The Dolores star., 1924-03-14

'"'uSHl u Heeu IL Tor my own
daughter, thought"
Then he went on and told her that
lrlX had found out the crowd quicker
uIan he had himself He had had a
long talk with her and they had de-
cided to start with clean slate. 1t
was more his fault than hers, anyway.
Then he drew from her Georges ac-
count of what had happened. His face
uafkened, as though it did not match
up with what Trix had told him. so
Jennie shortened her story quite a
little.
Uneasy as she'd been all the while
she talked, she was utterly unprepared
Tor the line Joe took when she finished.
lhe first thing to do tomorrow morn
Ing,' he said, SIS to let him go. See
to that, will you?"
Let him go!" she cried incredu-
lously. George Burns? After what
hes done for you today? You don't
want me to do that. Joe! l wouldn't
| do it"
Her defiance didn't arouse him at
all. "Fll let him know tonight then
that he's discharged. Guess that'd be
better, any way" He said it without
conviction, but equally without any
| sign Of wavering.
"Thatll be the first really unfair
| thing I've ever known you to do, Joe
| If YOU really do it. don't believe you
viii. You can't reward really fine
service that way. Why, If she'd been
drowning, and he'd"
Il know all that" he interrupted.
And I'll reward him, too. You can
write him any sort of recommendation
you like tonight. and I'll sign it. Write
him check, too, for thousand dol
lars, and I'll sign that. Look here
You've always kicked on my keeping
him as a chauffeur haven't you? Said
he was too good for it. Well, now I'm
doing what you've always wanted me
to do. That thousand will get him two
years schooling, if he wants it. Or
set him up in little business for HIM
self. Buy him a taxicab. Anything he
likes. AS reward for what he did
today. Nothing unfair about that, is
iiViCi hC ohis StilhS oh IL 10 lhat
he's got to keep away from me and
my daughter. l don't want him around.
Because he was mixed up in that
mess, more or less. Else how did he
know how to find her as easy as that?
Why wouldn't they believe when he
said he had message from me? You
can see that yourself! For that mat
ter, why did Trix keep all that end
of it dark? She did. You've given it
away, you know.
81 told her we were going to let by
cones be bygones. Start with a clean
slate. Well, we are! I'm never going
to ask her another question. Even
about this. But II she or you has got
any idea I'll keep man working for
me as chauffeur whom she's let get to
know her as well as he seems to,
you're making big mistake"
II really believe" Jennie said, de-
liberately, "that George Burns-chauf-
feur or not-is the best friend Beatrice
has today. l believe he's got the best
influence over her. He's certainly
done more than either Henry Craven
or |, though we've worried and won
dered and done what we could. But
he's really-held out a hand to her,
guess. It's only guess. Of course"
"WelI, now you've said it yourself"
he declared. 81 won't have her making
friends with man like that. Friends
bah! Three months of a friendship
like that and father gets telegram
from Crown Point saying We're mar
ried.' There's one in the newspaper
every morning. But it's thing that
isn't going to happen in my family,
and that's tip you can bet on. And
when you hire a new chauffeur tomor-
row, see that you get one that there
won't be any temptation to hold hands
with"
He was sure she wouldn't have any
trouble with Beatrice. "She under
stands that I'm backing you up, what
ever you do, and that it won't do her
any good to appeal to me over your
head. l don't believe she'll try 1t. but
If she does promise it won't get her
anything. Your veto goes with me-"
1ul Will thV tihih oVAhto " w.
Jennie asked desperately, of the uni
verse rather than Joe. what Is there
she can do?"
His answer was that she could do
any of the things decent people ordi-
narlly did. She was to cut out drink
ing, dancing in tough cabarets, and
nocturnal joy-ridlng. She was to steer
clear altogether of the gang she had
been running with. But even after
these deletions there was still plenty
left. as far as he could see.
1t seemed to Jennie that two people
could hardly be brought into close
quarters in a situation more thor
oughly false and hopeless than this
that Joe had left her and Beatrice in.
For three days she avoided discussion
with the girl, though whether this was
tactics or cowardice on her own part,
she couldn't feel sure. She was anx-
ious not to take line until she could
work one out that showed promise Of
petting them somewhere.
At H. -