Show BEAUTYS DAU aay D E ra t en K SYNOPSIS herrendeen set deen a vivacious little ta ahra too young to feel the thock hock II 11 la ad agneu w when her er father keith herren aliat att S his fortune A gentle unobtrusive gobe fis W is now DOW employed as an ob obscure S curt foul his wile wife magda I 1 tin I 1 san ran francisco allem tat adjust hist herself t to the change she fol woman fond of 0 pleasure and I 1 be not tor for ment mens attention magda magd a and chave been down at a summer e r re have ileith joins them tor for the weekend week end so flave it and leaves tot for a bridge party excusing wa M elf da i for or being such uch a runaway the te return to their small san fran air part apartment ment keith does docs not approve ot of atio A mid mad social we life and they quarrel I 1 ady magda receives lowers flowers and a from 1 fe ady manners a wealthy argentina w whom hom she had met less from fram ws week before e manners arrives a few 00 S later magda takes victoria to nevada a woman friend who has a daughter dau ahter visit rill a lo 10 med si catherine there she tells her she to get a 8 divorce victoria soon Is in ing it 11 90 school with her friend catherine kieri marries manners s and they spend mars in argentina victoria has stud lb in europe and at eighteen she visits her when ferdy rents a beautiful home her teother agda 5 H is 0 unhappy over berdys d drinking attentions to other women when her W itaf and stepfather return to south amer victoria refuses to go 90 with them be of berdys unwelcome attentions to magda returns and tens tells vie vic she and dy have separated meanwhile keith ta remarried victoria is now a student magda has fallen in love with lu S anner a married artist while she std vie prepare for a trip to europe ferdy a suite in their hotel the night be W magda and vie are to sail magda maeda wa MM with luclus lucius farmer while nursing ct E alldren children hll dren of dr and mrs keats vie vic dr quentin hardisty a brilliant much luch sought after by women atoll Is a widower er with a crippled daughter h i tete a tete at the keats home he h kisses vic me several says days later be invites her with guests to spend a weekend week end at his bibla vie vic Is enchanted with the cabin and liti the die dinner next morning a she he and SO go lit hiking and return ravenous the airty Is disrupted sunday afternoon by the amil of marian pool a divorced woman vie li is jealous of mrs pool and a few days liter te tefle lis mrs keats she Is going to hono hone mil in his big office quentin questions vie vic tout gout leaving lie he proposes to her she win urn and they are married CHAPTER VI C the hardisty house on washington street overlooked the presidio wall and the long lines of pines inside the military reservation and the shoulders of the hill ranges that descended on either side of the olden golden gate there was plenty of log out here on the summer mornings and victorias back garden descending behind the house beside other hillside gardens was often dripping with milky mist each one of t the five floors had three rooms except accept the basement floor where there were a kitchen two maids rooms a laundry and a servants sitting room in the beginning of her marriage the she had said that she hoped to be lusy idleness was what jeopardized to co many happiness if her duties and responsibilities in connection with quentin and gwen and the house were not sufficient to keep her occupied then she threatened she would positively take on tome some work for the blind or for the cites orphanage but the blind and the orpha orphanage nag e had had no opportunity to experience her kindly charity for from the sunday night when she and quentin had ended their thirty hour honeymoon with a sleepy slow trip to the city and had found temporary quarters in a large hotel there had seemed to be no moment in which vie vic to use her own words had had time to sit down for five minutes to ask herself whether or tot bet she was happy whether or not the she was glad that she had married Is s she had so the first year had flown and et the end of it vie vic had awakened quentin in the early da dawn 7 of a spring morning and had given him charge ot of her waiting suitcase and her somewhat silent frightened self there had been a hospital then en bright clean rooms flat clean beds everyone telling her that ie he was behaving splendidly everyne elle sure of it except herself and alter a while the realness of all ahee lhee things 0 and the city and wen owen and the big house and even quentin had all d disappeared is appeared into a tot lot hurtful fog and still later I shamed aenied and beil bewildered dered and apologetic vie vic had gratefully slipped just i liway ayento into nothing just nothing blackness ess and oblivion and retard cef from the task that was too V then there ere had been kenty and layl ati I 1 had lain staring at him thought anz thinking g not of him but of her mother ny MY mother she was so heen and young she must have ia SO frightened bened and she