The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-01-31

Before the astonished boy could
reply, Ruth, laughing at him over
her fu1red shoulder, stepped into
the lobby of the Starbridge build
ing.
Vain little impl" she character
lied herself, as a gust of January
wind tugged at her coat. But oh,
I'm so glad can be me at last!
Four months of being someone
else!, But worth it, worth it, worth
It'll" she chanted under her breath,
as she joined the Saturday morning
shoppers who milled about the busy
corner.
It was uncanny how accurately
Benny Smith had diagnosed the
absurd situation which had made a
disguise necessary. Perfect blond
beauty had been a pleasant possess
sion, one which would some day
bring her great happiness, she had
thought, so long as her father had
been alive to shield her.
She had been as proud of him as
he Of her, for Colby Lester had
been one of the greatest criminal
lawyers of his day-a criminal
lawyer whose greatness lay in his
keennesS as a detective rather than
in jury-swaying oratory.
During the last five years of his
life he had talked ~ver all his cases
with his daughter. Many night
they had sat up until dawn, Ruth
curled kitten-WiSe in his arms, her
childish brows knit, amuSingly, in
the same fashion as his, her logical
mind keeping pace with his and
sometimes leaping ahead of it.
q u
"TOOD work, InfantI You've got
" the makingS of a Grade A
detective behind those yellow curls.
But please God, You'll never have to
earn your living in any such sordid
fashion as this he had told her
once.
A dignified home, exquisite
clothes, servants who adored Colby
Lester and his daughter, private
school, association with keen and
cultured minds - all these things
Ruth had enjoyed until Colby Les
ters sudden, tragic death.
He had been defending a woman
on the charge of poisoning her
lover, married man, and had been
shot down by the crazed widow of
the victim because she had believed
that Colby Lester would win the
defendants freedom for her.
And he had, although his funeral
took place while the jury was bring
ing in its just verdic0 of mot guilty"
Even now Ruth could scarcely UNI
derstand why there had been SO
little for her when he fathers es-
tate was settled. But his books
showed that he had defended more
pennileSs victims of tragic circurl-
stances than wealthy ones, because
their cases presented problems
which intrigued his detective in
stincts.
And he had denied his daughter
nothing-nor himself. He had been
connisseur of comfortable living,
had thought he could always make
CuOlS1l ulOllCy w SAdCl1y CAAC Ca
quisite tastes he had cultivated in
himself and his daughter And then
he had died. -.
She had used what little money
there was to take an eight months
secretarial course, and had come
out of business college primed with
all sorts of useful knowledge, her
little fingers capable of astonish-
ing speed in shorthand and tipping.
But men had not let her do it.
They were like women who cry out
to beautiful babies: ooh, you
precious. darling dumping! I could
eat you up"
And they tried to eat her up, and
she had to fee, from this job to
that, from one humiliating expert
ence to another, AS Benny Smith,
the Office boy, had guessed, the
wives of the married men she had
tried to work for had been the
worst. But those scenes would