White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1928-04-20
SYlvia
of the
Minute
-
By
HELEN r. MARTIN
Copyright by Dodd. Mead G. Co.
WNU Service
CHAPTER X-Continued

her living counterpart!
"Meely!"
She turned with bound and at
sight of him, her dull face expressed
surprise and pleasure. "Well-of
Mr.. Creighton yet!
Well, me, I'm that took back, Mr.
Creighton! What brang you to New
York over? Come on" she said, MAX
ing room for him beside her, "and set
down here, side by each-ain't? My
lands sakes!" she exclaimed as he
obeyed her, "ain't you feelin' good,
Mr.. Creighton? You look that pale!
Most like dead one! What ais you,
anyhow? Are you mebby car-sick?
got awful car-sick goin'. But comm,
I'm feelin' right good. was to New
York over to look for place. I'm
right good cooker and heerd they
paid good cooks in New York as much
as five dollars week. With room
and board yet! So / says to Pop, l
says"
She stopped short, reached for
coat that was crushed between her
and the window, slipped 1t on and
stood up. "Come, st. Croix," she
spoke naturally, "the games up of
course. Let's 60 back to our chairs
If you're not embarrassed to walk
through this train with my pompa-
dour! I thought this the quickest,
easiest way to make you see how
do it! For I'm in the way of being a
professional actress, st. Croix, and
makeup is my strongest point"
Her countenance was concerned and
sympathetic as, sitting opposite him
in the parlor car, she considered his
white-faced suffering. Was she cruel,
she wondered? But surely, this was
looming to him"-he deserved it!
And yet he looked so CHASTITY! Per-
haps he might kill himself and it
would be her fault! Well, would that
be as bad as what he had plotted to
do to "Meely Schwenckton"? 1t would
not
"I'll tell you, st. Croix, all about 1t
II you want to know" she suggested
IN q troubled voice, her face almost
as pale as his own. "I'm sorry IL I've
hurt you terribly, but think how you
were going to hurt met"
mot you the girl you pretended
to be-" he said huskily. "And such n
girl would not have been hurt! A girl
like you can't judge for one like Nee
of the Schwenckton breedw
You would have ruined her life for
her!"
mot If she'd been what she
seemed!" he insisted, his voice low
pitched and hoarse.
"What she seemed was an ignorant
stupid, but perfectly decent girl Ane
after the pitiful note Mr.. Schwenck
ton wrote you which you thought was
about me! 1t was about his daughter
Nettie, who he knew was in love
with you.s 1t was she that sent yol
that fudge"
"How the HI you ever managed
the devilish coup!' he exclaimed des
perately.
1.-THE queer thing, st. Croix, was
that there wasn't thing premeditat
ed about tit all just happened.
just fell into the thing step by step
I'll tell you. I'll begin with the mole
I knew that was landmark for you
So I put flesh-colored court plaster
over 1t and powered the spot witt
fesh-colored powder"
In c,to ot hnr hn1r>1oc,c11,
'"The big mistake you made, st
Croix, was in not knowing l was the
teacher of William Penn school. Net
tie Schwenckton wasn't. You had u
mixed. was the teacher; and
boarded at the Schwenckton farm"
'But-but," he stammered, "the1
Marvin helped you put this thing owe
on mel"
"Oh, dear, no! He had nothing t,
do with it"
"Do you swear to me he didn't know
who you were?" st. Croix demande,
with jealous suspicion and resent
ment.
"Well, he certainly did suspect m
for fraud and bluff when he hear,
me teach United States geography
But he didn't know anything NOR
about me than you did. Now, I'll tel
you ALL I've always been mad t
go on the stage or the screen. man
aged to scrape together enough none
to go to Paris to study dramatic ar
few months. Then got SINAI
part in an English repertoire compan
that played in the provinces and
earned enough to buy my passage t
America, the only place, was told
where screen stars earned anything
It was an awful risk, my coming here
I had so little money. But reas
sured my anxious parents by tellin
them that If I got stranded I'd sen
out an s o s to the Creighton famil!
Meantime, as Marvin has Tilted mi
Mother and Father decided there wa
no obligation upon us, now, to tie
your family of my adventure and m
ambition, until we saw how SUI
ceeded on the screen, If at all !"
sBut 1t has surely been understood
all along, Sylvia, that was eager t
take Marvin's place"
"There wasn't any place to take
st. Croix. Marvin may think, in hi
pride, that he Tilted me-but the fac
of the case is that Tilted him first.
never would hear of marrying eithe
of you'll But my poor parents needle
your money SO badly, they Away
hoped I'd change my mind, and