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Show - - Vf NOT fyT MAnY SCHUMANN. JT IHustrotion Btj Irwin Mycins . He was an excellent salesman, succeeding suc-ceeding through sheer charm " of manner and enthusiasm, but had been out of work since the November Novem-ber before. He was thoughtful and kind to his friends, and when Hugh had been laid up with influenza the winter before, had sat up with him all one night Joan was small, with an olive complexion, straight black hair which she dressed severely, and great smoky gray eyes with thick black lashes. "Hurry up," she called as Hugh and Dorrie came down the walk, "we're simply bursting to tell you the news!" "What news?" asked Hugh. "Did the old man come through?" "Right the first time!" "Congratulations!" cried Hugh, climbing into the car. "Wonderful," "Wonder-ful," said Dorrie. "He has a job with the Crescent people and starts work the first of the month!" "You see how glad she is to be rid of me!" complained Cun. "Sick of having me underfoot around the house!" i "You weren't at home much! You went down town every day," flashed Joan. "Will you have to travel, Cun?" ! asked Dorrie. "More or less several days a week. And they came to my figure! fig-ure! which is important." "We'll look after Jonny for you when you're away take her around. Eh, Dorrie?" "Of course." Joan's elation gave a lilt to her quiet voice. "It's the most glorious glori-ous feeling! Almost worth the agony ag-ony of suspense for eight months to experience it Although I must say Cun was marvelous about it always al-ways cheerful." "Always marvelous!" said Cun. "I was the one who was afraid-afraid afraid-afraid of his " Cun, as he drove, looked back over his shoulder. "Go ahead and spill it What were you afraid of? My sinking into bad habits?" "Oh. keep quiet" "I'm fond of your mother. She I has an extraordinary effect on me. Makes me feel good inside and out J like a steam bath and a soothing sooth-ing oil rub by a Swedish masseur." "Gosh, Dorrie!" "Margery, since she has those children, doesn't talk my language. I can't get passionate over croup and adenoids and spinach, can I? But Kezia has a streak of wickedness wicked-ness I understand. Fun U watch her maneuver her own purposes." "So then ?" "I'm going to throw a big dinner, din-ner, have them all this Friday night Suit you?" Hugh hesitated. "You'd like it wouldn't you?" she challenged. "I'd like having them here of course, but I wish it were because you wanted them. Not a concession con-cession to my feelings." Dorrie turned her head to one side and looked at the willow tree. After a moment she said with slow sulkiness: "You'd better take it the way I do it" He watched her with puzzled pain, watched hep until he saw the coldness meU from her face, and another emotion come over it She said in a faint voice, "You're worth a dozen of me, Hugh." He was relieved. "What's brought this on?" he inquired laughing. She shook her head. "Call it a mood." "Forget it Dorrie. You can be pretty sweet yourself!" He felt suddenly happy. She was chary with admissions of feeling. He never knew exactly how deep her feeling for him was. The occasional occa-sional glimpses into her mind, when she grew introspective as tonight to-night were rare and accordingly precious. The western light had entirely faded. The dusk ringed her around with magic. Her pale green dress shimmered like moonlight moon-light A night-hawk wheeled restlessly rest-lessly overhead, uttering a raucous rauc-ous cry. Hugh, whose passionate feeling for her had never dimmed, felt her enchantment heighten, surround sur-round him with a mystical content- Then she broke a piece of toast crumbled it thoughtfully. "I suppose sup-pose I might have come down." Her mother smiled as she saw victory in sight Kezia was ashamed of her action, but had had 'to defend it "She has a tough time at home. No wonder she comes here so much. Cousin Gavin is too nervous nerv-ous to allow the radio to be played when he's in the house, and her mother, pretentious and calculating, calculat-ing, nagging the life out of her what a mother 1" shuddered Kezia. "I have