(Continued)
arm products and her pens. You saw
Dejong asparagus" on the menu nt
he Blackstone and the Drake hotels
Sometimes Dirk'» friends twitted him
tbout this and he did not always ac
| Knowledge that the similarity of names
wai not a coincidence.
“Dirk, you seem to see no one but
I iust these people," Selins told him In
me of her Infrequent rebukes. “You
don’t get the full flavor of Ufe. You've
rot to have u vulgar cu^oslty about
eople and tilings. All k/nds of peo-
le. All kinds of things. You revolve
1 the same little circle, over und over
md over."
"Haven’t time. Can’t afford to take
ue time.
"You cun’t afford not to."
Sometimes Selina came Into town
for a week or ten days ut a stretch,
and indulged In what she called an
orgy.
At such times Julie Arnold
could Invite her to occupy one of the
guest rooms at the Arnold house! or
the face of a Da Vinci cherub und ihe Dirk would offer her his bedroom am)
ooul of a man-eating shark.
tell her that he would be comfortable
Selina always talked to everyone. on the big conch In the living room, or
She enjoyed listening to street cur con
that he would take a room nt the Uni­
doctors, washwomen, Janitors, land
versity club. She always declined She
ladles, clerks, doormen, chauffeurs, po would take a room In a hotel, some­
licemen
Something about her made times north, sometimes south. Her
them talk. They opened to her as holiday before her, she would go off
flowers to the sun. They sensed her roaming gaily as a small boy on a
Interest, her liking. As they talked Saturday morning, with the day
Selina would exclaim. “You don’t sa y : stretching gorgeously and adventure-
Well, that terrible!” Her eyes would sounly ahead of him, sallies down the
be bright with sympathy.
street without plan or appointment,
Selina had said, on entering Dirk's knowing that richness In one form or
office. "My land! 1 don’t see how you
can work among those pretty creatures
mid not be a sultan. I’m going to ask
some of them down to the farm over
Sunday."
“Don’t, Mother! They wouldn’t un
derstund. I scarcely see them. They’re
just part of the office equipment.
Afterward, Ethelinda Quinn had
passed expert opinion. “Say. she’s got
ten times the guts that Frosty’s got
I like her fine. Did you see her ter
rlble hat ! But say, it didn’t look fun
ny on her, did it? Anybody else lu
that getup would ’ look comical, but
she’s the kind that could walk off with
anything. I don’t know. She’s got
what I call an air. It beats style.
Nice, too. She said I was a pretty
little thing. Can you beat It I At that
she’s right. I cer’nl) yam.”
9
T h ey found Dirk fair game, resent­
ed Paula'» proprietorship. S ukhus and
Junes and K ates and Bettye and Sal
lye—plain old-fashioned nuiues for
modem, erotic misses—they talked to
Dirk, danced with him, rode with him,
flirted with him. His very unattnln-
ubleness gave him piquancy. That
Paula Storm had him fast. He didn't
care a hoot about girls.
“Oh, Mr. Dejong," they said, “your
name's Dirk, isn ’t It? What a slick
name I What does It mean?”
“Nothing, I suppose. It's a Dutch
name. My people— my father's peo­
ple—were Dutch, you know."
"A dirk’s a sort of sword. Isn't It,
or poniard? Anyway, it sounds very
keen and cruel and fatal—Dirk.”
He would flush a little (one of his
assets) and smile, and look at them,
and say nothing. He found that to
be all that was necessary.
He got on enormously.
