| Show L The Honorable e Uncle Lancy Laney Lane By ETHEL HUESTON O Bobbt Co S Sen ce CHAPTER VIII Ill VIII Continued I to 10 10 toNo No wonder Gabriel knew more about things than I do Helen said I Ia Id rd know things too too If I were paid a salary for learning them Im I'm afraid he wasn't the old palsy walsy I 1 thought him he didn't tell teU me what he was finding out Even Aunt Olympia thought it was amusing She said she wasn't at atall atall atall all surprised she declared that half the ambassadors and all of the diplomats diplomats dip dip- in Washington were spies She said I give you my word before be fore I go to an embassy reception I take the safety pins out of the broken straps on my slip sUp and have Hilda Ililda sew ew them on Im I'm too proud to have foreign spies looking through me at those safety pins Its hIts an n outrage said the Senator Sen ator bristling all over with Ameri Amerl They ought to be shot Not Just for looking at a safety pin Del surely said Aunt pia On the next Sunday Len Hardesty arrived at Shires too late for church but in ample time for dinner Im supposed to be down in Washington touching the Committee for more funds he explained cheer fully Were running short In fact were we're low We were reduced to hamburgers last night though I Isee Isee Isee see you have an abundance of fried chicken here Farley arley must be doIng do do- Ing tag all right by j you ou better get along down to Washington said Aunt Olympia or you'll be reduced to canned dog food When dinner was over the Senator Sena tor begged to be excused he had important work on hand Aunt OlympIa got up and walked oft she was going to take a nap but whose business was it Helen had letters to write and Limpy took the box of nuts nuU and the funny papers and went out to the porch Adele and andLen andLen andLen Len Hardesty thus considerately left alone wandered down through the garden and on out Into the orchard orchard orchard or or- chard where they selected a big appie apple apple ap ap- pie tree far removed from the house and sheltered by a hedge and sat at down For a long time they devoted themselves to the tender personal things natural to a young couple very much in love but eventually settled down to speak of other things of politics their daily dally activities activities activities ties their hopes their plans Oh Len Adele cried suddenly it exciting about Gabriel d' d Allott Exciting I I dont don't see anything exciting about it but that they didn't catch him months ago Quote The lousy worm End quote But that he should turn out to be bea a spy I We never dreamed of such sucha a thing I Weve We've had no end of fun with Helen about it it With Helen Dont you remember Gabriel was the man who spent all last spring studying the American system with Helen I told you about it Len who had Just started to light lighta a cigarette paused suddenly his hand in midair The American system I With Helen Hel en he repeated Oh it was perfectly all right she said hastily There was nothing noth ing lag flirtatious about it Helen is dead serious about being engaged to Brick you know Sh Its It's a surprise for Aunt Olympia Gabriel Gabrlel Ga Ga- briel said he was gathering material for a book on the American picture and he got Helen to help him Though she says he knew more about it than she did They used to argue for hours about and armaments and military preparedness pre and all that Why he even warned her against Canada Canada- in an indirect way We call her herthe herthe herthe the First Assistant Spy I Len lit his cigarette slowly Did DidI she see much of him I Oh he was hardly ever o Old art t of our sight He lie went every plate place atoe we did not did not with us He Just met us there by accident the wa way you do lie He came to the house three or four lour times a week afternoons mostly I see Len stood up Well beautiful Ive I've got to be a flying myself my sell self down to Washington so dont don't sit there blinking your lashes and looking lonesome trying to get my mind off oft the salvation of the na na- na tion According to the papers Sloppy Sloppy Sloppy Slop- Slop py Is taking a few days oil oft to rest his corns coma Will you be here the rest of he h week Uncle Uncle Un Ti It isn't for cle Lr a corns Its It's so Hilda Ililda can get us mended and laundered and fed Its It's terrible cooking in that trailer We all have to work at once you know for the sake of the Photos photon and theres there's not room for three Our digestions pay the pen alty alto Ill be over before Thursday Thank Ollie for the chicken Hamburgers I And to think if tf it hadn't been for the shortsighted shortsighted- ness cess the hopeless Inefficiency of ol I old Sloppy Id I'd be with you on fried chicken Instead of over there with the brats on hamburger Aunt Olympia shrewd as she was could not understand Cecil