The Wilmington morning star., 1941-01-30
WRITTEN FOR AND RELEASED Br
CENTRAL PRESS ASSOCIATION

in a moment.
Kit hastily powdered her nose
and replaced the lipstick she had
bitten from her lips. "7ould Greg
ory, she wondered, believe her
story that Vance had been stricken
i'll? 1t was the only story She
could think of. .,
well young lady," Gregory SAID
cordially from the hall as he came
toward her with outstretched hand,
ito what do I owe the pleasure OF
this unexpected visit?"
cts about Mr.. Healey. Vance
Healey."
.eWhat about him?" Gregory
asked, less pleasantly.
She knew then that this man
was to wise to believe the story
she had intended to tell him. She
heard her own voice in a rush OF
words:
'Mr. Gregory, you're so good to
all of us so like a father -.
H.. I've come to appeal to you.
It's about Vance and me.
His face lightened interestedly.
She was in too deep to withdraw
then.
"We -. well, Vance doesn't
have a show to do for a fortnight
and after tonight, Pm going
to have to go off the air again. A
strain, you know, after my Illness
IT see," he said, not seeing at
all. "But what has this to do with
Healey?"
"We-we-we're clipping. That's
it! We're sailing at midnight on
the Victorian. Vance will be back
in time for his show"
Gregory's voce dropped to a
dramatic whisper, my dear child,
of course I see now. You want me
to grant him a fortnight's leave Of
absence so that you can make a
round trip to Europe?"
She nodded.
81 think that could be arranged.
Yes. Why not? I'll notify the
studio"
mo, no." she said agitatedly.
"Please don't do that. Please keep
it a secret. You know that Vance
and I-are both pretty well known,
and if people knew-We wouldn't
have any privacy. Couldn't you fix
it up without anyone's knowing?
You can do anything you want to
do"
Gregory patted her shoulder pa
ternally. II think I can. The best
of luck to you both, my dear. I'm
a little surprised that it's Healey.
We rather thought you and young
Sembler would be making an an
nouncement some day. We were
afraid that you might leave radio"
You don't know it, but I have!"
she said to herself in her a after
she had left Gregory's apartment.
That was the moment when
Gregory was excusing himself
from his guests. Il must get in
touch with the purser Of the Vic
torian," he said to them. Some
young friends of mine are sailing
on her and I want to see that they
get the right treatment"
1t was the second sailing of the
Victorian. The morning papers
would make a feature story of it.
A new queen of the seas, the lux
ury liner was Europe bound with
a passenger list made up Of the
great, the near great, the rich and
the famous names that made head
lines. The eyes of the shipping
world were on her radical stream
lines and the record which she
hoped to break.
When the ships clocks sounded
four bells, the decks had been
swept clean of the litter of con-
fetti, crushed orchids and garde-
MAS. The laughter and the pop
ping of corks, the clink of silver
and the tinkle of glass was done.
The ship had settled down for the
night as she messed out to sea.
A cloud of stale smoke, and the
echo of dying hilarity came from
the room on B deck when Vance
Healey came out of it, closing the
door back of him.
He found his way to the open
deck, and the clean air struck him
sWeetly as he shook himself and
tried to remember where his cabin
was. And under what name he was
sailing.
Moore. John Moore. That was it.
That was the name he was sailing
under. He was sailing. He knew
well what he was doing. He hadn't
had a drink since Six o'clock, and
it was well after midnight.
He was glad he hadn't had a
drink with that gang of college
kids he'd got mixed up with on the
pier.
He rubbed his head as if to clear
away the rush Of unpleasant mem.
cries Of the day that had I'D to his
being where he was. He went over
to the lighted companion way tt
look at the tickets he found in hi:
pocket. His suite was on A deck
A-163. What the devil had he taker
a suite for? He remembered, then
that it was all that was available
when he went to the ticket office
that morning.
Remembering what he had done
and why-he cursed himself fol
"a fool as he put the key into the
lock of the door marked 1853.
: He CROPPED for the light switch
and flooded the room. The white
! light dazzled him and lie blinkec
. hard. He looked across the room