Show Prudence's Daughter CHAPTER Continued IV IV Continued 12 1 12 Jerrold laughed but sobered quickly If It If then It had not been financial need which brought this city youth to the Middle West West West-It It was wasa a matter far tar more serious His heart beart sank within him He thought of ot Prudence and her bel happiness happi happl ness In having Jerry with her ber Ill call her bel up up he ho volunteered And when he had his daughter on the wire he said cheerfully Oh by the way Jerry I have ayoung a ayoung ayoung young man from New York here looking lookIng lookIng look- look letter from you as n a Ing for a Job job letter recommendation Jerrold waited He TIe waited until he I realized tint his daughter had nothing I to say on the subject Well Nell what shall shaU I do with him Shall I bring him up to the house And then suddenly there came such sucha a torrent of tumultuous words over the wire as caused Jerrold to gasp with dismay y while confusion and consternation con on spread over his kindly face Presently a sharp click on the wire wire- informed him that the conversation was at an an end He Ile hung up the re re- There was a deepening anxiety In his face as he said My daughter says says says- Do you yon on want to know what my ray daughter says Very much I am pained to report that my daughter says If I bring you near the house shell she'll shut the thedoor door on both ofas of ot ofus us as that you came here for a Job and I Iam Iam Iam am to give you a Job and the harder you have to to work worle the better It will be beTor for Tor you but that personally she hasn't the slightest Interest In you or In what becomes of you as long as you keep out of her sight W Well Nell ll Ill I'll be d d-d d d said Duane Duane and could say no more Both of ot us corroborated Jerrys Jerry's I father gently gentl This turn of affairs burdened Jerrold Jerrold Jerrold Jer Jer- rold with the entire responsibility forthe for forthe Jh the young man He did not like Uke It He didn't know what to do with him He wished Jerry might have been more communicative about her bel Impulses before before before be be- fore she yielded to them He thought she might at least have bave discussed the affairs of the Harmer Hanner Motor company with Its official head bend before she involved Involved Involved In In- the establishment In foreign complications of such portentous mag mob Do you like the Middle West Nest he asked weakly remembering his duties as host although ho felt very much as asIf asIt If It f he be had suddenly become the troubled troubled troubled trou trou- bled owner of a white elephant placed In his Christmas stocking g by some misguided mis- mis guided well WE'll 0 Never saw it it said Duane Allerton And nd then suddenly feeling that perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps some slight explanation was was' due this plainly harassed father he wenton went wenton on You see Mr Harmer I tried towell to towell towell well well flirt a little with little with your daughter daughter daugh daugh- ter In New York York And she didn't like It It Oh didn't didn't she shei Jerrold was sur sur- He lie shot a quick look at the young man He was ver very good to look at even to to perturbed and troubled Jerrold He was Inclined to doubt the sincerity of his d daughters daughter's dislike But she does flirt Duane went on positively Everybody said so And besides I saw her myself But But she seemed to Ito tingle me out for her re re- For no good reason as far faras far faras faras as I could make outWait out Wait Walt a minute Ill I'll call can her up again and tell her she cant can't do these things Jerrold spoke quite sternly But when he got the the number It was Prudence's voice that that answered She said that Jerry had gone wildly away in the Baby and didn't know when she would come home and if It her father father fa fa- ther brought any strange young oung men around the house shed she'd never be home See here said Jerrold sharply glad It was Prudence with whom hom It was much easier to be stern than with Imperturbable Jerry You should have told me about this Prudence professed her complete end and absolute ignorance of It ft at which her husband felt somewhat better It was always a source of grievance e to him when Prudence knew things first He began to feel quite gratified because because because be be- cause he had been selected select d for the br brunt nt of ot the burden Oh It must have been a a 1 shock to you he said sympathetically Not a bit I knew there was a manIn manin man manIn In It somewhere How did you know that Did she tell you you you- She told me nothing I knew by the way she sloe looked Well what shall I do with him I J dont don't know what to do with wIth- him I r I dont don't think he lie knows knows' how to work work work- and he ire doesn't want to to work anyhow What hat shall I IIII II I I- I III dont don't know said Prudence cleverly clev clev- erly What do y you u think I When Prudence said suld that both hoth Jerrold Jerrold Jerrold Jer Jer- rold and T Terry Jerry erry step stepped ped warily afraid of blundering It It w Mas as Prudence's way of ot getting herself out of a n tight place With those few words she could shift the entire responsibility for any matter matter mat matter mat mat- ter in the cosmic universe