The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-09-18
A LOST ILLUSION
of PRECEDING CHAPTERS.

and Aunt Maude and their daughter,
the buxom, popular. noisy Gladys. She
has ben told she is stupid. ugly, re-
pulslve and of no use, for SO long that
she believes it implicitly.
She makes no friends, there is moth
ing in common between herself and
Gladys's friends in Norris City. Then
Morton Newberry, shy, homely and not
very popular, is attracted to her. Their
friendship becomes love-her graft
tude to Morton for liking her is in
tense. Then Gladys decides she wants
Morton, probably because he was the
only boy who never paid any attention
to her-and goes Off with him and
marries him. Pan fancies herself brok-
cn-hearted-when Gloria Gates, an in
terror decorator in New York, whom
she met casually, sends for her to take
charge of her small son, frankie. In
the city, Pan begins to find herself.
She Is much attracted by Gloria's
friend, George Ridgeway.
Chapter SIS.
Pan was quiet on the way home, puz-
zled by the discovery she had made
about herself.
She in love with George R%idgeway!
1t seemed unbelievable. Yet why
had she felt SO curious when she
watched George with Gloria? She was
convinced George was in love with
Gloria.
And she was sure she was in love
with Morton. She couldn't be in love
with two people at once-she was con-
vinced of that.
1t was the only thing of which the
poor child was convinced. Everything
else was a nnzZlp tn hnr and Shn cot
silent all the way home in the cab,
and did not even notice Gloria's own
silence. Gloria usually chartered vol
umes after they had spent an evening
out.
She was so puzzled she lay awake
hours n thought about it. Then ii
occurred to her that since she had
come to the city, she had lost most of
her old sleeplessness. 1t occurred to
her too, that she did not think much
about Morton any more.
I'm not in love with George,
though she told herself. It's just
the fascination of this excited sort of
life, and the fact that l see him a lot
and that he's nice to me-"
None of which convinced her, or put
her to sleep. Through the open door
she saw a light in Gloria's room. 1t
had been very late when they got
home, it must be quite two or three in
the morning now. She rose and went
softly to the other bedroom. Gloria
was lying asleep with flushed face and
tumbled hair in a black mass over her
pillow, the light full in her eyes. Pan
tiptoed in and turned it out and went
back TO her own room again. Gloria
looked i'll and feverish.
And she was too i'll to get up next
morning. Pan, however, but little
worse for her loss of sleep, was about
at her usual early hour and had Fran
kie dressed and sent off to play by
the time she took the breakfast tray
in to Gloria's room.
You're to stay here all day" she
told her with mock severity. "If you
hadn't rush off to that dance last
night"
81 know. Don't moralize and III be
good" Gloria promised. She looked
white and drawn now-genuinely i'll,
though it was only d cold. Pan, you
know the voices of the people who
come here most. Don't let on to my
n you know that In here-I'm afraid
Frank will try to phone"
Pan remembered that Gloria had
heard from her husband the day before
which accounted for her fever and
gloominess.
While Gloria drank her coffee, Pan
brought out the engagement book she
had made the night before, and a pile
of unanswered letters.
"All these social things I'll cancel
for you the next few days" she sug-
gested. There's Mrs. Austen's party
you'll be well enough by Saturday if
you're good now and stay in bed"
CHI -a- ,aJ.- ~z,-sT-I 1890
about the letters to be tended to, and
finally off. having phoned the
doctor. leaving Gloria to nap.
Gloria's secretary phoned them from
the office-Pan had been there once
or twice with frankie. when she was
to shop with Gloria. There. were manv
things 10 be looked after-obviously
the secretary was helpless when left
TO herself. Pan took frankie off for
his daily walk, and stopped there. look
ing over the mail and finally took mosI
of it home with her.
1t was in that way that Pan began
taking yer details of Cloria's bust
ness. For Gloria was kept in bed by
a severe cold, and general nervous ex
haustion and overwork. Certain things
had to be seen to.
You can go to the Reynolds for me
Say you're my assistant" she direct
ed. THE workmen there are thorough
ly trustworthy, but Mrs. Reynold is the
sort that thinks she isn't getting hel
moneys worth if I'm not there every
day. Ask Miles, the man in charge
how things are going. And want som
gray taffeta matched for curtains
you've a good eye for color and"
So it went. Pan was made useful in
several ways And she enjoyed get
ting out, running about the big uphols
try and furniture firms. and in and out
of rich houses that were being done
over. Gloria was doing one room il
a large mansion. with silver and gray
carved wood walls, with panels of sill
81. in, painted with Vatican figures
and cupids in rosy clouds painted over
the ceiling. Pan admired this enor
mously, and was greatly excited one
day when she went there on an er
rand, and was asked to tea.
Mrs. Reynolds was very brainless
very fat, very bored, she wanted tt
talk of nothing but her new boudoi
and her Pekinese.
Il didn't have a bit of trouble" Pal
reported to Gloria" She was so sill,