Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-12-02
Moonlight and
Money
Rv Marion Ruhiucsm
By Marion Rubincam
Facing Ruin.
CHAPTER AZ.

CHAPTER AZ.
Carols wedding took place. and
Tor a few weeks she too disappeared.
But tho weeks Immediately following
were busy and rather happy ones for
Louise. Having bought herself a
pretty dress and a coat she was not
ashamed of, she recklessly- accepted
all the invitations hat came her way,
and for a time she and Harry dined
and danced and went on theatre par
tics. met new people and renewed
their friendship with old ones.
And as Harry saio, it did Louise a
lot of good. She ceased ~brooding, for
she had little time for 1t. She even
forgave her mother her lack of SYM
pathy when she confessed her Dear
Secret, and one Sunday evening was
spent at the Driscom's. with the al
ways-silent father at one end of the
table, the mother, cold as h al
ways was in his presence, at the
other, and Harry and Louise at each
side, smiling at each other as hap
PLY as in the old days of their en-
Gagement.
Louise's face filled out a bit too,
and her cheeks took on their old del
icate pink; her eyes were bright and
her brown hair shone again with its
Oiu-IlUlS IuSlIe. "A uuSu u WAlLISl-
cal humor came now and then, and
Harry was in the very height of hap
piness. He threw off all his wor-
RIGS and went with her into every
gayety planned.
This lasted well into December.
And then came a day when every
thing seemed to tumble to pieces, a
day that left Louise feeling lost and
dazed, her world In bits about her.
It started as a charming day. too,
clear and cold, with a sweet taste to
the air as though it were about to
o
Mrs. SALISBURY had asked the
Mortons to dine with her informally
that evening, and Louise conquered
her unreasonable diStaste and &C
cepted the invitation. At five she
dropped into the architects office
where Harry was employed and sat
quietly in his room waiting for him
to finish.
II haven't any magazines handy to
give you to read, and 1 shan't be
through for half an hour" Harry
a~pologized. You'll have a dull time
waiting"
ut doesn't matter" Louise smiled
and walked owe to q big chair by
one of the desks. AS a matter of fact
she was rather tired and glad to
have an hour to rest.
But she did not rest. For a few
minutes later the door opened and a
Gcrawny little man thrust his head In.
'Mr. Morton here?" he asked in a
decidedly foreign accent.
Harry looked up from his work.
"Yes?" he inquired. Louise from
her corner wondered what business
Harry could have with such a per-
son.
st come from the Levinson Loan
Company" the man began In a high
nasal tone that reached over the
partition into the adjoining offices.
you have a loan with us, due last
Monday. This is Friday, and you
haven't paid up yet"
eff it's all the same to you, you're
talking to me, not, to the people down
the han" Harry began furiously.
please lower your voice"
Louise, from her corner, felt sud
denly weak and i'll. What sort of
trouble was his man going to make?
The man, angered by the rebuke,
promptly raised his voice louder.
'Oh, you do not want them all to
hear?" he sneGred. Perhaps then
you give me $3.50 which my COM
pany loaned to you? You give it to
rae now and I go away right away.
You hear, three hundred and fifty
you keep your voice down, or I'll
throw you out" Harry began, the
light of battle in his eye. "fhere's
a lady in the ROOM"
Louise felt as though all the blood
had run from her heart. She had
never been 80 terrified in her life.
She had never heard of the worst of
the salary loan sharks and their
methods, and she did not know how
much of this mans threat was bluff
and how much was real.
The next ten minutes vas q con-
fused blur of voices to her. Then
Hary's office mate came over to her
ana whispered
Don't mind him, Mrs. Morton, he
can't do anything. He is just the
'bawler-out' these sharks send
around when payments are overdue.
He's all noise"
But he says he can dc awful
things" Louise answered, HE can
get Harry discharged. and he can
seize all our belongingS-and all the
office must know about it by now!"
She was IN the edge of tears.
Cheer up At least half the office
has been in the hands of these fell
lows at one time or another, so they
won't think anything about It," he
ready to leave.
But Louise was not comforted, for
when Harry came back from the out
side Office, he was the picture of
gloom.
81 had to give him my whole
weeks salary to get rid of him." he
said. THAT pays hat much off OF
the loan, so they may not jump any
of our personal belongings just yet"
your whole weeks salary?"
Louise echoed aghast. But what
shall we do?"
Heaven knows, I don't" was all
the comfort Harry could give.
(To he coptinNIad