Show r r By MARY SCHUMANN 4 1 Illustration By Irwin O. O Fri G CHAPTER I Ia a 1 1 r waited waited on the s sta Ita a rd M Marsh a d s for the 1125 from fromich fromon which ich was as bringing his hist I on home from fromer Kezia Keda ulster Ister t et er Strain ain b-ain train was a few min The e and andI y He was annoyed late he left I had bad called caned before he be to time its arrival He lIe ce M at have worked a few minutes on the cost sheet h hon he e was I d d' d f him were the milling do who wait walt for trains people l classes and conditions some rj harassed faces who carried two laughr laugh laugh- b suitcases one or m mill r 1 groups some traveling smart luggage and ando andr m en q with r c o of success whistle coming from lion tong 1011 the curve startled the theon thes cd s on the station platform In In- ambling activity Baggage ift led fled good byes were said the thet surged ged forward the t train thundered rails nils as the d came to a gradual stop I I r a a a. 20 tp years old slim and dele de de- ie le Je her ber eyes bright with exI ex ex- I ent nt at a small brown hat hatt on oni i l 11 blond ash-blond hair a Jacket Jacket- fad n own silk ilk suit with a spray o of j at t the shoulder came down t I eps e ct d the sleeping car The ess esi ct at f her costume and the thee e grace pace with which she shee e made her look much pret pret- than she really was She tk I radiantly at the wellman well well- d man of 30 who picked up with his from the row der had set out chatted to toa tos tod d a s they came aJo along g the nar nor it pace ace between the wall of the eat ent nt and the train re beret said Hugh touch touch- er r armI arm I gh A darling she cried in surprise She kissed him i both hands for a second 61 turning timing to her companion This is Hugh the most brother in the world rile raffe Nice people should each other and Mr DeGraffe r very nice on this trip men shook hands DeGraffe ly 11 amused by Kezia uta ut- ut a t few mur mur- Good by perhaps Good perhaps we k meet again lifted his hat flowed in the wake of a taxi a and Kezia climbed the theto to b the street and the wait walt r r. r i released the brake to 10 starting Ever hear lit lit- ill la b shouldn't talk to strange n trains do you know I picked him she asked pouting I faction to perhaps perhaps perhaps we may G wrinkled TInkled her nose at him I. I Emily Post says you may H 10 a bred well stranger in a or traveling I Dont Don't be She added in ar a ar at r t with a pert look at him grown wn up now now know know my rny way l tj notice t at II well She laughed E J 1 went forward on the green and edged their way through w street congested with The be steel mills beyond the I vibrated with a rhythm that e the me e roar of distant surf sun w fc is Mother t she inquired ed at t once well welle e love lovel murmured ly Kezia Kela y And how is 11 Dorrie Donnie Wat great She had an en en- ent or she would have c come comet me t She sent t her love little hopes for the bassi bassi- Shame on you Hugh I been n married four years w US time were time were we're both bothof of sister Margery's ex ex- three in no time at all aUl I III Is expensive So Q f Is Borne Dorrie n. n sicker cler of f ann annoyance yance in his ev t el Was 1 his Ws only answer answer- e Ellen Pendleton she due In g with a boy named due Good t looking to brother other not up to Ellen ac ac- o a still tIU arty any edge ce ip In her er voice did not ugh b. b it h In Kezia had always alway for Ellen oa a distant their t c of childish mothers mother side lide a aA A 4 jealousy El- El a natural a 1 charm unique pr r which Was Waske aU all the K ke because ause she was wast t Paint whoa OUI f It I I think she ahe little he heup replied i d uie wouldn't e art arts c wouldn't let her b L you ou know he had d before as he hed d Cayla How the dick and Lizzie managed I y Ellen c ucb a I lovely lyric crea nov a f fast alter up an avenue venue over which elms met forming a Gothic archway A mile further on Hugh made a sharp turn There it Is said Kezia in a choked voice her eyes misted with tears tears Their childhood home lay before them a white house deep with colonial pillars set back on a deep lawn When they turned in to the drive a woman rose from a chair on the porch Mother I cried Kezia She leaped out of the car the second Hugh brought it to a stop Kezzie Kenzie darling it has been so long Fluvanna Marsh put her arms about her daughter kissed her then held her off to look into into in in- to her eyes with wistful affection So long long and and it is good to have you home to stay Then her fingers fin Cn- gers touched Hughs Hugh's sleeve with a caressing gesture although she had seen him only a few hours before on his way to the office She murmured Hugh That was part of ot Mothers Mother's hold holdover holdover holdover over him thought Hugh If It you skipped a day coming to see ace her she never made you feel remiss At At each meeting she surrounded you with an unspoken flood of Joy in your presence as silent and intangible intangible in in- tangible as sunshine Its great to be home home simply simply marvelous I I 1 could have cheered when I saw Pittsburgh this morn morn- morning ing dear tag dear old smoky Pittsburgh It reminded me of Corinth And everything's Just the sam sam- the house the yard