Between the girls he met In society
and the girls that worked in his of­
fice there existed a similarity that
struck and amused Dirk. He said,
“Take a letter, Miss Roach," to a slim
young creature as exquisite as the
girl with whom he had dauced the day-
before; or ridden or played tennis v'r
bridge. Their very clothes were fault­
less Imitations. They even used the
m u e perfume,
He wondered, Idly,
ÀH uncor.stlous, "Take a letter, Ml
how they did It. They were eighteen,
Quinn, sa.il Dirk half an hour lat
nineteen, twenty, and their faces und
In the mldot of this fiery furpuce •
bodies and desires and natural equip­ femininity Dirk walked unscorche-
ment made their presence In a business Paula, the North shore girls, well-bre
office a paradox, an absurdity. Yet and professional business women b
they were capable, too, In a mechanical occasionally met In the eouise e
•ort of way. Theirs were mechanical business, the enticing little nymphs I
Jobs. They were lovely creatures with encounter-d In his own office, all prie
the minds of fonrteen-year-old chil­ tlced on hign their warm und perfume
dren. Their hair was shining, perfect­ wiles. He moved among them cool an
ly undulated, as fine and glossy and serene. Perhaps his sudden succès-
tenderly curling as a young child’s. had had something to do with this
Their breasts were flat, their figures and his quiet ambition for further sue
singularly sexless like that of a very ceas. For he really was accounted
young boy. They were wise with the successful now, even In the spectneu
wisdom of the serpent. Their legs lar whirl of •Chicago’s meteoric flnan
were slim and sturdy. Their mouths clal constellation. North-side mainma>
were pouting, soft, pink, the lower Up regarded his income, his career, am
a little curled back, petal-wise, like his future with eyes of respect am
the moist mouth of a baby that has wily speculation. There Wus always i
Just finished nursing.' Their eyes were neat little pile of Invitations In th<
wide apart, empty, knowledgeous. mall that lay on the correct little con
They' managed their private affairs sole In the correct little apartment
like generals. They were cool, remote, ministered by the correct little Jnp on
disdainful. They reduced their hoys the correct North-side street near (but
to desperation. They were briguuds, not too near) the lake, and overlook
desperadoes, pirates, taking all, giving Ing it.
little. J They came, for the most purt,
The apartment had been furnished
from ^sordid homes, yet they knew, In with Paula’s aid. Together she and
som e1 miraculous way, all the fine
Dirk’ had gone to Interior decorators
arts that Papla knew and practiced. “But you’ve got to use your own
They were coj-setless. pliant, bewilder­ taste, too," Paula had said, “to give
ing, lovely, dingerous.
1: the ladtvldual touch." The apart
Among them Dirk worked Immune, ment was furnished In a good deal of
aloof, untouched. He would have been ItpHan furniture, the finish a dark
surprised to learn that he was known t a k e r walnut, the whole massive and
among them as Frosty. They admired yet somehow unconvincing. The effect
and resented him. Not one that did was somber without being Impressive.
•ot secretly dream of the day when There were long carved tables on
he would call her Into his office, shut which an ash tray seemed a deseern
the door, and say, "Loretta” (their tion ; great chairs roomy enough for
names were burhanklan monstrosities, lolling, yet In which you did net re
born of grafting the original appella­ lax; dull silver candlesticks; vest­
tion onto their own Idea of beauty In ments; Dante's saturnine features
nomenclature — hence Loretta, Imo- sneering down upon you from a cor
«ene. Nadine, Natalie, Ardella), "Lor­ rect cabinet. There were not many
etta, I have watched you for a long, books. Tiny foyer, large living-room
long time and you must have noticed bedroom, dining-room, kitchen, and a
how -deeply I admire you.”
eubby-liole for the Jap.
It wasn't Impossible. Those things
Dirk did not spend much of bis time
haiipen. The movies had taught them In the pincé. His upward climb was it
that. Dirk, all unconscious of their treadmill, really. His office, the apart­
pitiless all-absorbing scrutiny, would ment, a dinner, a dance. His contacts
have been still further appalled to were monotonous, and too few.
learn how fully aware they were of his
His office was a great splendid of
personal and private affairs. They flee In a great spleulld office building
knew about Paula, for example. They In LaSalle street. H » drove back nnd
admired und resented her, too. They forth In a motor car along the boule
despised her for the way In which she vards. His social engagements lay
openly displayed her feeling for him north. LaSalle street bounded him or.
(how they knew thia was a miracle the west, Lske Michigan on the east
*n«l a mystery, for she almost never Jackson boulevard on the south, Luki
fame Into the office and disguised all Forest on the north. He might haw
her telephone talks with him). They lived a thousand miles away for all
thought he was grund to his mother. he knew of the rest of Chicago—the
Selins had been In bis office twice, per­ mighty, roaring, sweltering, pushing,
haps. On one of these occasions she screaming, mqgnlflcent hideous steel
had spent five minutes chatting socia­ giant that was Chicago.
bly with Ethelinda Onlnn who bad
Selina had had no hand In the fur­
nishing of his apartment. When It was
finished Dirk had brought her In tri­
umph to see It. "Well,” he had said
"what do you think of it. Mother?"
