Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1940-12-19, Page 14WiNGHAM ADVANCE-TIMES thing more than ‘Hel-lo’ she might be able to lift this dark cloud. She might even know if her own emotions were the result of an overwrought imagin­ ation. At the same time she knew she was doing something which under or­ dinary circumstances she certainly would not do. But what was so fear­ fully extraordinary about having been kissed suddenly on top of a Fifth Av­ enue bus? "Why don’t you use the studio phone?” Because she wanted to be safely hidden in an enclosed booth when she called Joel. Because she wouldn’t want anyone to know— The nickel went "ping” in the slot and Sue’s heart beat so loudly she could hear it, Frightened, she almost hung up. Suddenly she couldn’t bear to know. Then she heard his voice. "Hello - hello!” Sue’s voice was paralyzed in her throat. "Hello!” said Joel irritably. The telephone hook on the other end jang­ led. "Operator, you rang here.” “Sorry — there’s no one on the Jine , now.” She put the receiver back on the hook and stood there until someone who wanted to use the phone rattled the door of the booth. Sue went out, smiling. Dusty was waiting for her. “That’s the end of it,” she told herself; “of that merry little excursion into silliness. I hope you've had enough. I hope you're through. I hope ybu’ll behave yourself from now on.” “Well, there you are!” Dusty pick­ ed up his hat and gloves; “Why all the secrecy? What’s it all about? Can’t I be in on it, too?” But something remained definite in Sue’s mind. "There was something be­ tween us. I know there was. And I’ll never be truly happy and at rest until I find out from Joel what hap­ pened.” CHAPTER IX Dot wasn’t there when Sue and Dusty arrived home after the broad­ cast. Dusty snapped on the lights and took Sue n his arms. “You’re cold,” he said quickly. “You’re shivering. What’s the mtater?” She crossed her arms, with a hand under each elbow and said, “I don’t know, Dusty. I am cold.” "Well, of all the crazy things — look at your feet!” Sue looked down at her open-toed shoes, the sheer stockings dark with dampness. “Oh, I must have got my feet wet.” “Must have,” said Dusty. “Good Lord! I’ll say you have.” w He bent down and unstrapped ..her shoes. “They’re caked with ice. What in the world have you been doing?” "The snow — forgot my over­ shoes,” Sue murmured. Dusty heated bath towels on the radiator and wrapped Sue’s feet in them and then he came back with a • hot whiskey toddy. “Drink it, while it’s hot. Good Lord, Sue! Don’t you realize you can ruin your career with a frog in your throat?” Sue obediently sipped the drink al­ though it burned like fire, while Dusty went back to the bedroom. There was a resounding crash. , “Darn,” said Dusty as lie came back, “how in the name of Agnes and Suzy and the rest of the bonnet makers, can one woman wear twenty-three hats?” "What was it?” “I was hunting an extra puff for you and tipped over Dot’s hat shelf. Now as soon as you down this, draw a very hot tub. But will you please tell me why you went out in the snow with those silly shoes?” Sue was feeling much better. Her headache had disappeared and left her floating in mid-air. '‘Dusty, please don’t worry so. After this fire-water of yours, I’d hesitate to have a sniffle. Dusty, filled with anxiety, leaned over her. "‘Oh, Sue — Sue,” his voice choked with emotion, "you’re so sweet. You don’t seem to realize that your voice is your fortune — and here you practically throw your future to the winds. Don’t you care about a career?” .Sue raised one eyebrow at him and smiled. "Of course I do, Dusty.” Then she had a chill which shook her from head to foot, and she thought, "But it isn’t true. I don’t honestly care about anything at this moment” She put down the glass. Yoh fit into a paternal role very nicely, Dus­ ty? In fact, it’s quite comforting.” "Good grief!” Dusty exploded, I loathe being paternal. But somebody has to look after a silly idiot who doesn’t know enough to come in out of a snowstorm. Where the devil is Dot? Why doesn’t she come home?” "Heaven knows. She’s having .din­ ner with Stephen Emery.” Dusty set his jaw and paced back and forth. “The caged lion act,” said