Evening star., 1934-06-20
SHANGHAI ROSE
By ANNE FORESTER
author of Spite Wife"

sion. It's my duty as newspaper
man to do this national cash-registeS
stuff"
Rose, with the limp little body Of
Kitten in her lap, rocked slowly be-
side him. smiling family at Lottie'S
expression of almost infantile dis
tress. What was 1t, the girl asked
herself impatiently. not for the first
time this week, what was it that was
troubling her in this vague. restless
fashion making her 90 about
with this sense of impending disas-
ter? 1t had dated, she admitted hon
estly, from the moment she had gazed
again into the yelled eyes of Austin
Deering-those unfathomable eyes
with q secret something forever lurk-
ing in their light depths. Yet the
whole thing was silly-ridiculous in
the extreme. What could Austin Deer
ing. or any one else, do to harm her
here?
Rose Allen, the forlorn. desperate
little dancer In Shanghai cafe
might have feared for her job, for
very livelihood II such a man
chose to annoy her with attentions,
as once Austin Deering had done. But
Rose Therrold, clerk in Lottie Welch's
shoddy little store, need fear no one
so far as her bread and butter were
concerned. The smile fiickered again
at the thought OF Lottie's masterful
handling OF any such contingency.
Yet the sense Of menacing uneaSe
persisted-fostered by the fantastic
tales which continued to grow and
circulate about the person OF Capt.
Austin Deering. His Chinese servant.
his moEogrammed shirts, the money
belt he was reputed TO wear beneath
his smartly cut clothes. Gather
wood rang with the news.
And no matter how thin you slice
it." Lottie had summed the matter up
with succinct sarcasm, 1T still re-
mains bologny!"
Which was Lottie's way Of dispos-
ing Of what she could not understand
and therefore resented. Rose, listen
ing to her sputtering jeers. wished
with all her unhappy soul that she
could do likewise.
On the Saturday previous Rose had
conquered her shyness and had gone
to call on Miss Abby. She had found
the old lady confined to her bed with
a heavy cold. But Miss Abby had in
sisted on seeing her. Her imperious,
commanding old voice had foated
down the stairs telling Margret to
have Mrs. Therrold come up. -.
The visit had been, OF necessity,
brief. But Miss Abby had been gen.
timely interested in the matter Of the
formula-and had renewed her offer
to buy the sweetmeat box at once.
She would get in touch with her deal
er in the city. Rose was to re-
turned at the end of the coming
week. bringing the box with her. In
the meantime, Marg ret was to wrap
up the doll which Miss Abby had
bought for Kitten. -.
Following the trim, starched back
Of the maid down the wide stairs,
Rose felt an almost physical sense oil
floating through space. For the first
time in days her heart sang within
her-a paean of happiness and love.
If this venture worked out, by this
time next year she might have small
business of her own. To take Kitten
out of Railroad avenue, to keep her
by her side The dream, that had
once seemed to ephemeral began to
take shape again. thronged with the
gold dust OF hope.
Waiting in the lower hall for Mar
gret to bring the promised doll for
Kitten, the front door had suddenly
opened. And Barbara Therrold, fol-
lowed by the tall fgure of Austin
Deering, had stood on the threshold,
staring with surprise.
Barbara her eyes two black pools
of arrogant disdain, had been the first
to recover.
Her cream-tan coat with its deep
shawled collar, the beige and golden
tones of her skin, everything about
her, down to the smallest buckle on
her slipper strap. seeming to empha-
size her almost dramatic beauty .
her imperious niche in life.
Rose, in the childish, plain blue
coat her hands deep in the pockets,
the snug blue tam pulled over her
black hair, had stood before the other
girl and the waiting figure behind
her, stripped and defenselesS as 6
child.
IL NhS ONCI I'll 1hSlduly bIldJ
strange. disturbing encounter. Bar
bara, after that instant Of hesitancy.
had simply walked coolly toward the
stairs. Saying no word, an aloof, COM
posed smile on her mouth-with only
glance, swift and stabhing. unbe-
ievably, cruelty furious.
Austin Deering, following slowly in
! her wake, had as coolly advanced into
the hallway. Rose felt the color fam
ing into her face, flooding her, scorch-
ing her, the blood pounding thick
about her heart. But the face of the
man turned toward her was as devoid
| of recognition as one of his own Chi
nese idols. His mouth wore small,
bland, secretive smile-the smile she
| had learned to know meant inner
| perturba ton of some sort on his part
But the mocking stare In his light,
disturbing eyes was utterly imper-
sonal and blank.
| Going hurriedly down the street.
the package which Marg'ret had nm
ally wrapped clutched under her arm,
Rose felt her knees shaking, her
whole body quivering in an access of
numbing weakness. A thaw of relief
slipped out from beneath the ice about
her heart. He was not going to
recognize her, then-he would not
bother her at all. 81. Austin Deering
was as anxious as she, herself, that
the past might be laid to rest. &.
That it was the man who feared
her, rather than she who need fear
the man-did not seem to occur to
Rose. That her knowledge Of his
reputation made her a. potential men,
ace to him here in CatherXood sim