Show H HARRY A R RY PUGH S M RS MIT 0 M Me c C ClURE Lulu INSTALLMENT SIXTEEN The SIXTEEN The Story So Far Laura Maguire is wife of happy happy-go- luck lucky Mike editor and mayor of oC CovIngton Cov Coy Ington whom banker Mays is trying to ruin for criticizing his banking meth She is the mother of four children Tom whose real estate Job peters out in a bigger city but whose wife Mary MaryEtta MaryEtta MaryEtta Etta refuses to give up her secretary Job to follow him to the th smaller town Divorce is impending CHAPTER Continued Continued I tell But she cant can't have gone I you she has nowhere to go said Alec his face very white Kathleen shrugged her shoulders She was the last down to breakfast She flourished a small folded piece of paper Alec reached out his hand but Kathleen shook her head Its addressed to Laura Alecs Alec's black eyes watched feverishly feverishly fever fever- while his mother read the lines which Lou had written in a small cramped painstaking hand Well he demanded sharply 1 She says that she thanks us for all our kindness but she cant can't impose impose impose im im- im- im pose on us any longer Mike swore under his breath Poor little devil he said I daresay daresay daresay dare dare- say she felt as uncomfortable as a weed at an orchid show His younger son glared at him Listen he cried fiercely maybe may be she never went to finishing school probably she doesn't always know which fork to use but she's instinctively a lady that kid Ive I've met a raft of girls Id I'd die before Id I'd bring home to Mother But But But- Buthis his voice broke Lou broke Lou wasn't one of them Alec began Laura imploring imploring- ly But Alec had slammed the door behind him Zowie cried Kathleen Is our little brother sore or is he I must find that child if any of ofus ofus ofus us are to live with Alec Laura said CHAPTER The telephone rang eight times before Laura finished the dishes It was was was' mostly friends and acquaintances acquaint acquaint- ances calling to tut-tut tut about Shirley About nine Mike 2 rang up He had learned that a brief memorial service was to be held for Pete Knight at thirty nine-thirty in the old mission mission mission mis mis- sion church near the railroad shops Mike himself was in conference and could not attend But he thought Laura might like to She did Lou was certain to be there no matter where she had taken refuge To save time Laura got out the family sedan But two blocks from the house the old motor wheezed choked and died The gas feed was stopped up Laura wasted precious minutes because sometimes you could unscrew the bottom of the vacuum vacuum vacuum vac vac- tank and blow through it and andall andall andall all was well But not this morn morn- ing By the time she gave up the struggle and called a taxi it was a quarter to ten She had hopes however however however how how- ever of arriving before the church was quite emptied and did But there had been only a handful present present present pres pres- ent and these scattered quickly Although Although Although Al Al- though Laura waited outside she saw nothing of Lou Alec did not appear When Laura called the grocery store she discovered discovered discovered ered that her son had not shown up for work that day So much for Alecs Alec's glowing promises of the night before Laura could have went wept I must find Lou Laura Laur told herself But she didn't find her or any trace of her and Alec did not come home to dinner or telephone It grew steadily later and no Alec He had never stayed out all night before But day had broken and a mocking bird was singing outside Lauras Laura's window before she heard Alecs Alec's step coming on tiptoe up the stairs Laura got softly out of bed and met him outside his door Alec darling Ive I've been so wor wor- ried Th There re were tears in her voice Sorry he said stiffly I UI tried to find Lou for you He shrugged his shoulders Forget it She couldn't be happy here I realize that now He turned away and Laura went slowly back down t the e hall On the last Saturday in June Laura Maguire decided to run up to the city for various and sundry reasons none of them hem pleasant It had been beena a month since Shirleys Shirley's marriage the squalliest month Laura had ever experienced Nothing went right with depressing monotony In the first place Mike continued his tirades against Banker Mays ana and the latter retaliated with telling force Every time the Clarion published published published pub pub- a thrust at the financier both circulation and advertising accounts felt the shock Then there was Kathleen Going everywhere with young Gen Geng Mays and apparently delighted with his pursuit About Alec she had even less