yard you you Mother Oh I II I do love it t all and all and Im I'm going to OS o r I i t tr I 4 ll d it Good by Perhaps by Perhaps We Ia 1 May Map Sleet Meet Again have bave a wonderful time this summed sum sum- merl med Come on Hugh be a redcap for me mel Carry my grips upstairs and Ill I'll wash up Her room had been redecorated in her absence and she exclaimed with pleasure Pale gold and chintz of gold and green I Adorable Adorable Ador Ador- able She went about Joyfully examining examining ex ex- her possessions her case book-case the pictures on the walL Margery was sitting on the porch with his mother when Hugh came downstairs Hello Hugh She lifted her ber face for his brotherly kiss I wanted to go to the train with you but things were complicated complicated this morning Angela AngeJa would not sleep after her bath She walked around her ber crib clinging to the bars bars and and sang sang and and I-and and she's only 10 months old Stop laughing She really sang I 1 tell you Margery Margery's dainty figure had grown plump but there were contented contented con con- tented lines about her eyes and mouth She wasn't sorry for herself herself herself her her- self tied down with three children under six She didn't mind her vanishing prettiness This was the life she had dreamed of ever since she had been a little girl and played with her family of dolls dolls dolls-a a ahome home an adoring husband and children to tend and scrub and dress attractively Margery precious Kezia came through the screen door and ran toward her sister Mrs Marsh surveyed them all ali from the head of the table her gentle gentie shining eyes resting on them one by one Do you realize this is the first time we have sat down together for years She had never said anything like that before With utmost tact she had made Dorrie Borne and Will Platt Margery's husband welcome but Hugh felt that it added to her pleasure today to have Just them It bridged the Interlude since they had left her ber roof and become absorbingly absorbingly ab ab- ab Interested in fn other pursuits pursuits pur pur- suits other persons Margery forgot her role of dignified dignified fied young matron Hugh his position post tion as assistant to the president of the Brower Steel Works Kezia her desire to model herself oa on the lines of a seductive and fascinating I person the What are the headlines about Corinthians Marge e Inc n nih K bIrths the weddings the tile deaths ih the th scandals scandal particularly the scandals andS I 1 I love lo knowing the dirt about people It makes you feel youre you're not so bad yourself cried Kezia over o the coffee You Y u. u would would said Hugh He lIe her car ear as he rose One Ile Hu must get back to the office ollice m Put rut them on the spot- spot use machine guns Fluvanna anna followed Hugh to the tile door Give my love to Dome Bonnie I She She's s a thoughtful child she brought me mo a new book yesterday esterday a novel on China China- Dear of her She did Hughs Hugh's face brightened brightened bright bright- ened as it always did when Dor rie was praised Dome Borne hadn't mentioned the gift but she had a queer respect and affection for his mother a revealing admission lIe Ho spent the afternoon going over the cost sheets and had a talk with Sloan Soan the president over the price cutting of the Arrow Steel which kept him until after five He tie took his car from the parking park park- ing shed under the bridge and slowly slow slow- ly wove his way through the impatient impatient im im- im patient late-afternoon late traffic lIe He ran into a gas station to fillup fill fillup up his tank A boyhood friend Doc filler Hiller waved to him as he passed lIe He waved back lie He had hada a shamed feeling of Ingratitude at atthe the sight of Doc Doe They should go goto goto goto to see the Hillers have them for dinner They had called made so many friendly and advances advances and s-and and Doc was such a darn good fellow I But Dut Dorrie had a cool way of ignoring debts she did not Intend to pay Yes she would reply listlessly to his suggestion sometime we must have them Dont Don't feel up to It now Perhaps next week He lIe lived on a street which had been part of the fairway of a golf goU course before the town had spread westward The small Colonial and English style houses were attractive tive live and well kept each with its hedge and evergreen shrubbery and driveway leading back to the garage His own house was of tapestry brick with casement windows win win- dows green flower boxes on the square porch at the side green and henna awnings He lie left tile the car in the drive Perhaps Dorrie Borne would want to go out after dinner A bridge table in the room living with cards and scores littered on onit onit onit it testified to recent activity Then he saw Dorrie in a small sunny room Just beyond sitting relaxed quiescent her hands folded in her lap The sun touched her burnished bur bur- burnished hair accented the creamy pallor of her skin her red mouth the delicately nose Hugh stood still a moment while emotion burned through him him- It came on him with a surprise almost al 01 most a choke This lovely woman was his his his He left her in the house each morning she was his to return to at night The pith of his heart Dorrie Borne She started a little as if