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Show Telegram Serial, 'The Handsome Road Mrs. Larne and Denis Talk Over His Approaching Marriage to Ann r- 'OditI May Up)ohm fives with bar petf family In JUtUatrap Squar. a atmalld aactton of Louisiana. Oom day aha maata tba rich Ana Shar ajnV. aod Intm of work for whit laivrara to to en awampa of ib LAana aetata. 8 ha parsuada bar law than to to that. After a month in the awampa thy di of fvr. Dfajruatad . with her poverty, con-travtad con-travtad with th maffnlflconoa of th Lama Bianaloo. wbar ah goaa for . ha broth re' tnsuranoa money, Oorrt MaV rafuaaa to marry Buda Poatar. Aim Sharamy, oUig out on morn-lnf morn-lnf to rid a, ae her father "a new rereeer, an underhrad aorthaTiieT named Oilday. Sh la so annoyed at th way ha look at bar that ah deaarminea to have him d lac he rod. fin final) ronenta to marry Dan Larne. Hie mother dJrsct th autumn au-tumn hoitaa rlaantng of the man-Horn man-Horn by bar ratinu of alaraa. beJ-mv beJ-mv her accoimia, and t ready to retanquuh to Ann her poaltloa aa Matraa of tha Larne aetata. CHAPTER 7 Ann Shenuny had com back from a Parisian finishlnff school wttfc mountain of clothe and n -noticeable Interest In anything ell, except the number of young men who could be gathered to admire ad-mire while she wore them. She mmmmmmmts, 14berh)ai n)thotj-piae sad be) a pretty flibbertigibbet with a fondness for champagne. Colonel SRtramy had met her while he waa on duty at army post In Savannah. Sa-vannah. And now Denis Lamo has become infatuated with Ann, though so far as Frances, his tnather, could see, Ann was a fool. JTut they were engaged. They wese going to be married right after the cotton season. Xoday Mrs. Lame walked up and; down her study, thinking of Asm as mistress of Ardelth with It-30 beautiful rooms and the order she had created there; she thought of Ann making straw out ot jienls' property and heaven know what out of Denis' glitter-in' glitter-in' life. Denis came out of his room across the hall. Sha heard him and turned toward the door of the study. 'Coming Inside the room he asked, "Are you busy, mother?" "Do, this can wait What Is Itr Denis closed the door. "I wanted to" lell you we've decided on December De-cember 6. Ann wants to go down to the gulf coast ItH be too cold to go north." Frances sat -down by the table and ruffled the pages of an account ac-count book. "Very well. How long do you expect to be swsy?" "About a month." "I don't suppose Jt's entered her head that a shorter honeymoon trip might be more In line with a planter's responsibilities." As she said it sha could have bitten her tongue, for Denis face darkened and he leaned nearer tier, resting one hand on the edge of the table. "Mother, I don't mean to be rude. But I've listened to about as much of that as I'm going to." "1 hope," Frances said quietly, "I've pever been discourteous, Denis." "You're so distant she can't help being aware of it, She's asked me more than once why you treat her aa if she had leprosy." The phrase sounded like Ann. Frances lifted her eyes and laid her hand over his. She made her-seif her-seif smile. "Denis, all my Ufa I've tried not to be a meddling mother, but sometimes things do get the better of me. Loving you as much as I do I'm afraid I want rrfy own Idea of happiness tor you, and it's hard sometimes to realize that It Isn't yours." "I understand," Denis returned, and ha smiled tolerantly. Then he grew serious again. "But there's something else 1'va got to say, and I may as well say it now." "Yes, Denis T" He answered without hesitation, but slowly, as If choosing his words with care. "I don't know why you shouldn't admire anybody as charming and sweet tempered as Ann. But since you do dislike her so much, it's hopeless to expect one house to hold you both in peace. If father were alive," Denis went on, "Ann and I could take a house In town. But as it Is I've got to be hers on the plantation." Frances stood up slowly, sending up a worldleaa prayer that she would be able to control her voice. She answered him steadily. "I understand, un-derstand, Denis." She looked straight at his clear gray eyes. "I wsnt to take Cynthia abroad anyway," she went on. "Her French accent needs Improving. We'll leave right after your wedding, wed-ding, and when we come back to America wa won't come back to Ardelth." He smiled at her again. "Mother, you have a great deal more sense than most people. Thank you vary much." "My dearest boy," said Frances. Sha took hia face between her hands. "God help me to let you live your own life In your own way. Run along to