Show j vim he ie lucky lawren bawrs by KATHLEEN NORRIS by kathleen norris SYNOPSIS the luck that had brought the boa to ton n lawrences laurences Lawren ces to Calif orida at the beginning tin ing ot of the sold gold rush has deserted the present generation from a acre ranch their holdings ha have ve shrunk to a small farm and the old family home in Clippe reville the death ot of their rather father forced the three eldest eldell children to work so that sam and little arlel ariel might continue their education phil now twenty five had gone into the iron works gall to the public 11 library and edith to the book department of 0 targe largest t store seven seventeen I 1 ea n year yea ro old ariel arfel Is be becoming ml ng a problem and phil Is fascinated by that terrible lily cass cas whose husband has deserted her young van murchison hlson scion of a wealthy family returns from yale tale and gall call has vi visions slona through marriage with him of the turning of the lawrence luck dick stebbins phils best friend has the run of the house houe ariel la Is out of the arlel hou house e a at t n ah t f for 0 r jov ald rides a van continues his social attentions to gall CHAPTER ill III continued I 1 1 thought it alls the limit 1 said the usually elegant edith it seem s to he be 1 wonder if aoud oud know the limit you yon saw it unil the younger sister said with alth a sophisticated fond smile 1 oil edith get oft off your foot gall wanted to say but iut she could not te be to edith tonight when edith had finished up op the dishes and stayed at home so she smiled too and went on cin with her undressing her mood began to change every everything thin was nil all right ilow how long loii was ahll gone oh oot not long ion rout pout nn an hour I 1 lie he gall paused no he have time to see anybody I 1 dont believe hes so crazy about lily cass edith opined opened ile he and dick had to to the iron works they yes and by the way dicks sleeping here because tie he and ph phil 11 wa want n t to get if up p at a t if tire ve a and nd go os er a and nil I 1 hee bee tin an installation or something at Alli pitas going in dicks car dicks car since kihen hen has bus he it killing I 1 its quite decent looking too you know old benstein Kenst eln of the secondhand second hand place down near the hill 1 I know the place yes and I 1 kind of know the of olo man too well two mo cars collided out on the highway hl allway near there about three ago it seems and old benstein bought them they were wrecks tor for about fifteen dollars apiece so he sent for dick it seems seeing and told him it if hed put the touring car to in order he could have the roadster dick did ren ben first and hes been puttering over his own on for about six weeks so last night he drove it in from stunts laus and put it in joe fosters garage and joe looked it over and he be rays ays its perfect and he offered dick two hundred dollars for it LACKs dicks so darn admirable galla gall said ild la indifferently dIfferently her book that you expect him to break out rall rail splitting roost most any minute I 1 I 1 can just see him sweating over politics some day and being abeln on the losing side every rime limel I 1 ll honest orest dick stebbins for governor I 1 but I 1 like old dick r oh so do I 1 the younger sister agreed eagerly she went away and gall call lay musing her open book in her hands the meri ory of her parting with van in ID the deep black night gloom at the gate kept returning to buzz about her like a midge and spoil all the other recollections she put out her light but her thoughts rallied milled lad and milled unceasingly what had happened to ta the gay corn com pan tunable mood nio jj of the earlier evening what had made the parting so labored so artificial why to Is it gall gail asked herself savagely that I 1 can get along so beautifully with girls and ad act like such a fool with boys it L ed led been a girl tonight I 1 would have gone on OD talking laughing putting ott off coming coining into the housed house I 1 would bare kept saying listen I 1 have to go in oil oa well what does it make I 1 well all be dead lit in a hu hundred adred years W and so restlessly off to sleep oddly baffled fled and dissatisfied after this marvelous day on which the dream load had come true I 1 the next day slip and edith had real trouble to think about and to discuss as they walked to work in the first place sam bad told them at breakfast that be sum sam had been driving some boys car without a license and had bad been fined fifteen dollars by judge gatos gates 0 oh phil paid it sarn sam had said in als confident little brotherly manner how flow could phil pay it oh he ha worked overtime all lost month you know ile he bad something coming to