| Show M miss L lulu LAL by ZONA GALE copyright by D appleton company NINIAN general factotum in the house hous 0 0 of her sister ina wife of herbert deacon in uie tile small email town 0 of f warbleton War bleton lulu belt batt leads a dull dul 1 cramped existence with which the she Is constantly at enmity though A apparently satisfied atle fled with her lot she his has natural thoughts and a aspirations aspiration a which neither her sister nor her b rother brother in law seemingly can comprehend to mr deacon co comes coed ed bobby larkin larkan recently graduated high school youth secretly enamored of deacons elder daughter diana dian an applicant lor for a job around the deacon house lie ile Is engaged hla his occupation to be to keep the lawn in trim the family Is excited over the news of 0 an approaching pro aching visit from deacons brother finlan whom hom he had not no seen en for or many years deacon jokes with lulu luiu with subtle meaning concerning the coming meeting 11 may 3 luin was dusting the parlor the parlor was rarely used but every morning it was dusted by lulu she dusted the black walnut center table which was of inas choosing and looked like inn ina shining complacent abundantly curved the leather rocker too looked like ina brown upholstered tipping back a bit really the davenport looked like ina tor for its chintz pattern seemed to bear a design ot of lifted eyebrows and arch reproachful ful eyes lulu dusted the upright piano and that was like DIg bt in a perpetual attitude of rearing back with pas out playful but capable too of roaring rearing a ready bass and tile black fireplace there was mrs bett to the life colorless fireless and with a dust of ashes in the midst of all was lulu herself reflected in the narrow pier glass bodiless looking in her blue gingham gown but somehow alive natural this pier glass lulu approached with expectation not because of herself but because of the photograph on its low marble shelf A large photograph on it ft little shelf easel A photograph of a man with evident ebes ei es evident lips evident cheeks and each of the six sir were rounded and convex you could construct the rest of him down there under the glass you could imagine him extending rounded and convex with plump hands and curly thumbs and snug clothes it was finlan deacon Dwigh ts brother every day since his coming had been announced lulu dusting the parlor had seen the photograph looking at her with its eyes somehow new or were her own eyes new she dusted this photograph with a dIf difference Terence lifted dusted set it back I 1 erss tta as a process than as an experience As she dusted the mirror and saw his trim semblance over against hr own on bodiless reflection she hurried away but tile eyes of the picture followed her and the she liked it she dusted the window sill and saw bobby larkin come round the house and go to the woodshed for the lawn mower she leard the smooth blur of the cutter not six times had bobby traversed the lawn when lulu saw dl DI emerge from the house dl DI had been caring for her canary and she carried tier lier bird bath and w vent ent to the well and lulu divined that dl di had deliberately disregarded the handy kitchen taps laps lulu dusted the south window and watched and in III her watching was nu no quality ot of spying or of 0 criticism rather she looked out on something in whdeh the she had never shared could not by any chance chanca imagine herself sharing the south windows were open airs of may bore the soft talking oh robby bobby will you pump while I 1 hold this and again now till I 1 rinse and again you be so BO glum aluin tile village salutation signifying kindly attention bobby now first arst spoke chos glum lie he countered gloomily the iron fron of those lays days when slie she haj had laughed at him we was deep within hlin find and this she now divined und and suld staid ab gently bently wa 1 I used to think you were pretty nice but I 1 dont like aou ou any more yes you used tot to 1 bobby repented repeated derisively la Is blat eliat why you made fun un of rue me nil all the time at this dl colored and tapped tier her foot on the well curb ile he seemed to have tier her now and enjoyed ills his triumph but dl looked up at him blin shyly and looked down don 1 I had to she sh admitted I 1 they were all tea me about you they were this was wag a new thought to him teasing her about him were they lie he straightened huh he salil said in magnificent evasion 1 I hail bad to make them stop so I 1 teased you 1 I 1 I never wanted to allain again the upward look well bobly blared stared at her 1 I 1 never thought it vas anything like that of course you she tossed tos sel r back her bright bair hilr met ills his eyes full and you never came where here I 1 could tell you I 1 wanted to tell you r she ran into the house I 1 lulu lo lowered ered her eyes it was wag as jf it bhe he had witnessed the exercise exert lse of ol 01 some secret gift had seen been a cocoon open or an egg hatch she was thinking how easy she done it got him right over but how did she do that than dusting tile dwight like piano lulu shoulder with a manner of speculation at the photograph of ninion bobby mowed and pondered the magnificent conceit of the male in his understanding of the female character cliar acter was sufficiently developed to cause him to welcome the improvisation which he had just heard perhaps that was the way it had been of course that was the way it had been what a fool he had been not to understand der stand ile he cast his eyes repeatedly toward oward the house ile he managed ma ringed to make the job last over so that he could return in the afternoon ile he was not conscious of planning this but it was in some manner contrived for him by forces of his own with which he seemed to be operating cooperating co without his conscious will continually lie he glanced toward the house these glances lulu saw she was a woman of thirty four and dl DI and bobby were eighteen but lulu felt for them no adult indulgence she felt that sweetness of attention which we bestow beslow upon may robins she felt more she cut a fresh cake filled a plate called to dl DI ng take some out to that bobby larkin why dont you it was lulus way of participating it was her vicarious thrill after supper dwight and ina took their books and departed to the chautauqua circle to these meetings lulu never went the reason seemed to be