“FAITHFUL”

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 184, 6 August 1938, Page 7

“FAITHFUL”

(By Margaret Gorman Nichols) |

Synopsis of Preceding Instalments: Iris Wade, now 20, is secretary to Dr. Louis Tracy, prominent Baltimore physician, Her widowed stepmother, Selina, thinks only of the girl’s orunette beauty as a lure to marry her to a wealtuy man, thus easing Selina’s life ami enabling Ins 7 stepsister, Lve, to cultivate her really promising voice and Her stepbrother, Tommy, to complete hie education, ticiina constantly goes into debt for Iris 7 wardrobe, iris is engaged to Joel Brooae, a bank teller, and has been seeing him secretly for two years, Mary North, a wealthy young widow who is a patient of Dr. Tracy, invites Iris to a party to meet an unnamed man. Iris' taxi is m a smashup and when she recovers consciousness sue is in tho apartment of Mark Christian, who witnessed tne accident. It is Alarm, she was to have met at Alary s party and he recognises Iris from a puotograpn he saw at Alary's. Alark, a lawyer, is socially prominent and wealthy. When her injury turns out to be nothing more than a badly bumped head they talk before ho taaes her home. £he likes Alark but tells herself she must bo true to Joel who sulks became her family needs her earnings ana sne can’t marry. Iris overuears Annette Tracy accuse her husband of buiug in love with her. Joel, jealous, makes a scene in a restaurant. Iris says she won't see him again but relents when he apologises. Alark arranges for a 10,000 dollar prize for the pupils of tiabine, Eve’s teacher, Eve, of course, to win. Alary .North invites Iris to a party the night of Sabine’s contest.

The next day Iris told the hopeful news of the contest to Dr. Tracy. 4 ‘So there’s going to bo an opera singer in your family, ehf’’ he said, grinning. “Behind the success of most famous people are other people who deserve equally as rnuen creuit. You've been paying tor her music lessons out of your salary, haven't you?" “It wasn't much, Louis. 7

When she went out to lunch, he called Mark. “Listen, young man, 1 admit I’m rather gullible, but this contest money given to an obscure teacher sounds like one of your numerous charities. If Iris knew it, she’d be furious. 7 ’

“You win. lam the backer to whom isabino has given a thoroughly ridiculous name. I feel like Santa Claus. Don’t spoil it.' 7 “You sound very serious. 77

“I am so serious I’m sentimental. Whenever 1 see a yacht for sale, I want to buy it, kidnap iris, marry her, and take her cruising on the Mediterranean, take her away from her family and — you.' 7

Louis chuckled. “ That black hair and those grave eyes have become very dear to me. If Annette could hear me *ay that, she'd leave for Reuo tonight. 77 The Wade home that week was a bedlam of excitement. Eve could not control her soaring hopes. When it came to the subject of wnat she would wear featurday night, Iris said at the dinner table. “Wear my gold dress. Mother can cut it down to fit you.' 7

Her mother interrupted. “But you’ll want to wear that, Iris. 77 “I can wear the green. 7 ' Tommy said, “I have to work Saturday night. Worst luck, 77 and Iris saw his slender hands, dark with the grime and grease of the gas station, sensitive, boyish hands not meant for manual labour.

To escape Eve’s continuous practising she took long walks at night, going down the familiar paths in the park where she and Joel rad walked so otten, both happily and bitterly quarrelling. Clarity of mind and peace came to ins during those lonely night walks. Ehe did not seem to be lighting any longer, and the door that had been closed so long had been opened—by Mark. When she could put Joel from her mind, a strange hig-i happiness came to her, a hapiness from within which she did not quite understand and whieh she did not question. It was not to bo shared with anyone else, that feeling, and when sho returned home and went to her room and saw her face, her eyes startled her. Iris thought, “What is happening to me? L must not fight it. I must give in to it. 74 Saturday night the old house was in a positive fever. It took both Selina and Iris to dress the diminutive Eve who emerged in the gold dress from the shy page from a medieval court into a temperamental prima donna. Eve stormed, raged, and shouted from sheer excitement and nervousness. Selina wept also and angrily left tho room, declaring, “She'll forget everything and fail, bhe'll disgrace me." Iris, a slim princess in her green dress with the bodice made of sneer petals that fell over her whito shoulders, put her arms around the trembling younger girl and made her nervous voice calm when she spoke. “You are more talented than any other person who’ll be there. Don't sing to an audience of mothers and fathers, Eve. Sing to the audience of the opera. A good singer is a good actress and you must put all your feelings and depth into your voice.’ 7 Eve’s misty eyes looked up. “Everything depends upon this—for you and for me. If I do win, Iris, you can live your life that has never belonged to you." Iris smiled. “I don’t think I 7 ve been unlucky at all.’’