went trough y all a that f for or met after the long struggle she bhe had gg said budt 1 to n quentin 1 I dont w want nt an want other thun him baby this ones darl darling ng I 1 the but never another but 1 ace I unexpected child e ecstasy y of bavi ng s atter after all had male made the te tang alty 0 of having another seem tat less than an a miracle susan a Bar broth hardisty disty 3 had ad swiftly y followed her bIrt rth er and on susans second liday day the c crowded ded hard hardisty sty niva sery had d been bee n enriched by the etther mh of richar chard d and robert toie she jn even the mother of what feht sometimes mes described as the harly abuy left apt infantry hal had been tempo pa y thi this bret iless bless and startled fa promptitude vie vic lived now world OI of small etton atam beds small ping lg footstep ot steps es Ps small shrill 3 had anty fi an d sue dick and it 9 she shear d filled he r life to overflow tolled toll d heri he ored 1 thena them even while she into a daily state ot of for fa quent sa their sakes M meanwhile sal ulc was busily 9 up for himself the most by by KATH KATHLEEN LEEN NORRIS 0 kathleen harris service important surgical practice in the city they rarely went to dinner parties sometimes after their late dinner at home they would SUP slip downtown for some music for the last acts of a play or the final run of a good film but almost always they were at home in the evening quentin glad to smoke his pipe to go early to bed vie vic happi lest iest when she was within reach of any call from the nursery other women laughed at her perhaps pitied i her a little she never piti pitied ed herself she was supremely content we like each other she told him on a certain sunday mornin morning 9 when they had been six years man and wife and when an unusual lull in domestic and professional interruptions had by chance afforded them a lazy hour together victoria looked enviously at the comfortable peninsula homes they were passing for by this time the day had somehow rushed about to one and quentin was driving her and the three older children down to menlo park there was a skull fracture to be diagnosed at the hospital and after that the har would go to lunch with the gannetta Gan mrs gannett whose own doctor husband had summoned quentin to this emergency case had hospitably insisted upon the lunch it be until two she had bad beds upon which the small fry could take their naps please please please come they never saw the Hardi any morel more they were at the hospital vie vic and the children walked a bout about on the grass while quentin was inside then he came down again and dr gannett came down and the har were to follow the gannett car their way wound up into the hills near woodside they were presently being welcomed by mrs gannett on a porch everything went just as such days always went doctor talk nursery talk spring sunday talk vie vic was alternately proud 1 of her children and anxiously exasperated about them a nurse walked them away with little betsey gannett and there was lunch a delicious company lunch with chicken and asparagus and beaten biscuit and strawberries and several nice neighbors to share it then all the men went to play golf on the club links a hundred yards away and some of the women played contract victoria played neither and she and her hostess sat talking together vie vic you mean youre that way again september I 1 rather hoped not guess guess A child in arms would know how old in heavens name are the twins are they a year old yet X A yearl year weve just had our second birthday celebration well honestly mabel gannett said 1 I think its dread dreadful full going in for a perfectly enormous family these days with quentin as stunning as he is and all the women mad about himi him oh that vicky said indifferently as the other woman paused and then just before the har went home at five the odd thing thing happened victoria had led her troop upstairs for last wiping of small faces and buttoning of small coats these operations well under way she had gathered susan under one arm susans brief legs dangling from her hip and preceded the others downstairs to reassure the waiting quentin as to being just about ready there was a wide lower hall in the gannetta Gan house bouse a hall now filled with soft late afternoon light and empty except for quentin the cheerful voices of the hosts saying farewells could be heard through the open porch doorway victoria had reached the landing and was about to cau call to quentin obviously and patiently awaiting his family when another person came into the hall she came from the direction of the dining rooms a 2 slender graceful woman almost a girl though the voice was a wom ans it was a voice low with reproach and pain now and as she spoke she put her hand on quen tins arm victoria halted on the landing had an odd feeling of amusement a surprising feeling that was wa s something like fear as she watched quentin the woman said clearly but in a low tone how can you be so horribly unkind to me victoria