The Wingham Advance-Times, 1939-12-21, Page 13to make a decision that would most
certainly affect not only her own life,
but Dora's.
{She was seeing again her sister's
face as she had told her an hour be
fore of her joy in the hotel room and
in the new luxuries they'enjoyed. The
dark, richly furnished room in. which
she was sitting vanished completely
and she could see again the miserable,
crowded space on the court that had
been all the home she and Dora had
had, If she denied knowing Deverest
they would be condemned to return
to that same squalid atmosphere,
She could not do it! At whatever
cost to herself, she must encourage
Paul to believe this fairy story a lit
tle longer.
“I’m sorry, Paul,” she said hesitant
ly. “Mr,,— Mr. Deverest hasn’t been
feeling very well.”
It sounded lame, even to herself,
but Paul accepted it and turned to
her with new eagerness, “Then you’ll
see that he comes in?”
“Why, yes. At least I’ll try.’-’
Paul beamed with delight and es
corted her to the door wijli a flourish.
At another time she would hav.e been
amused at his sudden transition to the
perfect maitre d’ hotel, but now she
was too miserable to see anything
funny about it. She went back to.her
room and tried oh her dresses gnd
talked about them to Dora, as if no
thing had happened. But all the time
her mind was revolving round and
round the impossible task she had set
herself. t 1
The day went on with more rehear
sal, a little shopping, a consultation
• with Mary Elizabeth Howard, a visit
to the hairdresser. .Jan moved
through the program without falter
ing, blit she never for an instant stop
ped asking herself that haunting ques
tion: What in the world will I do?
By the time the show was over and-
she was dressing to meet Tony she
had arrived at only one clear decision.
She would tell .him the whole story
and perhaps he would think of some
way in which they could manage to
satisfy Paul-.
Chapter VIII
. “Well!”
Tony’s ^expression was a tribute to
the success of the blue satin evening
dress. His eyer evidently saw noth
ing wrong with the willowy vision of
loveliness that stood before him, and
Jan smiled for the first time that
night.
“I can return the compliment,” she
said, looking at his perfectly' cut tux
edo and his general air of having
,' been well scrubbed just a few minutes
before.
“Oh, we’re stepping out tonight,”
he said, offering'her his arm. “I have
the car outside and'we’re going to the
little dance place across the river. Ev
er been there?”;
Jan shook her- head and fell in step
beside him, her heart heavy again.
The only thing that troubled her
about Tony was his constant effort
to live up to what was evidently his
master’s social position. As she took
her place in the gleaming car she re
sented again the fact that everything
she was forced to do was only an im
itation of the real thing.
“But, Tony, can you afford this?”
As he turned a startled face to hers
she colored and added, “I mean I
would be just as satisfied to — to go
do a movie or something.”
“Why, you funny little thing.” His
hand touched her briefly and reassur
ingly and then pressed a button and
started the car purring softly. “Don’t
you worry about me and don’t you
* worry about us taking this car, eith
er. In spite of the way you feel about
him, my boss is fairly decent and he
wouldn’t mind this sort of thing at
all.”
It was the opening she had been
waiting for and Jan forced herself to
seize it. In halting phrases she told
him something of the life she and
Dora ha'd led at Mrs. Mallord’s. She
described Paul’s ,sudden interest in
her and her bewilderment as to the
cause of it.
As they sped through the traffic
with the lights of the Jersey shore re
flected in the Water below them, the
■man beside her never took his eyes
from the road and scarcely interrupt
ed, save for a sympathetic exclama
tion,
But as she reached the point in her
narrative where Paul had referred to
William Anthony Deverest, she felt
him stiffen with new interest. She
made herself go on, giving him a
complete picture of all that happened
to her that day. When her voice fin
ally died aivtty, she sat huddled in one
THE WINGHAM ADVANCE-TIMES .
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PAGE HIVE,*
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corner, feeling again the utter hope
lessness of the situation,
“So you’ve got to produce William
Anthony in person, eh?”
“Oh, Tony, I know that’s imposs
ible. But if there'was some other way
—maybe I could meet somebody else
—” she floundered and stopped.
“No, that wouldn’t be so good,f If
they want Deverest, they should have
him,”
, Jan sighed. “Well, I gueWs Dora
andftI will’ just have to forget all
about it. I, can get a job somewhere
else
“But why,” Tony demanded. “You
know my boss isn’t like a lot of these
playboys — he’s always avoided pub
licity like poison. Why, many’s the
time I’ve gone to a banquet or a din
ner and said I
with it, too,”
“Tony, you
scarcely believe
“Sure I did. . __ ,,Your Mr, Harris will never know the
difference.” For some inexplicable
reason Tony chuckled to himself.
