Show The Luck of I Geraldine Laird Lai rd rdBy I IBy By KATHLEEN KATH NORRIS Author of The Story of Julia Page Heart of Rachael I Wife Sisters etc I Copyright by Kathleen Norris The direct question almost deprived deprive d Geraldine of Yes hes Yes Yes hes he's hes living she conceded re re- re- re I. I Divorced huh asked Mrs Lucas studying in a hand mirror the eff effect ct of a jeweled hairpin Well Well That is is- is yes Geraldine Geraldin e came to a full stop That is hes he's gone off with ano another h r woman Mrs Lucas said ch cheerfully And youve you've two little girls with your mother S t Geraldine nodded t But you yourself are are free Absolutely IY the younger woman woman I sam said quickly ly and proudly I Mrs Lucas now completely finished as to head to head turned about and for a moment abandoned her toilet I Now Kow this is my idea she said earnestly But she Interrupted herself sharply You feel sick dont don't you your YOUl Geraldine felt indeed that the walls of the warm comfortable place were I about to collapse upon her that she was about to be violently na nauseated seated and above all that she was going to faint To reach the open air was her first imperative need and she half rose with a dizzy intention of doing so Then the walls did really fall upon her and she crashed down with them babbling something incoherent about Bellevue and feeling a delicious blackness blackness blackness black black- ness and softness envelop her as she fell feIl j Now I hope they had the sense to take me to Bellevue and not to frighten mother she said to herself with shut eyes A delightful lightness and space seemed to be holding herup her herup herup up she felt revivified made over floating indeed ed in a sort of ease and sweetness that rested every every tired fiber of her bod body Eons Eon's seemed to have passed and whole worlds moved on their way from chaos to chaos and yet she confidently expected ted to open her eyes exes upon the quiet wal walls s of Bellevue Bellevue Bellevue Belle- Belle vue or what she thought Bellevue walls might beShe be Sh She did open her eyes and moved them slowly from the face of a smiling smil- smil ng ing woman who looked vaguely liar across the luxurious bedroom and ind to Mrs Lucas who sat buffing her nails nalls not far away Well VeIl youre you're coming to tp life Ufe smiled her employer I 1 fainted Geraldine was surprised to have her voice come out a mere mere whisper whimper The two w women men exchanged smiles and then Mrs l Lucas said kindly I Ne Meyer er you mind what you ou did Go Goto Goto Goto to sleep dear Geraldine was only too glad to O obey C But after a while white she awakened and It was night Subdued lights were lighted and she heard a clink of supper supper supper sup sup- per things She watched Mrs 1 Lucas who was bus busy y with soup soup at a tray until her gaze drew the others other's gaze and then whispered again Where will J I sleep repeated the costumier cheerfully And she called to some some one out of ot si sight ht Ida she wants to know where Ill I'll sleep Ill I'll sleep on the big comfortable comfortable couch Inthe Inthe in inthe the sitting room dear she said to Geraldine Geraldine looked loo steadily steadily- at her and I I after aCter a moment she lal laid down her soup soupspoon soupspoon soupspoon spoon and came across across' across across' to the bedside bedside bedside bed bed- side and Geraldine whose face was wlas I streaming with tear tears laid a white i emaciated hand upon hers and tried j I I it j to lift it to Kiss You mustn't do 10 you that t that you at-you you poor thins said gaid aid p Paula ula Lucas I I How Ho lon Ion Geraldine whispered The other oth r shrugged cheerfully I I About ten days i days dar Geraldine's Tf Ten n whisper i was full fun of dl dismay may I Ha ent remembered any of it the theother t I other r asked curiously still maternally i I patti patting g- g the younger oung womans woman's hand Geraldine faintly shook shook her her lter head I Well Vell now you goto go o to sleep her I hostess said a That's That's the thing g for you you to do dor I Again Geraldine obeyed After that she was vaguely conscious conscious of drinking drinkIng drinking drink drink- ing warm wann m milk of being gently han has hanI i I died and slipped into fresh linen and of sleeping It was almost three three I later late that Mrs Lucas days das coming cautiously In in at 6 o'clock saw her I guest lest studying her er from the bed with eyes ye that ye rested and sane at at last M I pant d Mrs l Lucas Lucas- But Bat ButGer Ger Geraldine 1 beckoned h her r to t th te bed I J I I Come here please