| Show Telegram Fiction I LOVE HON HONOR Ram AND i NEGLECT I B Bv By VIDA HURST BEGIN HERE TODAY Frances Sherman marries Bill Bond working hard and ambitious and determined that they must live on his salary without help from Frances Frances' wealthy father They are happy until Bills Bill's mother after an Illness comes to live with them and usurps Frances Frances' place as cook and housekeeper Frances elbowed out of any responsibility in her own apartment goes back to the tho Junior League clinic three afternoons a week to have something to occupy her time Mr r. r Sherman gives Frances a dog for or her birthday and Bills Bill's mother rebels at being nursemaid to a dog when Frances isn't home Bill working hard at the office In the absence of the manager wearily suggests to keep peace in his family fam- fam ly ily ily that a friend of the tho Bonds Estelle of whom Frances has had reason to be jealous keep the dog Frances bursts into tears Now go on with the story CHAPTER 2 24 Nobody Is going to give your dog dogo to o anyone Bill s said id staring with troubled eyes ees at the crumpled figure on the bed I suggested Estelle because I knew she would take good care of him If you ou have any other plan it will vill be okay with me Only I dont don't think its it's fair to mother or the dog either to try to keep him here Frances' Frances reply was muffled bythe the pillow Ill not give him up no matter what anyone thinks This Is my apartment as much as it is yours Oh Lord Im I'm not arguing that point Bill reminded her wearily Mr Vu Wu alarmed by her tears was barking at the side of the bed As she lifted him into her arms Bill turned abruptly and left the room Were both in disgrace Frances whispered but the puppy didn't seem to mind Her father would feel dreadful I If he knew the friction his gift had caused She didn't want to tell him but if she kept Wu she would have to take him with her wherever she went To do this without a car would present continual difficulties She might give him back to her parents but neither her mother nor Aunt Hetty was fond of dogs They would be good to him for her sake but he would be lonely in that big old house with no one to play with him She couldn't bear for anyone to have him who wouldn't love and appreciate him as much as she did Contempt Bill did not mention the subject the tho following day but she knew it would be an issue until something was done about it Mrs Bonds Bond's sniffs and snorts of disdain her lifted skirts and cries of aversion her sighs and not too subtle re remarks remarks remarks re- re marks only made more apparent the breach between them Until now hostilities had been silent For the sake of her son she had concealed the contempt she felt for tor his wife but she could do so no longer She talked steadily through tho the breakfast breakfast breakfast break break- fast she so jealously shared with him Its disgusting she said The Idea of wasting all that affection I on a a. dog What she needs Is a child I Belatedly he attempted to come cometo cometo cometo to Frances' Frances defense not much more than a achIld achild achild child herself he lie said in a low voice which did not carry to the bedroom Anyone who's old enough to be married is no child chUd his his mother contended She had to admit that her daugh daugh- ter-in-law ter looked almost young enough to pass for one as she went through the living room with Mr Wu Vu at her heels Clad In a sweater and skirt with low heeled shoes she looked very young She had telephoned telephoned telephoned tele tele- phoned for tho the car so that she could take Mr Wu home to her mother but when she reached the house she found an unfamiliar orchid-colored orchid coupe parked in the driveway As she entered the side door she could hear a girls girl's high pitched voice with her mothers mother's in the living room The voice was wa 1 vaguely familiar It wasn't Edith but it must be someone someone someone some some- one she knew Wu preceding her had bad rushed into the room Theres Frances now Sue-Marie Sue said A tall girl with bright blue eyes and platinum blonde hair rose from the davenport and ran into her arms Fran darling Surprise Booty Frances France cried delighted delighted- ly When did you get home I thought you jOU were In Hollywood Dont I look it Belinda Boot asked indicating her hair Darling Dar Dat ling its it's too divine to see you again Youve You've never written to me since you were married Im I'm simply dying to hear all about your husband He must be simply adorable Sue-Marie Sue explained Belinda just returned this morning Frances Fran Fran- ces and came over to find out where you lived Where did you get the ducky little dog Inquired Booty Id like to have one just like him for my new car Did you see it Fran Daddy gave it to me mo as a bribe if I would come home Isn't it divine It looks just like you Frances replied Do you mean what you said Booty About Mr 1 Wu I mean My dear I certainly did Think how simply ducky hed he'd be with willi my hair I J mean I adore dogs You know I always had one when J I Iwas Iwas was a 8 little girl and a a. Porn Pom like Ilke this Is exactly the kind Ive I've been looking for tor Frances lifted lilted the pup and dropped him In Belinda's canary colored colored col col- col- col ored lap Jap Take him darling Hes He's yours Not really Booty cried joy joy- fully But Frances her mother said your father tather just gave him to you Dont Don't you like Ilke him Gives Vu Wu Away I II adore him she cried speak speak- ing lightly to conceal tho fact that sho she was close to tears But we haven't room for him It hurt to see ECO Mr Wu transferring transferring transferring transfer transfer- ring his allegiance so quickly but Belinda's parents lived Jived on one of the largest old estates In town As her pet he would have every care No one would scold him or tell him he wasn't wanted Tm Im positively thrilled the tho other girl declared pressing her het pretty shallow faco against tho the dogs dog's white I fur Its sweet of at you to give him to me Fran You must come como to see him any time you feel teel homesick homesick homesick home home- sick darling Look what arc aro you doing today Why cant can't we have lunch together Frances was conscious that her mother was watching her hopefully Sue Marie had not cared for Belinda Belinda Be Be- linda in the old days when the girls were growing up together Although sh she was wa from ono one of ot Kansas City's Citta oldest families Belinda had always been shallow and dumb Unable to finish any of the various schools she had attended she had gone the fall before to spend the tho winter with her cousin in Hollywood Traces of ot this sojourn were obvious In her affected accent and sophisticated clothes clothe She looked years ears older than the slender sweater-clad sweater girl beside herbut her but Sue-Mario Sue wanted Frances to see more moro of her old friends If she lunched with Belinda she might be tempted to see others of the crowd she had deserted when sho she was mar mar- ride Frances France guessing what was in her mothers mother's mind remembered her birthday money and decided she might as well weli spend some of ot it Come Como homo home with me while I change my clothes she suggested The two girls entered the apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment chattering like magpies It was the first time Frances had In Introduced introduced introduced in- in any of her friends to her mother in Mrs Bonds Bond's dark bitter gaze gazo missed no single detail of the canary yellow costume From the wings of shining silver hair to the tho tips of her ridiculous high- high heeled shoes Belinda was scrutinized with a scathing disapproval which did not seem to register S Belinda said How do you do Mrs Bond 7 without dropping a stitch in her gaily colored conversational conversational conversational conver conver- knitting She Sho was talking about Hollywood My dear tho the things Ive I've done and tho the places Ive I've been Youve You've simply no Idea I may have been just a 9 o'clock girl when I went away but ho have I learned shrieked Booty Years ago Frances had learned to believe belleve no more than half halt of what Booty said But she realized that Mrs Bond would undoubtedly consider Belinda tho the sophisticated peon perron she pretended to be Ive oven even had a m movie actor in inlove inlove inlove love with me Booty declared Can you bear benr It And wait walt until I tell yov yot who it was He took me inc to the most fascinating places My dear he ic was divine Continued Monday 1 |
