Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-12-24


"Thc office of Taylor and johnson
wishes to speak to Miss Miller, please.
There was another long wait; then
Uncle Georges voice of n chief clerk
spoke again "Hello. Is this Miss
Miller? This is Mr.. Harper, of Taylor
& johnson. The firm finds 1t necessary
to ask you to come IN to the Office some
time this afternoon"
A minute passed with Uncle George
| listening. Hold the wire one moment,
please" requested Uncle Georges cleri-
cal voice. He looked up at Harry
covering the mouthpiece with his hand.
! "She says Mrs Harrison has ar
ranged party this afternoon especially
| for some people to meet her; she can
ndt possibly break that engagement.
/ And this evening she was going to be in
town with Sue Harrison to have dinner
with Kenneth and
Let her get out of that engagement
with Kenneth Harrison ~ cried Harry.
And I don't care how she gets out
of it -
Uncle George considered then spoke
into the telephone again. The firm
requests me to ask you to call up Mr..
Taylor at the Biltmore at S:15. He
may have news for you. Thank you.
| Good by.
"Weil?" demanded Harry as Uncle
| George hung up.
Shell meet us. Now, you go into
my front room, and let an old man
think about our end of the how and
where"
While Hurry strobe restlessly up and
down the living room, pausing now and
| then to gaze with unseeing eyes out
upon the midsummer greenncss of Cen
trol orI EaprCa In
ing Where should he arrange this
meeting (which at the best would be
dangerous. He could smugglc the pair
into his apartment for an hour. But.
no; for them to meet any place where
! they were not seen or observed might
remove all restraint from Harry; in his
present frenzicd mood. despite his
promise, he might lose control of him
self, he might do almost any desperate
act. lf they could meet in public
| place, the very presence of others would
| impose self control upon Harry. But
| thut also was dangerous such pubic
meeting might lead to recognition. And
| thus on and on Uncle George thought,
measuring danger against danger, ad-
vantage against advantage
until an idea came to him that COM
bined the good qualities of both privacy
and publicty--though even in this there
was risk. He thought of the little al
cove on the Grantham roof garden, a
part of the big roof and yet screened off
| from it. 1t could be privately reached
/ he remembered, by II tiny elevator which
/ had been installed by the former owner
of the Grantham for his exclusive use
when he had made his home in small
tower that reached two stories above
the roof. Uncle George knew all men
along Broadway; therefore, he knew the
manager of the roof garden of the
| Grantham, and after two minutes on the
telephone the screened alcovc was his
| for that evening.
Arrayed in "a purple dressing gown,
he told Harry where the meeting was to
be reached. ''Be there at $50, son,
and wait; no telling just when Jennie
can show up. And wear your evening
gown
How'll Jennie get there?'
ut won't be easy. But you leave it
to her; she'll manage it. And also leave
it to your Uncle George
The afternoon was a period of burn
ing suspense and soaring misery to
Harry.
But at s 80, using an almost un-
noticeable doorway in a side street he
entered small hallway of the Grant
ham. and was shot upward in the little
elevator. run by wrinkled little man
with the quick, furtiye look of one who
has been schooled to sec everything aud
tell nothing On stepping out he found
George had described to him. There
was a table set for Hhree. Through the
barrier of foliage ut his shoulder. he
could see the big roof beyond filling with
early dancers.
Hardly conscious of the light hearted
world curtained off from him by only a
few leaves. he sat at the little table,
tensely waiting, and striving to gather
his forces for the approaching scene,
which was TO be the supreme crisis. the
greatest fight, of his life.