Show I THE MAN FROM BRADYS II Lola Yes r The girl looked up from her letters I with a questioning lift oC her brows at i her brother Say Lola with a bad Imitation of an offhand manner 1 told you didnt I that Kirk Kenton was coming up for a day or two r i Lola dimpled joyously The football captain What your football captain How dellghtul We can have everything straightened out J by next week new paper and fresh can be done i curtains The spare room I The 1 I In redfol Stanford you know to s morrow 1 > K otherwise Pcllff Klrkpatrick Hushed uneasily under his sisters I smile I Lowell thc fact of Why you sec thc matter t t is I asked him hes coming com-ing up tonight Pells Kirkpatrlck r matter c He Lo it doesnt i r say I wont care He What do I care how lie feels 1 i Look at uslook at met She pointed l i j dramatically from the denuded walls to her denim apron You must stop j him Cant gloomily Hes on the way now the spare room i a rubbish heap and and your room only halfpapered the library lloor > to be shellacked la nfciucd Lola I and sou knew It all the time How could you do It P K how could yout I i Well Its done declared P K manlike hit HUB straight at tho vital lu sue lie doesnt have to sleep on the library floor nor yet on the bedroom walls Do the best you can and dont forget to plvc us something to eat What time does he get here demanded de-manded Lola as usual rising to the oc qusion Flve t wenl fIve hI believe 1 can get the curtains I upI I up-I only that man comes 1o finish the papering It wont be so perfectly dreadful dread-ful Charl1eoe i Tho side door opened and a Mongolian f r Mongo-lian face appeared the aperture What got for dinner Charley Fl pig monkey pie ti Lola wrinkled her nose c Pork chops and mince pie she tianskitcd Dreadful P K dont icrgct to order a steak Tie a Knot In i your pockethandkerchief Presently he heard her at the telephone tele-phone Yes Bradys Yes I want a pare It pa-re rer right away You must No ten a oclock wont dosend him over right 1SSayln P K grinned appreciatively aa he 1 strolled out upon the piazza Shes a v Inner he murmured and If Kenton Ken-ton doesnt think FO Its I one on him Lola left at home was far from being be-ing as courageous as her actions warranted war-ranted Kirk Kenton oC all menl she thought The correct and courtly Kirk as P K called him She had there was no use denying it she had wanted to make a favorable impression impres-sion and now Trrrlng i The paperhanger She rushed to the door to ilnd the bland smile oJ the Chinese vegetable peddler Bother Puthlc Oh Ruthie The curly head or her younger sister appeared over the banisters Ruth come down and make out the order And tell Charley Jo to sweep P Ks room never mind about the r spate And In a moment come and help mo with the diningroom curtains She disappeared and presently a fierce hammering issued from the dining room Clouds of dust blew out of the ser ondstory window where Charley Jo tlas vigorously sweeping The big old fashioned house habitually suggestive S oC homelike comfort and odorous off of-f the scent of garden flowers had an atmosphere at-mosphere of open doors and windows newlyscrubbed floors and uncarpeted stairs while the air was redolent oC I map and water carpenters paste and r shellac r Every vhere as Lola expressed It was a painful cleanness Even the I lawn had not escaped It was strewn I with mattresses and pillows They must be brought In before train time thought Lola aiming a vicious blow at thj last nail and driving it crooked Trrrlng This time It was the telephone tele-phone The paperer couldnt come be tore 12 oclock Lola groaned in spirit and extracted an oath to appear on the stroke of noon Then having little faith in papeiers promises she took the carpenters paste and mounted the short ladder In P Ks room r Mercy IL was little Ruth halting in the door with her arms full of clean fl ted linen Lola you cant do Unit It I Cant n demanded Lola breathless and pasty You cant tell where Bradys man left off and I began II This was not strictly true but In spite of a superabundance or paste on the papered surface she was making I a creditable job Youve paste In your hair and Charley Jo wants to know what to do Itt about the shellac remarked the practical I prac-tical younger sister Toll him to leave It alone gasped Lola struggling with a roll of paper o 1 We wont have time Just see that ho 1 1 nets the furniture back in the dining i room Tluthle and the piutuics hung In 11 12 the right places There goes 12 oclock Wheie io that papererV t Ruth discreetly retired At the door c Abe met Charley Jo Lit boy to see Miss Lola he announced II an-nounced The paperer cried Lola Joyously 1 < d Send him right up Hut hie 3h iO So Riithie obediently flew Lola looking over hcr shoulder a moment t mo-ment later beheld In the doorway a r slight figure In a coat streaked with ivhjte paint She thought she