She hud stood In the center of the
room, u small plain figure in the midst
of these massive somber carved tables,
Floral and
chairs, chests.
A little smile had
Music Shop
Quirked the corner of her mouth. “I
Alban >>
think It's as cosy as a cathedral.”
Sometimes Selina remonstrated with
him, though of late she had taken on a
strange reticence. She no longer asked
him about the furnishings of the
houses he visited, or the exotic fixai he
ate at splendid dinners. The farm
Laundry y n t Tuesdays
flourished. The great steel mills mui I
Igency Hub Cleaning Works
factories to the south tvere closing In
upon her hut bed not yet set Iron foot
oil her rich green acres. She was rath
ft lamoat uow t<2i the quallQ gf Us*
CUT FLOWERS
-S H E E T MUSIC
HALL'S
A
Modern
Barber Shop
A B E 'S P L A C E
*
MAY <. Mrs
Why suffer from headaches?
Have
YOUR EYES
baixcas
RURAL ENTERPRISE
[T e r fZ e e ^ R o 1t F m i i a l , , J t u
Examined
Aluv 22nd— opening sale date
Jewelers, Optometrists
Albany, Oregon
« A A /V W W S
cents required for a box of these,
charmed by their names—Adam and
Eve roots. Master of the Woods,
Dragon's Blood, High John the Con­
queror, Jezebel Roots, Grains of Para­
dise.
“Look here, Mother," Dirk would
protest, “you can’t wander around like
that. It Isn’t safe. This isn’t High
Prairie, you know. If you want to
go round I'll get Sakl to drive you."
“That would be nice," she said, mild­
ly. But she never availed herself of
this offer.
She would go over to South Water
street, changed now, and swollen to
such proportions that It threatened to
burst Its confines. She liked to stroll
On sale daily to and including Sep­
tember 15th. Return limit—October
31st. Liberal stopovers.
Plan to include California’s varied
wonders on your trip east. Go that
way; return same way or some other
route if you prefer.
So plan your itinerary carefully.
Let our agents help you. They are
skillful, courteous and fully informed
(On all travel matters.
Ask for our "Vacation Journeys” Pamphlet.'
Southern Pacific
Michigan boulevard north.
Its white towers gleamed pink In
the lake mists. Dirk suld It was a
terrible building, badly proportioned,
and that It looked like a vast vanilla
sundae. His new private domain was
more like a splendid bookless library
than a business office. It was flnlshell
In rich dull walnut and there were
great upholstered chairs, soft rugs,
shaded lights. Special attention was
paid to women clients. There was a
room for their convenience fitted with
low restful chairs and couches, lamps,
writing desks, In mauve and Mae
Paula had selected the furnishings for
this room. Ten years earlier It would
huve been considered absurd In a suite
of business offices. Now It was a
routine part of the equipment.
Dirk's private office was almost as
difficult of access as that of the na­
tion’s executive. Cards, telephones
office boys, secretaries stood between
the caller and Dirk Dejong, bead of
the bond department. You nskeij for
Iilm, utferlhg his name In the enr of
whom you at n I the Entor* dSS the six-foot stutuesque detective who.
In the guise of usher, stood In the
prise after you have read it? If you mail the 62 flam .
center of the marble rotuudn eyeing
beta of the year it wilt cost $1,04 iu postage, under
each visitor with a coldly appraising
gaze. This one padded softly ahead
the new rates, besidel the trouble of wrapping and
of you on rubber heels, only to give
mailing. For $1 in udvancathe publisher ’ wiH send
you over to the care of a glorified
it oae year to any address in the Uuited Stales or the
office boy who took your name You
waited. He returned. You waited.
Pbillipine islands.
Presently there appeared a young
woman with Inquiring eyebrows. i$lie
conversed with you. She vanlsbod.
