You are about to hear a romantic drama, Love That Midnight, from Love Story Magazine, featuring
the love story girl in the role of Doris Harcourt.
The scene is the small tastefully furnished apartment of Doris Harcourt, the most painted,
most photographed artist model in New York.
At the moment, the apartment is pitch dark because Doris, like all young ladies who make
their living by looking beautiful in the daytime, has long since gone to bed and to sleep.
It's midnight.
But what's this?
Against the faint light of the open window, a head appears, a pair of shoulders.
A man is climbing slowly, stealthily into the room.
Doris stirs softly in her sleep, and then her eyes open.
Oh my, I wonder what time it is.
Oh well, what's the difference?
Oh, there's someone in the room.
Oh, that's silly.
How could there be?
I could swear I heard something move.
Where's that light switch?
Oh!
Sorry if I startled you.
What are you doing in here?
I'm waiting on you.
Who are you?
How did you get in?
My name's Jim Trent, if that means anything.
And I climbed up the fire escape.
Oh!
Please don't be alarmed.
I'm not a regular burglar.
Aren't you Doris Harcourt, artist model?
Yes, but...
You pose for the artist Miles Gaffey, and you're engaged to Norman Van Dyke.
Yes, that's right, but what on earth...
You'll find out soon enough.
Get out of here this minute!
If you don't, I'll scream!
Go ahead.
I'll enjoy watching you try to explain my presence to the neighbors.
Well, tell them the truth.
How I woke up and found you, how you came up the fire escape.
Oh yes, and how many of them will believe that?
Oh, please.
I don't know why you're here or what this is all about, but now we should go.
Now don't you dare cry.
I can't stand crying.
I'll be gone in another five minutes.
I promise you.
Well, you might at least have the decency to turn around while I put on an egg blouse,
eh?
Oh, I beg your pardon.
Of course.
All right, you can turn around now.
What'd you say?
I said you can turn around.
What are you doing at the door?
Nothing.
I saw you.
You unlocked that door.
What did you do that for?
I just did a little whim of mine.
Oh, Doris, you're marvelous.
Stop it.
Darling, don't resist me.
Don't you know I love you?
I've loved you for years.
Don't you touch me.
My dearest, come to my arms.
Stop it, you.
Oh.
Doris.
No, Norman.
Oh, Norman, let me explain.
So it's true what they told me.
I don't understand.
Norman, who were all these people with you?
I am Henry Van Dyke, Norman's father, and this is Mr. Jackson, my attorney.
I brought him as a witness.
A witness?
Oh, Norman, please.
Please believe me.
I know how it looks, but I don't know who this man is.
I never saw him before in my life.
I might have believed he forced his way in, that you didn't know him.
But, Doris, I saw you in his arms, held close to him, his lips on yours.
But he held me.
I couldn't get away.
Ask him if you don't believe me.
Well, I have nothing to say.
Oh, how can you stand there like that?
If I can't you act like a man and make Norman see I'm telling you the truth.
Tell him I never saw you before.
Don't you see what you're doing to me?
What use, darling?
After what they saw, they'd never believe me.
Oh, well, I guess that's that.
And now would you go?
Please, all of you.
Good night.
After you, Norman.
Coming, Jackson?
Oh, get out!
Get out!
I never want to see any of you again!
Very well.
Oh!
I...I think I'd better be going, too.
Oh, why did you smash my whole life?
I've never done you any harm.
I couldn't help it.
Don't you realize it was a frame-up?
A frame-up?
Certainly.
Mr. Van Dyke wanted your engagement to his son, ended,
and this was his way of doing it, and I was the goat.
But why? Why did you do it? Why?
I can't tell you that now, but I had no choice.
Oh, what kind of a man are you?
The lowest kind that lives, I guess.
There's no excuse for me, except that I didn't know you were the sort of girl you are.
Oh!
Please don't cry. I'm...
Oh, I hate you! I hate you!
That won't help.
I don't expect you to believe me, but I'll make this up to you someday.
For the love of Mike Doris, what the matter with you this morning?
Why all the gloom?
Sorry, Mr. Gaffey. I guess my mind was wandering.
Have a tough night?
Very.
How often do I have to tell you, model?
You're a very good model.
I'm not a model.
I'm a very good model.
I'm a very good model.
I'm a very good model.
I'm a very good model.
I'm a very good model.
I'm a very good model.
I'm a very good model.
I have to tell you, model, you ought to get to bed early.
Get plenty of rest.
Otherwise, you're not worth a nickel.
I know, but sometimes life sort of creeps up and hits you over the head.
Well, try and scare up a smile now.
The magazines won't accept it if I paint you with that dark cloud hanging over you.
I'll do my best, Mr. Gaffey.
Miles!
Now what? Good heavens, Katie.
Haven't I told you not to come in here and bother me when I'm working?
An artist's wife belongs in the kitchen or someplace.
I know. I know.
I just saw a man outside who'd make a marvelous model for that bathing suit job of yours.
What?
He's handsomer than any Greek god that ever was.
For the love of Mike, I've been looking for a man like that for two weeks.
Well, well, well, well, why don't you bring him up?
Oh, I did. He's out in the hall.
Why didn't you say so in the first place?
Oh, there he is.
Not bad at all.
Hey there. I'm Miles Gaffey. I want to see you.
Well, how do you do?
Are you working?
No, I left my job this morning.
Good. What's your name?
Trent. Jim Trent.
Okay, I need an athletic model and you certainly fill the bill.
