Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1940-11-01
CHAPTER ID

W tAClI CdO1C'
"But how nice of you to come and
hear me sing! Walter a leetle dance
with me first? Thees is such a bew-
tee-ful valse!"
eff the management won't mind %
He looked from Gaby's glowing face
to jeans.
Mindful of her mothers admoni-
ton, she said, little gruffly: go
ahead, Walter. They won't"
"But I don't like leaving you alone
at the tablet"
ooh, I'm going out to the cloakroom
and powder my nose. And there's a
bunch 1 know over there. I'll sit with
them and pow-wow till you come back.
He said, caressingly: you're nice
child, JEAN"
She saw a flash in Gaby's dark
eyes. A moment later, they had melt
ed as she danced gracefully with Wal
ter.
Would Gaby win out over her?
Helped by their mother, would Gaby
get him in the end?
Walter often went to hear Gaby
sing at the Plaza hotel. When it came
to applause, he led the claque. It was
surely only a matter of time until
their engagement would be announced.
The press-agent whom Laurel had
hired some months go for Jean, no
longer-and probably this was be-
cause of Laurel's new instructions
connected Walter in his "blurbs" with
her younger daughter.
The columnists were commenting on
his attentions to Gaby. He didn't seem
to mind. The usually conservative
Walter was obviously bewitched.
Jean felt wretched about it.
Gaby began to disappear myster-
iously over the week-ends. Where did
she go? Could it be with Walter?
But Walter was too honorable for
any hole and corner business.
Jean hated herself for wishing, as
the weeks went by, that she could get
something on Gaby?
"Jean, you do not mind that I use
your car for this week-end?" Gaby
asked her, at the luncheon table, in
front of Laurel and Rupert.
Laurel, whose nerves were badly
frayed, due to the equivocal position
in which she was now placed, asked
sharply: "Where do you plan to go
in it, Gaby? You know, you work
late in the Plaza on Saturday nights!
You're not planning any long night
drives?"
"But no! I rise early on the Sum
day morning, while you are all still
in bed asleep, and ! go in the country
to old and dear friends of mine!"
There was challenge warning-in
the dark eyes turned on Laurel, as
though daring her to interfere with
her comings and goings.
Oh, yes, Laurel was paying the
price of silence! Gaby saw to that!
Jean paid, as well.
So, when the owner of The Blue
Owl telephoned Jean one day that he
had something highly important to
tell her about ga mutual friend, a
young woman" Jean would not let
him talk over the telephone, but a.
greed to meet him at stated rendez-
vous, feeling intuitively that he was
going to throw some light on the mys-
terious disappearance of her half
sister!
Not that he had discovered the re-
lationship of the two girls. Nor did
Jean intend that he ever should!
"Listen, Miss Garrett. What about
you and me running out in my car
to little place I own piece of, in
the Adirondacks, some Sunday? Huh?
"What sort of place? And why?"
Jean was on her guard.
ooh, little road-house. It's mighty
pretty up there. And swell drive.
I'm kinda curious about Mademoiselle
Gaby and what she's doing up in these
parts over the week-ends. Say, you
got a little blue coupe, haven't you?"
He gave the license number, watching
her closely.
eyes," hesitantly. "Why do you
ask?"
because I've seen her go by. She
doesn't know 1 own a piece of this
little inn. saw her stop for gas at
a garage nearby. She didn't see me.
But I got the number of her license
plates. She's putting something over
on you, that's my belief"
"But I let her have my car.
"Sure. You've been one swell girl
to that dame. I'll never understand
whv YOU took her into the house, and