Show rublE THE rHE HOPE CHEST By MARK LEE LUTHER CoL Ittle Drown UH A L- L CHAPTER 8 The Tho servant went deftly to and fro for an Interval Inter and d finally at a sign from tho the head of ot tho the table Uble left them alone Mr Ballantine expelled a a. deep breath of relief and tossed his ne newspaper newspaper news news- s 's paper to the floor So far so good he ho said ald Ive Ie been through h them all New all New York and t Philadelphia Phil Phil- adelphia both both And and there hero Isn't a a. line about It IL Now If tho the Jersey Jorsey Journalists journalists Jour jour- dont don't get tho the scorn scent everything will bo be as right as ns rain I hope so said Sheila Dont hope hope believe believe he char charged ed sharp sharply I the only way Y to get anywhere But nut you know that You I couldn't have worked a. a year eAr In a n. B D II shop without le learning It It You Tou found that the goods you ou had the strongest belief In were the tho goods you sold Old easiest Well its it's tho the same with this proposition Youve You've got to be behove believe bo- bo lieve hove In It Youve You've got to make Tom Torn believe In it It you done dona that she he asked No he admitted frankly Last night I 1 didn't quito quite practice what I preach That's why Im I'm ask asking InS InS' your our help today I count on you ou to send Tom away in the right frame of mind mind mind- ready to eat work keen to show the stuff that's In him bound to suc sue I I must see Bee him alone she Of course couro Shall ShaH I 1 wait walt here hero No he breakfasted long ago aso Ill I'll send him to the In about haltan halt half haltan i an hour You wont won't be disturbed there Nobody reads In this family I 1 cant can't tako take the time and the others other's wont After Arter this confidence he ho lapsed into silence tin tilt she had finished when he be helit helit lit an unmistakably bad cigar and asIr as a's asIf asif If Ir taking It for granted that she sho was now at home abruptly quitted quilted her so so so- clety Braced by the tho superlative hash Sheila Shona mounted the grand staircase without a tremor By daylight the library was less for for- bidding Tho The sun Bun warmed Its Us somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- what somber beams and shelving and cheerily picked out the gold gold- of ot tho the bindings Sheila skimmed a few tew ol of the tho trim ranks In red morocco but Works of seemed the prevailing title and nd she decided that the Indifferent family knew very well what they hey were about A terrestrial globe of bt heroic dimensions struck her bel land fancy however and she turned It with genuine Interest Interest interest Inter Inter- est till Ull Tom slammed a solid door be behind behind behind be- be hind him and put an end to her travels trav trav- els cis What are arc you doing ho de de- de- de Improving my mind she he said eald Good morning dear He stood by the door regarding her herS S sternly yI y I believe you were wore Just spinning It Itlo to lo see it go ho he averred Well Vell what of It She Sho went smiling emil smil ing to meet him Its bett better r than thon moping over what cant can't be helped Arent Aren't you ou going to kiss me His look Implied that his mood was too austere for kisses but Sheila Siella put her lips III's within an Inch of his and he he- heteU fell teU to her plane without tedious delay elay Ito Ivo had a horrible night he said presently Poor Tom she sighed you sleep I With father Cather talking his head off oUt Was V s he Till all hours And even than I 1 couldn't get et a wink I Just thought and thought But Dut you slept I 1 can con tell It by your eyes t a Not till tin very In late te I dont don't see how you OU could sleep at nil all But you dont don't take this as seriously serl- serl as I do 10 You dont don't appreciate what It means Why Sheila I can cantin tin only see you once In a n while while like like this as If we were merely engaged Sheila brushed back his Indignant x I I Oh well she returned wo we wo t thail hail a real engagement yet you know I Her hu husbands husband's bands band's expression grew rew tense Buts Duls Its It's Infamous ho he exclaimed I We e might as well wen not bo married I j She Sho let her hand fall fan and drew back backa a a trifle I We Va Know wo are Tom Torn That makes I all tho the difference In tho the world I I I Does It It Docs Does It Sl Of course Dont Don't wo we bel belong ng to each I other Legally His gaze hardened And we can write she added I Your father wont won't object to that Yo You I S must send lIend me veal real love Jove letters f Ill I'll look for tor one ono Torn Torn- every day And IlL answer every day You'll find out bo much I care for tor you ou