The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-07-27
BEGIN HERE TODAY


Peter Henderson. 1t is a case oil
love at first sight between them
Peter asks Helena to marry him
and the ceremony takes place.
Later the crowd goes swimming
Peter makes a reckless dive and
is seriously injured. Lingering
between life and death, he asks
Helena to summon his lawyer,
John Courtney.
Courtney arrives and a short
time later Peter dies. Helena
learns she is sole heir to a large
fortune, including the Henderson
department. store. She meets
beautiful Leah Frazier who had
expected to marry Peter and real
ICES Leah is an enemy. Peter 5
uncle, Roger Barnes, manager or
the store, is also hostile.
Helena decides to take over
management of the store. John
Lassiter, banker, and Courtney
are her allies. Leah Frazier tells
Helena that unless she leaves
town Leah and her friends will
boycott the store
This makes Helena more deter
mined to win her fight. Harvey
Jameson in charge of the hard
ware department, assures Helena
that the employees are with her.
John Lassiter invites Helena to
attend the Sunshine Club ball.
NOW co ON WITH THE STORY
CHAPTER Y
As John Lassiter had insisted,
the annual Sunshine Club ball
was the biggest party of the year.
The whole town took part, but the
affair was staged by what were
known as "the older families -
ably and excitedly assisted by
goodly number of families who
hoped one day to be included IN
that category.
The approach of the Sunshine
Club ball was heralded in Hen
derson's Department store by an
appreciate increase in volume IN
the gown shop and the evening
accessories" counter. If any house
wife had managed to persuade her
husband that she needed a new
gown. it would probably be at the
annual ball that she would wear
it for the first time.
Helena had promised John Las
sitter that she would go to the
dance with him, but as the date
drew near she began to wonder
as TO the ACCESSIBILITY of 1t. Il
notice that Leah Frazier and her
mother are patronesses," she told
Lassiter. Don't you think it
would be better if | stayed away?
"And let them think they have
Won on the rum" said Lassiter.
mot on your life! Your little
stunt on the credit situation put
a crimp in their ideas of boy
cotting. The store is doing we'll, !
and everyone says that the change
in employees has been remarkable |
since you've come. Now they wait
on people as though they enjoyed |
it. My mother was mentioning II
only the other day" -,
'That may be. John. But ITS
one thing to run the store, and
another to give the impression
that you expect to be taken up
socially by the town" -,
Lassiter frowned. 81 honestly
believe that the Fraziers and their
friends have been able to impress
YOU with their Importance" he
put his hands on her shoulders
and turned her around to face
him. "Look here for a whole
month I've been planning on hay-
ing with me the belle of the ball.
l won't be cheated out Of the
triumph
At last he persuaded her. In
her little apartment Helena dress
ed for the party in one of the
simplest evening dresses she had
been able to find at Henderson's.
She discovered that she was look
ing forward to the Sunshine club
affair. For more than a month
she had been under a terrific
strain. Even during the past 10
DAYS, when she had begun 20 feel
more certain of her ability to
handle her problems, she had been
working long hours. But more
than sleep she felt the need of
change, of music and gayety.
The dance was to be held on a
huge open air platform built epse-
cially for the occasion. When
Lassiter and Helena parked near
the pavilion she heard the rhyth-
mic strains of a popular tune
drifting down to them. Beyond
the car, countless lanterns flick |
cred through the trees. The two
sat there a moment, not moving,
not thinking of leaving the car.
Softly Helena began to hum.
lyon you're beginning to
be happy again" Lassiter said
She did not answer directly.
"It's beautiful here, isn't it,"
ayes. You should see it in win
ter. It's like a picture them He
sighed. "It always reminds me OF
my kid days, because in the WIN
tiers | used to trap rabbits in this
wood. 1t was old Andrew Fra
zier's farm then. Later he gave
it to the town."
"Oh," said Helena in a small
voice. "I-I suppose that was
Leah's grandfather" ..,
ayes. He really was grand
old guy. And Leah's fathers not