liim him you to have lone dune it sam youre toure such a fool I 1 the older sister had sall sald reproachfully elf ru I 1 ay iy if effect annat ply site she repented rein med the phrase phra to mill when tie lie cadue in lale to depuit his expedition dirk iii efant MM fix i lial call its nat itil it il ir or a hid ld lo 10 14 tn ill arlit a fir crin li hn t ge liil kiil ill tinn bai rei 1 ini itne debeir ian lr 10 i ii i 1 n I i 11 i nhi llor i i iiii this his it had been staggering to his to have him add with a little self 1 I was thinking when we were ha having vit dirk dick and alid van ann murchison hlson to au supper p last night why fly not ask lily wih b ser some gome ahrie ashes an awfully give 1 I 1 little thing abes had nn an awfully roll rough 9 it den dea I 1 L edith had felt every fiber of her being stiffen galls calls hands had bad begun to tremble as she had said plen pleasantly confusedly well of course it if shed like it phil why she like it phil had asked in a level challenging voice no reason why I 1 except she rather young children yep she has three kids phil had been his coffee cup 1 I dont think shed cornel comer gall had said uncomfortable but determined you might tryl try I 1 phils voice had b been en level composed tie he bad returned to his newspaper with ino further t he r reference to the subject ills sisters in utter consternation had bad spoken since of little else ashes simply mesmerized him alit aill its lust just too grill gall we vie ask ash her to the linuse house I 1 1 I dont think we could they parted on the dubious note deeply worried as they had been worried so ninny many many times imps before about sam arlel ariel phil in turn about family finances social complications just when I 1 was sort of looking forward to sunday night suppers sup pera gall call offered in parting wien wt cn they came to the calle yes I 1 knowl know edith answered qu quickly I 1 akly what on oil earth can we do edith it if phil says anything more well have her I 1 suppose sup 1 but bilut ashes simply ashes simply not respectable 1 I know 1 I mean everyone knows what those are and the cass boys are just gangsters eang 1 I know edith conceded again anxiously they went their ways galls thoughts went to van however at ini e ii 1 dont believe hes so crazy about lily cass during that day and the next day she began the girls calendar its only one full day since I 1 saw him its only two full days its only the morning ot of the third day CHAPTER IV it began to seem like a dream to her that list he be and site she had bad been laughing over the library counter last saturday night and that he had bad come to supper with the lawrences laurences Lawren ces and that s she he had gone down the highway beyond dumbarton bridge to old aunt marys for a late supper and dancing edith asked delicately lightly it if there had been any telephoning during the day and call became expert to in careless replies and then quietly indifferently oh besl yes I 1 van murchison was in it seems sirs mrs chipp is having a house party down at their place in the santa cruz mountains a week from this week end and she wants me to go goi chati edith ejaculated incredulous oh gall arent you excited gall laughed a little but yes I 1 am she admitted honestly terribly excited excite dl 1 but of course they only want roe me because van does lie probably asked his bis aunt to ask met ciel oh for heavens sakel arlel ariel said impatiently anil and unexpectedly in her husky tones lor for heavens sake what would you want trant her to ayou ak ir tor for because mamma was a church member you know kaow very well ell youre not tin an intimate friend of hers why should she ask you id much po go a place because ft a boy wanted me because ills mother dudl and laughing helplessly and a little Shu cled 1 edith arid and call admitted unit that bleie iker was us in tills this view 1 I have everything foill said ald t L lintt rny fly blue velvet I 1 have hare my christ ile iii sill l tris I 1 line hale halle blee fiat but iki ill it 10 lo my old linen up ui lie n lie roil rn coughing walking or any S thins thing anil and ill wash my swea sweater terl therell be tennis 1 arlel ariel suggested on probably I 1 call was deep in dinner rt r preparations her tone sang dill did she come in gall call or did site she write it 11 note an instant chill then gall said casually Nel neither ther my dear she sent a message by van 1 there was a silence edith stood distressed and disappointed in the center of the kitchen artel ariel looked up op alertly from her book gall went on busily with her cooking well site she will write began edith on an upward inflection she noayl may I 1 gall all agreed indifferently well you wont think of accepting