recalled from distant visions then rose and came toward him Her sea-green sea eyes had an excited luminosity in their depths as if her thoughts had been pleasant ones Hello lIello Hugh you hear me come in She smiled slowly up at him bun as his arms went around her No didn't hear you What were you thinking about She shook her head Dont know dreaming day-dreaming I guess He kissed her Her lIer hand curled in his a flush rose on her delicate delicate deli deli- cate cheek Have a good game So Joan and Orinda Orinda Les Lesley ley Gates Cates for a fourth She moved toward the table and put the decks of cards in their pasteboard pasteboard paste paste- board covers Lesley is a poor loser Fluvanna awakened from a adream adream adream dream of Jim Marsh her husband She had the illusion he was bending bending bend bend- ing over trying to tell her something something some some- thing and all the sick unruly associations as as- that his memory brought unfurled themselves and waved exciting exciting ex ex- citing banners Presently lying with her eyes wide open and seeing see ing tog the reassuring light of day the sensation ebbed Kezia was home was home was right across the hall ball sleeping in the green and gold bedroom Kezia was probably the reason she had dreamed of Jim The child didn't look like him no Hugh resembled resembled re reo re- re his father in stature and feature but Kezia's whole personality person carried a haunting reminder The expressions she had bad the tricky way she raised her eyes eyel and made them aspiring and wistful her cajoling cajoling ca ca- joling manner which concealed her purposes the will to have her own way all hinted at the feminine femi fern nine counterpart of Jim She rose and drew up the shades The perfume of lilacs came up from a bush beneath the window and brought back the spring of long ago ago lilacs lilacs the murmur of growth and two people under an umbrella Just a w week ek after she met him That had bad been a momentous night a kind of prescience about it from the second the Clements had presented him Fate did that sometimes Usually it worked soundlessly but once in a great while it spoke a single word to you you Now Now Ella Clement had said This Is our cousin James Marsh from Philadelphia lie He is opening an insurance agency here and andElla andElla andElla Ella had gone on chattering in her tangential way about the Marshes living near some park and her visit to them once when she had met some what Senator S Senator what was his name name and and the really very ery nice people who lived in Philadelphia Later when they were alone for fora a moment Jim had smiled With his enigmatic eyes strange eyes strange the pull of some and eyes and said They e told me about you Ive I've b bean l i wondering how you got your name Fluvanna I 1 never nevO he heard rd it before but it has a nice sound like deep water flowing under a bridge She had gone gOm home that night with wilh a disturbance in her hr heart heart- such as she had never known before before be be- fore find and said to herself K Jl he asks me 1 I shall marry him Yes it had been like that She found a note under the knocker on Kezia's door Wake me at eight Im I'm playing tennis It li was five minutes to eight now She rattled the tile knocker and heard hearda a sleepy response from Kezia Keda In the kitchen Anna a chunky girl of parentage turned from the stove with a liquid shine of welcome in her long dark eyes Mis' Mis Marsh morning Good Anna Breakfast Breakfast Break Break- fast almost ready Yes in about ten minutes I haven't squeezed the oranges Miss Kezia be down Yes Yes she's shel getting up She Is going to play tennis with some friends Ill I'll go out to cut some lome flowers dowers for the table She went out to the garden Eric Olsen Osen a young man who took care of the yard and the I Icar car was cutting the tender lender lush grass The mingled fragrance of the lilacs the shorn grass the wild crab sent a Ii tingling response through her being She gathered a bouquet of dark blue iris then clipped an armful of fragile nodding nodding nod nod- ding columbine She wiped the garden mould from her feet before before be be- fore forc the side door Hello Cousin Fluvanna called a youthful voice from inside I just walked in been In-been been wandering about She held the screen open for Fluvanna Ellen I Been painting I had to this to-this this morning Lovely Lovely Love Love- ly flowers let flowers let me take them Fluvanna thought If you could paint yourself among those 1 flowers flow ow- ow ers Ellen Aloud she said Just Justin in time for breakfast you breakfast you must stay Kezia will be down in a min ute Ill I'll call caU her tell her tell her ber youre you're here Ellen put out a detaining hand Not yet yet not not Just yet yett I 1 have something to tell teU yo you Fluvanna smiled Nice Very nice Im I'm engaged Nol Noi Yes I am returned Ellen ecstatically ec cc- statically statically It 0 It happened last night To Jerryl Jerry Dear Dear dearl dear murmured Flu vanna You told me quite a bit about him hirn brought him here still I didn't think so soon Im telling you first before anyone the girl went one on I can cantell cantell tell teU you things Fluvanna you Fluvanna-you you un un- un Im I'm exquisitely exquisitely divine divine divinely ly Jy |