reason reason reason rea rea- son to feel eel happy Alec had developed developed developed de de- de- de into a deep dark secret and Laura was afraid to probe into the complexities of his behavior He resolutely kept his own counsel And for ways that were weird he had developed a maddening sity He had not stayed out all night again In fact he was usually home by nine although he never lingered downstairs to visit with the others but went straight to his room He was gone every morning when Laura rose Without breakfast He said vaguely that he was dieting to preserve preserve preserve pre pre- serve his girlish figure He also Alec at last with a Job as a grocery clerk after a long siege of unemployment ment and ond running around with a flashy divorcee He lIe had brought Lou Knight the town drunks drunk's daughter to his moth mothS mothers mothers mother's ers er's home when her father died rescuing rescuing rescue ing a crippled boy in a fire Shirle Shirley at last married to Jaird New New- sum though Ma wanted him to marry Connie Mays the bankers banker's daugh daugh- said to expect him at table when they saw him And that was seldom I enough to worry Laura to the point of tears But on this sultry June morning it was about Tom Lauras Laura's concern was chiefly exercised Tom had been home a month doggedly working away in Colonel Shoups Shoup's office making progress slowly but steadily and looking more drawn and haggard haggard haggard hag hag- gard every day Laura had decided to take the bus busto busto busto to the city It was cheaper than the train and money was becoming distressingly scarce in her establishment establishment establishment with Mikes Mike's business steadily submerging That was partly partly partly part part- ly Lauras Laura's errand in town Sometimes Sometimes Sometimes Some Some- times in a pinch she took orders from a Womans Woman's Exchange for home canned fruits and vegetables It It didn't pay a lot and was hot tedious work but Laura had on other difficult difficult difficult cult occasions occasions ons collected several odd dollars that helped to turn a hard corner On the way out of town the bus passed what had formerly been Joes Joe's place now christened The UThe Oak Tree Laura grinned to her her- self Shirley was the only comfortable ble spot on her mothers mother's horizon The town had nearly burst its side with derisive laughter when Shirley and Jaird took on the hamburger stand But people who dropped in at The Oak Tree to sneer remained remained remained re re- to envy Curiosity may have accounted for the rush of business r n 1 O t I I Il I r l 4 n I 1 J The Oak Tree the first week But it was good food appetizingly served in attractive attractive attractive tive surroundings that swelled the cash register the second and third and fourth weeks The Oak Tree had become quite the rage as well as the rendezvous for the young elite Even Belle now pointed with pride to her sons son's achievement CHAPTER Lauras Laura's visit to the Womans Woman's Exchange Exchange Exchange Ex Ex- change was not heartening It appeared appeared appeared ap ap- that everybody had had the same idea The market was glutted with the products for which Laura had hoped to receive orders But she did wangle a small commission Fifty jars bars of watermelon preserves preserves' on the strength of one of old Aunt Julias Julia's recipes which Laura had had- brought from her fathers father's planta planta- tion By then it was almost two and she was hot tired disheveled and and- hungry She went across the street to a large cafeteria which at that hour fortunately was not crowded picked out the most economical dishes on the menu and balancing her tray made for a table in a secluded corner near a window window- only to come face to face with Mary lary Etta Mary Etta had finished her lunch Her black eyes looked startled when they recognized Laura who had in instinctively instinctively paused beside her J How are you Mary Etta 1 she asked gently JIm j jIm Im splendid of course the girl said as if daring Laura to think otherwise Do UDo you mind if I sit with you inquired Laura Mary l Etta shrugged her sharp shoulders Laura sat down Im grieved about you and Tom said Laura at last Mary Ettas Etta's lip curled Why should you be she demanded Youve got him back haven't you Mothers always take their sons away from their wives if they can And you can Because he thinks youre you're perfect ter Shirley and Jaird buy a hamburger ham burger stand Kathleen who despite herself becomes be comes Interested in Ritchie Graham who aids her father lather in fighting Mays She thinks of of her mothers mother's hardships when he tells her his wife wile wouldn't