Show os 1 E I i I SIS TIm Jim Fielding on one of the lost genera lion Uon who had left coll college ge in the depres depres- depression sion and Is unable to find a 8 job arrives s sat at Glendale to visit his friends the Mae lobe Mac had formerly been gar gar gar- d dener gardener ner nt at his late uncles uncle's estate tate and now works for T H 11 Vaughn oh of M Meadow adow brook Jim Is tired of being supported by hIs married d sister Kay While h he still sUll can marry Lenore an attractive dIvorcee who is in love with him and have an easy casy life lUe because of h her r wealth his mind r rebels bels Stopping l at the village drug store for a sandwich he meets Dolly a pretty soda fountain girl Wh When n nhe he inquires about the Vaughns she asks It he Is a friend of Ce lIy's She also entrusts a message to Tommy young youngson youngson son of the tho family and t tells him how to reach th the Vaughns Vaughn's estate Approaching the house Jim encounters a tomboyish little girl fIShing She Is startled and falls faUs In the brook He learns that sh she Is Susan Vaughn II lie discovers C coolly elly Is her older sister lie He s sees es Tommy a youth of cl eighteen who Imagines he Is In Inlove inlove love with Dolly The t tell Jim that Mr Vaughn Is r recovering from froma a nervous breakdown Mrs MacPherson suggests that Mae Mac give Jim II a job ns as handyman Jim Jim goes for a 8 walk to think It ov over r and picks up p a hors horse shoe a lovely young girl appears riding a hors horse Jim scolds her herh h when n he hese se sees th the animal has thrown a shoe Th There r Is an angry se scene n Jims Jim's Ire cools and he Is Intrigued d as 81 he thinks about h her r II He t fells Us th the h he wants to stay and assumes hIs du- du dulies du ties lies as handyman JI lie sees Dolly again Sh She explains that sh she has been s seeing ing Tommy but r regards gards him with amus amuse amuse- amusement m ment nt Wh n Cecily returns from a hous house house- party she asks him airily I l wonder how howlong long Jong you'll stay slay Jim acts as Mr Vaughns Vaughn's part lime secretary lie op opens ns a letter for Vaughn by mistake and andl l learns arns It Le a love Jove message to C Cecily from T Jeremy remy Clyde a 8 young oung a actor tor at a neighboring summer r th theater at r of whom her heE fath father r disapproves s Cecily accuses s TIm Jim of b being hired d to spy on her Jim comes upon SU Sue sobbing rebelliously after an encounter r with cecily Every Every- body Everybody Is helpless to Quell ouch her TIm Jim sooth soothes s h her r and sugg suggests clothes that will make her mor more f feminine minine and at- at attractive Jim writes Lenore Lenor seeking to avoid attending a hous party house parly to which sh she has invited d him ChAPTER PTER V Continued 8 Hey wait a minute Tommy detached himself from the fence fence- rail lie He walked over to the coupe You going to the village he asked Jim nodded Will you you- Tommy hesitated Can I trust you he asked sol sol sol- solemnly his expression strained and anxious under a drooping lock of hair Of course Jim assured him I I mean its it's pretty private the boy continued I I mean I wouldn't want it to get around U 11 you know what I mean You cm can rely on my discretion old man We Well 11 Tommy gl gulped ped and went on You know the girl that works in the store drug Dolly Well will you take her a letter from me Tommy drew from un un- un his jersey a somewhat crum crum- crumpled pled envelope I was just trying to decide whether to put it in the mail box or not he continued 1 should think a fellow would have havea a right to ask for hIs letters back But gosh I dont don't know what shell she'll do do- Jim drew his eyebrows down over his twinkling eyes I the matter he asked Have you and Dolly quarreled Tommy worried a loose bit of I gravel with the toe of isis his oxford Well D Dad d wouldn't let me mc use the Pierce after he got better Id I'd taken her out In it lots of times before and andI I guess she sort of got the Impression Impression sion that it belonged to me I haven't had any money to take take- her herout herout out with for about three weeks That's why I thought maybe Id I'd better get my letters back But what could she do Jim asked controlling his amusement with difficulty I She cOl could d do plenty Tommy hinted darkly She knows Dads Dad's go got jack But Tommy Tommy- Jim protested It happened to a fellow at school Tommy went on Ills His La- La father Lather ther had plenty of jack and the girl who worked in the store drug in the town where the school is sued him himIn fo In breach of promise and it got cot in inthe inthe the papers and cost his dad a lot lotof lotof of money But the fellow of whom youre you're speaking was well older than you are wasn't he I dont don't know what that makes Tommys Tommy's voice was n a little aggrieved Anyway it was the mess Pete VanHorn got into that got Dad all hot and bothered over Fay and me Fay Jim inquired Tommy for a moment forgot his anxiety in the pleasure of flaunting his previous conquests Fays an actress he said It was on ac ac- ac account count of her that I got cot fired from the school before this tilis last one I used to skip on Wednesdays and go to the matinees be add cd unaware that he be was Informing Jim of the juvenile