Show J I Prudence's Daughter I B Bv By yET ETHEL H E L HUESTON HUE S TON w Copyright by the Bobbo Merrill Co CHAPTER CHAPTER VI Continued Vt-Continued Continued 13 13 Jerrold looked Hooked at Prudence for tor as- as Prudence was was patiently counting the superfluous hearts After all oil what was there to fa say Why couldn't she s he Obviously she had And nd that was the end pf t f It The next morning Jerrold called caned Duane Dunne Into the office Do you want a position 1 he asked still hopeful for tor the best Oh absolutely I came on purpose Jerrold sighed But he told him to hang hung about and put In the time as as' as best he to try not to get In itt peoples people's way and If It he lie accidentally came across anything he could do to feel teel perfectly free to do It ft He gave him cards to the best clubs offered him the tile use of a car at any time he wished It and told him to get as much fun tun out of ot life ns as he could flow V much salary do you Jou want How flow much can I get Well Vell I fancy I could get men quite or 01 dOIng what you youre Joure re going to ro rodo todo do for fifteen dollars doUm's a week and glad of the chance Jerrold said smiling faintly But Bitt it lends a soh sort of tone to the establishment to have ha your clothes and your JOUl accent In our employ so so say twenty And you Jou might lounge gracefully about In the showroom as much as you can cun you Jou are sure to attract attract attract at at- tract attention to the house If not to the tho motor Duane thanked him and said he would try to be worthy of so much trust lie He said he ho had bad other clothes far tar more creating comment than those he was wearing and that his entire wardrobe was henceforth at the dIsposal disposal dIs dIs- of ot the Harmer Mot Motor r. r And then he laid serious and studied I siege to the stubborn heart of Jerry Every morning on the stroke of ten a messenger appeared at the door with witha a box of flowers violet and rose Jerry gave them to the maids sent them to the neighbors but finally In a burst of f resentment at the persistence persist per per- nce she was beginning to feel was more than flesh and blood could bear she whirled the unopened box Into the street the moment the messenger had disappeared The next mor morning when the bell rang she shie ran furiously down own to receive re ro re- re elve the hated tribute but stopped on the stairs In some amazement ment evenin even evenIn evenin In anger Her lier mother was opening the box Mother I They are for me Prudence Prudenc tipped the box to show her name on the tag to banish that V springing distrust In Jerrys Jerry's mutinous eyes eJes V Since when Is father so devoted The clock struck ten ten ten-a a curious urious co co- co- co incidence And then as us Prudence took the flowers from the box a soft cluster of yellow roses roes and lilies of the valley Jerry saw the card Duane card Duane Allerton Her eyes ees flashed darkened with rage She thrust out angry hands and cau ht the delicate flowers roughly to tear them from her mothers mother's arm Prudence Prudence Prudence Pru Pru- dence gently but with great firmness retained her hold Jerry They're heyre mine The soft sott voice was softer than ever before Jerrys Jerry's hands clung mutinously mutinous mutinous- ly for a moment and then dropped weakly to her sides Mother please she whispered I I 1 I cant can't stand them In the house And then n with a pitiful attempt to laugh away her display of emotion she eald with a sorry smite smile I I 1 I m must st be developing nerves 1 1 I Prudence looked d Into her eyes re re- re quickly Ill send them thorn down downto to Carol Katie cart can take them to the mall mail at nt once Julia adores flowers The next morning at ten tea o'clock Terry Jerry stood at the window listening for forthe forthe td t the he expected unwelcome ring at at her d door It did not come thirty Ten es e el eleven and eleven and no flowers There was eg s sad ad suspicion In her e eyes es as she g glanced lanced now and then lien furtively at ut her mother Would her very own work In league eague l against her Jerry Terry had no slightest doubt of or the honor and the tho uprightness of her stubborn stub stub- b born orn stand It was really leally final a u desperate desperate desperate des des- struggle snuggle In defense of her niost most s sacred acred girlish principle of purity that Inherent nIceness of thought reserve if f person that tarnishes at best so I Jerry had hud flirted d had hud frivoled L 0 JU J Jl troll nom eau Deau to beau nan had JI l laughed at tentative caresses I In ii sheer heartedness of spirit spirit- t that hat was when when the lie real Jerry had slipped sUpped by untouched But nut with that tender Ideal enshrined In the r romantic glamour of her guarded youth uth she site would brook no trIlling trifling She worked wIth passionate Intensity bending over the sketches for tor her houses and und her columns of figures fur far far fur into the night She did clot sleep well she had no appetite and und unusual dark circles outlined th j lovely misty ensOn eyes ens On h her first r attempt at renovation old house oi oa Seventeenth street opposite the park after atter weeks of work worle and worry and passionate devotion she cleared but a paltry three hundred dollars for