THE
FORBIDDEN YEARS
by
WADSWORTH CAMP
Her answer was doubtful.
“I’m not certain. I hope so.”
"Anyway," lie said, ‘ I’ll see
you to-morrow. Would to
night if I hadn’t get myself
Jioohed ui).”
Rulon came back to her, and
*he sentiment lie undoubtedly
expected her to indulge to
nic it, and his quick temper; ;
and she answered disconso
lately;
“I’m hooked up too. What
Arc you doing, dear?”
“Going to the opening of a
new night club called the Bars
And Stripes."
“Oh! With Steve?”
II jj voice went sullen,
“Mo, Esther made me
promise to take her some time
ago, and I’d forgot all about
eft, but she hadn’t, and‘had
kap ;»d a table herself. Don’t
know why she should be so
Infernally set on taking in
,thh particular racket, but
•he’s got to go, and it will give
me a chance to talk sensibly
.4o her.”
f Barbara gasped. Esther was |
going to the Bars and Stripes
after all. Perhaps she didn’t
know that Essie Holder was to
ke the hostess; but that
seemed unlikely, because little
Esther always knew so much.
(You never could tell how she
,was going to jump. In her sur
prise Barbara forgot to tell
Oray that she also expected to
.'witness the deliberately noisy
velum of this dreaded con
vection of the fielder clan.
CHAPTER IX
Rulon glared at Barbara’s
firm in its sling.
“Why didn’t you let me
know when I telephoned about i
our table tor the Bars and ;
fitripes?”
“What was the use? Mr.
Hnekey .said I had to play just
the same.”
Rulon disapproved.
“He’s wrong, too. ask me; j
but lie’s the skipper. How the
deuce did you do it?”
“People are always having
accidents that they don’t
mean to happen.”
His quick temper showed
Jor a moment.
“The imminent Benedict
Manvel have anything to do
with it?"
She tried to laugh.
“Charles! You can be ridi
culous! Why not blame a slip
pery floor? And you’d better
let rne go to my dressing room, j
or I’ll hang the curtain.”
Another misgiving smothered
bis flash of anger.
“Barbara, I know those
things can hurt; I realize I
mustn't ask too much of you;
but I did let you off last
right, and you guaranteed to
give me to-night for supper—”
Her smile was reflective.
“It does hurt, but I’ll keep
my promise, Charles. I’ll go
with you to the opening.”
As she climbed the iron
•fairs she realized how much
•he desired to go to the Bars
•nd Stripes, even though her
arm pained abominably, even
though Rulon undoubtedly
would make the evening dif
ficult, What mattered more
than such discomfort was the
opportunity to learn why Es
ther should advance eagerly,
and drag Gray with her, on
•o ugly an unveiling.
While she was changing the
call boy brought her a collec
tion of evening newspapers,
•nd she scanned with amuse
ment and distaste the little
publicity Hackey had
•cratchcd out of her mishap.
She had, she learned from the
various accounts, miraculous
ly survived a serious auto
mobile accident on the Jericho
Turnpike while returning from
k \< m 111 iun<; ui \< hi s*
ri'NKUALS
Kansas City Time*
The racket business h«* reached
ft* UUgraeelui extreme tn Chicago.
11 h*» xht.au that It will stop at
nothing. U tut siepp d Into and
broken up » funeral *iroces*lon. It
ha* demonstrated that Us Irechev.
one t!»ey have fastened themsclvrv
upon at community. artU respect the
dead no more than fhe Ihtng Their
respect govs no farther than their
awn diabolical aelfishncm The latest
development tn Chicago ts a dial
leoi# t« law order and dactu.e
is
a day spent with wealthy,
socially prominent, and ad
miring friends. She was, she
also discovered with some
amazement, sacrificiaily in
sisting on playing that even
ing over the frantic opposition
of her physician and her
manager.
When she went down she
detected an unusual restless
ness from the beast in frront;
an unorganized sense of move
ment a low incoherent growl
ing. Rulon, in the wings, sup
pressing his laughter, in
formed her that Hackey had
just gone before the curtain,
and had described his version
of her accident and his con
ception of her brave, sacrifi
cial spirit, and had craved in
dulgence for ‘‘a little lady
whom we’re very lucky to have
with us at all to-night.”