no reason to be envious of Ellen. If a man goes romantic over her they think of Lizzie for a mother-in-law then it's good-by Ellen!" She sat there, her eyes dreamy and suddenly misted. "I'm so mean," she faltered, "and you're so good to me! Oh, Mother, how do you put up with me?" Fluvanna was moved, as she always al-ways was when Kezia was peni-ent peni-ent and misty-eyed, even though she knew it did not hinder her from doing the same thing over again directly. The girl rose in a sudden whirlwind and came around to her chair, laid her cheek against hers. "I know I'm horrid!" hor-rid!" Charming, emotional and impulsive impul-sive like Jim. Her heart plunged jvith misgiving for Kezia, a vague jnxiety. She caressed her automatically. auto-matically. Kezia went back to her chair. "Be nice to her when she comes again or, better still, telephone ,ier." "I will," Kezia nodded between oites. "I'll telephone her this .ioon. Pete told me about this Purdue Pur-due she has been going with very smooth looking like Ronald Col-man. Col-man. They're all betting it won't last a month!" "I wouldn't be too sure." Kezia looked up quickly. "H-m-mm, have you a scoop? she tell SYNOPSIS Hrsh, pretty, elfish and twen-!, twen-!, home in Corinth from chool I met by ner 0,Ier brotner, Hugh, lo her to the Marsh home where lowed mother, Fluvanna, I warm-I warm-I ielf-acriricing and understanding Llcomes her. Kezia's sister, Mar-Cjuinp Mar-Cjuinp and matronl with the care L children, is at lunch with them, ftile, Dorrie, hat pleaded a previ-jnent. previ-jnent. On the way back to his I the steel plant founded by one of ibcars. Hugh passes Doc Hitler, a b friend whom he no longer sees fly because of Dorrie'l antipathy. L, Marsh wakens the next morning fjream about her late husband, Jim, luntble character she fears Kezia Strited. Ellen Pendleton comet over, fig artistically inclined girl who is a I niece of Fluvanna's and a favorite h's, She happily tells Fluvanna she ictus engaged to Jerry Purdue. HAPTER I Continued Irish Mother were as easy to lings to as you, Fluvanna." lave a rueful smile. "She I be pleased nor Father. II le hard that part the telling I Perhaps I'll wait a while.' anna called up the stairway i is here. Hurry down, n returned with the flowers ;ed in vases. "I mustn't stay Jreakfast I went out early Jug in the ravine and left word d be back by breakfast time, j worry. I'll stay until I see in. Nice to have her home, it! Not so lonely for you." vanna nodded. "Very nice il'd have been much lonelier J certain person hadn't been kind about coming often!" . Pouff! I loved coming . you're Just fascinating tc 1 never get tired of being I you perhaps fascinating isn't wrd." She sat down on the fnport beside Fluvanna. "I 1 Jerry I could tune in with He understood. He under-nds under-nds everything." i Fluvanna patted her hand. Cun laughed and nodded. "You see, no confidence in me at all! and from one who knows me best! Anyhow we're here, and it's a grand night and we're all good fellows! fel-lows! I felt like a celebration and told her to call you up. I knew Hugh would curse. But a little night-life is good for you. you old stick-in-the-mud!" "We're not to be out late!" called Dorrie, mockingly. "Husband's orders! or-ders! Just before we started!" They found a table near an open window at the Freeland Farms, an old country mansion which had been turned into a road house. ment and yearning. His eyes held hers. "You're lovely," he said on a breath. "Thank you," she murmured, smiling. The telephone tinkled inside the house. "I'll go," said Dorrie sliding off the chaise longue. She never walked briskly but when she came back she moved with more animation than was her wont "It's the Whitneys," she announced. an-nounced. "They want us to go out to Freeland Farms and dance." Hugh gave a regretful look at the yard, bowcred in bush and The space for dancing was limited, limit-ed, and waiters zigzagged and retreated re-treated with their laden trays, to avoid the swaying couples. It was not so hot as Hugh had expected; a breeze came in from the west; the room had good ventilation, extending ex-tending