The Washington herald., 1922-01-29

with me you've declined because
you had q date with young Vie.
1T at first you don't succeed
murmured Jeanne demurely.
Canby's reply was eager.
"Does that mean you'll accept an
Invitation now? How about to-
night?'
1t was just what Jeanne had
called him up for. II he had known.
She agreed to be ready when he
called for her at 1880 Con-
sequently, when Vic Barstowe callec
half an hour later and was told
sweetly. but definitely, that Jeanne
had a previous dinner engagement,
he rang of in a swift nash OF rage.
i News Indees!
~ Jeanne continued to sit before
the telephone after Barstowe had
rung off in a huff, staring PEN
sfvely at the transmitter. s4
She was a tribe uneasy, al
( (kough the situation brought q
Ghost of q smile to her curved
lIDs as she recalled what she had
cooed into that very transmitter.
She had been. Oh! 30 innocent
IN accepting Canby's invitation. she
Had told Barstowe. She real
~ didn't know that he had con-
U1ercd her engaged to him for
dinner that evening nothing
had been said definitely she
heA supposed that he had some
whether or not her ingenious
story had got across with Vic,
.geanne was unable to say. She
: rather thought II had, and that he
vas merely enrased at the thought
~ Rival. without actually blam->
Inc her. She hoped such was
the case at any rate. for she real
fse4 mat, until her engagement to
him vas publicly announced. she
had rather indefinite claim on
him. from any standpoint except
the purely romantic one: there
wa little doubt in her mind or
in hat Of any observer that Bars
toWe was madly in love with her.
We'll she thought with q sigh,
as she rose to dress for her dinner
engagement with Candy. this little
incident ought to prove just how
flexible Barstowe was to her moods.
II would surely serve to show her
what she would be able to do with
him after she had married him.
=: She was a tribe in awe OF
that firm chin with the deep cleft.
II the truth were told.
Also. she felt Justification for
her refusal to dine with her fanSe
on two grounds. One was that he
must not see too much OF her II
she hoped to succeed in her plan
of forcing him to a hasty marriage
by squirting him on to win his
fampy's concent. Otherwise, il
she were always available. the ar
fair might drag out into one
of these attenuated engagements
which eventually disappear be-
meath the surface of the sea of
romance and go to some Saragossum
of lost hopes. g.. She rather
family hoped to bring about by
Withholding their approval.
The second and more vital reason
was her need to see Candy. She
wanted him to undertake for her
one of those fortunate little in
vestments in stocks and bonds
which would increase her bank
balance overnight in the miraculous
way 1t had done before.
No stone Unturned.
Just to be on the safe side. she
stopped at the telegraph booth on
her way down to Canby's car and
sent a message to Harry Harrison
declaring her need for immediate
assistance, and suggesting that he
manage to raise more money on her
holdings entrusted to his care. 1t
lad occurred to her that since Har-
rison had come to the rescue once
before by buying her worthless
property, he might again play
knight Grant and purchase out
rtght some other of her mortgaged
holdings.
OF course. she realized that she
would have nothing left on which
to fall back IL her plan to marry
Barstowe fell through.
But she wasn't going to fail. she
told herself confidently. Catching
sight of her reflection in the mirror
of the elevator, she was amazed at
the grim determination in her own
face. The baby softness that was
her most appealing charm, had van
ished temporarily. Here eyes look
ed as old and wise as Egypt.
Adele Parkinson entered the eie-
vator at the next floor. She was
wearing a brilliant evening gown
and all her Oriental jewelry. Her
wrap was gorgeous Spanish
shawl.