You waited. She reappeared, io u
pepper-and-salt pants anfl'T est Cigar, were ushered Into Dirk D ejong’s large
mother lies before him for tha Choos
unllghted, In big mouth, the heavy gold and luxurious Inner office. And there
ing. A sociable woman, Selina, savor­
formality fled.
watch chain spanning hla middle.
ing life, she liked the light» the color,
Dirk was glad to see you; quietly,
“Well,
you
certainly
made
good,
Mrs.
the rush, the noise. Her year»- of
Interestedly glud to see you. As you
grinding work, . « . h „ U e . p u f c . ,
stated your business he listened atten­
down to the very soil Itself, bad failed
tively, as was his charming way. The
Oh, yes. She remembered.
to kill her zest for living. She prowls»
"That boy of yours has made bis volume of business done with women
Into the city's foreign quarters—
clients by the Oreat Lakes Trust com­
mark,
too, I see. Doing grand, aln
Italian. Greek. Chinese. Jewish.
he? Wa-al, great satisfaction baring a pany was enormous. Dirk Was con­
She loved the Michigan boulevard son turn out well like that. Yea servative, helpful—and he always got
and State street shop Windows In slrree!
the business. He talked Uttle. He
Why, look at my dali
which haughty waxed ladles in glitter
wus utnazlngly effective.
Car’llne—"
ing evening gowns postured, ringers
Ladles In the modish black of te-
Life at High Prairie had Its savor,
elegantly crooked as they held a fan.
too. Frequently you saw strange vis cent bereavement made quite a somlcqr
a rose, a program, meunwhlle smiling
ltors there for a week or ten days at procession to hla door. H is suggestions
condescendingly out upon an envious
a time—boys and girls whose city pallor (often originating with Paula) made
world flattening Its nose against the
gave way to a rich tan; tlred-lookiug the Great Lakes Trust company's dis­
plate glass barrier.
,
women with sagging figures who drank creet advertising rich In results. Neat
She penetrated the Black belt, where
Selina’s cream und ate her abundant little pamphlets written for women on
Chicago’s vast and growing negro pop­ A-getables and tender chickens as the subjects of saving. Investments.
ulation
shifted
and moved
and fliough they expected these viands to "You are not dealing with a soulless
stretched its great limbs ominously, be momentarily snatched from them. corporation," said these brochures.
reaching out and out In protest sntl Selina picked these up In odd Comers
May we serve you? You need more
overflowing the bounds that irked It. of the city. Dirk protested against tl^an friends.
Before acting, yon
Her serene face und her quiet manner
thia, too. Sellnu wes a member of the should have your Judgment vindicated
her bland Interest and friendly look High Prairie school board now. She by an organization of Investment sp e
protected her. They thought her a was on the Good Roads committee and clallsts. You muy have relatives and
social worker, perhaps; one of the the Truck Farmers’ association vul- friends, some of whom would gladly
upllfters. She bought and read the ued her opinion. Her Ufe was full, advise you on Investments. Bnt pec
hups you rightly feel that the less they
pleasant, prolific.
I ...................... a
...
_______ — ___ ______i _
s L .
7 t il
know about your flnunctal affairs, the
better. To handle trusts, and to care
Chapter X IV
for the securities of widows and or­
phans, Is our business."
Paula bad a scheme for Interesting
It was startling to note how this
women In h#>nd buying. It was a good tort of thing mounted Into millions.
scheme. She suggested It so that Dirk
Women are becoming more and
thought he had thought of It. Dirk
more used to the hnndllng of money,”
was head now of the bond department
Paula said, shrewdly. "Pretty soon
In the Greet Lakes Trust company's
their patronage Is going to be as valu­
magnificent new white building on
able as that of men. The average
along the crowded sidewalks, lined woman doesn’t know about bonds—
with crates and boxes nnd barrels of about bond buying They think they’re
fruits, vegetables, poultry. Swarthy something mysterious und risky. Tt ey
foreign
faces
predominated
now ought to be educated up to It. Didn’t
Where the red-faced overalled men hud you say something. Dirk, about classes
been alie now saw lean muscular lads In finance for women?"