Dodd Inthe In Inthe Intoe the toe beg beginning luning though she had certainly certainly made it clear that as assistant dire director tor of publicity he was chiefly to take care of the woman angle he I bad had flung himself into the campaign with such assiduity that she could I hardly get hold of him long enough to o take the girls horseback horse riding Dave Cooper assured her the kid was doing all right that there was real stun stuff back of his gentle smile but Jut Aunt Olympia felt that her plan had lad been somewhat of a failure Now suddenly all this was changed Cecil cell had become ubiquitous constantly constantly con con- underfoot as 81 Olympia com com- When Dave who had come cometo cometo cometo to rely on him flatly ordered him himoff himoff off oft on certain missions he went but with reluctance lies Hes beginning to miss the so so- fas as said the Senator sympathetically cally the worst thing about cushions they cushions they become habitual Oh I knew he couldn't keep it up grumbled Aunt Olympia These fireworks that go off oil with the biggest explosion always sputter sputter ter out first Still Dave assured her once he was dragged away from the Insidious ous comforts of Shires Shire or the clubby attractions of the trailer entourage he worked both hard and well like a dog Dave said and does what hes he's told On Saturday when the cavalcade returned to Shires for rest and renovation renovation renovation reno reno- Dave said he and Cece would go to town and do some intensive groundwork at Headquarters Cece objected objected gently but firm ly He lie said he needed rest and renovation as much as anybody Call up Headquarters and tell em were we're coming said Dave firm firm I ly Aunt Olympia gave him his hatOn hat hatOn On Sunday except for the visit of Len Hardesty which they had come to exp expect ct the day was restfully restfully rest rest- fully calm and quiet And then on Monday evening as they were having hav I. I ing big coffee in the cool of the east veranda Hilda announced disapprovingly Its Mr Dodd on the phone and he wants Miss Limpy You could have knocked Aunt Olympia down with a feather She said IBid so herself at least a hundred times in the days that followed She couldn't open her mouth She Just jut sat as if she had indeed been knocked there Limpy ran back from the tele tele- phone Oil Oh Aunt Olympia Cece says saYI the Young Democrats Democrat are getting getting get get- ting up a dance rally at the Fire FireHouse FireHouse FireHouse House and if he comes and end gets me and drives drive carefully and brings bring me back early may I go Aunt Olympia still suffering from the feather feather blow blow couldn't speak Would you like to go girls asked the Senator mildly Did he invite all of us Limpy asked Adele significantly Um well perhaps ah well ah perhaps not specifically Ill I'll go and ask him shall I IT He only mentioned me me-a me a small party I believe Aunt Olympia came to You cant can't go she said In a strangled voice You cant can't go a step And you needn't say Aw Uncle Lancy for forIm forIm forIm Im I'm running this nursery and you cant can't go He says all right announced Limpy He lie doesn't c care re about the dance He says hell he'll come over and make a report to the Senator You call him right up Del and tell him to stay where he is and not Interrupt our rest with any reports You tell him to stay where he is and do as Dave tells him Here I am Just getting somewhere with my extemporaneous extemporaneous ex ex- ex speech and now getting getting get get- ting all upset about Limpy You call him right up Del Tell him when we want him well we'll send for him Aunt Olympia tried to still the under chin with a few fierce jabs With a feather she muttered muttered muttered mut mut- feebly On Tuesday morning in a surprising announcement temporarily distracted distract distract- ed her from her maternal anxiety Every paper in the state announced that Governor Wilkie had suddenly decided the time was ripe for him to make the most important speech of the campaign over a wide nation-wide hook He was quoted as saying that certain dramatic developments develop ments menu in Washington had impelled him to alter his original schedule and since the revelations he was about to make concerned not only their sovereign state but the entire nation he had arranged for the national national na na- na audience The family at Shires discussed it at length over their breakfast Its a fake said Aunt Olympia Theres There nothing more he can say Hes He's said everything already and more too Maybe he has found some lome new words in the dictionary said Adele for Do you suppose hell he'll pause applause so the listening world can hear the brats brat wave lollypops wondered Limpy Before they left the table there was a call caU from Dave at Head quarters See the