‘‘I could choke him,” she
muttered.
But on the stage she had to
admit he knew the tricks of
his trade, for the attitude of
the well-filled house was ex
ceptionally friendly and sym
pathetic, and her share of the
applause was warmer than
usual.
"Over your frantic opposi
tion!” she sneered at Hackey
when lie came back after the
last curtain. “I haven’t forgot
ten you said I’d play if I made
my entrance on a stretcher.
I remember you swore I’d
stroke the crew if I had to pull
the oar with my teeth.”
Hackey produced a wink al
most as sinister at Uncle
Walter’s.
“Dollink! Dollink! Didn’t
they almost burst into tears
lor my mangled Venus? As
Miss Broadway you’re a hun
dred per cent, sweetness; as
a business woman you’re a
zero so big you can't even see
the outline.”
He meant it, and it was
double-edged. She wasn't sur
prised, following his glance, to
see Rulon hurrying up.
“Not much to say about that,
Guv’nor.”
“Except to give thanks to
Hackey, the misunderstood.”
Rulon laughed.
“Hackey, the slave whip
per!”
He put his hand on Bar
bara’s shoulder, and she tried
not to shrink.
“How'd you stand it?”
“It wasn’t so bad.”
“Still keen for supper?”
She nodded. Hackey’s sus
picious glance prowled from
her to Rulon.
“What are you two up to to
night?”
Rulon answered.
“We’re going to the opening
af that new lunch wagon, the
Bars and Stripes.”
Hackey grinned.
The place with the odd
name wnere I got run off by
an ex-heavyweight? Maybe
I’ll drop in myself later.”
“No tables, Guv’nor.”
Hackey shrugged his shoul
ders.
“Standing room for the
opening, eh? All Lhe better.
Bed’s my favorite night club.”
He shook his finger at Bar
bara.
“Watch your step, sweetness
and light. Take care you don’t
slip on the dance floor and
bump your head ”
She made a face at him.
“Why not? Wouldn’t you
like to put me in an airplane
crash?”
“Not to-morrow, thanks.
We’ll save that for next week,
if there is a next week. Nobody
ever knows. Glide along to
your simple pleasures, pretty
dumb-one.”
But, when Rulon had gone
in that community, as in every other
in the land.
An outburst of public Indignation
had followed lhe brar.en announce
ment of organised lltery drivers
thsi punts cars tn funeral procei
Kiona were Interfering with their
"busincaa,” and that. If necessary
the protrusion would be halted and
the organtral ion men would refuse
to participate tn them. But the
racketeers were not deterred bv
public opinion, they had their
plan*. They nought to eaecute them.
They were halted ontv fcv the
force* ii%* u * wheu the drivers
to his dressing room, Hackcy
ran after Barbara, and caught
her halfway up the iron steps.
“When I said watch your
step, Norcross, I meant watch
your step."
“I swallowed your medicine
tire first time, Mr. Hackey,
and it’s good.”
Savagely he chewed off the
end of a cigar.
“Yes it i3, Barbara; the only
tonic that will work. String
him along. For God's sake,
sweetheart, keep out of a war
with Charles Rulon.”
Facing the doubtful pros
pect just ahead, she was
nervous, irritable.
“I’ll do my best to hold him
off to-night.”
Hackey snapped at her.
“What’s to-night? The three
hundred and sixty-fifth part
of a year. You can’t hold him
off three hundred and sixty
five nights. Languish before
his fire, actress. What are a i
few sighs, handclasps, and
osculations among serious
artists?”
Before his logic her irrita- j
tion increased.
"I’ll do my best to hold him
off.”
“It’s one of the greatest in
justices in life that you never
went to business school.”
His voice, heavy with sar
casm and worry followed her
as she ran on up the steps
and slammed the door of her
dressing room.
She changed hurriedly,
awkwardly, and in her state
of perplexed apprehension Ru
lon became subordinate to her
curiosity as to what Esther
was about, and her anxiety
to learn how Esther would ac
cept the vindictive woman’s
flaunting of the Holders.
Rulon waited for her at the
foot of the staircase. The new
place of entertainment was
only a few paces from the
theater, but the distance was
sufficiently long to let Rulon
commence his campaign of
making the night difficult.
