The Holly chieftain., 1924-02-28
Joseph Greer and His Daughter


given Violet most food for thought was
that broken sentence. "Of course, if
he married Margaret" Had he
meant that this would bring Joe, some
how, within the pale? Afford him the
protection of another code. so that he'd
be allowed to get rich, after ALP
Anyhow. the thing for Violet to do
for the next few mOnths-was to let
Joe Greer alone. II she as much as
looked at him, let alone lifted finger,
Margaret would attribute the probable
failure of her project (for what seri-
Gus attraction could cold finicky per-
son like Margaret effectively exert
upon this genial freebooterO to her.
and, judging by the latest sample Of
her conduct, act most unreasonably
about 1t. Luckily, 1t matterei very
little to Violet herself; shed have
nothing to do with Joe-for the pres
ent, anyhow.
She kept this resolution scrupulOusly
for little less than week; then, on
the afternoon of Margaret's lunch for
Beatrice, as result of a chance en-
counter with him. she broke it rather
badly. She'd motored in with Dorothy,
having three or four things she wanted
to do In town-the most important OF
these being call on Eileen Corbett,
Gregory's wife, who was at the Pres
byterian hospital. having her appendix
removed. 1t was around five o'clock
when she left the hospital. She hadn't
gone more than block or two when
her chauffeur ran over Jagged frag-
ment of broken milE-bottle and blew
tire. He trundled over to the curb.
stopped behind car that was parked
there-it had, she thought at the time,
family familiar look-and went to
work, in the disgustingly deliberate
manner characteristic of chauffeurs,
putting on a spare.
1t was the hottest part of what had
turned out to be remorselessly hot
day. and this particular spot was, she
was sure, the hottest in Chicago. The
prospect of fifteen or twenty min
utes' walt was irksome. But before
the first Of them had passed, Joe ap-
peared, amazingly, descending in the
opposite which they'd stopped.
What on earth are you doing out
here! she cried at sight of him. She
cared nothing about an answer; the
question was galvanic. All she was
aware of was tingllng sensation from
the brilliant look he gave her and the
feel of the hand which met the one
she'd stretched out to him.
But his answer was not perfunctory.
This is the last place I'd expect you
to come to- he said. Even your hus-
bands never paid us visit here"
Then, perceiving the chauffeur's occu-
patton and, in the same instant, inter-
preting her puzzled frown, he ex-
planned, "Why, this Is our laboratory
thought, for minute, you'd come
out to see what our linen process was
like"
Il didn't even know you had lab
oratory." she said. what is it like?
A laboratory always sounds exciting"
This one isn't" he told her deri-
sively.
ITS so beastly hot right here" she
began, that almost anything"
IT'S hotter up there" he brIGe In
"And 1t stinks to heaven. I wish there
was some place" The roar of a pass
ing elevated train checked his speech,
but he went on staring at her though.-
fully until 1t passed. q wish there
were some cool, quiet place that |
could take you to, and make you COM
Portable, and give you drlnk-or a
cup of tea. But II there's such
place within mile of here, I don't
know It,"
She agreed with him about the
frightfulness of the West Side. and
then told him Idly that her father-in-