Show The Honorable e Uncle Lancy Laney Laic y By ETHEL HUESTON O Co INu Senke TilE THE STORY Titus THUS FAR FAK Left orphans by a tragIc automobile accident which claimed the ic lives of their mother an and father three sisters Helen Adele Aunt Olympia politically ilU minded wife of 01 Senator and Limp are visited by theIr She Insists that the girls return Delaporte v with her lier t ts to Washington to with them In addition to make their home lovIng the girls girl Aunt Olympia know terrific political asset Senator hn has as his political they will wUl be a Wilkie a minister whose political opponent one Brother campaign le II furthered by seven unspeakable brats brat lit alt on the rostrum with him while he makes make end and the Sator S kInd and loving nevertheless speeches Aunt Olympia mean vote voles for the Senator Senator know that their three nieces nIece r will wUl s S a pleasantly A- A foggy Individual who Yoho d panda pend on the astuteness of his hi wife tI tire trie a young youngest st st. Is I. le IS 18 and nd Helen the oldest eUn prepares t. t F 21 the ite for Senator their ll comIng buy fi them Though aU all the Limpy toys toy and gIfts he can find and feeling that children Should hould be meet their Uncle fancy Lancy as he t. t to be known the girls occupied take When they first hIm to their united bosom bOlom Soon Adele mot most beautiful of the sisters listers meets ten Len man for Brother Wilkie Though It is I. Lens Len publicity lob job to help defeat the Senator he promptly falls In love with Adele Olympia buy an automobile trailer house which will Ill accommodate the five of them and from which the Senator will Then she decIdes to hire campaign a publicity agent for the Senator of Due Cooper securing the services CHAPTER IV IV Continued Continued 7 7 How Ilow can I 1 drum up votes for or the Governor continued Len if it Im I'm going to be upset over the Opposition all summer Do you want to nip the budding career of a rising young genius Id love to If It you consider yourself yourself your your- self a budding genius which most people dont don't Thanks Len Ill I'll call him first thing in the morning call him Haven't you called him himi Haven't you cinched It Thanks for that my darling darling darling dar dar- ling old dragon he said a ray of light breaking br over his face Ill IU land him first I 1 know every sofa he sits on Tough luck old I dear the Governors Governor's hiring an escort escort escort es es- es- es II cort for the brats if he has to add addan addan addan an extra per cent to pay for him Good-by Good dear beautiful angel he said to Adele For your sake I 1 tear myself away to corral that menace The girls sat quite motionless until until un un- til he had dashed from the room Aunt Olympia contentedly lighted a cigarette Are you Are you going to let Jet him get getaway getaway getaway away with it gasped Adele My dear said Aunt Olympia in politics you never allow grass to grow where the Opposition Is going going go go- ing to plant his foot I 1 tried to get Cecil this morning but he is up in New York writing up that model murder case for the tabloids If It ItLen Len Hardesty knows every sofa in Manhattan hes he's had entirely too much experience to associate with you you you-my my dears CHAPTER V VI VOn VOn I I On the next morning at eleven o'clock Aunt Olympia received Cecil Cecil Ce Ceo cil Dodd in the sitting room She received him alone having with dl dif difficulty hardened her heart to the girls' girls importunities for they eager curiosity doubly whetted by the united united unit unit- united ed opposition of Uncle Lancy and andLen andLen andLen Len Hardesty and by Aunt Olympia's Olympias Olympias Olympia's Olympias Olympia's pias pia's defense were eager for a glimpse of him Aunt Olympia for forthe forthe forthe the only time withstood their pleas Even Limpy's Aw Aunt Olympia did not move herIve herIve her Ive been thinking of our talk the theother theother other day she began at once Did DidI I I 1 understand you to say you would like to try your hand a campaigning campaign ing Im crazy to to he sa said Id boyishly Ive applied for a job every place under the sun but nobody will take me because I 1 have no experience I and how the deuce can I 1 get experience experience ence when nobody will try me out Maybe you could give me a recommendation he suggested No 1 cant can't do that she said saidI whether youre you're I flatly I dont don't know careful any good or not and Im I'm I about my recommendations But ButI maybe I 1 could give you a Job job job-a a avery I i very small Job of course But ItI it would be a starter I Cecil Dodd was so surprised he heI i I couldn't say a word Refuse a recommendation rec and and give him a Job I i It seemed almost unethical I Experience is worth more than money he murmured devoutly Not to us she admitted Anyhow Anyhow Any Anyhow how it'll be something and well we'll pay your our expenses and if it anybody can teach you the racket Dave Cooper can With some help from me You see Cece this Isn't like I the usual campaign Weve We've got our young nieces with us and were we're going going going go go- ing to take them along Those girls are going to be our best asset Inthis in inthis inthis this campaign and we want someone some some- one one not not quite so hard-boiled hard as