(To be Continued.)

When they went downstairs, Mark was there trying not to look embarrassed at Mrs. Wade’s effusive gushing over him. Again Iris saw tho warm light come to his eyes and suddenly Eve’s shaking hand was not in hers and her mother's flushed face vanished. There was no ono bat Mark, tall and tanned and in evening clothes, waiting at the head of the walnut stairs for her.

Selina said, “I'll call you at Mary's as soon as it's over.’ 7

Mark stopped the car for gasoline at a Nation on North Charles street. Out

Instalment 6. f

.of the small enclosure came Tommy to fill the car. Iris thougut, “What a strangely assorted family we are. Eve is going to win ten thousand dollars tonight and fame, I'm going to a party, 'and Tommy is a greasy boy working as a labourer.”

It waE the sight of a pretty girl in tho lurge car that made Tommy look up. Briefly ho met iris’ eyes through tho windshield and then quickly looked away. Iris thought, 44 Ho won ; t speak to mel He doesn't want me to bo ashamed of him." 4 4 Tommy 1 77 Mark asked, “Do you know tho boy!’ 7 “He’s my brother."

Tommy came to the side of the car and awkwardly pulled off his uniform cap.

“This is Mr. Christian, Tommy. Didn’t you recognise me?" “Oh, sure. Has Eve gone?” “Yes, and with our prayers." “I hope she wins. 77

Alark thrust considerably more than the cost of the g&soilno into Tommy's hand, said, “Thank you, Tommy,” and drove off quickly, and his admiration for the girl beside him doubled because of her loyalty to her brother. The guests had all arrived at Mary's They stood about in intimato little groups talking and .uughing and sipping Alary'g incomparable drinks.

Mary North was a small, pretty woman with exquisite taste in her clothes, her apartment, her parties, and her friends. Her husband, a brilliant young scientist, hau been killed in a laboratory explosion two years before and Iris knew that her endless pursuit of pleasure and entertainment was the outlet of a grief-stricken woman who ! could not permit herself leisure to contemplate the tragic day two years ago when they nad brought her husband uorae to her.

4 ‘l’m so glad you’re here," she said, greeting Iris and Mark.

In the bedroom iris told her about Eve.

“Always thinking of Eve, 77 said Alary, small and. beautiful in whito lace. “Iris, darling, do stop thinking about Eve long enough to realise that the gentleman of gentlemen is falling wildly in love with you. 77

“When Mark counts the women in his life when he’s eighty," said Iris, touching her dark hair, “I’ll bo around the fiftieth.”

The evening went quickly as all evenings went quickly at Mary's. Tho small and intimato group of Mary’s friends, which included successful commercial artists and illustrators, men and women who wrote reviews of musie and the theatre, and one formerly famous musical comedy actress who now proudly declared sho was “only a mother," cook iris at face value, though often they wondered about tho beautiiui brunette with an obscure background to whom all men were attracted and whom ail women liked.

Aeross the room her eyes mot Mark’s who looked at her with suameiess adoration. “Let nothing happen to this," sue thought solemnly. “it's apart from my real life and sweeter because it’s unspoken. I would rather it remained unspoken forever than for it to become involved with Joel und motner and the ugly sido of my life about which he mows nothing." Alary approached Mark. “Aren’t you very exclusive, drinking alone? 77

“I wasn’t aware of it," he said, smiling. “1 was thinking of the Mediterranean. just then,"

Mary’s hand touched his.’ 7 “Mark, dear, the Mediterranean i 3 blue and ins’ dress is green," and when they saw Iris suddenly get up and go into the little writing room and Mark started to follow, Mary said, “No. Don’t. Sho wants to be alone when her sister calls. Mark, my dear, what arc I you waiting for with Iris?" i “I am waiting until she can belong to me and to me only,’ 7 He waited a long time, his eyes on tho door of the writing room. With the party in progress, he knew ho could not hear the telephone ring and there was nothing for him to do but wait until he was sure that Eve had called.

At midnight he could wait no longer. Crossing the room, he opened the door and stepped in tho quiet room. Iris was standing by the window, her back to him. Her hair was gleaming in the halflight, her face uplifted.

Sho was not frightened when he put nis hands on her bare arms. Instead she leaned her head against his shoulder ,aud said quietly, 4 ‘Eve—Eve won. 77 But her voice broke with emotion. He saw her lashes flat against her face but he did not know’ that she was thinking, “ 4 Alark, hold me, hold me, .Keep me like this forever. It’s you I want and love—though I can never say it. 77 Should he tell her now? Should he say, “Iris, marry me now. Let me put j behind you everything that troubles you. Let’s make this dream of mine of a Afeditcrranean honeymoon real. It can be real. 7 ’

No. He cGuld not. And ho hated tne time that had to pass before ha could a6k her.