The Wilmington morning star., 1940-12-10
CHAPTER ONE
WRITTEN FOR AND RELEASED BY
CENTRAL PRESS ASSOCIATION

A door opened and closed suS ~.
Two flannel-clad legs vaulteo ue
office railing, and a QUICK Vo n15
said Hello, sweetheart! Inc ""
Man wants to see me!'
The senior secretary did n1'
look up. "He does" she salo 'oi
emily. "You can 60 right IN
He had already gone IN.
The girl on the outer side OF 'he
railing had a momentary lmpr1e
sion Of the backs of long legs, Oh
broad shoulders and the cavallel
carriage of a crisply brushed heao
&C the door marked j. T. Gregory
president, closed back of them.
The senior secretary resumed
her reading of the letter IN her
hand. She read it through a sec
ond time, giving herself a moment
before meeting the darkening eyes
fixed on her with a dreadful sort
of waiting. She'd seen that waiting
gaze. felt that still breathing in
Vulnerable times before as she pc
rused the letters of introduction
addressed to the president of the
Consolidated B~roadcasting COM
pany.
Familiar phrases ran beneath
her eyes:
the writer feels that Miss
Reilly has great talent and would
consider it a personal favor if you
would arrange an sudition for
her"
She put the letter back into it's
envelope and handed it across the
railing. "It's a very nice letter."
she said, smiling.
Thank you. Do $50. do you
think it will help me?" the girl
asked. THE writer is program di-
rector at WRTX. He knows my
work well. I sang on his station
for a year before I came to New
York. If Mr.. Gregory would just
-. just She stopped, con
scious of the note of desperate n
xiety she had tried to keep out of
her voice.
"I'll show it to him if you wish.
However, I think if you take it to
Mr.. Munson's office, you'll get
quicker action. He arranges all the
additions. I'll ring his secretary
and see"
She broke off as the bell of her
desk telephone rang, and picked
up the instrument.
Kit Reilly thrust her hands into
her pockets. They would tremble.
Her eyes, straying over the luxuri-
Gus office, felt warm with resent
ment that ran like a slim flame
along the growing edges of her
dependency. The fabricated walls,
the thick carpet, the subdued color
tones, were part of the design of
the place. labeled by the word
"Noiseless" on the typewriters; it
was a room designed to keep the
Kit Reillys from the overedge of
hysteria.
AL l ask is a chance!" The
cry was in her heart, stopped be-
fore it could pass her lips.
This is your last chance!"
The sentence, spoken with an
cry emphasis, separated clearly
from the babble of voices h a t
came from the room with the
closed door and startled Kit Reilly.
The secretary was speaking into
the telephone. 'Eorry, I can't put
MIR. Healey on the wire just now"
She glanced over her shoulder to-
ward the door where the angry
voice could be heard. Hes in
conference with Mr.. Gregory. -.
I'll give him your MESSAGE"
Something quick and eager
leaped into the Reilly girls eyes;
it shortened her breath when she
spoke:
us that -. that Vance Healey?"
Her vague gesture indicated the
presence that had passed a no
ment before.
I'm person." the secretary an
swered without looking up, as she
dialed an inter-office number.
When she did, she cast an uneasy
glance at the door back of her.
Mr.. Gregory, she thought, ought
not to raise his voice under the
circumstances. She put the tele-
phone back in it's cradle. "Mr.
Bella ri