Under the blazing street
lights, and in the crawling
crowd, that combined to fur
nish for the amorous an ob
scurity and solitude almost
complete, he pressed Barbara’s
good arm close to his side.
“You’ve quite won the heart
headed Ilackey, my dear.”
She forced herself not to
repel his affectionate gesture.
“You think he likes me,
Charles?”
“I'm certain of it; but I
mean more than just liking
you.”
His voice softened and ca
ressed her.
“I don’t see how anyone
could help doing that. I mean
he likes your work, your pos
sibilities as a player.”
She couldn’t avoid the sig
nificance of his tightening
grasp.
’’You know, if everything goes
weil, I wouldn’t be surprised
if I persuaded him to feature
us together next spring or
autumn. There would be a
step, eh?”
She failed to find any equi
vocation in his silky phrases.
A threat and a bribe were all
they contained. If everything
went well! Obviously every
thing between them was
doomed to go ill, and there'd
, be no featuring for her, prob
ably no work with Hackey at
all. She laughed faintly.
“You’re a dreamer, Charles.
I daren’t look so far ahead.”
She drew his attention to
the pattern of lamps that
flickered chromatically where
the boarding annoiMCing the
Bars and Stripes had been.
The changing globes eom
| manded attention to the name
now.
"I wonder what it means?”
Rulon said.
Barbara’s sense of appre
hension grew.
"I've an idea.”
"What?”
"Better wait and see for
yourself. Charles.”
He stared ahead curiously.
“At least it's drawing a
house.”
Traffic in the street was
nearly blocked while automo
biles plodded one by one to
the entrance under the blaz
who had desertrd their po*u hi a
i procession were arrested.
ThU antarlng event ought to be
the beginning of the end of rack
eteering In Chicago. It ought to
mean the name thing elsewhere A
laxity of enforcement at the out
set enabled terrorising gangs to
gtln a foothold In the one city
Now there Is the problem of break
trig them up The aullmrlllee a* ■
they gre able to do It and will per
foun the task. Every decent. »elf
t<?»!><■ .nun fittttil of Air.erha w.ll
hope the pronoun ed sucoasi In the
andci takiivfc
ing name and set down their
occupants; and, Barbara ob
served, ari uncommon pro
portion of these were private
vehicles. Probably the old
guard collected to lock upon
Essie Heder’s sensational re
turn from Elba.
Persons who had applied at
the last moment and been re
fused admittance, added to
the merely inquisitive, who
are always at hand for any
novel happening, made a
crush on the sidewalk through
which Barbara and Rulon
threaded an uncertain path.
-Watch out for your arm,
dear.”
A number of times her arm
was jarred, and she suppressed
little cries, but Rulon heard,
and showed temper.
“Damn them! It isn’t worth
it. I won’t have you hurt.
Let's duck it, and get away
from the animals.”
“No. I’m all right. We’re
nearly there. 1 wouldn’t miss t
for the world.”
Policemen appeared and
volubly strove to get the mob
in quicker motion. Barbara
and Rulon edged nearer, but
the worst block was at the
entrance where a troubled
commisionaire insisted on ex
amining the reservations of all
who went in. Rulon chuckled
ruefully.
“I’d like to see a mutiny like
this at one of my openings.”
“A lot of people,” Barbara
said, “seem to have had the
idea of coining.”
“Darned well advertised,”
Rulon grumbled.
But Barbara knew that in
certain quarters the bait was
more than publicity.
“The gods be praised. Ru
lon sighed as at last they
reached the threshold.
They passed the inspection
of the harassed sentinel, and
witn a sensation of utter in
congruity walked from the
dazzling sidewalk into corridor
oppressive with a murky dusk.
Rulon chuckled.
“Seems to me as far back as
infancy I was taught that in
these dens, cheerful surround
ings encourage vice. A man
would turn reformer here.
Maybe the great Hackey’s
right after all, and we’re in
for a moral lecture.”
