The Washington times., 1930-08-04
CHAPTER /

NNEA4SSS~A
tie farther over her knees, and
coaxed her hat to what she
hoped was its most becoming
angle. Then she fixed her eyes
on the door marked sAlfred A.
Farnsworth, Private" and set
tied herself to wait.
At least she tried to settle
herself. She would sit perfectly
still for 80 seconds, then she
would take a flirtive peek into
the tan envelope purse she car
ried and there would be a
jingle Of coins, and out would
come q small, round mirror
and powder-puff. Another dust
ing Of powder over her nice.
straight little nose, another
anxious glance at the door,
and another period Of motion
less waiting.
1t was plain that she ex-
pected Alfred FarnsWorth to
jump out Of his door at any
moment, and she wanted to be
looking her best when he did it.
She was so intent on the door,
and in preparing to make a
good impression on the unseen
gentleman behind it, that she
failed to notice that she was
not alone in the room.
C,,nn~n~ Ex,SIn-k
It was large room, all solid
mahogany and thick green car
pet. The kind of room that
says: II belong to a. success
full man. A busy man. One
that doesn't care much whether
you sit and wait or not. You
can take yourself and your
affairs elsewhere if you like;
we have more important things
at hand"
But the other occupant of
the room did not respond to
its psychic message at all. He
was. If anything, more arro-
CANT, more extensively gotten
up. more indifferent to public
opinion than the room.
He leaned back in his chair,
long legs stretched out straight
ahead of him, enjoying the
utmost comfort that its aus
tere, leather-upholstered ele-
gance afforded. He was a
man in the late 20s, his power
full athletes body and ruddy,
bronzed complexion at variance
with the Bond Street perfec-
ton of his clothes. Tweed
clothes of a soft, indescribable
heather gray. blended into the
mauve of shirt and the deeper.
more purple tones of scarf
and handkerchief. But if his
general appearance was arro-
CANT, there was nothing arro-
CANT about the broad, good
natured grin that spread over
4 his dark aqueline features as
he watched the unconscious
girl.
Her First Job
A girl applying for job, her
first job, he decided. She was
too young to have had many
jobs, and she was too nervous,
too restless, for seasoned cam
paigner. Not a day over 18,
younger perhaps. She had the
air of having dressed up in an
older persons clothes. The trim
blue suit and black hat were
much too old for her, and yes
-" the suit was little large
=" borrowed for the occasion,
most likely!
Gordon Moore's white teeth
flashed in frank enjoyment OF
his own detective powers. Little
laughter lines appeared at each
side of his shrewd. deep set eyes.
He felt a kind of kinShip with
the girl. He'd have liked to say,
Hello, sis!" to pull off her tight
hat and rumple the fair hair
squeezed under it, as he would
if she were little boy.
She looked little like a boy,
with her round necked white
blouse with it's black silk tie, and
her slim, straight shoulders un-
der the slightly too large suit.
There was something refresh
ingly boyish about the faint
trail of freckles over her nose,
and the clarity and candor OF
her eyes.
They were blue eyes. The
translucent flower-blue that usu-
ally belongs to childhood alone.
The crinkly, goldy hair that
escaped from the close black
hat was really light brown,
and so were the thick laShes
and brows, and the tiny trail
of freckles over the bridge of
her straight little nose. A cute
nose, Gordon Moore decided,
and a cute girl. More than
that. a deuced attractive girl
make a wonderful woman
some day
She was digging in the purse
again. Counting her money
this time. A few nickels and
coppers. Moore'3 amusement
faded. He began to feel vaguely
uncomfortable, the unwilling
witness to some too realistic
drama. Good lord, the child
couldn't be really up against it!
He watched unhappily. Did he
imagine it. or was her little face
pinched? And the flower blue
eyes that he had thought so
childish a few minutes ago now
seemed old and tired. He didn'
Ike the way she kept staring
At Alfred Farnsworth's door.
Supplicatins. such Q young girl