In old army shirts and khaki pants nnd
"But would the women com e?"
scuffed patteea wheeling trucks, load­
"Of course they’d come.
Women
ing boxes, charging down tlie street In will accept any Invitation that’s en­
huge rumbling auto vans. Tbelr faces graved on heavy cream paper.”
were hard, their talk terse. Any one
The Great Lakes Trust hud a branch
i of these, ahe reflected, win more vital, In Cleveland now. and one in New
more native, functioned more usefully York, on Fifth avenue. The drive to
and honestly than her successful son, Interest women In bond buying and
Dirk Dejong
to Instruct them In finance was to take
"Where 'ri beans?**
on almost national proportions. There
“In th' ol' beanery."
was to be newspaper and maguzlne ad­
"Tough.”
vertising.
“Best you can get."
1 ae Tulks for Womey on the Rubject
"Keep ’em."
of 1 Insure were held evsry two w eek s
Many of the older men knew her, In the crystul roorn of the Blackstoue
| shook hands with her, chatted a m o­
snd were a great success. Paula was
Shs Liked to Stroll Along the Crowded
ment frlendllly. William Talcott, a right.
Much of old Aug Hern pul's
Si do walks.
'
Uttle more dried up. more wrinkled,
hrewdness and business foresight hud
Independent. the negro newspaper In his sparse hair quite gray now. still
descended to her. The women came
which herb doctors advertised magic leaned up against the side of hla door­
—widows with money to Invest; bus!
roots. She even sent the twenty fife way In hla shirt sleeves and bis neat
7
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Our stock is ®
attractive in both design and price.
•
We call your special attention to the
•
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built for comfort and durability
»
Hal sey
H IL L
Have You a Friend to
V
Oregon
u -jo ]
Summer Excursion Fares
F. M, French & Son
We want you to investigate our
PAG E J
ness women who had thriftily » „ ..J
a portion of their salaries. moneyed
women who wanted to manage their
own property, or who resented a hus­
band's Interference. Some came out
of curiosity. Others for lack of any­
thing better to do. Others to gas i
on the well-known hanker or lawyer
or business man who wns scheduled
to address the meeting. Dirk spok r
three or four times during the winter
and was markedly a favorite.
The
women. In smart crepe gowns and tail­
ored suits and smHll chic huts, twit­
tered uud murmured about him, even
While they sensibly digested his Wel1-
thought-out remarks. He looked very
handsome, clean-cut, und distinguish' I
there on the platform In lilt admirably
tailored clothes, a small white flower
In his buttonhole. He talked easily,
clearly, fluently! suswered the ques­
tions put to him afterward with Just
.he right mixture of thoughtful hesi­
tation and conlldence.
It was decided that for the national
advertising there must be an lllustra
tlon that would catch the eye of worn
en, and Interest them. The person to
do It, Dirk thought, was thia Dallas
O’Msra whose queer hen-track signa­
ture you saw scrawled on half the ad­
vertising Illustrations that caught your
eye. Paula had not been enthusiastic
about this Idea.
"M-m-ni, she’s very good," Paula had
said, guardedly, “hut aren’t there
others who are better?"
“She 1" Dirk had exclaimed, “la It a
woman? I didn’t know. That-nam e
might be anything.’’
"Uh, yes, she’s a woman. She’s said
to be very—very attractive."
Dirk tent for DuUas U’Mura. She
epi led. suggesting an uppulntvuent two
reeks from that dute. Dirk decided
lot to wait, consulted other cornmer-
lal artists, looked at their work,
liedrd their pluns outlined, and was
vatlsfled with none of them. The time
was short. Ten days had passed. He
bud hls secretary call D allas O Mara
on the telephone. Gould she come
down to see him that day at eleven?
N o : she worked until four dally at
her studio.
Could she come to hls office at four-
thirty, then?
Yes, but wouldn't It be better if be
could come to her studio w betephe
could see something of the jjurfous
types of drawings—oils, or bfbek-and-
wblte, or crayons. She w as'w orking
mostly In crayons now.
All this relayed by hls secretary at
the telephone to Dirk at hls desk. He
(Continued on pare 6)
v o id .
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a lia s '«
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Amor A. Tussing
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