The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-24
SECTION
When fl Girl
 MOrries
TISI1 NNy Gd
CHAPTER 494
 Copyright, 1920, King Feature Syndf. Tno

CdtSy 1uG
 M. s. is Mabel Storrs. the ~ouns
 woman in charge Of Jinl's office. or at least l suppose so," I replied
 Maybe she could tell us who R. C. is I'll try to locate her at onee It's Sunday, you know, and I may have D | hard time reaching her."
 How about that date with Dad Lee
 you wouldn't break even to celebrate
 my recovery?' asked Neal with a hint of Jealousy in his voice. ITO protect him from any hurt and yet keep him from guessing the true
 state of affairs between Jeanie, Phoebe and me, l chung to my fabri-
 cation.
 'I' Il go to Dad Lee at once. Then
 after an early lunch. I'll hurry right out to Miss Storr's house."
 All right. Babbs - that's fine.
 And suppose at I or 5 you drop in at
 Jeanie's and come hime here with
 Phoebe and me for tea. Suit you ?- | If I've finished the other things in
 dme," l replied evasiveIy.
 "Oh, we'll wait till G." promised
 Neal, ''or '. Wait as long as we have | to. So don't rush"
 All right agreed weakly. wonder | ing how under the sun I could hide 1 the bitter truth of Phoebe's esrange- i ment from me. If Neal knew of this 1 an dthat Jeanie and Pat had dropped me, l feared he'd never take the trip he ought to have. At any cost I had
 to protest him and keep the truth
 from him until he was ssafeIy headed l homeward. But I didn't see what l
 could do short of taking to my bed | and playing sick for the rest of the day.
 With what cheer I could, I kissed
 Neal good-by and started off. Folded | tightly inside my glove was Meals
 anonymous letter. In spite of his
 reading of it, I felt convinced that | 1t referred not to Dick West, but to
 J1m- I've always despised the thought | or letter sent by someone who is | ashamed to put his signature to his | own words. Even now I didn't know
 what it purposed doing with it.
 Did I owe it to Jim to show it to
 Mabel Storrs-or to crumpIe it up
 and forget it?
 On leaving Meals apartment, I hail. | ed a taxi and drove straight to Dad l Lees totel.
 1 As I rolled down the avenue. I be- 1 rated myself for the eXtravagant inn | pulse which had betrayed me into | taking a taxi. but when the car drew l up at the hotel, just as Dad Lee was
 emerging from the door, I realized | that it was a lucky chance to say the | least, which kept me from getting 1 there five minutes later. ] Hello, Dad Lee!" l hailed him. ''T 1 hope you're not going anywhere for
 I'm lonesome and thought you might
 like to take your-daughter to | lunch.'
 1 It was the first time I'd acknowI- edged that if he was my father I was also his daughter. fancied l that his eyelids fickered as I spoke the word. But he replied without | hesitation:
 | 'I was just going to take a walk | uptown and meet one of my old run | ming mates for lunch, but if you'll come in, my dear, I'll telephone him that my girl has claimed for the afternoon and that 1t wouldn't be like Lucky Lee to refuse a chance to take a pretty lilly to lunch even if she is 1 his own child" tAn right I agreed trying to seem at least friendly in response to |. his joviality and generosity. l went into the now familiar writ ing room. to wait while he telephon- ed, and as l sat there l drew out the crumpled note which had come to Neal. Again I studied it. and again I made out that second sentence to read: "Either M. s. R. c. may tell you few things about a. well that $ supposed to be dried up.'' With a shudder of distaste I real ized that the-nOte seemed to me to refer to Jim not to Dick West. If only l knew where it was posted I'd have clue-but to what? "I fixed it." said Dad Lee, coming back so silently that I didn't hear him until he was very close. As I folded the note and slipped it into my purse I looked up and met his eyes. They were untroubled and free from concern. Clearly he knew nothing of Meals spondent and his cryptic messages 1 Across the lunch tabe I faced Dad l Lee, determined to bring business
 methods of utter direetness to bear on l your case. Suiting the words to my l idea the moment the waiter went off | with your order I demanded: Any news from Dick West?" Mary a. word,'' said Dad Lee non- committal1y.
 Do you miss him ?' I asked with a smile.
 Sort of," burst from Dad Lee. eff all my friends disappear and you only come along once week, I don't know how I'm gioing to stand 1t here"-
 Amy of your old friends disappear ing?" I asked srn ooth1y, though with beating heart.
 NO one you'd know" replied Dad Lee cycling me intently and starting out slowly, only to jump his words at me suddenly as he went on: Fel- low named Slim Darrow. Ever hear of him %
 "SIin Darrow?" I repeated, rolling the words over in my mouth. Did I meet him through your" Dad Lees parchment-1ike old face colored. There was no mistaking that.
 You might and-then again may be not He's an old friend of that hauffeur you seem to think such heap of-that George Lyons. of what ever he calls hisself You might have run acrcss Slim Darrow through this here Lyons," insinuated Dad Lee
 'I hardly admit my ex-chauffeur to the point Of intimacy where I meet bis ra1s" I replied with an effort at l +1.se o.