Good pay and not a thing to do except sit around in a pair of bathing trunks.
Come on, you're hired.
But I don't know anything about posing. I'm an accountant.
An accountant? With a pair of shoulders like that?
Boy, what a criminal waste.
Come along into the studio with me. We'll talk it over.
Well, all right.
Go right in.
Oh, Doris. Doris, this is Jim Trent. Trent, Miss Harcourt.
Why? How do you do?
I know, Mr. Trent. Please excuse me, Mr. Gaffey.
Well, well, well. She doesn't seem to care for you, my boy.
No, she hates me and she has plenty of reason.
Oh, she'll get over it. Girls change their minds with their clothes these days.
Come on, get these trunks on. I want to take a look at you.
Doris, what makes you so terribly mean to Jim all the time?
Katie, I wish I'd never come here to this studio. I hate to work here now.
Say, Jim's doing all right. Miles is getting a lot of response to those sketches he sent out of Jim's.
Oh, please, Katie, don't talk about him. I'm miserable enough now.
Well, I guess you're still kind of crazy about that Norman Van Dyke. Is that it, Doris?
Katie, do you have to talk so much?
Oh. Oh, so that's it.
Well, I might have known it.
Well, I don't blame her, I suppose. After all, he's...
Hello, Katie. Is Doris...
She just left.
Jim, do you know she's still eating her heart out over that Van Dyke boy?
What? Are you sure?
She was crying about him just now.
Oh, Lord.
Well, didn't you know about that? It's a shame they had to bust up.
Yes, I knew about it, but I thought she was getting over it.
Oh, I don't think so. From the way she's acting, I'd say she was still crazy about him.
I wish we could do something, but, well, I guess it ain't any of our business.
Not so sure it isn't my business. At all events, I'm going to make it so.
But you better keep out of it, Katie.
Jim, now don't do anything rash.
Oh, hi, Norman.
Doris, may I come in?
You're the last person I expected to see, Norman. Yes, come in.
Doris, I'm terribly ashamed of myself. Won't you forgive me, darling?
I promise never to let anything like that happen again.
Has your father changed his mind about me?
Well, not exactly, but that doesn't mean anything to me now.
Oh, Doris, I've missed you.
No, Norman, please. Why did you come here tonight?
I just found out what father did. I know now the whole thing was a frame-up.
You wouldn't have come if you hadn't found out the truth?
Please, dear, let's not go into that. I've been a stupid fool and...
Who told you the truth about that night?
You must know it was Jim Trent. I suppose you know all about that.
I'd rather hear it from you.
Well, Trent worked in Dad's office, and Dad found him one night beside the open safe with a package of bills in his hand.
He said he was just putting the package in the drawer, but father accused him of being a thief.
Trent pleaded he was innocent and said he simply had to keep his job.
Why?
He has to support his mother and a kid brother in a sanitarium in Arizona.
Oh.
Well, father knew all that, so he offered to forget the whole thing if Trent would force his way in here and let us find him with you.
It was that or jail.
He didn't have much chance, did he?
Well, father knew that Trent never meant to steal the money, but he was determined to prevent our marriage.
He didn't care how. He made Trent believe, you'd wreck my life.
How could your father hate me that way?
But he's sorry now about the whole mess.
Sorry? Does he think that settles everything?
I've tried to square things for Trent. Of course, he wouldn't work for Dad anymore, but Dad's old friend Robinson Porter has a fine job for him and a very good salary.
Oh, Doris, please believe me. I want to make up to you for everything that's happened. Can't things be the same with us as they were before?
Oh, I'll think it over. I feel now as if I'll never trust any man again.
Oh, you'll get over that. I...
Please go now, Norman. I'll call you tomorrow.
Just as you say, dear. I don't want to hurry you. Only promise you'll call me.
I promise.
Good night, darling. I'll be waiting.
Oh, dear, the whole thing is such a mess. I wish I knew what to...
Who is it?
It's Trent. I'm on the phone.
No, it's too late.
I won't go away until I've seen you. If you don't open the door, I'll use the fire escape. I can do it again, you know.
Oh, all right.
Well, it's about time.
If you're here to tell me about that first night, I know all about it. Norman told me.
Norman's all right, but he's got to keep away from you.
What?
Listen, I knew he'd try to see you tonight and I've been outside ever since he came. I thought he'd never leave.
Oh, what do you want of me?
Would you really like to know?
Yes, I would.
All right, then. Sit down and listen.
Jim Trent, don't you dare order me around.
You still love Norman, do you?
I don't know.
Are you going to marry him?
I don't know that either.
Well, I do know. You're not. I was almost out of my mind while he was in here.
I thought I wanted you to have him back if it would make you happy, but I don't.
I'll never let another man have you. I'm going to be your husband or you won't have one.
Oh, don't be silly.
Doris, I love you so. I have since that first night I came here.
Don't, Jim. Please, I...
Oh, you do love me. You do.
I guess it was you all the time, Jim, and I didn't know it.
Oh, dearest.
Oh, Jim, look at the clock. It's five minutes to twelve.
Well, what's that got to do with it?
That's just the time you gave me that first terrible disgraceful insult in here.
Oh, Jim, I have a confession to make, though I never meant you to know it.
I love that first kiss.
Oh, my darling.
You have been listening to a romance featuring the Love Story Girl
and presented with the permission of Street and Smith, publishers of Love Story magazine.
Listen for the Love Story Girl in a new romance next week.
The Love Story Girl
The Love Story Girl
The Love Story Girl