Sue, “and really, Dusty, I can’t swallow another mouthful.” With a determined look Dusty took the glass and held it to her lips. Sue smiled and her lips were so full and warm and red that Dusty set the glass down and took her head between his two hands and kissed her slowly. He thought it might be a blessing in dis­ guise if Sue did get a cold. She might marry him sooner without than with, a career. He wondered why he had been so anxious to make her into a career girl when what he perversely wanted was someone who stayed at home and looked after his house and children. Certainly if he had married Dot he would have had a hectic en­ ough home life. Only he would have put his foot down long ago — long, long ago, if he and Dot had ever real­ ly had the knot tied. At .this partic­ ular moment he wanted Sue as he had never wanted anything before in his life, and he was all off careers for women. Then they heard Dot’s key in the lock. Dusty rose rather .abruptly and plunged into the business of telling her about Sue. He sighed with relief as Dot efficiently drew a hot tub and came back with some white stuff in a glass. “The doctor gave it to me and it’s all right even after a hot tod­ dy. Run along, Dusty,” she said care­ lessly, as if the sight of him hovering over Sue were not in the least unus­ ual. “I’ll phone first thing in the morning. She’ll be all right, I’m sure.” * * * Dusty found Joel hunched up in his red leather chair before dying embers in the fireplace, an empty glass on the table. Joel had thought, when he saw Sue’s face turned back in the taxicab in the early evening, that he had been unnecessarily a brute. There must have been a kinder way than he had chosen. To kiss and make love to a girl was one thing, but really to fall in love with her was quite another. It had been pretty much of a jolt when she had said that Dusty was in love with her. Sitting in Dusty’s ap­ artment waiting for him to come in, something ached so fiercely .inside that Joel felt he couldn’t bear it. He thought perhaps a drink .would help. He had gone into Dusty’s pine and copper kitchen and poured himself a stiff one. “A heck of a life,” he ob­ served, as he pressed down the siphon. If it were anyone but . Dusty, it wouldn’t matter. It could be a fair fight. But Dusty — his own brother. And such a brother! What business had Dusty falling in love with a girl like Sue Garland? Well, why not? It "was good Joel had discovered it be­ fore it was too late. Now the thing to do was to run back to Jinny Ran­ som as fast as he could. If he buried his face in Jinny’s soft black hair, as light and soft as soap foam, it would help. But first he must settle this business with Dusty about reopening the mills, and about Sue Garland, he d have to have it from Dusty himself, Maybe, maybe — it wasn’t true. The drink hadn’t helped much. So he had fixed himself another. And now Dusty, with a worried frown be­ tween his eyes, was saying:. I hope you don’t do this sort of thing regu­ larly _ drinking by yourself isn t quite the thing, old man. And what in the world is this vile smell?” Joel grinned. He didn’t know how to tell Dusty that if it was a vile smell it had a Fernch name three inches long, that the tiny bottle had cost him fifteen bucks and that he had, in a fit of disgust, drawn the stopper and poured it all down the sink. Dusty said, “I can’t think of any­ thing more outrageously foolish to do with money than to invest it in the outdated Paine Thread Mills — even if this elastic thread is something to revolutionize women’s clothes. You’re swaved by sentiment.” Joel said heatedly, "There isn’t a scrap of sentiment in me. We own the darned mills and 'the machinery, don’t we? We pay taxes and get ab­ solutely nothing out of them.” “Well,” said Dusty, “if We don’t tear down the buildings, they’ll fall down, so what?” Joel gritted his teeth. "There’s no reason why you shouldn’t come up and look this thing over. I’ve adjust­ ed one machine so that it runs like a million-dollar car. The expense and adjustment on the old machines is trifling. You seem to forget, too, that I have a patent on this development. This thread of mine has qualities that other thread doesn’t have. It’s color­ ed, for