Silverwood, and tell Ann I sent any love." "You're rather a dear," said Denis. Ha bent and kissed her cheek. She heard him clatter down the staircase. Frances went to the mantel and began pulling ona of the dahlias to places. The petals feU on the hearth. A tear trickled down her cheek where Denis had klaaed her and splashed on the richly colored petals at her feet. Denis and Ann were married In the period of mist and quiet that came to tha plantations between the time of tha cotton picking and the time of grinding the cane. There were a hundred guests at the ceremony and 300 hundred others who came to offer congratulations congrat-ulations and speculate on the value of the wedding presents, while two trusted slave wandered with owl eyes about the parlors lest some Inebriated well wisher taka a spoon for a souvenir of this, the most brilliant wedding tha river country waa likely to sea for years. Half tha party plied Into car riages and rode after th bride's carriage to th wharf, where Denis and Ann were to take the boat down river to New Orleans. At the wharf Ann let Denis help her out of tha carriage and sha stood arranging her skirt around her and pulling her fur cloak closer about her throat A wagon rumbled rum-bled down with her trunks. Denis went over to apeak to his boy about their proper disposal and Ann stepped aside, nearer th gangplank and away from th chattering guests. Her hoops brushed th carpet bag of some lowly passenger waiting wait-ing for the crowd to thin so he could mount the gangplank. She glanced up, a word of apology on her lips, and saw that the man before her was her father's ex-oyerseer, ex-oyerseer, Gllday. Ann started back as she felt his rsising eyes creeping over her again, but behind her was a Una of negroes carrying her trunks to the boat and for th moment she was prisoned where she stood. Seeing See-ing that aha could not get away, Gilday took off his hat with a cool, deliberate movement and looked her over. Ann turned her eyes aside, toward tha river. "Howdy, ma'am," Gllday was saying greasily. "So you got married." mar-ried." His lips stretched In a sleek smile. "Quite a fancy wedding, I observe." Ann glanced Indignantly at the moving trunks. Oh, why didn't they hurry? If this creature touched her she was going to scream. But ha did not touch her. "Well, I'm going," said Gilday, mouthing his words slowly. "You got no reason to ba upset any mora about me. But too bad," he murmured, mur-mured, "I ahould Just happen to take your honeymoon boat, seeing as how you don't like me." "I'm not concerned about hew you travel," she said shortly. "No, ma'am, I expect not" Gllday Gll-day drawled. "But I been hoping to see you. They teU me it was you told your father and brother I should ought to be sent off their place." "Oh, b quiet r she cried through her teeth. The negro carrying the last of her trunks passed behind her and she rushed away from Gllday, Gll-day, up tha wharf to her friends. Ann tried to control her panting breath. "Where's Denis?" "Here," said Denis' voice. It had never sounded so welcome. Sh held his arm tight They ran together across the saloon and into their cabin. Denis banged th door behind hlra and slipped the catch. Ann laughed as she shook the rice off her bonnet Tossing the bonnet to on side, sh linked her arms around Denis' neck and looked up at him. "Denis, I do lov you so." He put his arms around her. "I lov you, too, darling." "I don't think I knew till this minute how much I loved you," said Ann. I'm so glad I'm married mar-ried to you!" Denis kissed her. In his embrace Ann felt as if she had withdrawn into a citadel. Tha slaves of Ardelth were curtsying curt-sying and singing on tha lawn when Ann came horn. Th whole dan of the Lames, headed by Dents' mother, stood on th gallery gal-lery to welcome her. - She went In, changed from her traveling drees Into a gown of checkered blue challls with white lawn collar and undersleevea, and a matron's cap of lawn and lace with blue ribbons, and aha presided pre-sided for tha first time over her own supper table. There were 20 guests, including her father and jerry and a confusing group of 'cousins of both families. Mrs. Larne, who was leaving for Europe tomorrow ("God bo praised," Ann at th far end, at Denis' right hand, but Cynthia sat next to Ann, adoring. As tha ladle rose to leave Mrs. Larne came down th length of th table and proffered Ann her keys. Ann said, "Thank you," and kissed her forehead. Denis' unci roe to give another toast to th bride. Ann waited, thanked them, and slipped the key chain around her girdle. To be continued Saturday. |