father’s plight more clearly. Exhausted at last, she closed her eyes.
When the doctor returned to the compartment, she was asleep.
The doctor looked at her for several moments. Losing restraint, he kissed her on the mouth; then put his arms around her.
“Please don’t,” she pleaded, “I’m not well—and I’m so tired.”
“You don’t love me any more.”
“Yes, I do,” said Leora sleepily, “but don’t you understand?”
“Yes, I do,” replied the doctor, and then added, “I thought you’d be too homesick to sleep.”
“Homesick for what?” yawned Leora.
As the train rushed across the Indiana fields in the morning, Dr. Farway said to his companion, “You’ll forget who paid your fare to Chicago, won’t you?”
“Why?” Leora asked innocently.
The doctor replied, “It may cause trouble if you talk. You see there’s a law called the Mann Act. It makes it a penitentiary offense for a man to travel across a state line with a woman not his wife.”
Leora opened her eyes wide, as she said, “You pick the strangest things to worry about.”
“I know,” he said, patting her hand, “I can trust you.”
The train stopped at Englewood.
When it started again, a trainman called, “Chicago the next stop.”
“I wired Alice Tracy to meet me, dear.”
“Why did you do that?” asked the doctor.
Leora smiled, “I knew she’d know the city. Besides, she never talks.”
“Well,” said the doctor, “what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
When Alice greeted them at the station, Dr. Farway was in a thoughtful mood.
They rode to the Vaner Hotel.
The doctor could not realize the change that had come over Alice. She was fashionably dressed.
“Do you like the city?” he asked her.
“Well,” she paused, “I don’t like the city as well as I do my work.”
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m a cloak model,” she answered.
“I’ll register alone,” said the doctor, looking at Alice, when they reached the hotel lobby. “Do you wish Leora to stay with you?”
“If she likes,” returned Alice. “But I wouldn’t spoil your fun for anything.”
“Oh that’s all right,” returned the doctor, “you’ll want to visit with Leora.”
“All right, we’ll telephone you this evening,” Alice suggested.
“Okeh, if you miss me, try later,” he suggested.
“We will,” said Leora.
Again in the taxi, Leora smiled at Alice, saying,
“He thinks I might have him arrested for bringing me here.” The girls laughed.
“But don’t you love him?” asked Alice.
“I did, maybe, for a little while, I don’t know,” Leora sighed.
“But how you’ve changed, and you’re prettier than ever—now tell me all the news—does my mother look well?”
Leora and Alice talked for several hours.
When Leora saw the doctor that night he asked her what she intended to do.
“Alice intends to get me work as a model,” was the reply.
“But you’ll need money to get started.”
“Yes,” agreed Leora, and waited.
He gave her a hundred dollars, saying, “When you write to me I’ll send you more.”
“I’ll write,” said Leora.
“Now don’t talk about who brought you here,” he warned.
“If you mention that once more, I’ll never see you again.”
There was something in her manner which made him believe.
More confident, he coaxed her to go to his room.
Leora shook her head. “Never again. That’s all over. You’re the only man, and you’ll always be the only man.”
“Suppose you get married?”
“That will be different.” She hesitated, “But that’s not likely. I’ll have to get you out of my mind first.”
Dr. Jonas Farway was proud of himself.
Chapter 9
Leora was now of medium height, and slender. Her red-brown hair fell in natural waves to her shoulders. Her mouth was slightly full. There was a glow to her skin. At no time did she look more than a school-girl. Her manner was innocent and trusting. She wore, whenever possible, a
When the doctor returned to the compartment, she was asleep.
The doctor looked at her for several moments. Losing restraint, he kissed her on the mouth; then put his arms around her.
“Please don’t,” she pleaded, “I’m not well—and I’m so tired.”
“You don’t love me any more.”
“Yes, I do,” said Leora sleepily, “but don’t you understand?”
“Yes, I do,” replied the doctor, and then added, “I thought you’d be too homesick to sleep.”
“Homesick for what?” yawned Leora.
As the train rushed across the Indiana fields in the morning, Dr. Farway said to his companion, “You’ll forget who paid your fare to Chicago, won’t you?”
“Why?” Leora asked innocently.
The doctor replied, “It may cause trouble if you talk. You see there’s a law called the Mann Act. It makes it a penitentiary offense for a man to travel across a state line with a woman not his wife.”
Leora opened her eyes wide, as she said, “You pick the strangest things to worry about.”
“I know,” he said, patting her hand, “I can trust you.”
The train stopped at Englewood.
When it started again, a trainman called, “Chicago the next stop.”
“I wired Alice Tracy to meet me, dear.”
“Why did you do that?” asked the doctor.
Leora smiled, “I knew she’d know the city. Besides, she never talks.”
“Well,” said the doctor, “what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
When Alice greeted them at the station, Dr. Farway was in a thoughtful mood.
They rode to the Vaner Hotel.
The doctor could not realize the change that had come over Alice. She was fashionably dressed.
“Do you like the city?” he asked her.
“Well,” she paused, “I don’t like the city as well as I do my work.”
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m a cloak model,” she answered.
“I’ll register alone,” said the doctor, looking at Alice, when they reached the hotel lobby. “Do you wish Leora to stay with you?”
“If she likes,” returned Alice. “But I wouldn’t spoil your fun for anything.”
“Oh that’s all right,” returned the doctor, “you’ll want to visit with Leora.”
“All right, we’ll telephone you this evening,” Alice suggested.
“Okeh, if you miss me, try later,” he suggested.
“We will,” said Leora.
Again in the taxi, Leora smiled at Alice, saying,
“He thinks I might have him arrested for bringing me here.” The girls laughed.
“But don’t you love him?” asked Alice.
“I did, maybe, for a little while, I don’t know,” Leora sighed.
“But how you’ve changed, and you’re prettier than ever—now tell me all the news—does my mother look well?”
Leora and Alice talked for several hours.
When Leora saw the doctor that night he asked her what she intended to do.
“Alice intends to get me work as a model,” was the reply.
“But you’ll need money to get started.”
“Yes,” agreed Leora, and waited.
He gave her a hundred dollars, saying, “When you write to me I’ll send you more.”
“I’ll write,” said Leora.
“Now don’t talk about who brought you here,” he warned.
“If you mention that once more, I’ll never see you again.”
There was something in her manner which made him believe.
More confident, he coaxed her to go to his room.
Leora shook her head. “Never again. That’s all over. You’re the only man, and you’ll always be the only man.”
“Suppose you get married?”
“That will be different.” She hesitated, “But that’s not likely. I’ll have to get you out of my mind first.”
Dr. Jonas Farway was proud of himself.
Chapter 9
Leora was now of medium height, and slender. Her red-brown hair fell in natural waves to her shoulders. Her mouth was slightly full. There was a glow to her skin. At no time did she look more than a school-girl. Her manner was innocent and trusting. She wore, whenever possible, a
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