VERNONIA EAGLE, VERNONIA, OREGON
MAIDEN VOYAGE
Copyright, Kathleen Norris.
KATHLEEN NORRIS
SYNOPSIS
Antoinette Tatt, twenty-three, at.
tractive and ambitious but unable to
hold a Job, lives In a drab San Fran
cisco flat with her sister Brenda and
brother Cliff, who are older, her sev-
• nteen-year-old brother Bruce, and
their Aunt Meg. In her job hunting
rounds she Interviews Lawrence Bel
lamy, editor of the Journal of Com
merce, but finds he has no place for
a woman writer. She likes him very
much, as she tells Brenda later. Dif
fident Barney Kerr drops In. Tony
gets a telephone call from Mr. Green
wood, city editor of the Call, offering
her a job as society reporter. Cliff,
returning just then, accompanies
Tony to the newspaper office. Tony
finds the men In tho office friendly
and helpful. The first night she goes
with Cliff and Joe Burke of the
sports department to a restaurant
and sees Bellamy. She thrills when
he nods to her. She is thoroughly
happy In the hustle and bustle of
the newspaper office. She solves the
problem of getting photos. The only
other woman on the staff Is Bess
Cutter, who is very friendly with
Fitch, general manager. Bess comes
to depend on Tony. Bess Invites
Tony to dine with her at her apart
ment with Fitch and then go to the
theater. Barney proposes to Tony
and Is rejected. Tony attends the
Cutter affair and Is displeased. She
covers the mid-winter carnival at
Piedmont. She meets elderly Mrs.
Patterson and her daughter Ruth,
wife of Larry Bellamy. Ruth is in
poor health. Bel'amy appears In
carnival costume and recognises
Tony. Mrs. Bellamy becomes very
fond of Tony and has her with her
frequently. Tony Is In love with
Larry. She tells Greenwood that
Larry Is in a deal with the Exam
iner to take over the Journal. Green
wood prints the story and Ruth calls
Tony and tells her that it will queer
Larry's deal with the Examiner.
CHAPTER XII—Continued
—9—
“Well,” he began sourly, “you’ve
certainly let us Into a lot of trouble
on that Porter engagement!”
"Oh, how?” Tony asked, startled.
"They talked to the old man.”
“Fitch?”
"Nope, Arnoldson.”
"Oh, they didn’t!”
"They did. They wanted to know
how you got It.’’
“The Bulletin had It tonight.”
"Yes, but the Bulletin was careful
to say that they were quoting from
the Call.”
"It’s true,” Tony said stubbornly.
"They say It isn’t true. At least,
we sent Bob Whiteley up to see this
Mrs. Scott, and she pretty near
took his head off.”
"Much ado about nothing,” Tony
said scornfully, returning to her
work. The city editor lingered.
"I'm awfully sorry If I let you. In
for something with that Journal
thing," he said awkwardly. “How’d
I know it was a secret?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Tony said
wearily, soberly. "Only the Bel
lamy’s happen to be my best
friends.”
“Well, listen, if Danielson sends
for you—"
“Danielson!”
Her heavy eyes
lighted with horror. Flo Daniel
son was the assistant manager: ner
vous, critical, was the most dis
liked man on the staff.
"Oh, about this accursed Scott
thing!” Greeny said, walking away.
Tony sat on at her desk in a state
of complete terror.
Old Mrs. Magius, with another
of the "Betsy Ross” sentimentali
ties, wandered in. Everyone liked
her and made much of her; she
called Mr. Arnoldson "Willie,” and
was Mrs. Danielson's aunt. Usually
she bored Tony Into evading her,
but Tony was In no mood to decline
any friendly overtures tonight and
smiled at her encouragingly. For
once, however, old “Betsy Ross”
was not responsive, and left the
office after a short conversation
with Greeny.