Dave Dave to to do full Justice to their vote appeal And since the girls will be around constantly wed we'd like someone some someone one of agreeable disposition and and and- some social experience to to be a sort of companion to them And we think you'll do all right You'll take orders orders orders or or- ders from Dave of course and do what he tells teUs you and go where youre you're sent But your main Job will willbe willbe willbe be handling our end of the game Cecil Dodd was boyishly delight delighted ed When the first moment of reverent rev rev- rent Brent and worshipful awe bad had passed he be found voice again again- Mrs he said earnest earnestly ly Iy Ill work like a dog Ill I'll work workday workday workday day and night amicable Having come pome to this agreement Aunt Olympia asked him to stay and meet the girls He lie accepted the invitation gratefully but Aunt Olympia could see that his mind was less on them than on the great opportunity which a bounteous bestowed be bestowed ous Heaven had so surprisingly stowed upon him He lie responded courteously to the introductions introduction but seemed teemed not even to notice Adele Adeles yes yea ea Not as good a reporter as Len Hardesty thought Aunt Auit Olympia Len hasn't overlooked t a lash The girls considerably to their surprise found him bim pleasant even likable and a decided contrast to the explosively verbose Len Hardes ty ty He was slight in build not tall but lithe with a suggestion of muscular muscular muscular mus mus- cular strength in his easy movements move ments Ills His voice was low almost diffident his smile boyishly win some He lie dressed with that studied and expensive carelessness that Isso is isso isso so revealing to the practiced eye Well you may as well begin now as anytime said Aunt pia Take a memorandum will you He lie hastened to comply drawing out his fountain pen and a small elegant date dale book in limp leather Remind the Senator Senator Senator-or or remind me to remind him him to to be sure to write up and tell teU the farmer at Shires Shires that's that's our place up home home- to have bave an extra suit of farm I bome-I clothes for the Senator to borrow when bespeaks he be speaks at the Granges The girls talked him over when he had gone They agreed that Len Hardesty had been unjustly prejudiced prejudiced prejudiced diced and that Cecil was a nice boy and they could stand having him around They thought his eager enthusiasm enthusiasm en for the Job rather pathetic Yes its it's pathetic assented Aunt Olympia Cece is all aU right The trouble is that hes he's always been able to do what he wanted to instead instead instead in in- stead of what he be had to He has bill enough money to live on on so hes he's never never nev nev- never er had to file Ne his nose on the grind grind- stone It takes grindstone to make a newspaper man Hes really what you would call caU calla a sweet child Helen wrote to Brick Landis He seems so young and so sl unspoiled and yet Aunt Olympia says hes he's had his own way all aU his life lite and had bad everything he has ever wanted He is taking this job with such deadly seriousness that she is beginning to fear he will neither amuse us nor drive Len Hardesty mad which was her main object He began bringing up huge volumes on politics to get Aunt Olympia Olympias opinion of them but she stopped that She said he could get his opinIons opinions opinions ions from her and Dave Cooper He has bought a new perfectly gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous gor gor- simply huge brief case and a anew anew anew new portable typewriter And whenever whenever whenever when when- ever he is not sitting raptly In the Senate gallery gazing down at his candidate and taking notes of every every ev ev- ery cry breath he draws he is at the Press Club trying to make con contacts contacts contacts I Just wonder Brick if it you take politics seriously enough You didn't pay thirty dollars for a brief briefcase briefcase briefcase case and buy a new typewriter Aunt Olympia went with Helen and Adele one afternoon to a large cocktail party the party the invitations had said tea It was at the home of an outstanding Republican senator they remembered that later with some bitterness Adele left alone for a few minutes was approached by a man comparatively young quite handsome whom Adele instinctively instinctively instinctively in in- labeled a foreigner of some sort I 9 met you Just after you came in Miss Rutherford he said pleasantly pleasantly pleas pleas- antly I am Gabriel I 1 couldn't possibly expect you to remember remember remember re re- re- re member me in that crowd and that confusion but by the same token you could not possibly expect me not to remember you in any crowd or any confusion You are gettable Adele smiled pleasantly But she remembered Len Hardesty's warning warning warn warn- ing tog Beware of embassies and attaches attaches at at- Are you with one of the embassies embassies embassies sies she asked Alas no nolI I have no such importance tance I 1 am Just a young man trying trying try try- ing tog to get along But I 1 know the embassy crowd and have friends among them so I 1 get around May MayI I 1 bring you a drink Not now thanks To tell teU the truth I 1 am one of about a million foreigners trying to get the true