatly disappointed,
Miss Payson. After all, William An
thony Deverest might have found it
impossible to be present for the open
ing night, but a whole week had gone
by and he had never even looked in
at the roof garden!”
Jan, dazedly trying to figure out
why she should be held accountable
for Mr. Deverest’s — whoever he.was
— absence, looked away from Paul, .
seeking enlightenment from her sur
roundings. Her eyes encountered the
gaze of the tall young man near the
magazine counter who was staring as
if he knew her. And she had certain- J
ly seen him somewhere! Oh, yes, that. j
careless chauffeur who got her into i
difficulties on Thanksgiving Day!
She Smiled faintly and Paul, wait
ing for her reply, caught the smile .
that followed her glance. Further,
caustic -words died in his throat and
he seized Miss Howard firmly by the ■
elbow and propelled her rapidly to
ward. the office.
"What — what’s the matter?” she
protested.
Paul put his lips, to her ear. “Wil- /
liam Anthony Deverest,” he whisper
ed.
And Miss Howard, looking over
her shoulder, departed docilely en
ough.
Jan didn’t know why she had been
spared — she only knew that they >
were gone, and she was grateful. She
caught her breath on a deep sigh, and
discovered the chauffeur beside her.
“You are Jan, aren’t you!” he in
quired. How tall he was! Jan raised
her golden eyes for a brief instant to
his interested grey ones and nodded.
“How did you know my name?”
“It’s quite a long story, I found it
out when I came to ask you to din
ner as a sort of apology for my
clumsiness, that day. Though it’s a
little date, I still owe you that apol
ogy. ’Will you . . .?"
“I was on my way to buy a kitten,”
Jan demurred, walking toward the
door. “And I haven’t much time for'
dinner. I have to get ready for the
show.”
“I’m practically an export on kit
tens,” her escort announced firmly. .
He turned and walked with her, won-
dering a little at himself. Usually his ;
invitations were promptly accepted.
It was provoking to have this self-
contained little person treat him so
casually. Perhaps she was being dif
ficult for a purpose? But her next
Question dismissed that thought.
“Didn’t you have an appointment
with someone?” she asked. “I really
have the kitten all picked out.”
She was trying to get rid of him!
William Anthony Deverest grinped
and took her elbow.
“Now, that’s dangerous,” he insist
ed. “Some of the nicest looking kit
tens are undesirables — heredity, or
— or fleas, you know, You need me
albng, , But Jan had stopped and