one thing, and it’s reasonably boilfast. And let me tell you it’s go­ ing to be important. When you make better thread than the others, you’re bound to make good.” “The mousetrap idea. I get it. Joel, come out of it. I won’t do it. If I thought I could satisfy you with a couple of thousand dollars, I would. But that would only be the beginning. What do you know of merchandising? Of production and labor costs? Of taxes? And then you have the im­ practical idea that al! the workers can live on small farms. and raise their own food after hours. A good enough economic experiment for Henry Ford. I haven’t anything against that. It’s only your confounded pig-headed­ ness.” "‘Pig-headed, am I?” shouted Joel, “pig-headed when you—F” "You talk like an escaped lunatic, if you really want to know,” said Dus­ ty, his voice now controlled. "Forget it, Joel. Forget it all and come here with me and we’ll get you a jolly good booth in the advertising game. And by the way, how did you like Sue Garland?” Joel Carefully averted his eyes and said with a fair degree of casualness, “Oh, she’s a swell girl, all right.” “Fine,” Dusty said,, “fine! I want you two to like each other, because - because,” he added, "I am going to marry her. And. Joel, don’t let this business stand between us. After all, you and I have come a long way to­ gether. and pretty much through our own efforts.” . “Yours, you. mean,” Joel said. “Ever since I was twelve, Dusty, I haven’t had a soul in the world but you. You old — old — lug.” CHAPTER X The next morning Sue definitely had a cold deep in her lungs. She couldn’t appear for the audition which the night club had arranged. So Dus­ ty and the well-groomed restaurateur of the Trocaedro closeted themselves in the soundproof studio connected with Dusty’s office and listened to re­ cordings of Sue Garland’s voice. Dusty knocked his cigarette ashes into the chromium ash tray and star­ ed at the monk’s cloth curtains. Hear­ ing Sue’s voice always stirred him, and for a moment he was not sure he could trust himself to speak, “The offer stands,” Tony Stefano said, waving his fat black cigar. “The girl’s voice is maybe a little too sweet, but she has something. I think may­ be the customers will like it. And she looks good, you say?” "If;” said Dusty bargaining, “you can add another hundred to the first two weeks, payable in advance, she’d consider it.” “Now how do I know how her voice is going to go over in a crowd­ ed night club, with everybody talking .and dishes clattering and nobody pay­ ing attention — maybe the girl gets frightened. Maybe she doesn’t do so well, maybe her voice doesn’t carry. Why then I’d lose a lot of money.” “You won’t lose any money on Sue Garland,” said Dusty with conviction. “You’re darned lucky to be able to get her at that price. In six months, Tony, you won’t be able to afford her.” Tony’s black eyes rolled. "All right and all right, and just to be a good fellow I’ll give her five hundred bonus at the end if everything goes O.K.” It was altogether a generous offer, Dusty knew, and he nodded a little wearily.. He didn’t approve of what he was doing as Sue’s agent. He did not like the idea of Sue appearing in a night club, but he knew that in a game like this you had to take it when it came. It would make a pretty heavy schedule for her, three times a week on the radio and two appearanc­ es nightly at the Trocadero. She’d be running back and forth half the time, but still she was young and strong and healthy. He nodded to Tony to come into his private office to draw up the contract. Dusty wondered how Sue was feel­ ing. How like a careless girl to get a cold when her her career hung in the balance! He wasn’t exactly wor­ ried about it, as he felt sure she’d throw it off in no time. He ‘wondered too, if Joel had taken the flowers ar­ ound as he had promised. Joel had seemed uneasy at break­ fast and anxious to be starting for home. No use wasting time in the city sinde Dusty was not going in with him on the factory deal. "Stick around, kid,” Dusty had said "don’t be in such a hurry. I haven’t really seen you. Beside, I Want you to take some posies over to Sue, She is under the weather with a cold and we’ll have to keep up