Show U S Ar pocket The right and wrong of planting tulips T Telegram Serial S Old Home Week Flossie Smathers Arrives S To See How the Bensons S Are Taking Excitement By MINNIE HITE MOODY SYNOPSIS During Old Home week In fn Prairie Prairie- yule Hiram Benton finds himself on the brink of financial failure His family consists of his wife Anale Annie Annie An An- nie ale his daughter Josepha Interested Interested interested Inter Inter- ested in Vic Vie Rafferty whose airplane is one of the attractions at the grounds H Hiram ram Jr infatuated with the tightrope dancer young Jackie and year old Great Grand mother Johnson Among old residents residents residents resi resi- dents who return for the festivities is Avalon Hayes guest of Flossie Smathers Avalon meets Hiram Benton Benton Benton Ben- Ben ton Sr St to whom she was once en engaged engaged engaged en- en and they spend the evening together At the same time Willard Ames Annies Annie's old beau now beau now a successful successful suc sue motion picture producer producer re re returns turns and asks Annie to marry him CHAPTER FOURTEEN Flossie Smathers was not what could be called a close friend of ol Annie Bentons Benton's but everybody knew everybody else in Prairie Prairie- yule ville Besides living in sight of ofa a person was as good as a right to know some of ol her business From Plum street to Cedar street was no m more o 0 r e than a astone's astone's astone's stones stone's throw and then of course there was the little walk walkup walkup walkup up the street Flossie puffed pulled a trifle from it But Annie Benton Benton Benton Ben- Ben ton was at home The minute Flossie started up the neat cin cm- cinder cinder cin- cin der path from the driveway to the kitchen door she sue could hear Annies Annie's voice and from the tone of ol it she was not addressing Hiram Hello Flossie Flossie had lifted her full percale skirts and mou mounted ted to the porch before the screen door Hello Annie And my sakes good morning Grandma John John- son You certainly look spry I come over to see how you folks was getting along in Old Home Week was one of ol total guilelessness Theres not much change from day to today today today day that I see They keep me mein mein mein in too close treat close treat me like a apiece apiece apiece piece of ol cracked glass Flossie had seated herself hersell by bythe bythe bythe the table and propped an elbow on it it watching Annie Seems like Junior ought to get his rest nights now all right Smathers was telling me Mis' Mis Hutchinson and Virginias Virginia's gone up to Chicago Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago to pay a little visit I cant can't understand it Vira It-Vira Vira never even called me up It sure is a funny time right in the middle of Old H Home 0 in me e Week Who's Junior taking to the block dance this evening I r dont don't know Annie admitted admitted ad ad- weakly Flossie beamed I didn't plan to come visiting this time of day she said Ive got company company com corn pany Avalon Hayes from New NewYork York York York-she's she's a friend of ol mine I Iguess Iguess Iguess guess you must not have met living so far from town way back in those days WelT Well she takes the most walks looks like she's going for a walk the min min- present to Sissy too Sissy too thin to be decent but its it's got a train to it it feel like Joan Craw Craw- ford What I started to say was I dont don't believe Avalon's wel well She lays down all an the time she's home and when I dusted in there this morning after shed she'd started out to walk I just happened happened happened hap hap- to see in that traveling bag of ol hers and it was half full fun of ol medicine Yes sir So I come over this way ay thinking I might see some sign of her T Jat at sun is so hot And she ought to be in the shade Looks like somebody's got to look out for her and be responsible for her a grown woman isn't she Grandma said from behind closed eyelids Hiram Junior stood in the dining dining din din- ing lag room sleep still heavy on his lean young young face He glanced doubtfully at Grandma Mother Im I'm going down town There was no signal of protest protest protest pro pro- test on Samantha Johnsons Johnson's face Must have forgotten all about those orchids and the telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone call can to Chicago the boy thought She hadn't cheeped once on her way home from the Wash Adams place Still StIn he hadn't been certain of her be behavior behavior behavior be- be havior this morning Grandma was the never person he felt like trusting entirely Dont you want some breakfast breakfast break S fast Annie asked automatic automatic- ally No thanks See you ou later Ive got to go too Flossie said I declare Im I'm that worried worried wor wor- ried ned about Avalon Frail as she looks she might take a stroke walking around in the sun