nature ot of the entanglement She sent me her photograph with something written on It and the headmaster found It and told Dad Maybe youve you've seen her If Dolly does make a fuss he heI I continued swallowing nervously be all up with me Dad said saidU U if I ever got into another scrape hed he'd do something drastic leave m me here to work on the farm or send me to a military schooL I cant can't help It if women like me Tommy continued plaintively I mean I cant can't help It If they get ideas and start a fuss I suppose that Is difficult t to avoid Jim said Its fierce Im I'm different from most fellows I guess Int Im sort of Now Dolly Gosh Jim if Dad should find out Maybe you could talk to her he suggested hopefully Youve been to college Maybe you could I dont don't know about that Jim replied doubtfully You know how howit howit it is She probably wouldn't like me to interfere You could try anyway couldn't you I mean Im I'm pretty desperate Jim If Dad should find out Ill I'll run away Ill I'll join the navy and go goto goto to China or somewhere The boy was in earnest There was bravado in the threat hut but there was determination too Jim be- be came a little alarmed Dont go co yet he advised Id wait U if I were y you u Tommy looked up eagerly You mean you'll talk to her he asked Ill try Give me the letter The envelope changed hands swell of you Jim Tom Tom- Tommy Tommy my said the weight of anxiety lilt lift lilting lifting ing Gee I dont don't know how to thank you Better wait I may not sue sue- succeed Tommys Tommy's lifting spirits drooped again so Isa he said lie He sighed sentimentally She was fond of me I guess Poor little girl I certainly feel like a cad Well cheerio JimI He attempted a jaunty salute It did not quite come oil off Jim perceIved that the boy was really frightened Cheerio He returned the sa- sa salute salute lute The car moved slowly for for- forward ward Tommy wandered into the shadows at the side of the drive his shoulders hunched his attitude dispirited and forlorn Keep your our chin up Jim called encouraging encouraging- encouragingly ly We arent aren't licked yet old man Tommy made no reply The C lr car picked up speed As Jim drove through the gateway and along the road to the village he took with him hima a mental picture of Tommy moving lag ing dejectedly Into the shadows his shoulders hunched under the prep prep- school blazer Ridiculous young don don- key keyl Of all the preposterous ides ideas Tommy fancied himself as a dash dash- dashing ing Don Juan a man about town lie needed the discipline discipline pline of a military school lie He needed to be made to work on the farm lie He needed I He might have relieved the bOYs bOY's mind at once There was a practical cal reason though for keeping him himon himon on the rack Tommy had delivered a 1 weapon into his hands Hed He'd use it to extract a little industry from the youngster Tommy would work oft of his school conditions or hed he'd know the reason why lIe He had found a way to bring Tommy to time Jim accelerated the speed ot of the ear car The prospect of an evening with Dolly was stimulating They'd go to the garden beer he had discovered over near Cherry Hollow It would be fun to dance with Dolly tonight Tonight he would be himself again acain not the playboy Jim whom Lenore glorified and cherIshed not Jim the extra man at the Vaughns but the Jim he both regretted and approved the JIm who fc owed va Va- Va Vagrant grant impulses the Jim who could become agreeably sentimental over moonlight and The Blue Danube and dancing out doors In the soft summer night Hed He'd give Dolly the time of her life lile D Dee e dum Funny kid lie He liked her Good Lord Lord- LordA A car rushed past him speeding like a rocket under the arching tress lie He recognized the sound of the motor the fawn colored enam- enam enamel enamel el the long smooth lines of the open roadster It was Cecily's car with Cecily at the wheel driving some some- somewhere somewhere where alone A feeling of Irritation lion tion routed the melody of the song Little JIm thought grimly Shed She'd break her neck or be arrest arrest- arrested arrested ed Where was she going coing Whom was she going to meet Was she she- Nice evenIng Mister Dolly said settling herself herselt into the sons coupe A moon and every every- everything thIng Made to order Jim slipped in behind the wheeL I wired the weather man Nonsense A broad white road A summer nIght lavishly sprinkled with stars Jim recaptured the feel feel- feeling ing of gaiety hed he'd had earlier arlier In Inthe inthe the evening had and lost in the mo mo- mo moment ment that Cecily's roadster had shot past hIm through the village Dolly looked almost demure tonight in a white flannel coat and a white beret pull pulled d OVer her glinting curls The red sandals added a piquant touch Where are we going Dolly asked Have you been to Jim asked Whew The tion was a whistling sound of pleasure and surprise Is it that sort of place Jim asked Ive never been there in inthe Inthe the evening But Im I'm not wearIng my emer- emer emeralds aIds Dolly Doily objected Dont you want to go Oh yes lie He knew that she was pleased Excitement bubbled In her voice But But after a moment she said You needn't you know I mean its it's expensIve at Id I'd just as soon go somewhere