all the fabulous fabulous- towering of If her hopes Jerry laughed at tIt that gamely I lont lunt care I See how bow much fun tun I Pye ve had And look what a lot of ot things t I learned 1 I f Ill I'll make It up on the next one you'll see seel ee S I But not all alt her lice concentration t on In her work could account for the 1 pathetic pa pa- 8 pallor of oOt her face In the end Jerrold felt that nothing would come of It He ne said so to Prudence many times Prudence said nothing V She asked If it Duane was taking an Interest t In the business If it he worked hard earned his salary Y You ou hiet he earns carns It staying In the same town with that daughter of yours Jerrold said resentfully and added more moderately Well Vell no I cant can't Sl say that he works much much much-if If any But Bur he sticks sUcks around And And people come In to look him him over over and and incidentally inci mci- dentally y get a view of at the car while whileS the they're re In And the seem to like Ilke him Jerrold had Indeed no ground for feelIng feeling feeling feel- feel Ing that Duane Dunne even as us a prospective somewhat poorly prospective son son-in- law had an any designs upon the ultimate management of the Harmer Motor 1 In spite of his conscientious attendance In the showroom his effacement from tan ui vi Of the tue concern was complete But Buthe Jie developed an inor inordinate Interest In the rich prosy little Middle Western city and asked endless endless end end- less questions about It t questions of ot V Intimate intimate- Import when lie he and Jerrold were having hayIng luncheon together as they often did Im trying to acclimate myself to the corn belt he said lightly In explanation ex cx- of this Interest In things about town But Jerrold who was making him the subject of an avid vId attention attention at at- attention and study knew It was something somethIng something some some- thing deeper than that Why do you know Duane asked him one day you yoi youcan can pick up land along the river and near the railroads railroads rail rall- roads for a song absolutely for for- forsong fora a song Building sites that ought to be worth worth well well I suppose not quite their weight In gold gold but but worth a fortune anyhow in ten to twenty years f V Jerrold said he lie supposed so his shrewd always kind eyes fixed on Duanes Duane's face They have haven't haveit t half the ta factories the manufacturing plants they ought to have here The town could support a hundred times the amount of business Its It's got Its It's towns like this where a b. abig abig big business really realty pays Isn't 1 IC l Where property Is cheap expenses expenses l low w facilities good Isn't th that t t. the theuay wayS way they figure Its the way my father tather figured when he started the factory I 1 should Imagine And besides for a- a arich rich farming state like this they haven't got half the elevator business they ought to have have Have Haye they If the middle middle- middlemen middlemen men have to get fifty per cent of the farm Income the least they can do Is Isto Isto Isto to turn the business over to home middlemen and keep the profits In the state Shouldn't you say so It no more than reason reason- able Theres meres a pile pUe of money Here for tor any anyone one oae that goes after It Isn't there the matter with you Are YOt you trying to sell sen me me the Middle West No I Just want to find out If It I 1 am sold on it m myself self Du Duane ne explained laughing V I haven't got a whole lotof lotof lot of at capital left you know after my foolish fliers In the last three years I I want to be sure what Im I'm doing before before be be- fore 1 I go In again But It seems tome to tome I me that this town town Well Well Its It's as th though ugh It were asleep Somebody's going to tOe I step in here and nd pick up a t few tV V fine spots for factories a few choice corners corners cor cor- V ners tiers for grain elevators and then after a a while hile sit back and take his exercise clipping coupons A And d It seems to iu I was as just born for a coupon I wish visit you Jon luck my toy I cant can't I think of a n pleasanter Indoor sport And Ana so while Duane was to leave the lie Harmer Harmel Motor company company company- V to 0 Jerrolds Jerrold's manipulation Jerrold was sati satisfied fied that It should be so for tor he he knew the young man was keeping a h war wary eje eye on things In general and that thai when the opportunity canie came for him to cut loose for himself this time at least he would be sure of his Ills ground He told told- Prudence about abour it nice she said warm in her her approval Its Just like families they they do so much better In separate houses You Yon can rin hardly r calt Mm him no- no u VA the tue family protested Jer void Jet old The Th way that girl nets Its It's its it's Insulting Duane wrote to Jerr Jerry Sli Slid She did not trouble to return the I letter by post she merel merely tore the envelope across I Ia a couple of times Umes unopened and hand hand- ed ad d it to her father Take Tale Ie down and give ghQ It to him will you ou Now Jerry have a heart objected object object- ed the badgered father Why do you insist on dragging me tue Into this thing Why It will m make le him hint feel like n a fool to toT have me pass pas