| Show I CHI C KIE By Elenore in I Copyright by Elenore no Continued from yesterday S CHAPTER XVI Old a and d Young Not ot quite so jubilant not jubilant not julie qulie so thrilled with her own youth and Chickie walked down don the block bluck She gulped or twice She didn't have to take tak orders from J nthan He lie didn't own her Shed She'd tell him that Ob Oil yes And have him give her hera a tragic look as though the ehe were svere stepping on his They to la k advantage o e t h r r Icy's s I Jonathan and her moth mother r lid Sl Sho I knew it She could oute no morn st. up UI and nd 53 say y to them I Y earn NIn ny my own way Ill I'll do just as I 5 I than 11 she could strike I hem thun She he 1 any riny any e rather than d them abow a biow bow like this 1 i- i Just tire tiro same she vas v determined determined deter l mined milled rigidly on one thin she thing she would not turn her back i un n all the new pleasures that were now nosy opening open ing to her Oh she lad had wanted them far too long Sunday after arter Sunday when she had loafed around the house or orIs Is is- is Mary or gone to a movie with Jimmy how she had longed to be racing down the country in an automobile automobile au- au speeding of off on a joyous picnic to some beautifUl Often when sh she saw the machines machines- g- g thousands of ot them returning in the evening down Mission 1 street fruIt blo blossoms red pepper berries poppies poppies pop pop- pies ples waving rom the sides she sides she had lad stood still with eagerness She had thought glistening glistening- expectance Some day dar My y turn Soon Now it was come conic the bright new life Ufe She ran to meet t It ar ardently ardently ar- ar dently waiting for it to sweep upon her like a tide strong and beautiful ful alive with its own music Oh Oh- Oh she was young She had a right to todo todo todo do this Half way Vay up the garden walk she plucked a pink rose ran he her trembling trem trem- bling bUng fingers ove ove the soft leaves What was Jonathan going to say Would he Insult her Would he lay down some ridiculous laws She wondered nat is-nat Martha Blake would say to this Chickie had Lad a picture of her mind of the Blake mother It was 0 oX of a tall busted ample-busted woman woman woman-an an elemental elemental elemen elemen- tal figure carrying carrying- a baby on her hip hip always always a baby Cooking CookIng CookIng Cook- Cook Ing the dinner standing at the door to buy vegetables from a peddler the immortal Infant as Mary called It was vas always In evidence They were Marthas Martha's dren They overran her house from the time her own youngest Tommy Torn Tom my was in arms Martha was a perennial mother a great faithful tree taking no laurels to herself but doing her part with wise serene tolerance With her deep mind and her mellow mellow mellow mel mel- low heart she might have flashed her name brilliantly before the world But she had loved and mar mar- ried ned Seven children had come to her They were her compensations Sometimes Indeed seeing them dissatisfied her mind nagged her with disturbing questions After all had she the right to bring all these children here Suppose Suppose Suppose Sup Sup- pose they should be unhappy Suppose Suppose Suppose Sup Sup- pose they should s scorn orn the gift of life thrust upon them so audaciously audacious audacious- ly They often reminded her Iser that they Uey had not asked to come they told her very coolly that her wish for children was a purely selfish In In- In It It- did not merit gratitude from them Martha l agreed She found no answers for her problems She met them with a brave adventurous trust in the future Chickie loved Martha Blake She was such an easy pleasant person one one that you could accost carelessly carelessly care care- lessly like this Well what about It now now did did you OU honestly never kiss kissa a man In your life Ute except your husband husband husband hus hus- band Martha had never built up abo about t herself the mother legend She had never required that her children think her perfect so there was not I this unnatural chasm between her omnipotence and their humanity She cheerfully admitted herself Inthe in inthe inthe the wrong begged their pardon a ac accepted accepted ac- ac their censure In return they loved her without bounds sought her opinions quoted her as a prophet She was in the kitchen making huge platters of sandwiches These would be set on the dl dining room table for the Sunday influx of family fam tarn ily lly and friends Mary 1 was sitting on a low stool somewhat ungracefully sprawled Young Edward whom she had Just nursed lay on her knees bringing shy gentle sounds from his throat Hearing the faint cooing and evidently evidently evidently evi evi- dently surprised to find himself a amaker amakEr amaker maker of noise his eyes and his lips b became came fairly rapturous with smiles Mary listened as though some sorte beatific sympathy opened to her ears Do you think hes he's getting pretty Chickie Listen Listen that's that's a anew anew anew new w one Chickie knelt on the linoleum the little satiny fingers twined on her thumb When the baby after a prolonged gurgle gave her a startled startled star star- tied Inquiring look as though It said Raid Ha ha Did you get that I did It It she burst out laughing Hes going to look like Jimmy Mary Do you think so I think hes he's I III like e Edward I 1 want him to be like Edward Why Its nice for a son to follow In his fathers father's steps seized this eagerly She asked her first question Do you think that Mrs Irs Blake Do you believe believe believe be be- be- be lieve a father and mother should decide decide decide de de- de- de cide a childs child's whole life Just because because because be be- cause they happen to bring us here j I have they the right to tell us how now we should think and feel and act If Im I'm any example Chickie its it's the children that tell the parents where to head in Yes Maybe But you take Jonathan Jonathan Jonathan-he he thinks I ought to be bethe bethe bethe the