boy nel 1 Tm Im finding out now he burst bunt f bitterly This cold-blooded cold Jl forth plan n o ot fathers father's suits you exactly It win wUl t-t t all the same ame to you If It we never each other between see e now an ana JUn TI Touro Youre going to have a a. lot of clothes and attend a fashionable I and It has turned your our head You T switched over or to fathers father's side the i ute ho mentioned It it How can you be so 80 unjust vJ cried I 1 hate hato the tho I thought or of 11 j school again at again at 1 least to that Wk kind t ta ou a school Id I'd a IL thousand times raf earn my ray own living till Ull youre you're college But Dut Im I'm not a fool tool I koi that I need a a. better education and rs ri going to get gat It for tor your sake I dos doot want you ever to feel teel a ashamed ot of t Tom And I 1 haven't taken sides Ide g you Your fathers father's side aide U Is your side lids If you could only see St It It Ho stared as If Sf he had er ji strange new subtleties In the mind and then like the downright nth nu ho he was came charging back baek to th primal Issue You couldn't split hairs that wy r If It were ere truly in l you love love- he declared You wouldn't hunt for reasons a and d excuses You'd simply want to toto 10 om to me as ag I want you to come not come not n ne June but now I Her mouth trembled piteously ani with a ft childlike gesture she put ot cot oad her hor hands to him Cant you you you-oh oh cant can't you see T Tear that I adore you that it breaks m my heart to say goodbye even for a Unit while Dont Don't make It harder for ra n 1 than It In is already I 1 dont don't know ho hoi hol Im I'm going to live 11 without you I 1 shant shan't have a happy moment after you OU r go I I-I I I shall shan count th tho days till we we- ti ej cia be together for always He swooped upon h her hr r fiercely pe pd There wont won't be any days to coa coun connS he asserted I 1 wont won't give you Up upi Youre hurtin me she gai Cup gasped when she could I r dont don't care Youve You've hurt me II She struggled against him hsI afraid and then ceased to struggle H H- H had become an embodied she a a. leaf leat In the gale There ho he ejaculated releasing h b Well have no more nonsense n h Sheila Shena rubbed her bruised lips 4 Youve You acted like a a. bully bulb she st till U angrily I wont won't let Jet maul me meU Ilk me like like that Dont t tantalize me then i h warned And get your our bag r ru Well We'll dig out of here at once No we wont won't sh she replied Wet Wt t agreed to do as your father wishes You did tho the agreeing But Dul the re res ml so say-so Is mine So pack your thing No I But youve you've got to do as I 1 tell yo OU now Its It's your our duty as my wife I INot Not If youre you're In the wrong An And yuu you are aro You'll look at differently In a d day dor or two Y Yi I realize that your father tather 1 Is right Father Is a damned fool tool Tom Tom TomI she rebuked What If ihs he I ht heard ard you i Oh he doe doesn't nt mind said Bald a a. toler ant voice from tho the door often often felt fel that way about m my father before I CU cut cuU L teeth Son Just tim my eye eo youve you've 1 to make mako your train comfortably I Tom Torn glared from one to the othet otheal e l cut my eye cye teeth sure I ho he said bitterly Between you 10 I I 1 haven't an Illusion left You'd be i kinder to a n dog V The girl gave a little mU moan of pu pal puIt pa paIt I It Isn't true she prot protested It Is true He rounded round d on en her cold fury tury Youre as hard as he Youre You're for tor No 1 every Um time fro Im T ai I meal ticket that's all aU You sho show your OUr true color as soon an JUt you ou got sot l r hooked You wouldn't go co away mo as any other wife would woul 10 I bamboozled me Into coming back he e so 80 that you could fix things with h hAnd And ADd now no youre you're knuckling In to he demands demanda And you QU ha I the cheek to pretend that youre you're I It for m my saCe But you cant can't pu pulU th the wool over my my eyes any longer loner You married me for what you could get out of or me Just as you'd have ha mat I ned ried him If IC you'd had the tho chance chances I Ills His father strode across the tho roo rOotS and clutched him by tho the collar colin Eat Hat your words you cub he com cost Apologize to your wife a i Oh Oh no no pl pleaded Sheila Shena I at the turn of affairs lIe He doesn I tnt mean an It It-he It he cant can't mean n It It f Roger Ballantine tightened U ned his ho 4 Apologize he ho repeated But Rut Tom chalky white whit wrench himself with a defiant oath th from tI shameful p pillory or rushed to the theand di and without a backward glance Ilance 1 tragically from their view To be continued |