“She’s mad because her daugh
ter left for China today and we
didn't give it any space,” Arch Slos-
ser told Tony. Tony made a des
pairing exclamation: she had made
a note of this event, she had meant
to play it up prominently, to please
the all-powerful “Betsy Ross,” and
she had completely forgotten it I
A few moments later the dreaded
call came: a frowzy boy went by
her desk saying casually: “Mr. Dan
ielson’s office, please. Miss Taft.”
The eyes of all the office sympa
thetically upon her, she went slow
ly to the hallway and dragged her
way downstairs to the manager’s
office, telling herself darkly that she
was probably fired.
It was not so bad as that, but
It was bad enough. Mr. Danielson
was disagreeable; he was always
disagreeable. He said that he dis
liked the sensational manner of get
ting social notes that Miss Taft
had recently been employing; it
was not the policy of the paper to
make powerful enemies, and bis
own theory had always been to get
what people were willing to give
and nothing else.
"These are the nicest people In
the city,” he reminded her, “and
usually our social reporter Is—
ahem! one of themselves, someone
who understands how persons of
that class feel—’’
“I hope you break out with ty
phoid," Tony thought, her cheeks
very red, her eyes bright, as she
respectfully watched him. She was
of a class that couldn't understand
society folk, was she? After a
while he said, "That was all, I
think,” and she could get up and
go, feeling whipped and broken.
She went back to her desk. No
body looked up when she came in,
but she knew that everybody saw
her.
“Aren't you going to get any din
ner, Tony?” Greeny called. "You’re
covering that Federated Clubs
thing, aren’t you?”
“That isn’t until nine,” she began
to say thickly, and putting her head
down on the desk she burst into
tears. Nobody said anything; she
knew that they were all transfixed
lietween natural distaste for the
weakness of women, and sympathy
for her in a day whose dismal emo
tions they all had experienced in
their turn.
After a dreadful moment or two
Tony regained command of her
self, stood up, and, gathering her
notes, took them to the city editor’s
desk. "I’m going out to dinner,"
she said, almost inaudibly.
The street was almost deserted.
Tony walked blindly along, snif
fling, blowing her nose, talking half-
aloud. That vile Porter engage
ment—
Ah, yes, but then there was the
Journal affair, too. That was more
serious. Just this time last night
everything had been so serene and
so happy, and now her whole life
was a wreck. Ruth had loved her,
Larry had trusted her, and she had
betrayed their trust!
Tired, blue, hungry, miserably un
decided, as she halted in the dark
street, her eyes fell upon a bent
metal shield In a doorway: "The
San Francisco Journal of Com
merce and Business; Third Floor.”
For a moment she stood looking at
it apathetically; then suddenly her
heart began to beat hard and fast.
She went In.
She stopped, halfway up the sec
ond flight, and stood listening.
Somebody was talking at a tele
phone, upstairs, in the Journal of
fice: she knew that voice: Larry’s
voice.
The door of the outer office,
where she had waited so patiently
a year ago, was open. The Inner
door was ajar, too. Tony pushed
it further open and saw Larry’s
office for the second time.
He looked up, and she stood there
looking at him without smiling,
her face pale and streaked with
tears.
“Tony, what is it?" he said, after
a minute. He got up and came
WNU Service.
around the fiat-topped big desk.
“What’s the matter?”
She had stretched out her hands;
his met them, and as she felt their
heartening grip and saw the con
cern and kindness in his eyes her
tears began again.
“Oh, Larry, I’ve been so sorry!”
she faltered, clinging to him.
"Sorry? For what?”
“Oh, for what I let you In fori
I'd no idea it mattered so! You
know,” Tony said, close against
him, looking up in his face with the
lashes of her blue eyes pointed
with tears, “you know I told them,
Larry. I told Greeny! This morn
ing, when Ruth spoke about it, I
didn’t want her to know. She said
you wouldn’t believe I had! But I
did.”
There was a pause.
“I knew you did,” he said.
“Oh, Larry, I’ve been feeling so
horribly! I'm so sorry!”
“Look here,” he interrupted,
“have you been worrying about this
Journal thing?”
“I’ve been sick!" she whispered.