here please she said and when she had laid aside her wraps the theother theother theother other woman did g go over to to her and sat beside her and they clasped hands I I had a glorious sleep and a glorious bath Geraldine began and I know all about it H. H I know it was pneumonia mania monia and that there was a trained nurse n nurse for a few days and that you watched over me mo as if I had been your own sister And I know just how you and Ida have been spoiling me buying me nighties and nighties and goodness knows what whit else else and and having the best doctor doctor dOCtor doc dOC- tor in the city twice a da day day day- Well VeIl asked Mrs Luc Lucas s and nd she tried to laugh But nut the laugh would not come and her lips trembled instead instead in instead in- in I stead and she merely compressed them and smiled with filling eyes ejes e esWell es Well said Geraldine sure of her touch upon this honest heart I 1 dont don't know when or how but I 1 will pay you back Mrs 1 Lucas kissed her After that they had a long talk Mrs Irs Lucas whose energy exhausted Geraldine almost to weak tears ex explained explained ex- ex her plans frankl frankly When youre you're better its better its it's an awful thins thing to get tret over over over-I I want YOU von to let C me i take ke you you in hand she said said Youre I looking good-looking and youve you've got an elegant elegant elegant ele ele- I gant figure but you might as well weIl be beas beas as homely as venial sin sin for for all you do with them You look said Mrs 1 Lucas frankly frankl like a lady Now I need some one to keep an eye on the girls wh when n Im I'm gone and to help me when Im I'm there Any Anyone one of ot the girls could do it it-if it if she had the brain But they've got no more moro ambition than baked potatoes potatoes' Geraldine laughed laus-hed joyously Lying I here warm and rested and with her head clear and her whole body freed i from pains and aches it was easy to laugh I dont don't mean that you'll get any anymore anymore anymore more money mone Mrs Lucas continued thoughtfully although of course it'll lead to that In time B But t I 1 want wants s some me one there there always always dressed in inthe j the smartest black with real lace I you cuffs cuffs you get always me-always always ready to I I I i I I I i listen and explain explain explain-a a specialist that's that the thing They tell you their troubles troubles trou trou- bles and you your let em talk talk that's that that's the whole stor story And I want you ou to te look sm smart smart you'll rt- rt you'll have to let me get gel you the corsets I 1 want you ou to wear and pick out a street costume for you von And And Yen well theres there's one in VenI Wendel's Wendells Wen Wen- dels del's she added wistfully who has hasa a regular English accentI accent accent- I I 1 could have that Geraldine laughed as she paused Y You ou could said her employer er j brightening brightening- Well my dear you'll ouli be perfectly Invaluable to me if if it you'll work into that sort of thing I You know you ou can pay a window dresser resser she went on rubbing her nose discontentedly and you ou can get the gowns and the lights lights and and the girls are all right as far as they go go- go But atmosphere Is what these places need and atmosphere Is the thing that draws Well Veli go see Mollie Mollie Mol Mol- lie at the they say You look at them seriously and say Mrs Townsend Ive I've put a a little gown aside for you you but but u-but but its it's pretty daring daring daring dar dar- ing ing That sort of thing S Geraldine's impulse was to waver I Oh but 1 I cant can't cant I I haven't the nerve nerve but she looked at the handI handsome handsome hand hand- some commonplace woman who was talking and she thought of Em olies customers and something deep in to her soul said What they can do YOU vou can do I II Ill tr try try try-it'll it'll it'll be no harder than learn leann ng a part she said finally Well VeIl that's it exactly the Bother other woman answered warmly what I want wint you to do Just act Ill I'll get y yi it some things tomorrow tomorrow- she he added st studying her guest dis- dis passionately Geraldine laughed and flushed it was a part Ind indeed d all of It tt ItA A few days later th the manicure came tHe cor corsets cornets ets were ere tried and Geraldine's thick neglected hair was dressed drel se T. T Her face Cace rubbed and i creamed and powdered felt strange J as did her tightly drawn and nett netted d hair But the harness as she called it was strangest of all it made her move slowly and stand Mand ere erect t She slipped on In a wisp