starve Kathleen tells Ritchie RUchie she has no wish to live in poverty Was there a sob behind her voice Laura could not be certain No Mary Etta I haven't got my son back Hes He's under my roof yes But his heart Why did he marry me and make me care when he wanted someone so different cried the girl in a tormented voice Then you do care Mary Etta bit bit- Care Mary Etta laughed terly Do uDo you think anyone could have had Tom and not care Why didn't you come to Covington Coving- Coving ton with him Because he didn't want me Because Because Because Be Be- cause hes he's sick of the sight of me Hell He'll marry someone like you of course when I divorce him My l lawyer lawyer lawyer law law- yer mailed Tom a notice yester yester- day Mary l Etta The girls girl's haggard face twitched Theres no use living on chained to the corpse of a dead love I can at least set Tom free And yourself Mary Etta shivered I swore no noone noone noone one should ever matter enough to upset my life I vowed Id I'd not be submerged as my mother was But if its it's any satisfaction to you I didn't pull pun it off You see her voice sank she looked away Tom does matter More than anything on earth You dont don't know what its it's been like this past month Wanting him himl Mis Missing ing him Longing to go godown godown godown down on my knees and beg him to tol l love ve me again Laura glanced at her wrist watch Can you be packed and ready to togo togo togo go home with me by six Mary Etta started violently Go Goto Goto Goto to Covington Laura nodded If your lawyer mailed Tom those divorce papers yesterday he got them this morn morn- ing And hes he's been in hell ever since Id I'd cut my arm off to spare him that But I cant Only you youcan youcan youcan can change Toms Tom's hell to heaven Mary Ettas Etta's hands clenched Tom will be glad to be rid of me she insisted Tom loves you Mary l Etta But Buthe Buthe Buthe he believes youre you're disgusted because he hasn't been a violent financial success like H Harvey I Leigh Tom thinks you want a divorce to marry Leigh And Tom will give you a divorce if you ask for it But you Shirley and I may be his ideal But you are the woman he loves Youve You've got to go home with me tonight and tell Tom its it's been a Q nightmare but its it's over Mary Ettas Etta's thin hands gripped the table tremblingly And ClAnd I thought you hated me Laura laid her hand gently on the girls girl's quivering shoulder It doesn't matter about me I bore Tom I reared him Ive I've done everything everything everything ev ev- ev- ev I could for him But long ago he passed from my keeping into yours I dont don't hate you Mary Etta But I am afraid of you Because you can make or break my son Great tears stood in Mary Ettas Etta's haggard eyes If I could be sure Tom wanted me meI meUI me- me I UI am sure Oh Mother Mary Etta had never called Laura mother before Laura kissed her while their tears mingled She would not come into the house with Laura She was afraid of a public rebuff at Toms Tom's hands She asked Laura to tell Tom she was waiting outside in the car Come His voice sounded thin and stretched and when Laura opened the door he was sitting at atthe atthe atthe the reading table staring straight before him and the face he turned to her was ghastly And then she realized that he was alone But wheres where's Alec she asked Your father said Alec came in al almost almost almost al- al most an hour ago He UHe went out again But Mike didn't see him Tom said nothing only his eyes were very sorry for her And suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly Laura knew Maybe she had suspected all along Hes only been pretending to sleep at home she whispered Tom nodded and Laura staggered a little Im ClIm so terribly sorry said Tom laying his hand on her arm You dont don't deserve such trouble as this She came back from a long distance distance distance dis dis- dis- dis tance to stare at him blankly and then to remember that after all Tom was also flesh of her flesh and he heat heat heat at least could be snatched from the burning Mary lary Etta is outside in her car She thinks you hate her and she's breaking her heart for you You must be mad She filed suit for divorce yesterday I know But she doesn't want a divorce Tom She wants to be taken taken taken tak tak- en into your arms and told you love her Better than life Better a thousand times than you have ever loved me or or r Shirley or any other woman But I do love her like that said Tom simply I 1 always have He was gone Taking the stairs two at a time He had forgotten his mother and Alec He had forgotten everything but the woman who was his to have and to hold 10 TO HE JlE CONTINUED |