"Sit down, you poor bird-brain!”
Larry said. He wheeled a revolv
ing chair to the nearer side of the
desk, went about to his own side of
the desk, and sat down, smiling at
her. “Listen,” he said, "what's all
this about?”
"I told Greeny; I had no Idea he’d
use it.” Tony poured out her con
fession In a great rush. "I never
realized until I telephoned Ruth
this morning what a horrible tiling
I'd done!" she said.
Larry listened to her at first with
bewilderment. "Why, good heav-
ens, it wasn't up to you!”
"To whom, then?” Tony asked
bewilderedly. Had someone else—
had, by blessed accident—someone
else—?
“To me, of course. I had no busi
ness to talk about It. It made me
feel like a fool, because I’d said to
the chief that I wouldn’t mention
it. But if there's any blame it's
up to me.”
“Oh, no, it’s not,” she said, laugh
ing. “What’d you do? Go down to
Los Antonios?”
"Flew down. I Just got back an
hour ago. He sent me up in one
of his planes.”
"Then he’s peaceable?” Tony
asked.
"Oh, fine. I think It will all
straighten Itself out. He's trying
to bluff me now, but he won’t. I
told him that I’d talked about It like
a fool, and he’s trying to make me
believe It makes some difference.
But it doesn't a bit.”
Tony suddenly began to tell him
the whole story about the Porter
engagement, and the signed article,
and the excitement in the office last
night
“If I’d only gone home, Larry.
But I was sort of hanging around
Greeny’s desk, and suddenly—with
out thinking It out at all—I said to
him, ‘Oh, by the way, did you hear
about the Journal?' If I'd only
thought—”
“It happens all the time,” Larry
said philosophically. “As for Greeny
and the talk with Danielson,” he
presently added, “that’s all news
paper policy. ‘Catch ’em young and
keep ’em terrified’ is the Idea. You
never feel sure of a newspaper Job."
He swept some papers on bis desk
together and looked up.
"Have you had dinner’"
“No.”
Tony suddenly realized
that she was starving, and happier,
In her excitement and relief, than
she had ever been in her life.
“All right Let’s walk around
the corner to Pierre’s and have
Spanish oysters.”
“And fruits Marie Jardin.”
“You know Pierre’s?”
“No, but you and Ruth were talk
ing about it one night. But where's
Ruth?" Tony demanded.
“She and her mcther went over
to the Piedmont house this after
flush and heard her softer laugh
ter; she had teased her about some
suitor unknown ever since the hol
idays at Carmel In May. If Brenda
liked the long, lean, pale young
doctor with the enormous hands
and fan ears, then Tony would like
him too.
Brenda and Alvin would live in
Monterey on nothing. "Except that
his father said he would send us
five hundred dollars to start In on,"
said Brenda modestly.
Tony, at Larry’s suggestion, had
gone to see Ruth shortly after the
Journal incident and had frankly
confessed to her own stupidity and
carelessness in the matter. And
Ruth, adamant until the full ac
knowledgment was made, had in
stantly softened, as Larry had pre
dicted she would, and had forgiven
Tony fully and gladly. So that it
was natural for Tony presently, in
her own glowing and animated way,
to tell the Bellamys of her sister's
plans.
“He’s one of those tall, limp, as-
parej'us-colored men,” she said of
her prospective brother-in-law. “He
sticks 'way out of his collar, and
he sort of curves himself around
Bendy like an anaconda. He adores
her so It makes him perspire when
he looks at her!”
"They’re to be man-led—?” Larry
asked.
“In September."
•
•••••
“Tony," Ruth said, on one of
these August days, “why don’t you
come to Santa Barbara with me?”
"Come—?” The mere thought
left Tony's cheeks paler for excite
ment.
“Why not? You’re going to have
a week's vacation.”
“But I thought you were staying
for a month?”
“I am. But you could come back
when you liked.”
