The Snowflake herald., 1921-01-21
NADINE
BY DOROTHY o. GRAVES.

Dack ana watched the flying landscape
farls' III, was very far away, and Ma,
dlnes heart pumped joyously. She
should arrive i'm Boston that varx
morning, and then-life would com
mence for her.
BOSTON to Nadine was everything
that Paris, ILL.,, was not. There wouId
he young men, theaters, jobs. every.
Where. Nadine planned to get ioh
right away.
Inc train rumbled into the South
station Nadine alighted. She knew
just what to do, and she did if suc-
cessTully. Not an hour later she
skipped down the steps of the Y. w
Z. A. and started to seek life.
The office boy in Everyman's insur.
ance Office grinned at Nadine and Ma.
dine grinned back.
Said the boy: "AIr. Black?"
rms was a straw. Nadine grasped
it. "Yes."
He's out" said the boy, 'but you
en- talk to his assistant It's Mr.. Jack
his son. Mr.. John Black, Jr., you
know"
Mr.. Black, Jr., appeared. He was
very young and very handsome, more
so than any Paris, H., young man.
His eyes were as startled as Madness
own, but she did not see that. Ma
dine tried to think. Mr.. Black. Jr..
thought for her.
"YOu want a pOsition?"
Nadine nodded her head. Mr.. Black
smiled.
What is your lame?"
"Where do you come from?" Mr..
Black, Jr., forgot this was a business
affair, and not country club dance.
But Nadine was not thinking of that
AT last it was question she could an
swer, if her breath lasted long enough
Paris" said She
Mr.. Black grinned. Now he under
stood. Nine months before in Paris he
had tried to buy soap of a Partisan
apOthecary, hut he had been disap-
pointed in the comprehension of the
Frenchman, and he had never got the
soap.
Odn you IypeWT1C0!
Nadine started to say: 1--WE had
that in high school," but she decided
it did not sound buSinesslike, but it
was too late, the I'VE" had escaped.
Mr.. Black, Jr., understood the I'VE"
for the French "oui," or Eyes"
Il see," he said, "and you want a
job.
what is your name?" asked Mr.
Black, holding paper and pen ready.
But being very kind he mOtioned her
to wait before answering. From his
pocket he produced a -thumbed lit
/ tie red book. French Self-Taught" !"
He turned the pages to the TVS" At
last he asked triumphantly: "Quel est
/ votre nom?'
Nadine smiled she wanted to laugh.
i But she did not dare. and anyway she
knew her smile was enchanting. In
Paris, H.. she had studied French for
Engineers for a year in high school,
and had read a little French story by
Monsieur LeBrun, which name her
+ teacher had translated as Mr.. Brown,
so she answered readily. but in half
hesitating English: II am Nadine Le-
Brun."
During the next few weeks Mr.
Black, Jr., applied himself to his du-
ties so thoroughly and perseveringly
that Mr. Black. Sr, told his wife that
"Junior" would get somewhere yet.
Junior did. Whether or not it was
the particular somewhere" his father
meant. 1t was June he'd asked the en-
chanting French girl to go "some-
where" with him that evening. Nadine
smiled and-nodded.
That night Nadine also got "SOme-
where" 1t was the June night, plus
the luminous moon, plus the gentle
tapping Of the water on the shore, at
Winthrop Beach and plus Junior. The
answer to the problem was "yes." Pos
sibly Nadine had something to do
with it, too, but she gave all the credit
to Junior.
And then they both got "some-
where" 1t was this way:
"We'll go out West. dearie," Jack
Jr., breathed into her delicate and
very French little ear. 1--we an ole
granny out there who'd love to see us
and she promised me long ago when
| married / should have her home fol
a wedding present, and dads always
said he'd set me up in business out
there"
"Oh, Jack -
''Yep out Illinois way"
"IlIinois!" Nadine gasped. But Jr
mistook the long-drawn word for hel
imperfect knowledge of English.
"Yep-Paris, Illinois," he laughed II
expectation. Its great little ole
town" The idea then occurred to hin
that Nadine might have misunderstood
"Not your Paris, you know; it's jus
a small town in one of our states
There's alfalfa, and wheat, and some
cattle"
"And corn, Jackey. say there's corn
UE