American picture I Ido Ido Ido do lance free correspondence for a afew afew few foreign papers and magazines and naturally I 1 am collecting my Impressions for a book on America If you get the American picture you see better than I 1 do she ahe ad ad- It looks a hodgepodge to tome tome me Like modern painting You cant can't tell teU whether that pink splash of fried is a ladys lady's arm or a platter liver with onions And then it turns out to be a bunch of grapes lie He laughed appreciatively I find the same difficulty both with art artand artand artand and with America But I 1 am young and brave I 1 shall die struggling Do you like Washington Oh very much Of course you get the right slant on it It he conceded It helps a good deal to be on the Inside looking out and around Instead of ot as I am I on the outside waiting my turn at atthe atthe the knothole I Oh but that's that my trouble I Im I'm Imon Imon Imon on the outside too You cant can't be far outside in the home of Senator He lie knows his America I have often otten wondered about your senators Do they act at home borne as they do on the floor Um Urn something the same Uncle Lancy Laney wipes his glasses and blushes through his thinning hair when he is flattered But what does he be talk about Does he be merely say as I 1 would how very beautiful you are Does he complain about the eggs being overdone Does he read his speeches to you Adele laughed lIe fie reads them to Helen but she asked for It it It she admitted Helen is trying to learn politics from the ground up She is my older sister Dear me is she going to run for something Maybe Anyhow she made up her mind to learn it She goes to committees and reads the Congressional Congressional Record and at night they go goto goto goto to the library and argue for hours- hours over how many air defense guns are required here and there and whether peace is preserve preserved I by more armaments or by disarming and which end of a boat is the proper ary r Op 09 J Ill I'll e C rf l ova t Why that's that Gabriel d' d place to put guns and how many times the new destroyers can be torpedoed before they blow up up all all I that sort of thing Dear me met mel It sounds quite horrify horrify- Ing Doesn't he expound it all to you too Oh no I 1 dont don't listen Limpy and I 1 dont don't care for that sort o of thing We just pick out the best bes nuts and think of other things Simply profound of you I 1 should say More important things Like wheres where's your yellow basket Oh nothing half as profound as that If It we lost our yellow basket Uncle Lancy would demand a congressional congressional congressional con con- gressional investigation and get 1 it back for us Gabriel went away pres pres- He had not seen Helen be be- fore Naturally seeing Adele one looked no further He did not make the mistake of asking Adele to point out her sister He was not so clumsy as that He lie asked someone else i a stranger where she was was Senator Senator niece The stranger being belag be be- ing lag a man pointed to AdeleNo AdeleNo AdeleNo Adele I No I 1 mean the other one the I studious one her sister Oh yes there Is another one Lets Let's see Oh there she Is over by that window The tall taU girIn girl gir girlin girlin In the black hat and veil Gabriel d' d introduced himself himself himself him him- self to Helen Ive been having a delightful chat with your very lovely lovely lovely love love- ly sister he said with engaging candor She tells teUs me that you am amI and andI I 1 have a great deal In common that tha we are a pair of young innocents innocent In the primary department of the big college of politics Oh Ob Im I'm not up to the primary department yet yet said Helen Im still in the cradle But I 1 am trying so hard to understand things things and anc making very little headway We must collaborate he said We are having the same trouble We have learned the c and thea the thea a a. a and the t f now we must mut digest our wisdom and combine it Into tato cat Perhaps two digestions like heads beads are better than one It sounds promising she saidI saidI saidI said I confess that half the time I 1 just jus listen and frown and dont don't even try to digest it I keep hoping one acquires acquires ac ac- quires it gradually like suntan from persistent application Perhaps Per Per- haps between u us we could get th thc the c and the a and end the f to Into a Uttie littie lit Ut- tie Ue kitten at least if lf not into a full full- grown cat to begin with Its It a bargain he said heartily shaking hands with her I shall ahall g gat go goat goat at once and make diplomatic overture overtures over over- lures tures to your lOur aunt I I Inside of five minutes he had Aunt Olympias Olympia's attention Mrs he said it is only fair to inform you ou in strictest confidence that I Ilave have lave been completely enchanted with your very lovely niece How flow does oes one go about getting ion lion to call One comes to tea Pardon my persistence How now soon oon does one come corne Tomorrow It will be nice to have you Were We're living very quietly of f course course almost almost In be seclusion seclusion be- be cause ause of that terrible tragedy but I 1 Ido Ido do want the girls to 0 pick up what amusement they can Ill IU be at my most humorous I 1 promise you Ill I'll go so around and |