Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-13
THE DAILY STORY
Tuesday at Eight

]
! thereby frustrating Molly's plan to open
/ II with her latchkey.
"'Quite impossible Is no real reason
! said he.
"rm going in now" said Molly with dig
nifty.
Not until you have given me better
/ reason for turning me down.
| She faced him.
"Nen, III YOU want all the horrible de-
! tails don't care enough about YOU
said she.
Robert Brainerd seemed not perturbed
at this Indeed, he smiled.
THAT'S not the real reason said ne.
He looked at her searchingly. The girl
tried to return that fixed gaze, but her
eyes suddenly faltered.
"The real reason" said. she, and TINS
time her tone seemed to carry CONVICTION
TO him "is that I won't marry any man
unless I'm the most important thing in his
life. I'm not the most important thing IN
yours, by any means"
"whv, Molly, of course you are" said
he
mo. I'm not she said. why, you
can't even bother to keep your engage
ments with me. Day before yesterday
YOU we're two hours late in getting here;
Yesterday you didn't come at all, al
though you said you'd see me at half-past
four. Today, after waiting some throe
hours for you and growing tired, I run
out FOR breath of air and happen to
meet you coming up the street; I'm very,
very important It would seem from all
that"
"Mv dear, i've tried to explain I'm a
very busy man these days. Tve scarcely
a minute to breathe. /"
She made q wry little face Business,
business, always business" said She "I
see It comes before me, and that has
made me decide as l have. Now, please,
let me go into the house."
But Brainerd made no move to take
his back away from the door.
You're not fair" said he.
She whirled on him wrathfully
at isn't as If you had to do It," said
she. You're not pressed for ready
money and you never will be. It would
seem that a little of this highly impor-
tant business might be dropped once in
a while so that you could keep one ap-
pointment with me. AS it is"
Now, see here" said he, and his tone
was that of man who checked his inn
patience with an effort. you have al
ways said before that mere possession of
money is no adequate excuse for a mans
rot working and giving the very best he
has in him to his work Well, that's
what I'm doing, or trying to do-wor6
not for the sake of working, but to accom-
plish something. If I'm going to build
up legal practice of my own I've got
10 hustle early and late. And when l do
I'm handed this little welt from you"
Her lips relaxed little in their tense
ness at that.
Prove itv she said shortly.
Il WILL" he declared. How shall I do
This Is Friday. isn't it?' she said.
well, I'll give you until Tuesday to
think over whether or not it is worth
while keeping your appointments with
me. Come to me Tuesday evening at 8.
We will be out at the Lakeville house
then"
81 WILL" said he.
IF business doesn't interfere" she
Knocked.
1T won't" said he grlmly.
He stepped away from the door. She
opened it and slipped inside. But before
she had closed it entirely she said softly:
Maybe, If you're on tlme-it isn't
much to ask you to be on time just once,
is t?-Tll have different answer for
you"
Watch met" he cried jubilantly as
the door closed
At o'clock that Tuesday afternoon
Brainerd's stenographer called him to
the phone. 1t was Holden, of the Inter-
city Company on the wire He and
Stone, he said, would like to see Mr..
Brainerd.
Nor was he wrong in his surmise The
legal work was to be his hereafter. That
was made plain to him with no waste of
words. Then at once Stone and Holden
wanted him to go over with them certain
outstanding contracts of subsidiary con-
Germs and pass upon them as to their
validity.
The three locked themselves in Holden's
private office. and, with the contracts
piled on his desk, they fell to work.
Brainerd's first thought outside the
mooted contracts was that he was hun
cry. How long he had been working he
could not have told. He glanced at his
watch. He was Mortified to find it was
1880.
The sudden thought of his appointment
with Molly at Lakewood brought a cold
perspiration to his forehead.
is your car down at the door?" he
asked, crisply.
Mine is," said Stone. "Why?"
I'm going to use IT," said Brainerd,
and bolted for the door.
You bet you're not" howled Stone.
You're going over the rest OF these con-
tracts, and, besides, I've got to hustle
home at and meet some people the
madam is entertaining"
lie made an Intellectual clutch at Brain
erd, who eluded him and sped down the
han for the elevators. over his shoulder
he shouted something half intelligible
TO stone II sounded like, Take a taxi"
He did not manage to catch the ele-
vator Brainerd did. When he reached the
street a red tail-light was rocking along
the narrow thoroughfare, and a crossing
cop was waving his arms and shouting
something after It,
The big grandfather's clock in the hall
chimed s. For a good half-hour Molly
Perrin had been peering out the front
windows across the veranda and down
the driveway.
Molly had been uneasy all the past half
hour, and with each passing minute her
nervousness had increased. Now, as the
clock chimed the hour and still no signs
OF Brainerd. she settled herself discon-
solately on the wide window seat
so he really didn't care!" she mutt
tered. IF he had. nothing-notbinR
would have kept him away tonight. He
doesn't care enough"
And then a splash of light cut the driv-
ing rain. motor, driven at a furious
pace, came down the road. II swung into
1t skidded frightfully. seemed 10 right
itself for a moment, then crashed into
one OF the big stone gateposts. A dark
object shot ungracefully on the front seat
ana whirled through the misty rain.
"A dash OF water in his face brought
Brainerd struggling up on an elbow A
man was bending over him, and close he
side the man was Molly Perrin.
Hell be all right in a littIa .,A,,