and lay all consequential blame on other stronger shoulders Jerrold Jen old hun hung up the receiver am nn faced the White Elephant grimly The White Elephant it must be admitted s seemed not In n the least leas disturbed rather pleased In fact as though like Prudence he washed his hands of the entire affair and left himself to Jerrolds Jerrold's Jer Jer- J Jerrold's Jerrolds r- r rold's raids disposal sal And then like a n rare flash of Inspiration tion Jerrold saw a way WRY out He Mcd oled t quickly on p a piece of ot paper By ETI ETHEL JEL HUESTON ON 1 Merrill Bobba-Merrill Co Copyright by the Service I III tell teU you what what he be said triumphantly tri trl- gone out ont In the car Jerry Jerry I mean You Yon go up to the house and see Prudence Shell She'll tell you what to do It seems you are expected expected expected ex ex- to take a position and go to work for tor me Come In tomorrow If It you ou think you can stand It If t and well we'll wellsee wellsee up But the i see what we can scare up first thing for you to to do Is to go right up there as as' fast as you can and see Prudence Jerrold sent a boy from the shop to take him to the house In one of the cars and Duane found himself stand- stand ng agon on the wide veranda of the great house shadowy beneath great branching maples with leaves faintly turning to gold at the edges edges' before he realized that he had no Idea under heaven hea as to whom he hp had come there ro see See Prudence Jerrold errold bad had told him with vast relief In love Jove like Plu Prudence ence Jerry had aid on nn that memorable night In Carter Cartel Carter Car Car- ter tel Blakes Blake's kitchen Good Lord I 1 I he thought In tion ton Am I to blurt It out like that Lead me to Prud Prudence nce For what or whomever she be whether sister sister sister sis sis- sis sis- ter companion or friend he be had no slightest Idea I In another J Instant stant he be would have bolted for fro dom from this embarrassing embarrassing embarrassing embar embar- rassing pred cament but the door opened In th the face of his dismay and Katies Katie's sober placid confronted confront confront- ed him uh Er he stammered nervously and then he bravely with that winning smile mile which never yet had failed to blaze a trail for him It sounds rather a fools fool's errand I 1 know he said pleasantly but Mr Harmer sent me up and told me t to tb see Pru Pru- dence I CHAPTER V Jerrys Jerry's Mother Duanes Duane's plaintive announcement at atthe atthe atthe the hospitable door of ot the Harmer home found echo In a soft peal of sympathetic sympathetic sympathetic sym sym- pathetic laughter from within and she came herself hersel to receive him Prudence both hands outstretched In welcome Im Prudence she said I III am Jerrys Jerry's mother Come right In wont won't you ou It was Just like my husband to sen send you to me In some such crazy fashion fashion II Duane felt a a pleasant curious quiet I come over him as he looked at her Prudence 1 I Jerry had thought It was fa falling In love like lIke Prudence Jerrold had sent him In triumph to to-Pruden to Prudence e. e Tills This was Prudence In spite of the extreme slenderness of her figure in spite of the e delicate pallor of her ber cr creamy amy skin and the faint suggestion on of ot silver In the soft brown ba hair r there was nothing of frailty about her bel rather a sort of youthful undying buoyancy Duane loved the humorous droop of her sensitive lips the humorous light of Interest In her bright eyes Prudence laughed h holding bl his hand companionably In hers bers as she she drew v him Into the wide lovely room where she motioned him lightly to an easy chair and then tucked herself herselt cozily Into one corner of another far to too wide side for her leaning comfortably over I I 2 F I I II N Nw I w t You Go Up to the House and See Prudence the upholstered arm In his direction She could have bave wept aloud over him and yet et she m liked ed him Prudence with the rigid training of pf her Methodist ancestry ancestry an an- estry still stoutly affirmed that she never took a dislike to any human being being being be be- ing that she was positively cly without personal aversion But when she liked It was with a n quick unerring Instinct which had never betrayed her trust She rejoiced that she felt this liking for the unfortunate young knight errant errant errant er er- rant who had come to the Middle W West Nest st on such an absurd boyish quest Jerry might fool her ber father might amaze and bewilder even one as skeptical skeptical as Duane but Prudence saw through every little flaw in her armor saw what lay beneath her stubborn resistance resIstance resistance re re- and her eager Impulse both did from the same springing as they emotion apologizing for tor her ber herer She found herself excuse You must really daughter er she seems a little If sometimes Jerry strong-headed strong her willed self almost she cant can't Imagine where father tather says I easy backbone Im I'm very much got about so so muc everything and her ber father to is towar who tries hands of anyone wax In the war terrible terrible terrible ter ter- but Jerry has a wheedle him to mind once she gets it made up Dunne found himself thinking less lessof lessof ss than of Prudence rather thinking of Jerry through Prudence to