Barbara didn’t answer. She
$tared straight ahead. Her
mind was full of what Steve
had told her, and she respond
ed instantly with a heavy de
pression to the pitchy light
which undoubtedly contained
warnings of storm. In front of
them a wide staircase climbed
to darker heights where the
somber twilight seemes in
cloudlike motion from the ex
halations of innumerable
smokers. Up the staircase into
this melancholy fog rose
slowly, with an illusion of re
luctance, men and women
brilliantly dressed, but the
glitter of clothing and the
mirth of its wearers were both
extinguished by the stormy,
moving vapors at the summit.
“It seems wrong, all this
gloom,” Barbara mused. “Have
you noticed. Charles? There’s
another thing out of the way.”
They reached the foot of
the staircase.
“What?” lie asked.
“Nobady’s laughing. In a
night club!”
“They're not chattering
themselves deaf either,” he
muttered.
Momentarily he brightened.
“We’ll see. There’s some
thing dashed clever going on
here. This coal-cellar light’s
an effect.”
• __
Always me wiuwiihwi, ^
surrendered himself to the
problem of finding the reason
for so forbidding a prelim
inary; but Barbara went n
up as slowly as her predeces
sors, thinking only of what
Steve had said. The clouds at
the summit swirled stiflingly
around her. dampening even
her curiosity as to how Esther
was going to react to the
notoriety about to be thrust
upon the Helders. As she
glanced around, indeed, she
experienced a sudden sym
pathy for Esther.
• To be Continued•
so HIT m>k lit
Indiana poll*. Ind.—Police entered
thn home of Earl Sella and found
327 plots of bonded liquor in a *ab
crllar. The liquor was valued at
§■ 000 Sells, sick In bed with the
mi, plerded with the »ffleers to
leave him » pint “to bis flu."
but the lu'ditearied officers re
fugftd. sells was oidered to repoit
at headquarters lor arrest when he ‘
recovered. |
• •
Omit So lent, new University of
lows football coach. Piled a poi -
. t on h-ld bv oulv three men !» X*
fM:i Je** Hawlev held fonb
A National Theme Song
From the Omaha World-Herald.
In a char with Rudy Vallee. President Hoover suggested
that if the famous crooner could make up and sing a song
with a prosperity theme he might “rate a medal."
“I'd sure like to have the medal, Mr. President, but
it isn’t easy to make up a song hit. We might take one
of the old favorites, though, and work it over. For in
stance, I made my name with a song called I'm Just a
Vagabond—’’
‘Oh, THAT wouldn’t do, would it, Mr. Vallee?”
"No, 1 guess it wouldn’t. Well, there was one called
Blue Heav—”
"Let's don’t have any more of those blues songs.”
“Still, St. Louis Blues has a certain swing—”
“St. Louis isn’t the only town that has the blues.”
“Oh, I have it—Happy Days Are Here Again!”
“Mr. Vallee, you can’t fool the public.”
‘ How about Happy Days MAY Be Here Again?”
“Not sufficiently optimistic for a campaign year.”
"Well, then. Happy Days WILL Be Here Again?”
"Why should We predict a democratic victory?
That’s the way they’d construe it.”
"Who would?”
“Oh, I don't know—practically everybody, I guess,
from what I can hear.”
“Well, how about just Happy Days?”
“Has a wet sound, doesn’t it?”
“How about just Days?”
“That might be safe enough, only you’d have to
spell it out over the radio each time or they’d think you
meant d-a-z-e.”
“We’d probably have to get the special permission
of the copyright owners.”
“Well, I suppose we could get it pretty cheap if we’d
assume the mortgage.”
“I’ll try to think up something, Mr. President.”
“Luck to you, Mr. Vallee. I’ve been trying to think
up something for nearly three years.”
( More American Plants to Canada
v---;
Washington — Great Eritain’s new 10 per cent tariff
went into effect March 1. According to department of com
merce officials it will affect 46 per cent of American ex
ports to the United Kingdom, the total of which in 1930
amounted to 700 million dollars. The new British tariff ha;
a retaliatory clause which permits the imposing of duties
as high as 100 per cent.
Another phase of the new economic policy is the pro
posed economic understanding between Great Britain and
her Colonies and Dominions. Commenting upon this, the
Baltimore Sun says:
“Compared to the exactions of American protective
tariff pirates, the British protective tariff law may well
seem to impose relatively small barriers in the way of our
export trade with England The basic duty of 10 per cent
which is prescribed is a mere shadow of many American
protective tariff rates, which range upward from 100 per
cent.