her spirits. I’d like to go myself, but Sue’s contract comes up this morning and if it’£ handled right it may mean a lot to her.” That, Joel thought, was a pretty turn of events. Just as he was .clear­ ing neatly out of Dusty’s way, Dusty came along with this. If Dusty only knew that he was getting out of town just so he wouldn’t have to lay eyes on Sue Garland again, just because he knew it would be slow torture if he had to see her, or hear her! Just be­ cause he didn’t dare. Beca'use he knew that he couldn’t look at her without wanting her. and still he must stand aside for Dusty. If he were ever to behave honorably toward a brother who had done everything for him, here was- his opportunity. Here was a chance for him to repay kind with kind, even though Dusty might never be aware of it. And Joel meant that he never should be. “You mean you want me to play a Miles Standish and tell her what a grand guy you are? Can’t you just say it with flowers?” Dusty had laughed, "I want you two really to like each other. If she’s going to be your sister-in-law you’d better get acquainted with her. She was pretty sick last night and I want to be sure she doesn’t get up and go outdoors or do anything silly. She’s just that careless and it’ll ease my mind if I know you’re there.” “Sure,” said Joel, “Sure I’ll be glad to.” Only he was thinking rather wildly that he’d do it in the quickest possible way. He’d say with emphasis “Dusty insisted that I—” He almost forgot about it, though, when he saw her eyes light up. She was sitting up in bed, her hair aston­ ishingly light, touching her shoulders which were covered with a fluffy blue bed jacket. Her cheeks were crimson, here eyes bright and her hand, which he accidentally touched when he gave her the flowers, like fire. She said, and her voice was barely a whisper, “How nice of you, Joel. How nice. I thought you had gone home.” She let the fragrant mass of red roses lie on the bed while she looked at him. “Yesterday,” Sue said, “I thought you didn’t like me.” Joel sat down. This was going to be even worse than he had anticipat­ ed. Might as well make a clean break of it. “Sue,” he said, “I like you aw­ fully. That’s the trouble. I was afraid I was going to like you too much and after all there is the other girl — the girl I’m going to marry,” he added hastily. "Yes.” She smiled up at him. “Jinny.” “Yes,” he said. “Jinny.” There was nothing more to say and the two.sat uncomfortably silent until Dot came to the door and motioned to Joel to come to the living room. “Don’t you think I ought to get a doc­ tor?” Dot asked, worried. "You’d better get one quickly,” Joel said, “she’s burning up with fever. I wouldn’t delay at all.” When Dusty finally got rid of Tony Stefano after they had lunched to thresh out the final details of the con­ tract, it was a quarter to three. His secretary sighed with relief as he came in, and said, “Oh, thank goodness, Mr. Paine. Miss Garland’s apartment has been calling frantically ever since you let. I’ll get the number for you right away.” She dialed repeatedly, but there was no answer. “Try again,” Dusty insisted. "There must be somebody there.” At last he heard Joel’s voice, breath­ less. “Dusty,” Joel said, “get over to the Memorial Hospital right away. We called the doctor for Sue and he took one look at her and ordered the ambulance. She’s being typed for pneumonia. Dusty, I’m afraid •— I’m afraid she’s dreadfully sick.” Dusty dropped the receiver and grabbed his hat and coat. He thrust his arms in thet coat sleeves as the» elevator took him down. How had they ever let pneumonia develop? Why, last night she hadn’t even a cold — only the beginning of one, and this wasn’t quite twelve hours later. Still — if you took these things in time » . Joel had sounded frightened, or was he just out of breath? And why hadn’t Dusty been told? And what in the name of heaven — He found Joel and Dot in the hos­ pital waiting room, with its linoleum floor, great wicker chairs and chintz- covered cushions and floor lamps. "No report yet,” Dot said, her eyes open­ing wide as She saw Dusty. "Are they sure it’s pneumonia?” She nodded. "Definitely. Now it’s a question of typing and giving het the serum quickly.”