flint she never went anywhere when they were gone lulu felt an instant liberation she turned aimlessly to the garden and dug round things with her finger and she thought about the brightness of that chautauqua scene to which ina and dwight had gone lulu luitt thought about such gatherings in somewhat the way that a futurist receives the subjects of his art forms not vague but heightened to intolerable definiteness acute color and always motion motion I 1 he straightened huhl he said in magnificent evasion as an integral part of the desirable but it n factor of all was that lulu herself was the participant not the onlooker the perfection of tier her dream was not impaired by any longing she had her dream as a saint tier lier sense of heaven lulle aulle her mother called you come colne out of that damp slie obeyed as she had obeyed that voice nil all her life but slie she took one last look down the dim street slie she had not known it but superimposed on tier her chautauqua thoughts had been tier her faint hope that it would be I 1 tonight e while she was in the gard garden en alone that finlan deacon would arrive r and she tied had or tier her wool cha chally alv tier lier coral beads her cameo pin she went into the lighted lining dining roon room was in bed dl DI was not there sirs mrs bett was in dwight herberts leather chair and slie she lolled at her ease it was strange to see tills this women woman usually so erect and tense now actu actually zilly lolling as it if lolling were the positive the vital and lier her ordinary rigidity a i of tier her in some corresponding orgy of 1 leisure e 1 R tire and liberation lulu rut pitt down donn with no needle anle ought to make over her denine sirs mrs bett belt comfortably began they talked of this de demised ased a mode ode recalled other de laines dear dear said sirs mrs bett 1 I had on a delaine when I 1 met your father fat lier she slie described it both women talked freely with animation they were individuals and alive to the two pallid beings accessory to tile alie deacons presence mrs bett ant and her daughter lulu now bore no relationship they emerged had opinions contradicted their eyes were bright toward nine mrs celt bett announced that she thought she should have a aluoch lunch this was debauchery she brought in bread and butter and a dish of 0 cold canned peas she was committing all the excesses that she knew offering opinions laughing enting it was to be seen that this worn wom an had an immense store of vitality perpetually submerged when she had bad eaten she grew sleepy rather cross at the last and inclined to hold bold up her sisters excellencies to euln and at lulus defense lifted an ancient weapon the use of finding fault with anle you been it if she married lulu said nothing what say bay I 1 mrs dett bett demanded shrilly she was enjoying it lulu said no more after a long lone time you always was jealous of anfe said bald mrs bett and went to her bed As soon as her mothers door had closed lulu took the lamp from its bracket stretching up her long body and her long arms until her skirt lifted to show her really slim and pretty feet lulus feet gave news of some other lulu but slightly incarnate perhaps so far incarnate only in her feet and tier her long hair slie she took the lamp to the parlor and stood before the photograph of fintan deacon and looked her till lill she did not admire the photograph but she wanted to look at it the house was still there was no possibility of interruption the occasion became sensation which she made no eff effort ort to quench she held a rendezvous with she knew not what in the early hours of the next nest afternoon with the sun shining across tile the threshold lulu was paring something at the kitchen table anble mrs bett belt was asleep 1 I dont blame you a bit mother lulu had said as her mother named the intention ina was asleep but ina always took oil off the curse by calling it her Is sl esta long 1 monona was playing with a neighbors child you heard their shrill yet lovely laughter laug as they obeyed the adult law that motion Is pleasure dl was not there A man came round the house and stood tying a puppy to the porch post A long shadow fell through the west doorway the puppy whined oh said this man 1 I mean to arrive at the back door but since im here lie ile lifted a suitcase to the porch entered and filled the kitchen its ina it he said im her sister said lulu and understood adert der stood d that he be was here at last well im berts brother said so I 1 can come in cant I 1 ile he did so turned round like a dog before his chair and sat down heavily forcing his fingers through heavy up springing brown hair oil oh yes said lulu ril ill call ina ashes asleep dont call her then said lets you anil and I 1 get acquainted ile he said it absently hardly I 1 looking 00 king at her f ill get the pup a drink it if you can spare me a basin lie he added lulu brought the basin and while he went to tile the dog she ran tiptoeing to the dining room china closet and brought a cutglass cut glass tumbler as heavy as ungainly as a stone crock this she filled with milk 1 I thought maybe said she and offered it thank you said finlan and drained it 1131 making okIng pies as I 1 live he observed and ami brought ills his chair nearer to tile table 1 I know ina had a s sister ister lie he went on 1 I remember now ilow bert said lie he had two of her relatives lulu and glanced at him pitifully ile he has bag she said its my illy mother and me but we do quite a good deal of the work ni ill bet et you do said ninian and did not perceive that anything had been violated your name he bethought she N was ns in III an lin immense tilene find and obscure excitement her manner was serene her hands as they went on oil with the peeling did not tre tremble tuble tier her replies were ere ghen with sufficient sum clent quiet but she ehe told III lalni her n name ame as one tells something of another and more remote creature she felt a as one may feel in catastrophe no sharp understanding but merely the sense that the tiling thing cannot po possibly sIbly be happening you folks expect rot me he went ment on oil oh yes she cried almost lib ith vehemence why weve looked fur for ion ou every day see he said ald how long have they been married inari led lulu flushed ss as she answered FI fifteen f years and nin into aynlen ay in what ar are a you anyway tto TO BE CONTINUED |
