Show 44 CHAPTER XII continued 14 oh gee I 1 I 1 he gasped reco recovering Nering himself who d think penzie d string jou you like that at the words the child childs s fear was wallowed swallowed up in recurring anger her beloved penzie renzie had been criticized dont you dare talk bout penzie the she flashed get outa here you aidy stiff I 1 get outa she dashed to toward aard him with arms as me might to frighten a small animal then stopping so abruptly that she waye I 1 dizzily for a moment excuse me she muttered 0 lordi lord I 1 she turned and flew into the house bang ing the kitchen door behind her the minutes that supervened were troubled by a thumping as of a drum gone wrong when lettie lettle reappeared she was canting caming an armful of boards a to inato mato can of old rescued nails and a hatchet with a notched blade the household did not possess a hammer an implement too highly specialized to be afforded the hatchet had squeezed in by its diversity of service frank bosley was still there sitting on an a small stump smoking a cigarette he ile watched lazily while lettie lettle spread pread ber materials down on the walk the nifty notion he drawled she gave him a brief glance you bere yet sure and talking I 1 asked what jaa you making 1 I im in going to make a coop for she broke off and sat back on her heels consider ng for the pepper and salt shipwreck he put in helpfully taint a shipwreck defended lettie lettle it its s a plymouth rock guar anteen and it its s going to be a good ene one I 1 gotta name her she reflect ed deeply trying out names sound lessly with lips moving III call her bonnie geraldine she said aloud this decision honoring the two daughters of mrs weatherstone was the th highest kind of being spontaneous and gh en biti out anten mon tion of flattery the young ladles ladies were only names to lettie lettle who had mo more thought of ever seeing a weatherstone than she had of glimps ing the north pole rising out of its eake of ice tee and bearing aloft the flags cf of the various nations that have dis covered it better call it the calico curiosity he be suggested between slow puffs lettie lettle I 1 it her lips till the color left them taking up t vo pieces of board she propped them together to see if they would form the conventional gable roof of a en coop they would not with a sigh she discarded one and took up anoil er you can an t do it observed the man ton you don dont t know how why don t you help me then 1 I child I 1 have better things to to yes you havel she retorted such a slinking in the basement bloor to see the cross eyed man I 1 with I 1 is finger on the clasp of his cigarette garette ri case he paused lettie lettle watching him calmly was quick to see that her shot had told and the little man that carries a cane sl e continued if I 1 m was as in your place lettie lettle pro ceedee with relish I 1 leave my mad macl ine in the same spot all time its ifs kinder not leble tween them two eucalyptus trees on everadge Everl dge street and here bonnie geraldine she commanded turning to her new acquin stop flopping round so that tog dog ain aln t going to hurt you here good old fil treat her decent can cant t you you gotta get quain quainter ted and be friends how can I 1 love you both it if she heard steps behind her switch tog ing about she encountered the white nger anger of frank bosley you imp of batan I 1 he growled hold your tongue in your head if yon you don t know how to use it you taint t never seen me in any such place it if you want to play safe you wont get me mixed with somebody rise else and go blabbing lettie stood up and confronted him coolly thin shoulders thrown back dark eyes undaunted if it you what re you get ting so mad for how do you know I 1 ain sin t praising you 1 I don t care what way us who ever you saw twant twan t me D ayou you ua un ider er stand you get me mixed ap with anybody else I 1 haan t got you mixed up mr trank frank bosley I 1 got your number and nd I 1 know a lot I 1 hain t told I 1 seen ion you three fellers moren once and way you slink I 1 know 3 ou re shamed ef of something all Is if aou ou want me to keep heep still you get outa here and keep away from uncle jerry with an assumption of 0 recovered composure ure he returned to the stump took out another cigarette struck a match and contemplated the child with well simulated ind fforence dont worry spitfire lettie lettle was immensely disappointed she had thought she was ras making headway and here sl e was back where she had been in the first place it took scarcely ten seconds for her anger to rise get outa here she shrieked get am and le keep ep out dry up he retorted I 1 ve heard congh from you young lady I 1 dlan t come here to be sassed I 1 came to see your lucie jerry and right liwe im I 1 stay till he comes no you don dont t no you don dont t lettle youre you re going now florence bingham by livingston coper slit by b george H doran company or ril 11 oh by jingoes there I 1 go again I 1 excuse me I 1 gotta black curls lashing her thin ders she sprinted to the steps steps and clipped into the kitchen the wooden tattoo began again and continued steadily for some time when it finally ceased lettle came back wear lly ily and threw herself down on the walk turning all the nails out of the tin can she proceeded to sort them according to their degree of curvature few of them being straight bonnie geraldine Gerald me she said softly you sit right still you re going to be well pretty soon soom she threw a nail back into the can as being beyond her skill in driving she looked up at bosley I 1 really wish you d go home she urged in a voice of great reasonable ness we dont don t want you here hon lion est none of us do we don dont t think oure a good friend for uncle jerry and an insolent laugh interrupted her plea I 1 mean it she continued with growing vehemence we don dont t like you to come here please go away dry up you little fool I 1 im in tired of your patter ah ali there you are winston say old man I 1 thought you d never come how does it look jerry winston walked into the yard pretty good I 1 guess let lets s get somewhere and talk it over lettle had risen and was watching them anxiously her large eyes wid ening as her dismay increased come on over to my house sug frank bosley AH all right lettle stepped forward uncle jerry she begged don dont t go with that man penzie like it jerry winston fixed her with a look such as she had neer before received uncle jerry she begged don dont t go with that man from him keep still lettle and mind your own on business but uncle jerry she gasped you t it its a making her un happy oh please