“You're no cripple," Larry con
tributed. "Anyway," he said in au
odd Indifferent tone that impressed
Tony as puzzling at the moment,
“anyway, I come back and forth
with the car every week-end. If
you and I started at—say, five
The Very First Occasion Upon o’clock on Monday, I’d have you in
Which They Two Had Been your office at noon. We’d get some
breakfast in San Luis or Paso Ro
Alone Together.
bles. I’ve done it lots of times.”
me? I am bitterly ashamed and
“Oh, Ruth, Santa Barbara!” Tony
very sorry.”
said, on a long sigh of bliss.
"Seriously, if anyone was to
Generously, enthusiastically, Bren
blame—and the whole thing will da shared with Tony a week later
straighten itself, and no harm will the fun of packing the bag for
be done—it was I.”
Santa Barbara. Tony, In a state
“Well, you've made me very of indescribable excitement, set the
happy!” Tony went up in the ele alarm for four o’clock and was
vator, her heart was singing.
dressed and ready when Larry's
motor horn gave the signal below.
CHAPTER XIII
The empty, dirty, shabby street was
transfigured with the dawn; the air
HERE came an Interval of was chill; there was mystical si
weeks when life went on lence, mystical light abroad. Larry
smoothly and Joyfully; there was
got out of the car to see that she
less criticism at the office; Tony and her suitcase were comfortably
began to feel sure of herself and bestowed In the back seat. Tony
her work.
leaned over Ruth's shoulder to give
Sometimes it was a debutantes’ her a kiss; they were away.
affair down the Peninsula; some
Thv way ran smoothly across
times a wedding. Tony went to quiet, deserted Market street, out
the women's clubs for presidents’ past the big hospital whose elevator
breakfasts, and ate the chicken pat halls still showed red squares of
ties and hot rolls, listened to the light, down to the big open high
charming speeches and the clapping. way that was bounded on one side
Then in July Greenwood sent her by flat fields hardly touched by
down to the Hotel Del Monte to real estate signs and small ven
cover the social side of the big golf tures In suburban homes, and on
tournament at Pebble Beach. Tony the other by the languid lower wat
took Brenda with her for the en ers of the bay. Birds were flap
chanted week-end, and the sisters ping lazily over the marshes; a
wandered through three perfect train puffed majestically along the
days of sunshine and gayety and embankment, throwing short stac
excitement, and went up at night cato puffs of steam Into the wet
to their high little dormer-win morning air.
dowed bedroom exulting in their
There was little talk among the
particular share of the general fes three as they rolled contentedly
tivity.
along; it was enough to be alive
And It was there that Brenda in the glorious summer dawn and
told Tony very simply that she was see the sun rise over the great
going to be married to Alvin At shoulders of the eastern mountains,
water, a doctor In Monterey. “Isn’t and send long streamers of warm
It a darling name?” Brenda said, early gold across the orchards. San
lingering on It fondly. No, he had Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, all the
no money and no practice; he had little valley towns were sound
Just graduated from medical col asleep, but when they presently
lege, and he wasn’t—no, he wasn't reached Salinas chimneys were
handsome.
smoking and early housewives were
Tony, even before meeting him, astir, and quite suddenly Tony was
was extraordinarily elated at the conscious of a sharp stab of hun
news. She had seen the change in ger.
her sister; seen Brenda's quicker
(TO BE CONTINUED)
noon; the tenants go In next week.
Well, Tony, this is kind of nice!”
Larry said, going with her down
the dark stairs.
As she sat opposite him at the
little white table, with the smoking
oysters between them, and the
cheerful simple atmosphere about
them scented with Pierre's marvel
ous salads, Pierre’s clear chicory-
flavored coffee, Pierre's toasted
French bread, her blue eyes shone
upon her companion with a liquid
sapphire light. They talked of ev
erything, eagerly, Joyously, and
Tony presently reminded him inno
cently that this was the very first
occasion upon which they two had
been alone together.
Afterward they walked to his
parked car, and he drove her up
town to the clubhouse, and walked
with her to the doorway.
Just at parting she turned to
face him. “Larry, you do forgive
T