The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-02-13
What am I going to do7 I'm not
going-that's amp
CHAPTER TEN

golng-thatS all!
CHAPTER TEN
ELLEN knocked at the door of
Il Steven Barclays Office at los.
Under her arm, carefully wrapped
in tissue paper, was the ivory tat
feta dress.
There had been time enough,
after all, for her TO pick up the
borrowed dress before going OF to
the store.
That morning in the basement
had been no worse than any sum-
mer morning. But it had seemed
to Ellen that it never would end;
it had seemed to her that before
the slow hands Of the clock dragged
to / o'clock she would be dead Of
suffocation.
The morning had ended; she was
not dead, even though she felt that
there was no particular reason for
continuing to live. Life was tire
some and stupid and unfair.
She tried to convince herself that
Larry had been only casual in
fatuation, but she could not forget
how different the morning would
have been If only she had not read
newspaper clipping, if only the
day could have gone as she had
dreamed it would.
Even the fact that she was call
ing on the "big boss" that he had
sent her flowers, things which only
the day before would have left her
trembling with excitement, seemed
dull and unimportant and COM
pletely colorless.
She knocked again. Barclays
secretary, Ruth TeVis, plain girl
whose plainness was heightened by
heavy eyeglasses, opened the door.
"Mr. Barclay had to go out for
minute" she said, peering over
the tortoise shell frames Of her
spectacles. "He told me to ask you
to wait if you will"
When Ellen was seated in the
dim, cool Office with the dress over
her lap, the secretary began fuss
ing unnecessarily and a trif1e Off
eiously with the flowers on the rose
wood desk, rearranging them,
plucking a leaf here and there and
sliding the slender crystal vases an
inch nearer the center.
She moved pile of typed letters,
awaiting Barclays signature, to the
left of the desk, then back to the
right again.
You were here yesterday,
weren't your" she asked casually.
YES" Ellen replied.
She wished the other girl wouldn't
stare so. The steady, near-sighted
regard of those pale eyes was max
ing her uneasy and nervous, insure
of herself.
Ruth Tevis cleared her throat and
opened her mouth-to ask another
question, Ellen was Sure-just as
Steven entered.
He said impersonally to Ellen,
I'm sorry I kept you waiting, Miss
RosSiter."
And to the secretary, ''I'll call you
if need you, Miss Tevis."
II
IT'S words were dismissal. With
l. i a dissatisfied glance at Ellen,
Miss Tevis turned and went into
her own Office. AS if by accident
she managed to leave the adjoining
door a trif1e ajar, but Barclay rose
and closed it.
Miss Tevis, I'm afraid" he re-
marked with a twinkle in his eye
and an entire change of manner,
lis beginning to be curious
Ellen went directly to the point.
She was, to tell the truth, vaguely
disturbed. The secretary's attitude
had in small way served to con-
firm her mothers pleased insistence,
her own secret fears of the morn
ing.
1t was possible, it was more than
possible that Barclays interest in
her was more than friendly. Ger
tainly there had been a note of in
timacy in his voice after the door
had closed, light intimation that
both of them were in league to de-
feat the secretary's curiosity.
She intended to avoid complica-
tons of that sort.
I've brought back the dress, -
she began, as she leaned forward
and laid the box on his desk. Il
can't tell you how much I appreci-
ated using it,
And the flowers were lovely.
They've made our apartment into
a florist shop. I've never seen
lovelier ones"
"Did Won like them on ParcIau ex