Jan made one last feeble- protest.
“Are you sure Mr. Deverest wouldn’t
mind?”
Tony stopped for a red light and
took that opportunity to look around
was he.I .got away
Jan could
do it again.
didn’t!!’
her ears.
And I’ll
The next minute he heard a whir and something whizzed by his head and
took his derby with it.
at her solemnly. “He wouldn’t mind
— on ’my word of honor. In fact, I
think he’d be delighted and—amused.”
There had been a hundred things
to see to before Tony could appear
at the Devon Arms., Jan had had a
talk with Paul Harris and made it
clear to him that 'there must be no
publicity about the appearance of Mr.
Deverest. “He absolutely forbids it,”
she told the hotel manager. Then, to
make sure that he would do as she
asked, she told him that Mr. Deverest
insisted that he would' not appear
again if so much as one reporter re
cognized him.
Paul Harris seemed impressed. “I
understand — I understand, Miss
Payson,” he assured her, settling his
tie that was already as correct as a
necktie could be.
Oh, dear, thought Jan, he is posi
tively beside himself with joy. Sup
pose he ever finds out that the “Mr.
Deverest” lie’s so excited about it on
ly Tony Williams, the Deverest
chauffeur. She was half tempted to
give up the whole scheme, but when
she was back in her room, making up
her mind for the twentieth time whe
ther or not to go on with it, Dora in
terrupted her thoughts. . . t
“Jan, you know something?"
“Yes, dear,” said Jan absently, her
mind full of the William Anthony
Deverest problem.
“I just know I am going to be en
tirely well again,” said Dora, her blue
eyes very solemn, “and it’s all due,
every bit of it, to this beautiful place.
Well, not just to this place alone, of
course,” she added. “That doctor
friend of ♦Tony Williams’ has had a
lot to do with it, I guess. Wasn’t it
the strangest thing that he should
know a famous doctor like that and
get him to come and see me? He's ■
really the friend of William Anthony
Deverest, Tony’s boss, you said, did
n’t you? Oh, Jan! Do you think we
can stay here always?"“If I have anything to do with it,
we can," said Jan grimly,
Jan hoped that the fatal night when
Tony was to show up at the Devon
Arms would never arrive. But it did.
The hours between the time Tony
had deposited her at the door of the
hotel after a ride in the park, and the
moment when she had (to step out on
the dance floor and begin her song,
seemed to fly faster .than usual. Her'
fingers had been shaking as she fast
ened the ajl white costume she wore.
How in the-world was she ever to get
through her song? If Tony was at
the table.agreed upon she would die,
she knew, and if he wasn’t there she
would die, too, even more suddenly!
For a moment, as the spot light
caught and held her, she was dazzled
and could see nobody. But as the
song went on and the other girls took
up the chorus, the light shifted, and
she could see Tony at the ringside
table. In fact, Tony’s was the only
table she could see. Fearfully she ap
praised him, then caught her breath
on a sigh of relief. Silly of her to
have worried about, him! A chauffeur
to a man like William Anthony Dev-
ercst naturally was accustomed to the
ways of smart night life.
It was because she was Staring at
him so hard that Jan did not see a
girl who was approaching his table
-until she was-suddenly ’ at his side,
laughing down at him. Tony pushed
back his chair and rose instantly,
catching both the hands the girl ex
tended to him in big brown ones. A
wide diamond bracelet flashed on the
girl’s wrist — the silver fox cape
slung over one shoulder hung halfway
to the floor.
“She must be' sombody,” thought
Jan, aghast. “It must be some society
girl wlio knows Mr. Deverest. Prob
ably she’s asking Tony where he is
—and the next thing it will get to
Paul Harris that it’s only William
Anthony Deverest’s chauffeur about
whom he’s been falling all over him
self!”
. Chapter IX
It was with an effort that Jan took
the solo part again as the Voices of
the other girls came to a stop. She
felt as if she could not make a sound.
Her throat was constricted with ter
ror, and she was surprised to hear
herself singing the mournful notes of
the “blues” song that was Zambrini’s
special pride It was like a release
from prison- when she ’finally got
away from the spot light and could
relax behind the scenes. She Stood
leaning against a chair, wondering
how long it would be before Paul
Harris would know. The orchestra
leader, coming up behind her, made
her jump, so far away from het sur
roundings were her thoughts.