up two stories with windows win-dows near the roof. Hugh saw Ellen Pendleton across the room seated at a table with Jerry Purdue. The drama of their preoccupation with each other drifted through the noise and cigarette cig-arette smoke. Ellen's face was flushed, her eyes were luminous as she toyed with her food and listened list-ened to Jerry propound some theory. the-ory. Isolation enfolded them in the midst of the crowd. He touched Dorrie's arm. "See Ellen with young Purdue?" She smiled and nodded. "He looks the sort she'd fall for, lean and dark with a way!" She explained ex-plained to the others, "Hugh's favorite fa-vorite cousin with her young man." "A cousin?" said' Cun. "Alibi?" Joan fanned herself with the menu. "Don't you know Hugh's related to all the Pendletons? That's Gavin's daughter, Ellen." "I vow the whole town's a cousin to Hugh," said Dorrie languidly. ."Hard to have any personal conversation. con-versation. I never dare express an opinion of anyone I meet for fear of insulting a connection. Ellen El-len is third or fourth in degree what is it, Hugh?" "About that. Great-grandfathers were brothers." "Still they call it cousin! She studied art for a couple of years. Paints very well they say." "Art?" said Cun. "I see. Cuckoo but beautiful." Dorrie moved in her chair slightly. slight-ly. "Dance?" asked Cun, his eyes on Dorrie. They went off together. Hugh stood up. "Joan?" As they swung into step he said, "Well, Jonny, the troubles are all over. I'm ever so glad that Cun has work. You've been a brick, but I could see it was hard on you. Joan gave a smothered exclamation exclama-tion and did not reply. He looked down. Joan's eyes were filled with tears. "What did I say? . . . Hurt you? . . . Awfully sorry." He was dismayed. "Come on; we'll go outside." He led her through the screened door to the long veranda. They sat in a swing. "Overlook it, Hugh. Nerves, I think." She dabbed her eyes with his handkerchief. handker-chief. "And relief from the strain. A man has to work to fill up his time . . . Cun has to be busy more than most men he's built that way. Then you spoke to me so sweetly and sympathetically and I went to pieces." Hugh sat beside her feeling touched and bewildered. It was plain she had some worry on her mind about Cun. (TO BE COXTIMED) you anything?" "Not for the public yet So keep it secret" "No?" KezJa's brows went up. "Well, is that a headline! Ellen put it overl Cheers for Ellen!" Kezia rose from the table. "I'll breeze around there after I get through playing tennis and ask her to bring him over some night soon." She dropped a kiss on her mother's hair. "I'll tell her that while I'm immured in the halls of learning, she grabs off the best-looking best-looking man in town!" CHAPTER II The backyard lawn of the Hugh Marshes was veiled in the translucent translu-cent light which comes just before darkness. The west was a faint saffron streaked with mauve; birds talked in sleepy twitterings; a wood dove cooed in a willow. Dorrie reclined on a wicker chaise longue and Hugh sat near her smoking a pipe. Hugh's eyes were on the arabesque pattern of the trumpet vine. Dorrie allowed the evening paper pa-per to drift to the ground. "Hugh, I'm constitutionally lazy." "M-mm." "Aren't you Interested? Did you hear what I said?" "That you are lazy? Yes, I heard. I don't know what we can do about it." She shrugged and a curling smile that he never liked to see crept around her mouth. "It means nothing that you have a lazy wife?" "You make pretty things for the house curtains, cushions. Your clothes you spend a lot of time sewing." "But that's what I like to do! I mean I'm lazy because I don't do the things I ought to but don't want to! You see there's a distinction." distinc-tion." "I'm not complaining. His mind slipped away to the plant If they landed the Cincinnati Cincin-nati order and the one from Dayton Day-ton it would keep them running all through June, when there would be a natural recession. They hadn t done badly for a small plant considering con-sidering conditions. "You're not thinking about me! said Dorrie sharply. Who else?" He knotted