Evening star., 1951-04-13
CHAPTER FIVE.

STtAF En- TIVE.
The story this far: TGnia
Lynn has gone to a country cot
tage to relaT tolloioing the close
OF her show, Happy Days."
Only Mickey Rollins krotos her
whereabouts and he comes to
inform her the papers are an
1ouncing she iDaS murdered the
night before. Mickey GdDiSes
her not to tell the police of their
mistake in Identifying the nlnr-
dered girl for fear some one
might be out to Kill Tanid. She
returns to the city Nth him,
recalling an underSthdy she once
had by the name of Nina Hard
fDicke, Dho looked Uery much
like Tanid. Locating Nina's
hotel, Mickey takes TG1ia there
and she poses as Nina. In the
girls room she finds diary er-
planning that Nina had decided
to pose as Tdnic. As she reads
the telephone rings. The man
identifies himself as Bill and
tells her, thinking she is Nina,
to meet him at the cocktail
lounge. She keeps the appoint
n,ent and is surprised to fnd
him a handsome man aohose
face seems familiar.
"Well, Nina" he said in the
deep voice she remembered from
the telephone. He sat down oppo-
site her and tagged the waiter
"Two scotches with plain water
That is if Miss Hardwicke is
drinking scotch today" ..
YES" she murmured.
Bill gave her mocking smile
''Why so subdued today, honey
child? Did the bad, bad news
papers scare you?"
IT was shocked" Tania said in
a soft. husky little voice. II was
Tania's understudy once, in
show, you know"
"Oh, don't pretend you fee
sorry about her." Bill said impa-
tiently. you'd push your grand
mother in front of truck if you
thought you'd get her insurance
You're insulting!" Tania fell
the angry color rise to her cheeks
She knew it was ridiculous, thai
he thought he was talking to Nina
Hardwicke, yet she still was angry
Men had no right to talk to wom-
en- this way.
"Oil, SO now you're being indig-
nacl.." He laughed shortly
you've tried all your tricks or
me before, baby, remember? I fell
for 'em, too, like a ton of bricks
I was really on the road to falling
in love with you until I found out
you were two-timing me with six
other guys!"
Tim sorry, Bill" she MUIR
INJURED, keeping her eyes downcast
ST don't want to talk about the
past. Can't we forget it?" She
thought, WED better forget it!
If we don't I'm in trouble"
He seemed amazed. "Hey
what's got into you. being sorry
for anything?" He put strong
brown fingers beneath her chin
and raised her face to his. Feal
raced through her as he scanned
her features. Surely he would
know she wasn't Nina! But hi
only said, puzzled, Something has
changed you. You even look diff
8 ferent-sweeter, somehow-not sc
hard and calculating, as If you
looked at a man and wondered
how much money he had in his
pocket" Then he shrugged and
his hand dropped.
well, won't be a sucker again
Nina. This is only another act
I know you. I'll bet you lied ano
cheated and finagled when you
were in the cradle"
stop it, Bill she whispered
There were real tears in her eyes
She didn't know why, except she
could not bear to have him talk
this way.
He seemed to be a direct and
honest person, apparently a man
who had been badly hurt by Nina
Hardwicke, and for no known
reason she wanted to soothe him
to make it up to him. She knew
it was mad impulse, but she
couldn't seem to help it.
Crocodile tears" he sighed
"Turn 'em off, doll. they affect me
about as much as an old drunk's
I suppose you're wondering how
I found out about your cute little
scheme of impersonating Tania
Lynn.
"It seems you got tight the other
night and showed Eddie BLY, the
trick-how you did 1.-THE hair
the makeup, the walk. 1t worried
him because the poor dope is crazy
about you, and was afraid you'd
get into trouble. So he asked me