dont don t lettle he returned in a tone that pierced her heart you tend to your own business I 1 tell you you re mak mal ing a big mistake I 1 choose my own friends and I 1 choose good ones too oh oh oh I 1 she screamed wring ing her hands in agony I 1 can t have it I 1 can cant t stand it it makes her so unhappy oh uncle jerry you got me going come back or I 1 I 1 she reached over and gathered up a hand tul ful of nails then dropped h her er hand the nalla nails fell with a jangle jung I 1 e on the board walk she was alone uncle jerry had gone with frank bosley during the moment that she realized her failure to frustrate this friendship her breath stopped from the most acute despair then her anger rose mount ing to rage against uncle jerry against frank bosley show him show him I 1 she vowed in a fury on a mad impulse she tore around the house then whirled and tore back again 0 lord she groaned why can cant t I 1 re member I 1 gotta remember cause I 1 gotta stay v ith I 1 enzle enzie again she pelted into tie tl e kitchen and reached for the toy rolling p n N cefous blows blon s ra ned on the board blows of rage against the two to men blows of exasperation over oner her fall ure blows of wild wrath against her own temper devil you shant shan t have me you shant shan t sou ou shant devil do you hear you shan t have me ovar and over she uttered tl ti is ance and with every word she the gong till the heavy board swung against the wall 0 penzie she sobbed brokenly I 1 im in trying I 1 in trying honest I 1 im in on and on she pounded her emo tion reaching frenzy a frenzy like that of the worn piper who dances till he falls her arm ached but her energy did not relax her blood went queer like a great wave leaving her head cold then another great wa wave wae e that flooded her with heat rolled over her shut off her breath rece receded dedi 1 A black vi wave ave I 1 she was still lying there on the floor beneath the temper gong when mrs penfield came in her face white in its frame of 0 black curls her right hand band limp on the rolling pin that had come down with her on its broken string CHAPTER calam ty coal oi oil the lays cays of lorene gercys engagement had been stormy ones in lier ker home but through neighborly pers persua us son s on and intercession mrs percy had raised no permanent obstacle lorene s friends felt certain that her release from home rule was assured it was the evening before the mar ariage ceremony all the little pen fields had long since retired to their sleeping boxes and that they might not be disturbed by the light mrs penfield was sewing in the kitchen it was late and she was very tired twice she had bad caught herself napping and had gone to the back door to breathe in the fresh air and get thoroughly awake again the moon was full the sky was intensely blue ex capt where quills of white cloud were laid across it the back yard was filled N with ith soft radiance that transformed the ugly clothes poles into slender shafts of light IN what hat a beautiful world it Is I 1 she said to herself and we all go so fast that we don t ha ti afe i to look at it the way it Is I 1 wonder why we get fretted up over a lot of pesky details that we forget all about in a week when the universe Is calm and happy looks like we aln aint t in bar liar mony with it I 1 wish I 1 had time no I 1 dont don t what I 1 wish Is that I 1 can stay awake and sew an overcoat t resolutely she went back to her chair and fitted sections of the coat together footsteps sounded on the board walk there was a quick knock the door opened oh I 1 knew something would happen I 1 just knew it would and it has oh oh I 1 mrs penfield sprang to her feet tie tl e voice was ras familiar but she fhe would hardly have recognized with out this evidence the figure that con fronted her lorene lorenel she gasped look at me I 1 cried the girl ht r tragic tone emphasized her lud ludicrous lerou 3 appearance her face and hands hand were vere covered with fine soot in flecks in streaks her fair hair was curiously darkened as if a thin black veil had been drawn over it her light bine blue house dress looked greasy and soiled why my dear I 1 can see you ve had a little accident said mrs pen field briskly but t take long to get you A washed up again III help 3 ou oil heater I 1 s pose the girl nodded my mrs percy lighted it and put it in my room iwas going to pack she said I 1 id d take cold if the room wasn gasn t v w armed and and wl en I 1 went in a few minutes later I 1 couldn coulden t see the air was full of black soot everywhere clouds of it IL oh dear oh dear what can I 1 do why lorene help we mrs penzie shrieked the girl wringing her hands in distress you don t understand everything Is ru ined ev ry thing V 1 yes es en everything ery thing all my clothes I 1 I 1 had them all laid out ready to pack on the bed the chairs the clothespress was open they re all black sticky oiled she threw herself on the wash bench and broke into wild sobbing why IN by by the time I 1 id d been in there two minutes look at I 1 me oh my dear begged mrs penfield don dont t cry we wove ve got to think of something we can t walled the girl there isn t anything to be begin on th they ey vere a all there everything very thIng I 1 own in the world everything I 1 ve been saving for all these mo months she lifted her head and looked at mrs penfield with streaming eyes yes I 1 suppose they can be cl cleaned but there isn t time before tomorrow there sri t tl tl ti time her vo ce broke dick has his leave of absence and the tic tickets and all the de details arranged we can t put it off and and we can t I 1 can t be in in married like this can I 1 she threw out her arms in a ture of hopelessness mrs penfield could not a smile as she gazed at the forlorn bride elect huddled on the wash bench too abject to realize h her e r 0 own wn appearance at the moment or to care about it compared with the greater calamity at home what can I 1 do mrs penzie I 1 cant ask D ck to take me like this I 1 N io 0 dear ou aren arent t going to aira mr penfield put her 1 ands lands on the girls girl shoulders and gave her a gentle shak shake that was nias half reproof and half caress cares grab ou our nerve lorene and well we 11 work a way out of ti Is so long as there ain sin t nothing more vital in the path than soot and cinders I 1 predict you re going to be married tomorrow noon as scheduled and ard all fresh and dalint dainty y too you left your window open didn dian t you oh oli fes es but then the air must be clear bv this time turn out the lamp and well e 11 go right over and see how thin thiap V look tv i TO BB BE CONTINUED I 1 |