“Why you stay back here?” inquir-
J
4
5
eel Zambrini solemnly. “Go out &W
Mr. Deverest. Mr. Harris like thatJi
Go on go on . , out now” He.i
urged her hastily toward the entrance^!
to the supper room. Mechanicallyp
Jan obeyed, This was what thpir plaid;
had been, She might as well got!
through with it. ' 1'
Before Jan was halfway across the-1
room to Tony’s table he was on
feet and coming toward .her. “Yoijl
were gorgeous,” he whispered,.pulling
Jan’s hand through his arm. He Setl
tied her in a chair at the table and^
sat down in his own, hitching it ar-$
ound so that it would be closer fol
hers.
“I’ve ordered supper for you,’’',ma
said briskly, “we don’t have teLwaaM
any time over that.”
“Oh, Tony,” said Jan with a littlgB
catch in her voice, “will you lose y dural
job?”
• . “Why. should I?" '<»,
. “That girl—-that girl, half buried®;
in silver fox — won’t she tell who you Ji
are?” >
“You mean Marcia? Did you see <\
her stop litre?” said Tony comfortab- J
ly. “That's Marcia Mayfield, very J
much Social Register, just out this '
year. She knows •— my boss. Just
stopped to ask me when he’ll be back i
in town.” ■ ’J
' “But won’t she tell somebody, may-
be Paul Harris, who you are?” ,,i
.“Oh, no, not Marcia! She’s top I
dizzy, wouldn’t waste time gossiping 1
to Hotel managers. That girl has en- ‘
ough on her hands trying to marrv •
money her first season.. You can for- t
get her. We’have just time for once i
around the floor before the waiter
comes. Please . . it’s heavenly danc-.
ing with you,” he coaxed. The soft ■
strains of one of Zambrini’s famous
rhumbas — his nearness as his arm
encircled her slim waist, his dark head '
bent above her — Jan never even
thought of refusing.
“Jan!”
Dora’s face wore a stricken look,
Jan had just gone into the bathroom
and set the shower going — now she
ran back to the sitting room to Sec
what had caused Dora’s cry of dis
tress.
Dora was holding the morning pa
per in her hand. Tlie daily paper was
one of Paul Harris’ kindnesses to the
sick girl,
“What’s the matter?” cried Jan. *•
“You look as if you had seen a
ghost!”
“Read it,” said Dora, thrusting the
paper toward Jan. It was folded back
at a little item that seemed unimport
ant enough.
“Boys arrested for causing disturb
ance at Y.M.C.A.” Jan skipped over
the details quickly until she came to
the list of boys at the bottom of the
!
paragraph. Among the names she
, found “Jack Mallord.” She raised her
eyes and met Dora’s. .Her sister look
ed so frightened she hastened to re
assure her.
“It says here that the boys were al
lowed to go with a reprimand,” she
said gently. “It says here that Jack
was one of a croWd of boys who per
sisted in getting into the swimming-
pool at the “Y” although they are not
members, and making so much noise
and rough-housing generally that no
body else could enjoy the pool. You
know that isn’t right, Dora.”
“1 know. But Jack never had a.
chance. It’s natural that he would
want to have a little fun,” Dora de
fended him. “How could he, living in
that awful place?”
(( “Tell you what I’ll do,” Jan said,
‘I’ll try to find time to run around
to Mrs. Mallord’s after rehearsal and
see how things are going. 1 might
make her a little present, just a lew
dollars. But, gosh, wasn’t she the
hateful woman!”
Jan was just ready to leave for re
hearsal When someone knocked at the
door. She had forgotten that it was
the day for Dr. Curtis to call.
When Jan had gone Dr. Curtis sat
talking to( Dora and writing out a few
changes in her diet. Suddenly lie
stopped and looked up at Dora.
"You are very fortunate in having
a sister like Jan,” he remarked, as
Dora told Jan afterwards, “like a bolt
from a clear sky!"
“You know, Jan, the way he looks
after you when you go out of the
room, and the way he — sort of
watches you — when you are talking
"What, in the world are you trying
to say?” demanded Jan. She was
standing in the middle of the room
brushirfg het hair.
“Nothing,” said Dora hastily,
“I should hope not,” mumbled Jan
fjoiii the depths‘of her hair, but she