ft ashes out of his pipe ' 'H I thtak about the business, it's for you. iS"I'm?'u7ing to make a confes-sion, confes-sion, but you won't listen. His left brow went up in its nu morous twinkle. "What's bother-ing bother-ing your conscience? I should have your larnily here once in a while. We're a ways be-taf be-taf invited to your relatives'. It s one of V things 1 ought to do, but mean'you don't care for I'fcare for many people. d0 I?" she tossed back, smiling .No; but I thought you and Mother " j "o all this happiness came to Sulast night? May I tell Kezia?" Jen laughed. "I don't mind, j Hugh-do tell Hugh. He's understanding sort of person, : favorite cousin among bun-ds!" bun-ds!" le older woman knew she was fng pleasure out of her naive iession so she encouraged her. 'Ou met Jerry in April?" T)h, no last falL I've seen fething of him for a long time. I would come then stay away, i see, he thought his family !d matter. His father is a roll-ia roll-ia the mill and his uncle runs ; ! cigar store. He said he could-bring could-bring them to meet us and all relations you and the Ren's, Ren-'s, the Woods, the Moffats, the ;arrys we are an awful crowd, know. Not that he's ashamed a people! He says they are s. nice people, saved to send to school in the East . . . he's 1 proud of them . . . Just t it wouldn't do." Uraid to let himself go because father has money?" len nodded, then said in a low ce: "I told Jerry that the fact ! he loved me meant every-rS-more than money, more 111 family, it seems to me that eo two people love each other, ' five the most priceless pos-ision pos-ision something greater than g in the world." "uvanna kissed her impulsively. u are a sweet child and a 7 wise one." "ilence, then Ellen rose. "I f l going." a't Kezia will be down in a :nt. She asked me to call her ; because she's playing ten-; ten-; She went to the stairway. ing. Kezia? . . , Ellen is in nurry," lheeard Kezia murmur to her-l her-l before she replied: "A few nates." '' little while Anna announced ., weakfast was getting cold. : " ?startcd toward the door, the t exPressin of her face clouded. "I really must be ng along. Tell Kezia I'm sor-jme sor-jme other time!" ' had scarcely started her car treet and moved off, when tame downstairs. Her arms wound Fluvanna's neck. Ssinsi cr'" she murmured ca-Mm- 7hm sne sald with silky W??ess: "What was EUen rm? U h0Ur to morning-Kezia! morning-Kezia! ,it0'ante1 t0 see what 1 3e g. today and make plans! to need t0 think I intend "ound with her all the 100,5 a drink of coffe- "thinr yU think sucn unpleas-:rsat unpleas-:rsat rjeal P,ayed together a uldn-t k hen you were sma11-' sma11-' 'J be Just as easy to think "'s'com. d of yu. wanted to C, 7?.u hme?" -UiKed for a minute. "You'd Better Take It the Way I Do It." vine, at the moon, climbing now, a shimmering globe above the trees. "Sort of nice here." he commented. She stood there, waiting for him to say more. The expression of her face was veiled, but he felt a vitality flow from her, a current cur-rent of something indefinable. "Do you want to go?" "That's for you to decide," she answered almost coldly. He took her attitude for reproach. re-proach. He stretched his arms lazily. "Tell them, we'll go. Coming Com-ing for us?" "Yes. Can you be ready in ten minutes?" He nodded. "But we won't stay late, remember! I have a job to hold down if Cun hasn't " She started for the house, then turned her head with her secret smile. "You always say that 'we won't stay late, remember'!" 'But we always do!" She vanished in the rear door. The Whitneys. Dancing. At least it wasn't bridge which had become so complicated lately with the new scoring and new systems which people quoted so confusingly. confusing-ly. Freeland Farms always a crowd. The floor too smalL But Dorrie wanted to go. . . . "Hugh." "Coming." He rose from his chair reluctantly. Cun Whitney was of medium height florid' and with curly brown hair. He was cheerful, talkative, and had an amazing vitality. He was resUess. liked to go places, be with people; he was full of visionary vision-ary schemes for making money which he never followed through. |