unless she does write gall edith persisted unhappily sly ily dear edith we are living to lo the twentieth century not in the good old days of pamela and Kv Evel ellna fria well ira im very much surprised at you edith said trembling dinner was served in a sulphurous silence phil hungry gainty and tired noted doted at once that something was wrong an and his first question brought the whole thing down upon him in an avalanche gall was flushed blushed and angry edith reasonable and cool they talked at once and phil frowned faintly smiled limited faintly as he be looked from one face to another another ahll ill 11 it ridiculous in this flits day and generation to expect a person to send you no nn engraved invitation 1 I say an engraved invitation I 1 because re cause I 1 mean everything every things s lone done so informally now and people telephone invitations to beddings 1 no but listen phil I 1 weve were always held up tip our heads and been known as girls who cheap who woul dat jazz ne le ahll hit its nil all ne me have its us edith her eyes suddenly wet with tears went on shakily had championed jail gall all her lire life and she adored him as her unfailing authority it was vias therefore like a blow if in her face to have him say judicially over his pipe im not so sure but what edes right gall you arent sure that van SI Sl hes an awfully nice kid and hes most amusing and all that and he means well enough but you arent sure that this kill kid ever spoke to ills his aunt at all how flow do you know oh listen listen 1 gall call said managing a laugh but inwardly seething with fury ile he ask me to go to china I 1 lie he asked me to go for or two nights to los gatos and im going goin 1 I 1 all there Is to it there was a full minute of dead silence during which her angry voice hung chuao in the air then arlel ariel expelled a iong long sighing breath and phil shrugged philosophically ture youre ot of age he said briefly nothing more the girls as they cleared the table avoided each others eyes and presently began to talk lifelessly ot of other things phil went out without another glance or words for his favorite sister when gall and ariel chanced to be for or a minute alone in the kitchen bl arlel ariel seized the opportunity to say eagerly stick it out gall I 1 it if every one felt the way edith does no one would have any fun at alit all I 1 wed all be old maids I 1 arkels sympathy was very sweet but it did not have the value of editha approval on the contrary there was something disturbing in this suggestion of a general mutiny against tie the lawrence bay of doing things arlel ariel had arranged with a boy friend that he should call her on the telephone at eight and she should answer its ills call with a pleasant dutiful oh yes miss Il hemmel emmet all miss klemmet Heni inet was her mathematics teacher she would then say to gall gall im going over to miss Hem fl emmetts metts and then im going to meet the crowd at the corner and go down to sticky dobbins tor for some lee ice cream I 1 asked phil and he said all right L F it was a risky game she was playing but after all it was a game edith was playing no game at all and gall call was demonstrating more forcefully every instant how little she knew ot of the rules better anything than to spend ones evening darning the fraternal socks as edith was placidly preparing to do or patiently to settle down to helping sam with his correspondence school aviation work like gall the telephone rang take lt it freshman gall said to her younger sister but arlel ariel needed no prompting she was already halfway to the ball oh thank you miss bliss hemmet hemmel I 1 will I 1 her sisters heard her say she came back to her work with her transparent skin exquisitely hushed flushed and her strange eyes slight alight gall miss bliss hemmet wants me file to come over and phil said we could go to dobbins afterward oh all right go ahead 1 gall call said aid absently ariel faded from sight silently was gone tte dick stebbins looked in at the kitchen door peanuts anybody phils gone gall said ill follow him up but dick came in In Lo stead gall call noiselessly escaped into the dining room and secured her little playing cards she came back to the kitchen table and began to play edith matched socks thoughtfully frowning at their stripes and selvages salvages sel the gas san sang and dick stood up and lowered it gall s thoughts thought rocked to and fro deliciously she was writing a story A woman very beautiful but entirely unprincipled currying on ft a love altair affair under her bus husbands bands vry very eyes galls going down to the chipp place in los aatos next weekend week end edith said out of a silence sat tio oo dick asked lookin looking up tao BE CONTINUED |