that way She gave Annie a searching searching searching search search- ing look Well WeH good Think you'll get to the block dance nute flute I get set down ready to chat for a minute about days gone by and what's going on n now But I dont don't care mind you you you- she's sweet as a rose to have have in in inthe inthe the house and dont don't make what work I thought and give me the prettiest chiffon kimono for a aThe aThe aThe The rocking-chair rocking was moving gently but Grandma Johnson had every appearance of an old lady in deep sleep Annie motioned motioned motioned mo mo- in her direction I r dont don't i know she said Hiram and I c chad had talked some of it it Aunt Kitty Burton was swe sweep sweep- p- p Con Continued tinned on the Following Page Fage It Must Be Serial Senal Just dust Gossip Continued From Preceding Pace ing her porch when Flossie flounced around the corner on n her way home She came out to the sidewalk and rested on her broom Did you rou get a chance to sort sort of ask I hinted good and plain There aint nothing to it Annie and HIIs HIis Hi Hiis is all right and Avalon's all right It just wasn't them Whoever Whoever Who Who- ever er thought they saw Hi and Avalon coming u up out of Millers Miller's park is just m making scandal Once more Flossie essayed the perspiring task of setting herself herselt in motion I got to get dinner she said reluctantly See you tonight at the block dance You and Nettle Nettie If It you dont don't stay away from this plane Ill I'll Ill I'll-I'll Ill I'll switch you Vic Vie Rafferty said Jackie fell back astounded When the fire flashed out of his eyes that way the flier meant it Ja Jackie kle hadnot had hadnot not stayed close beside him two days for nothing But something had happened to everybody Inthe in inthe n the world People were cross Old Home Week had made them cross Even the girl in the little gold pants had worn a cross look last night so that down under the rope where Jackie had pressed you could t tell for sure that she was mad at t the fellows with muscles and they were mad at ather ather her too and running up the narrow ladder one time the fellow fellow fel leI low named Paul had pinched her You could see his fingers reach out and do it And her face had got tight looking and in a minute minute min min- ute when she stepped out on the rope there was a tear rolling down her cheek except that she was smiling then too out into all the the faces that crowded in front of her Only Jackie down underneath had seen the tears he kept thinking she was was' going to fall The ground crew was better though They didn't all start waving their arms and doing the wrong thing this morning when the flIer filer yelled at them Stand back stand back Let em out let em in n Jackie was careful to stand well away after what Vie Vic had said to him But Vic Vie had scarcely noticed The sun was so bright the sky was so blue the very spirit of at Old Home Week had seemingly come to rest under the deceptive red paint that covered the crates crate's familiar orneriness And it was just as well It wasn't much fun up there over the housetops hearing that cough and sputter and worse noises still gruesome small sounds the passenger never noticed above the roar of the wind sounds that never counted in an inspection Old Inspection Old Man Death cracking his knuckles that was what Don had called them Come on folks Everybody come on A penny a pound in the big all airplane airplane all under twenty pounds and over four hundred ride free Buy your tickets here From a safe distance where he stood with Tommy Budge Jackie saw Hiram Junior stalk into the dusty circle near the scales Jackie forgot his troubles Hey Tommy theres there's Hi Hl Lets Let's go over with him Nobody could spank him with Hiram Junior around That fellow had just better dare Hi Iii Here The small boys edged nearer yipping shrilly Hi ill Hi HI Hi lii And out of the crowd that pretty lady moved close beside Hi too and pressed something into his head bead and silenced his protests just by looking into his face while her lips said very cry softly gOmy I 1 cannot go up but I wish you would give me the pleasure of a ride by proxy proxy Hiram Junior weighed exactly one hundred and seventy-eight seventy pounds Rounds There was change bills and silver sliver and the ladys lady's little smile made him put it in his pocket Everything happened so fast nobody had noticed nobody but Jackie He He danced around his brother The crowd moved up nearer the plane away from the scales swallowing the pretty lady Hiram Junior gripped Jackie by the damp collar of his cotton- cotton mesh shirt You keep your mouth shut about this or Ill I'll smack you down Then he ran to the plane accepted the helmet that was offered him and swung his long legs over the high red side exactly exactly exactly ex ex- ex- ex like a movie star To Be Continued Wednesday t r |