it across ucross to him with the compliments of or the lie house bouse and so forth Mail Mall it ItI I r Stamps are cheap enough I Daughters are a nuisance after all arent aren't the they father she agreed and went out at once In her bel little car Inspect the cottage on which she was engaged Jerrold thus left with the tile V s the scraps raps of futile correspondence turned fo to f Prudence What shall shah I do he asked ask lessly help help- I dont don't know she said gently W What do you think So Jerrold errold carried It down don to theoffice the theoffice i office and sent for Duane Dunne Its none I of or m my business of course he said Dont think I 1 care arc how much you correspond with the family family and and don dont don't t blame me but me-but but I dont don't know what else to do with It She Site gave It to me and said to bring It ft to you ou He passed the bits of paper to Duane hastily as though they turned his fingers Duane examined them hopefully saw the unbroken seal of the envelope She didn't read rend it did she he lie said dejectedly I II dont don't know maybe she did said Jerrys Jerry's father She took It upstairs and It was quite a while before she came down Maybe she read It while she was up and then sealed scaled It again to fool you ou I 1 wouldn't put It past her Duane laughed and examined the envelope m more re hopefully but the seal bore no taint faInt trace irace ui oi or LUWIe's tampering fingers I know the they sty ShY Never say die and try try again and all that nonsense nonsense nonsense non non- sense Jerrold went on gloomily But ButI Butr I r dont don't put much stock In It In this case cese Jerrys Jerry's not a stubborn girl nat nat- It If she makes a n mistake she always admits It and rights about tac face I dont don't think she likes you you you- you you-It If you'll e excuse cuse me for saying so And nd I dont don't think think- think You u dont don't need to said Duane grimly But she does like me And she brought me rae out here here- and by the Eternal Ill I'll stick sUck If it It takes ten years I Well Vell I I. I V think youre you're wasting your our time my boy but have it your own ay Jerrold was sympathetic I dont don't understand girls myself Prudence Prudence Prudence Pru Pru- dence isn't like that you that you can always talk her down a a S Duane had been In Des Des' DesMoines Moines one full bitter month without a word from Jerry And then one morning there was a telephone call In the machine shop and Duane knew It was Opportunity Opportunity Opportunity calling for him by the modern i L V- V V.- V. i The liThe Starter Wont Won't Work Will You Take Me In Quickly Please mechanical ns os It seems she often calls The boy turned froth from th the telephone and called out to the lie man In charge of the repair shop Send a tow car for rot Miss Harm Banner er She down out on Eleventh other oth oth- oth er side of the park She's In a hurr hurry Before the man mun In charge could make male n ii a move or give an order Duane Dunne was on his feet teet V Hold up that lint call a n minute he said with Impressive authority In his tone Ive got to speak to Mr lIar Liar- mer flier Ill I'll be right back He broke into the sacred precinct precinct- of the presidents president's without cere cere- mon mony Listen Mr 11 Harmer he began with with hn boIsh rno car broke e down down J down ann Jerry's Jerrys err s ond she phoned for a n tow May I go after aftel her Jerrold looked at ut him hini laughed a little shook his head Sure you ou may And God help you ou S S S S 5 Jerry sat patiently behind the wheel whee of or her handsome little roadster beneath be be- neath the groaning branches of jf r a great maple a n skeleton In the fOI f tn V n V T. T late f fall II and am n v Ul M nor AU tHoughts were far from the quiet Iowa street She was us aWa away aay In tie Brooklyn n In a n lit I smoke clouded studio fa far r up look 1001 ing out o ov over r l' l East river rivet to th the brave bra lights of New York She returned to the time line and md the place with a violent start stint when nhen the tow car cur In a cl cloud ud o of dust swept up abreast of her and stopped wIth a crunching and grinding of brakes blakes She stepped out briskly with her usual cordial smile for tor of or her one er fathers father's employees I cant can't Imagine what's the matter she began brightly its deader than than than- The smite smile froze upon her face when she met Duane Allerton's eyes her voice 0 Ice became became o still cold thing The starter wont won't work Will wm yoU yon take me rue In quickly pleaser please Duane got out out anti and stood beside ncr ner Why how bow do you do he said I think I met you once before before In Brook Brook- lyn yn I UI dont don't recall It It Good I Lets Lets Let's both forget target It t and start afresh I 1 It will be so much better better bet bet- ter ier In the end Will you hurry please I 1 nave bave a business appointment She consulted Ute tile platinum and und diamond wrist watch with a most professional alertness Youve Youe changed he lie told her not heeding her words his eyes on the slender contour of her face tace You are paler Perhaps you use less rouge here than In the city I dont don't use any on my car she said and turned her back upon him Duane got out the chains and fastened |