of silky blouse over a v wisp of Of silky silk fitted the little tailored skirt trimly I I i I put on the plain jacket straightened the frill Paula Lucas pressed on the tiny hat with its rakish angle and tied the veil and Geraldine wheeled and studied herself in the mirror minor Her illness had thinned thinned her the two weeks' weeks rest had given her a lovely lovely lovely love love- ly color Her figure low-breasted low slender long w long was superb A fluff of or burnished hair caught by the veil eil spread itself against the black blackI blackhat blackhat hat the curve of the red lips the arches of the dark brows the blue of the Irish eyes were all subtly enhanced and emphasized She was ws beautiful she was smartness personified personified personified person person- Geraldine did not know herself herself herself her her- self and the smile that suddenly brightened her face was full fun of inocent in innocent In- In amusement Now Kow that's a beginning beginning that's that's the W. W way ay youve you've got to look said Paula aula Lucas dr draping ping a hand handsome m j her shoulders as a i i across finished touch You need this too i I Ive I've Ive I've worn it two seasons seasons' she re reI remarked remarked re- re I marked parenthetically Youve got gotI gotto gotto to take tale care of your our skin of course And you put on an ounce I Do your our hands for five minutes every everyday everyday a day and half an hour on Sunday and wash your hair every Sunday Sunday- I that's what the girls do The suit was a model two fifty marked down downto to one-eighty one and it was in the last sale for ninety but Ill I'll give it to you You owe me 12 for the corsets corsets corsets cor cor- sets the doctor sent me a receipted bill yesterday theY're yesterday they're all awfully de decent decent decent de- de cent about that that and and the nurse Ida paid out of your purse So there here you ou are are Dont Don't come down to the store for a couple of days but keep out in inthe inthe inthe the air air That's what you need It was a March day and Geraldine went out into sunshine that was somehow like spring that spring that was hot There were cr crowds on the tops of the omnibuses she walked and rode about aimlessly but in deep excitement excitement excitement excite excite- ment and satisfaction Every Eve Every shop- shop window gave her back her slender lender charming person she saw law in every ery everyman's everyman's mans man's eyes that she was beautiful and young With the odd sense of newness she ate her frugal lunch sweets were not for her A sort of pleasant pleasant pleasant pleas pleas- ant faintness remained with her ill illness illness ill ill- ness an aloofness Women looked I sharply at her hat and veil ven and hastily hastily has has- 1 tily tny averted their eyes iThe The whole world was flashing and Inthe in inthe I the Easter sunshine and she was of it as last She sent Janey and Deanie Easter eggs and went into the cathedral and pra prayed ed But she I felt feIt like an entirely different woman from the Geraldine Laird of last October not a changed woman but one i iWho i vv who ho had never been th that t erratic half j educated person person r rIt I It had been arram arranged ed that she 1 should stay at Mrs Mrs Lucas Lucas' for mother in- in nother Geraldine knew I other week or two her mother would not have approved of this or of Mrs l Lucas at it all an but I she felt only a dreamy indifferences indifference I f to that as to all the influences of of 1 I IHie the Hie old life She was turning back bac i from the sun tun bathed avenue to wai wa wao o b to the St St. when she encountered en encountered en- en j en-j countered Dean He was walking slowly along looking looking looking look look- ing about in his keen quick way and alone Ever Every drop of blood deserted de deserted deserted de- de Geraldine's heart and if way he had been an armed foe sHe could not hav have e had a more sickening sensation of reluctance and fright She could I not meet him she him she could not speak to him she him She was all an unready to think of Dean Denn- He Ho glanced at her swept her figure with a swift appraising look that isa is fg isa a mans man's deference to beauty ar af r aI U walked on There was no chango chang color in his Tiis face no change of e e e. p en bUJen The astonishing truth bui bu upon her and she went swiftly t walking talking quickly and quietly o anxious to put the block block and and tj and and between another between them HII entered the St St. went i t stairs a sank into a plush chair first t panted Her husband did lid not know her To be continued |