very verv same kind of a girl mother was Stay at home night after night night be be perfectly content to work and eat and sleep and never see any of the exciting things at all He wouldn't ask me to wear a hoopskirt hoopskirt hoopskirt hoop- hoop skirt or a bustle but he expects meto meto me rae raeto to take all those old ideas and just transport myself to the last century Is that fair V Poor Jonathan Dont Don't you see Chickie that its it's only because he knows the old road was safe and led to a sure goal How can the poor man know where the paths a aIrl girl Irl takes today are going to twist They run blind through a wilder wilder- ness Whether theres there's a land of milk an anI l honey beyond ond no one yet may thay say j Oh Oh Oh were as bad as all that Not bad but bad but terribly uncertain Dont Don't be too hard on Jonathan But Just the same I think he ought to be satisfied with one life Ufe Why should he expect to live Uve two two his own and mine And anyway any I dont don't think so much of those old days No No Why Well Well well do you know that Jennie never kissed a man but Jonathan Jon Jon- athan and athan-and and not till she was engaged engaged engaged en en- and then only once in a awhile awhile awhile while Do you think theres there's any harm in a kiss V Martha 1 laughed Th Tn That t depends so much on who gives It and who takes it and whether Its It's returned and taken again You see a kiss has such a way of weaving Itself Into an endless chain I dont don't mean that kind I mean just one single kiss an extinct variety Chickie It went out of existence with the lavender and old lace of your mothers mother's mothers mother's mothers mother's moth moth- ers er's day The trouble with a kiss is this It I isn't mt a finality ut a prelude pre pre- lude A faint sweet note that ma may at any momen and unaware melt into Inlo the crash of terrific and sweepIng sweeping sweep sweep- ing lag music If you want vant to hear that all right But J If you dont don't why listen at all I r suppose then you'd sa say a girl ought nev never r at all to kiss anyone any anyonE anyone one Id say that but I know no girl woul would heed it it Martha looKed into Chickies Chickie's flushed eager er face Her own saddened a little So Id I'd say sar Instead theres there's no h rm at all In one I kiss unless It leads to two Theres There's not rot much harm in two unless they lead to three At t three three stop stop laughed and going over put her arm around Marthas Martha's ample waist Now that's settled I want to know something else Did you ever eer h hear ar of the Blessed Martha sweeping the gold hair from Crom Chickies Chickie's neck smiled Is la Istha thai tha what he called you Chickie She quoted softly U The blessed leaned out From the gold bar of heaven Her eyes eves were vere deeper than the depth Of water stilled at even She had three lilies In her hand And the stars in her hair were seven Dont you know that Chickie You must have studied It at school Now wait walt I used to o know It all Oh cried rapturously Cant you remember the rest To herself hersel came the he swift thought Poetry lIe He must be a highbrow Young Tommy Just then dashed through the kitchen grabbing a handful of sandwiches on the fI fly He was WM ordered to halt Would you mind Tomm Tommy dear dear dear- that old green book from my table Gee whiz Ma Feller cant can't come near this ho hoe se se without having to todo todo todo do something Gee whiz Before Martha could reach him he went flying up the stairs stairs- came back grinning giving h her r the book Her rich voice brought forth glowIng glowIng glowIng glow- glow Ing the pictures and the passions of the beautiful lines Chickie listened with a ripple In her heart She took the tattered old green volume L Lend nd It to me RosettI Rosetti- is he a very great poet Perhaps not very great for he didn't seem to know that beauty 16 Is only beautiful when Its heart la is truth But hes he's often very exquisite Read the ones that are marked Mary went down the garden walk with Chickie whispering excitedly I knew It Chickie You fell feU for him Hes He's wild about you Who Vho Oh who your eye eyer Jake Munson Munson Munson Mun- Mun son of course Chickie smiled sweetly No 0 Mary Iary old love not Jake Munson When Mary lary heard the new name and heard a little else she shook her head wisely What did I tell you settled down like me in less lese than thana a year I see it plain as day j I Like the deuce you deuce you do Ill I'll have havea a few years of freedom first Chickie meant it She felt as as though a wondrous gate were swinging wide inviting her Into some Joyous garden She meant to enter to loiter blithely along the happy paths As soon as she was on the sidewalk sidewalk sidewalk side side- walk she stopped short short short-a a sudden clutch at her heart A little roadster roadster roadster road road- ster was at her door He had come come come-alread without come already without phoning He was in the living room now Jonathan was talking to him She was half halt afraid to go Into the house CHAPTER To Kiss or Not Chickie opened the door softly half expecting some loud precipitate precipitate precipitate tate talk to rush against her ears Instead Jonathan Jonathan quite quite a Jovial hospitable Jonathan Jonathan was was coming down the hall hail He said pleasantly I was Just going for you Mr Dunne Duane Is here Kindly like that as gh Mr l. Dunne were were his lifelong lifelong life life- long friend Chickie standing on her toes pinches his mustache whispering smartly Well Smarty Yet she was so overjoyed and relieved to find no crude scene clashing in the living room that she became very magnificent and airy saying Why how do you lou do I expected a phone Then seeing Barry Dunne very snappy In gray tweeds and a glad look about him she ended gayly It wont won't take me a n minute to get ready ready gorgeous gorgeous day Isn't it I thought wed we'd take a run down the country We can have dinner later on when we get back Hows How's that with you Continued tomorrow |