Jerry jerry again agnin His Hs Impression of that lovely woman had to t though willful young transformation now undergo a swift that he be saw Prudence She explained had bad not understood bed be be- everything he d nt fore He found her a rational rational u C Ing ng for the moods of a maddening m maiden Prudence did not ask questions She Just lust talked laughing with ith him at NewYork New NewYork York at Jerry at the Middle West 1 and at his curious obedience to the I caprice of her ber always onys capricious daugh daugh- 1 ter 1 And lAnd you may have to go to work 1 too she told him She seems quite to have set her heart on making you I work She used to scoff at the nobility no no- ty of labor as applied to herself but she seems to have bave no such scruples In regard to you perhaps she Is going to ennoble you In spite of ot yourself But possibly you will not mind You do not look at all lazy Ive worked before before before-as as you might say Well VeU I never washed cars for a living but perhaps I can If I must He asked Prudence If It surprised or disappointed her when Jerry gave up her dreams of Art her hope of becoming becomIng becoming becom becom- ing a painter Not a B bit this tills amazing woman told him It didn't didn't surprise me and It certainly didn't didn't disappoint me I was glad of It I knew all the time she couldn't couldn t paint Then why did you send her alone her alone to to study to toI toI to- to I knew It t but she didn't She had bad to find flad out somehow didn't she And then she talked more of Jerry of a Jerry he had felt might be In exIstence existence existence exist exIst- ence but had bad not known In person She may not be much much of an artist she said snide but she's a n beautiful wonderful wonderful wonderful won won- daughter to Jerrold and me We W dont don't care whether she can paint or not not she's ours After Atter a little when he be felt he could safely venture to Intrude upon the Intimately intimately In in- personal he asked rather awkwardly Would you iou mind telling me how me how you fell feU In love Prudence blushed a little laughed delightedly Oh the silliest thing she said apologetically Jerry tell you And then she told him of that early morning on the lovely Iowa countryside countrysIde countryside country country- side when she went coasting down a steep grade on a borrowed bIc bicycle cie Into i disaster and wreckage at the bottom When he be sympathized laughing with the Prudence lying In the dust by the roadside battered and crumpled c and torn with the ruins of the borrowed borrowe wheel about her and on her conscIence conscience conscience con con- scIence scIence- science Oh dont don't be sorry she pleaded gaily gally Joining his laughter for I 1 opened my eyes and there stood over me me-Jerrold-Jerry's me Jerrold Jerry's Jerrys father father and and we we looked at each other other- D Duanes Duane's anes ane's lips Ups were a rigid line Une Love at first sight t he muttered grimly I 1 might have known It it Prudence nodded Yes love at first firs sight she repeated softly Dont you yoU let anyone tell you theres there's no such I thing There Is I At least there was In our day Oh Ob well weB perhaps It Is no not technically and scientifically down inthe Inthe in inthe the books as love at first sight But Bu there Is that little pleased wakening up that warm attraction attraction and and If It I It stops It Is s nothing But If It t goes on and on It Is love at first sight Like ours ours-I But perhaps things are different now times are changed and girls are very different Duane was looking past Prudence now beyond her to the heart beart of Jerry her ber daughter unchanged cd with the changing times In Tn that moment he knew with undoubting suren sureness ss wh why he be had come to thio thia remote and curl curi curious ous place In an answer to the Impulsive appeal of her letter His e eyes eg on Pruden Prudence's Pru Pru- den dence's dences es e's face tace saw not hers bers but Terr Jerrys Jerry's s Im Im surprised she didn't tell you about It Prudence was sa saying From the time Ime she could talk she sire has hus adored that bit of ot the family history When she was a bab baby und and a little girl yes girl yes and until she was a pretty prett big hig one she would always alway say she was going to fall In love like hike Prudence Sh She thought nothing else was really eaIly love o She used to tell perfect strangers with the utmost frankness and assurance assurance assurance assur assur- ance that It t would come to her like that that love love a sudden look and knowIng knowIng knowing know know- Ing Ing Ing- Prudence laughed tenderly She got over O It of course When she was old enough to understand sh she realized that It doesn't happen like that that once In a thousand years o or more Duane said nothing For once nee Prudence Pru Pru- dence was wrong Jerry had no not changed All AH through her babyhood and Into her womans woman's estate that hat had had been the hope and faith o of he her sa gay romantic heart And An he he with profane half drunken fin i x and ho hot half-drunken half lips Ups had rent l tie veil vel Illusion that had bad hadeen from the beautiful been een her dream I III love Jerry he said aloud to Pru Pru- Prudence Prudence sober voice very slow and dence in a very |