had I never seen such a diffidentlooking pa ilf pcrcr 1 + I thought you never would come j Fhe announced briskly backing off the l ladder 1 and piomptly handing him the Paste pot lIe looked ut her in bewilderment 3 bewil-derment A Stupl 1 commented Lola surviving him with disapproval HI believe 1 Brady has sent one of his Idiot apprenticeS appren-ticeS Alnwl 1Dld < Brady send you over here i Why cgI suppose so he admitted admit-ted jet more stupidly WU can you lo a Job of papering i > gleam of Intclllginrc dawned In his dr r Nye He looked at the wall he looked at Loin her denim apron her paste or r nnmonlx HiH Pinllu spread to his cars Well T guess ic thats what you si1 Want me for Fresh was Lola mental comment com-ment t Arc you sure you know how she Inquired coldly I Watch me declared the fresh d Papfrror and promptly 1 sled his coat I 01 You seem to know how she re mandrel approvingly after the first hair dozen strokes She was on the Point of depirlurc If I you would hold that t ran of paper tor InC he suggested I could get through much quicker give the paste more time to dry Very well 1 want It done as soon as possible Expecting folks Inquired the dlfll dent paperer cocking avery blue eye down at her Mr Klrkpatrick expects a friend by the afternoon train replied Lola with reserve Do you think you can work any faster Ill Just put it on In swoops replied the paperer and proceeded to do so with such rapidity that Lola found the paper roll lessoning swiftly under her lingers Really It is a good Job she said I patronizingly She and Bradys man were surveying the work oC their hands from the door lie looked at her smiled that wide and genial grin She resented the fact I that a paperers l apprentice should have such thick lashes and such a humorous twinkle in such very blue I eyes Sure Its good he said I My uncle brought me up to the I trade Papering was on the side though My trade Is painting and I again the twinkle red is my favorite I I I color I I Cancan you really paint 7 asked I I Lola hopefully Another job inquired Bradys nanWell Well the library floor has to he shellaced but perhaps we had better waitXoi Not a bit Lets do It up now he suggested joyously Lola hesitated She had of course Intended to help him but she did not approve of the matter of > course way In which he Included her In it But Bradys man was uhcady leading the way downstairs From the library windows Lola beheld a lawn still strewn with bedding Her forehead wrinkled leI told Charley Joe to bring that in an hour igoIll Ill bring It in announced Bradys man and in spite of 10 ilL 5 objections this he proceeded to do with an case which his slight figure belied You arc very strong commented Lola watching the trip of the last two mattresses I am pretty strong for my age the apprentice agreed So is the varnish varn-ish lie added opening the tin with a can opener Lola sniffed cautiously Its dreadful dread-ful she declared Well announced the apprentice dipping a brush if I can stand it I guess Mr Klrkpatrlcks friend will have to They were very much absorbed In that shellacing They didnt hear a door slam But they couldnt help hearing P Ks voice It reached them like a big fog horn through a thick odor of shellac Hullo Lola have you seen anything any-thing of hullo why who In the dev why KIRK What in time does this mean Bradys apprentice brush In hand had advanced with his wide smile and was shaking hands enthusiastically with P K When did I gtat here Lola heard him saying came up > on the morning train got Into the only cab Santa Rosa affords got bplllcd out of that Into a limekiln on the way over and looked so poor when I arrived that I got a job Instantly Tic waved his brush in Lolas direction Isnt it great He surveyed the floor with the pride of Napoleon Then suddenly smitten with fear say old man for heavens sake lot me clean up before your sister gets homeMy sister said the completely mystified P K There she Is now He pointed at the petrified Lola She Great Peter 1 thought she was the maid whispered Kirk Kenton Thereupon P K collapsed on the new varnish P K played a hard part at dinner As a genial host he was entirely Ignored Ig-nored Lola a Iroxen vision In white glancing out of the tail of leer eye at the silent oasefulmanneied fellow across the table wondered how she could have been so stupid l and Kirk Kenton watching the haughty little blond head across the lilacs did nothing but l mentally men-tally kick himself for being a fool After dinner he took P K by the arm and walked him up and down the lan aBut a-But how shall T ever explain it t how shall I ever make It up to her shell never forgive me Old man do you think she will Well said the chuckling P K she mistook you for a papercra apprentice ap-prentice As far as I can see you are quits Ask her and see He did but It took two months to get a satisfactory answer The Household House-hold I |