“In the British tariff set-up, however, there is an ar
rangement which may well give the new law a strength
in blocking imports from the United States which is not
indicated by that figure of 10 per cent. It is the provision
whereby imports trom the British colonies are exempted
from the duties indefinitely and those from the British
dominions are exempted until the Imperial conference
takes place in Ottawa, Canada, in July. The purpose of the
limited exemption of Dominion products is, of course, to
give England a club with which to bargain for Empire tar
iff concessions at Ottawa. How successfully they will use
this club remains to be seen.
In the meantime, however, it is quite clear that this
Dominion preference arrangement will tend to shift Brit
ish orders away from the United States to the British do
minions, and speed the already enormous emigration of
American industry. In Canada, for example, many Ameri
can firms maintain plants producing the same products
that they produce at plants in the United States. With ex
ports from the United States faced with a British tariff
barrier which does not apply to Canadian products, there
is an important new pressure to fill British orders from
Canadian plants, as well as a pressure to establish Can
adian branches to obtain tariff advantages.”
DIVERSIFIED PHILOSOPHY.
The yellow of the Chinaman
Is only in his skin;
At least lie’s shown the world just
how
To take it on the chin.
Now Al Capone would like a chance
To hunt the Lindbergh babe;
You must admit the canny Al's
A most diverting knave.
The way the League of Nations
works
Is seeming very quaint;
It cannot stop a war that is—
But knocks those out that aint.
Who listens to the candidates.
As eloquent they wax.
Meihinks might be a subject for
That new amusement lax.
The Philippines, strange to tell.
Have money now on hand;
If we were half such savages
Now wouldn't that be grand?
"A banker lent his ear to me,”
So boasted Uncle Most:
‘And then.” he added ruefully,
"He cave me plenty now"
—Sam Page.
• •
Wearing ‘Em High.
A man who had been a guest a»
4 fashionable hoiel was paving iris
bill. He looked up at the elrl cnsh
ier and asked what it was she had
mound her neck.
"A ribbon, of course ” she said
Students Win Fight
For Larger Portions
S: Louis—iUP'—Three hundi-d
: ;<ul* nt ■ at University City h ith
*cho<> who bovcot rd tlia school
cifrtarm b> ausc of th? sir? of (cod
port ton*. have won their (is lit.
Thtte will b-* more food fo, t..o
tame money 'i.*reaft r.
Jamaa K Baker principal, cc
r'ained that "we mad- cenaii) con*
cecatena and the students now feel
they ara tcititiy U,jrr ai«:d acn
ln#a."
■’ he pn h « rjb ‘ l, J specifically
"Why? ”
"Well," he replied, “everything is
so high around her that I though*
perhaps it was your garter.”
-♦ ♦-——
HOSTESSES THEN AND NOW,
In olden days, spake grandma.
“There's company for tea,
So I must bake a pound cake; now
Where is my recipe?
“Let's .see! A pound of butter,
creamed
With sugar—’ Just a pound!
A jround of eggs—’ bout six or
these—
‘And beaten till they mound.
“ Beat sep'rately the yolks and
whites—’
So anybody knows— *
With brandy do I flavor thi3. ,
Or is it, may be, rose? *•«
" Add flour, mace and cinna
mon—’
And ves. ‘a spoon of brandy;’
Though I do sav it. who should not.
This cake will be a dandy.”
A hostess of today will yawn.
Tonight we throw a party!
I must have food as well a.s drinks—
That bunch is surely hearty."
She trails unto the outside door
And call* her tittle daughter:
"Go to the store and get a cake.
How much? Oli, bout a quarter.”
__—Sam Page.
because they could re* only throw
cookies for 5 cent*. Instead 0f four,
unci because sandwiches la ked coal
tent.
• •
The I tidrnrr.
From Pathfinder
'•Silt. dcse. I'm late because J'ye
liad my nose to the grindstone ad
day."
• Well, vou'd bc'ter get. n qrmd
• ion.' M'»; do'tnt ret rouge, lip
s'nk and [»o»der all «'rr you.”
• •
A “put* pong pa'ac~” baa V»n
opened In Houston. Tea., with «
foini'r Tetas A. and M a*h’»te as
oa. owner.