saw quentin look down at her from his big height saw the good natured smile in his eyes am I 1 horribly unkind to you he asked mildly youre killing mel me the woman answered passionately with a little choke in her voice oh I 1 say that josephine quentin said you hate me I 1 know that josephine said but I 1 cant help it I 1 have to see you were going friday yes he settled it I 1 I 1 think hes crazy but were we re gome ing and I 1 have to see you before we gol go will you lunch with me on wednesday operating opsa on old fuller in los angeles I 1 go down tuesday night dd you know I 1 dont be believe yo you U Q quentin the id woman sat said with a shrewd look but instantly her man rn an ner changed and softened oh don t be unkind to me be kind to me just this once she f faltered altered with unmistakable signs of tears victoria rooted to the landing saw from quentina Quen tins face that he w was a s embarrassed but he gave no sl sign agn of nervousness he was completely master of the situation 1 I dont know what you can have to say to me my dear he said in the kindly masculine look and tone and manner that victoria that all women loved listen youre getting yourself all wrought up he added and he put a hand on her shoulder come into the library with me a minute he suggested they left the hall together when they were gone victoria descended the remaining stairs and began her thanks and farewells almost immediately the other children betsey the nurse were with her and within five minutes of her having first glimpsed that tableau in in the lower hall she and quentin were on their way home but it had left its mark she had to speak of it the passionate young voice how can you be so horribly unkind to me was ringing in her ears and coloring the languid scented spring twilight with romance quentin who was the pretty girl at the very end the one in lavender linen oh that was mrs billy mcgrew josephine mcgrew ashes a nice kid but ashes affectionate I 1 gather quentin laughed guiltily giving his wife a sidewise shrewd smile A little victoria said nothing but her heart was lightened again it was all so howd you know that quentin presently asked chuckling 1 I was on the stairs when she was talking to you in the hall I 1 got the balcony scene caught with the goods eh quentin asked red handed victoria laughed in relief poor little jo the man said after a peaceful silence ashes aimless ashes not very happy with mcgrew he has nothing but money apparently shell get out some day shell quit him cold she wanted to say goodby good by to me going to biarritz Biar ritz they have a place there and she had to tell me that it was all over and we would always be friends and all that what was all over well exactly nothings Not hingl he laughed heartily engineering the car through the complicated turnings of daly city and victoria was silent for a while victoria laughed her fears all laid laid to rest the five children were uproarious in the nursery at supper time their long sleeps in the car coming home had refreshed them and they were full of life and mischief the nursery was full of noises and thumps the childrens laughter ringing high above every other sound mollie brought dicky to his father theres one take all the loving you want to give him she said and quentin sat holding the quieter twin loving the serious exploratory glance that dicky occasionally casio nally sent over ids his shoulder as one who would be sure that these big arms these big knees were quite safe 1 I thought a girl was always gentler than a boy quentin said 1 I knew break that K kenty enty I 1 he interrupted himself you jerk it and then susan jerks it why dont you wait until you want to use it theres nothing gentle about susan vicky said the broken cord already mended bobs the other twin having finished his entire dinner with scrupulous attention and md thoroughness now came to climb up beside dicky gwen was animatedly demanding it if daddy would like to see her new dress for dancing school somehow I 1 never thought id hear you talking about dancing school gwen quentin said his arms fun full of night gowned small boys but his forehead held up for ewens suddenly affectionate kiss oh but you know I 1 limp daddy the little girl re reminded minde I 1 him animatedly 1 I k kin in limp susan shouted with the usual accent on the personal pronoun and she gave an exaggerated 9 imitation of a cripples gait to ewens immense delight she walks just as if it hurt her mother erl exclaimed gwen after a while quentin with the sureness of ion long g practice slid the sleeping twins in into to cribs and left victoria reading victoria called after him when youve made your telephone calls quentin n see if you can get dora and find out how dorothy is and remind the Findley sons that the coming to supper tell billy not to dress and say to sally that of ourse course C if her fathers with her we want him tool too it a and ad shake the hall rug and see it if theres any mail the doctor added but he was grinning as he went downstairs TO BK be CONTINUED |