else Maple Grove or Greenles or just ride Hush up Jim said pretending to be offended I told you this was an occasion I have a weeks week's wages in my pocket Fifteen dollars Lets Let's shoot the roll Okay Mister Excitement hub bubo bled again acain in her odd husky voIce Jim liked having her there be- be beside beside side him warm and friendly as un undemanding demanding as a kitten killen He was touched by her consideration If fifteen dollars would buy her a handsome evening certainly she should have it They left the highway presently and turned into the road that led through Cherry Hollow The bor bor- borough ough set in a wooded depression between gently rolling hills lay be- be before before fore them after a time In the moonlight It was charming a vii vil- village lago lage from Hans ChrIstian Ander Ander- Andersen sen a stage set for the Pied Piper of Hamelin The artfully quaint houses located apparently at ran ran- random dom among dogwoods and pines and wild cherry trees were Inhabited by artists more or less sue sue- writers musicians a Youve Got Me Mixed 1 Up With Sith Greta Garbo sprInkling of less gifted individuals who enjoyed living in an unconventional community A stream ran through the hollow crossed by bridges dammed here and there into pools rimmed with iris and splattered with lily pads This is a cute place isn't it Dolly remarked as the sons coupe followed a winding lane Crazy Jim replied The houses couldn't have been built ac- ac ac cording to an m architects architect's blueprints I think they sprang up like mush mush- mushrooms mushrooms rooms some morning after a heavy rain This road seems to end in a garden wall Where do we go from here They had some difficulty in find find- finding findIng ing their way out Eventually how how- however however ever after an interval of bumping along picturesque but rutty rully lanes they found the road they had lost This Is right Dolly said encouragingly Theres the theater over th there re The Cherry Hollow theater was located beside the stream In l is de- de depressIon at the end of the borough Jim had known of it before he came to Meadowbrook had passed It once or twIce riding about the country on his free afternoons Now as they approached the low stone playhouse he diminished the speed of the car The theater had hada a significance for him aside from Its history its location its distinctive tive reputation Cecily Jer- Jer Jeremy Jeremy emy Clyde was connected in some someway someway way with the company here Per Per- Perhaps haps Cecily was here tonight Per Per- Perhaps Perhaps haps that was where shed she'd been going when she sped past him through the village A performance was obviously In progress The windows were roe roe- rectangles tangles of light liCht A number of cars were parked at the side of the play play- playhouse house But the fawn colored road road- roadster ster was not there Going In Dolly asked amla amia- amia amiably bly Jim realized then that the MacS Mac coupe had been lag ing at a snails snair pace that in the moment Dolly spoke he had stalled the tho engine Sorry he be said a little littie Its Ils interesting Isn't It The car its motor purring again picked up speed on the open road Dolly told Jim of a show shed she'd seen once when she went to visit her aunt in New York She re- re recalled recalled called the comedians comedian's jokes and sang the hit number Dumber of the must must- musical cal score in her engaging voice The rhythm was perfect She re- re remembered remembered all of the words By the time had they reached Jim had lost the feeling of being a little out of sorts They drew up before the roadhouse singing In a jovial and discordant duet duet- Sing hallelujah hallelujah I ISing Sing hallelujah all the day dayl Jim parked the car and opened the door for Dolly The orchestra wore Bavarian cos- cos costumes costumes The drummer looked like Old King Cole in suspenders and bare pink knees es The dance floor in the garden was dimly lIghted and moonlight sifted down through the branches of lofty trees Dolly danced with spirIt and faultless rhythm the white beret pressed against Jims Jim's shoulder the red san san- daIs twinkling across the floor Her cheek pressed his shoulder der Her slim rounded body felt firm buoyant held lightly in his arms There was something about Dolly something piquant something moving moving ing They sat In a stall separated from other stalls by sapling screens covered with vines A bulb in a swinging lantern made a rosy pleas pleas- pleasant pleasant ant light Jim lifted his mug and smiled at Dolly across the ta- ta tablecloth checkered In blocks of red land and white Dolly glanced about the garden lr r eyes shining her cheeks naturally naturally ally pink under the film of rasp berry berry rouge People were coming In crowds smart looking people Jim observed his eyes following Dollys Dolly's dowagers and debutantes men with a ruddy country look and perfectly tailored clothes college boys and boys of Tommys Tommy's age Theres the Patton girl who's to be married soon she informed Jim Indicating a party just enter enter- entering entering ing the garden The redhead Jim asked not particularly interested No the dark one And that's the man she's going to marry They're friends of Ce of Miss Vaughns Vaughn's She's to be a |