The Washington times., 1936-08-08


turn I'D, Luana, but it wasn't that
that kept me. Believe it or not,
and it sounds q lame excuse, my
clock stopped. had no notion OF
the time"
Don't apologize. Az q matter
Of fact I was unable to keep our
appointment" she heard herself
saying, to her own amazement, fol
she was naturally truthful. It'd
made q date with Mr.. Carew sew
eral days back"
CHAPTER XVII
"Look here, Luana"-he bit his
lip perplexedly you're angry
with me and I don't blame you one
bit. You've got to hear what hap
pened right from the beginning.
It's been one of those unlucky eve
ningS-a general miX-up. Neither
of us has been really to blame. Let
me explain it."
GAS I said before, Luana, my
clock stopped at this afternoon,
and I simply didn't realize it till
after $3.50, which was a good hour
after OUR appointment. AS mat
ter Of fact, I'd have had to phone
you anyway, because the job I'd
undertaken for Fitch and Sumner,
the advertising agents on West
Forty-Sixth Street, took q darned
sight longer than I'd expected"
Would he speak Of Mrs. Wanda
veer coming to his studio? She
couldn't bear it If he tried to hide
that. =.
Jimmy continued: "Just as !
put the last stroke to my draw.
ing, the buzzer rang, Luana, and
I thought maybe it was you; that
you had come early from the
shop, for I was under the impress.
sion that it was only about five.
It was Mrs. Vandaveer, however.
I couldn't show her the door
when she'd been so nice to us,
now could I? I couldn't attend
her when-when she's fond of
you" He broke off lamely, and
a flush rose to his face, because
he suddenly remembered the emo.
tional moment in her penthouse
at the end of dinner, when she
had risen from her chair and
come round to his end Of the
table, and had offered to be an
inspiration to him in his work.
"Of course you couldn't offend
her. You wouldn't want to Of
fend her." Luana said meaningly.
He ignored that. He went on:
"She'd only been in the place
about a quarter of an hour, look
ing at my stuff, when suddenly
I realized how the light was fad
ing, and I looked at the clock,
and saw it had stopped. and I
asked her what time it was, and
she said six-thirty or Whereabouts,
and oh! boy! was I annoyed! ]
could have kicked myself"
His voice was so earnest, she
had to believe him.
But not show it yet. $50 what
them" she inquired frigidly.
"She knew the drawing had to
be delivered not later than seven,
If I was to be paid. She offered
to run me there in her car, but
first of all I got the chauffeur to
drive round to your place, hop
ing to explain things to YOU
$50 she saw where I live?" Luana
was annoyed that the question had
escaped her, for why should she be
ashamed of the tumble down house
in the Village? What did it matter
what Mrs. Vandaveer might think?
"We'd a lot of trouble finding the
alley. but we did get there finally,
Luana, and dashed upstairs. only
to find nobody home"
"What time was that?" she asked
inquisitorially.
"a few minutes before seven' I
imagine"
"Then Yvonne and Armand were
in the apartment"
He said: That's funny. No one
answered my knock. It fairly
echoed through the old house,
Luana. Had they been there, they
must have heard il"
There was a pause. She was en-
barrassed. Jimmy must be draw.
ing his own conclusions. Why did
she live with girl like Yvonne
Dautrey?
He continued: eve drove to
Fitch and Summers in a gosh-aw-
full hurry. It was 10 after Z when
we arrived, but luckily the clean
ing woman still was there, and let
me in, and I left the drawing"
Afterwards, Mrs. Vandaveer
had me drive home with her. T
couldn't do less, when she'd been
so kind. She suggested sending
LeWis-that's the chauffeur-with
a note to you, in which I asked
you to get in touch with me, but
he came back and said there was
no answer. So I dined there"
"You did?"
"She-she was awfully decent,
Luana. She had Wallace Briscoe,
head Of the committee Of the
school, come over after dinner
and meet me-"
$50 then you brought Mrs. Van
daveer out here"
Shed been expecting to come
with her husband, Luana, but he
was detained"
Her lip curled specifically. How
green he was, as presumably most
men were, where a beautiful
woman was concerned!
She said aloud: $50 you're be-
coming mite q squire of 1orntt1y