papers Senator Yes what's up Nobody seems to know But the are that their Headquarters reports report are agog They They've hired a college professor to check the speech May May- Maybe be wed we'd better come out and listen in with you so we can cock up an answer Yes do that Its It's a good idea said the Senator When he remarked mildly that out to listen coming were the bo boys in with them and help frame his re re- reply Olympia bounded clear out ply Aunt of If I her r chair I You call him right back and tell him to leave Cece where he is isi she cried I 1 cant can't listen to speeches and look at that worm In the same breath Adele that's that the most perfectly mixed figure I ever heard in my life said Limpy admiringly Its triplet triple I It Its It's unique Aunt Olympia didn't hear herMy herMy herMy her My dear the Senator remonstrated remonstrated remon remon- we cant can't hurt the boys boy's Feelings Dave says hes he's working like a dog and making a good job of It it too Why shouldn't he What Is he anyhow but a dog a yellow dog too tool Aunt Olympia smiled ever so faintly in appreciation of herself hersell Itell I tell teV you what to say DeL DL You tell Dave one of them had better stay Itay there to get the general reaction to the Governors Governor's drivel drivel and and Cece can stay stay and and Dave can come That s Bounding reasonable the Senator started for the telephone You needn't tell him its it's my idea said Olympia Im willing you should take the credit The Governor began his speech plech with dignified and disarming mild ness ness- He tie explained that he had known the Senator for many years as his friend and more recently as Governor of his state tate He lie made It very clear that knowing him thus intimately he could not brand the Senator as a wicked man a vicious man or a traitorous man He lie was merely a hopeless Inefficient a courteous courteous cour cour- richly comfortable gentleman farmer one who knew nothing of M r d dI dL ds s L I 11 Ill be over before Thursday Thank OUie Ollie for the chicken the Insidious Intricacies of statecraft state state- craft crafty one who could be led as a lamb to the slaughter by those wiser wiser wiser wis wis- er more subtle more farseeing than he He said that hitherto I hitherto I Isay say hitherto he hitherto he repeated the Senator had been saved from egregious and irreparable error error error er er- er- er by the firmly coercive hand of his party leaders I say hitherto I mean hitherto hither to to This time lacking coercive guidance guidance guidance guid guid- ance he has fallen into error both egregious and Irreparable The Senator Senator Senator Sen Sen- ator has denounced subversive un- un American activities Orally yes he has denounced them And in all fairness my friends I believe the Senator at heart is opposed to such activities But my friends is the good Senator Senator and and I believe him to tobe tobe tobe be a good if not a particularly in intelligent intelligent in in- man man man-is is the good Senator smart mart enough to recognize subversive ive lye activities when he meets them When he encounters them in th luxurious drawing rooms at the lallIsh lay lav lavIsh Ish banquet tables of Washington I When he entertains them in his own home introduces introduce them to his own friends It is this point on which we challenge chal chat lenge the Who ho during the thelast thelast thelast last session of Congress was one of the most constant and familiar visitant visitants tants tant in the Senators Senator's luxurious apartment in Washington Who Vho ate his food drank his hii imported wine danced with the women of his household household house house- household hold Who was their confidant On this point I challenge the Senator Last week three handsome ingratiating polished young foreigners foreign foreign- ers era were arrested in Washington as spies for foreign governments government They were educated men of cultured tastes and training they were well supplied with money they wore correct correct correct cor cor- clothes clothe did correct things were gracious suave and ble They were spies One of these men was Gabriel Today Gabriel languishes in Jail as a spy while the Senator dines dine on squab and rich aspics in his stately mansion at Maysville while campaigning campaigning campaigning cam cam- for election re-election to his high office ether In Washington this Gabriel dAl dAI lotti was one of the most confidential intimates of the family in their Shoreham apartment The Senator was a member of the powerful com corn on armaments armament lie He is now on the Committee on Naval Affairs Affairs Af Al fairs that deals closely with matters matters mat mat- lens of national defense Gabriel is a rpy spy What hat is I. the connection connection con between these two Why did they so constantly dine and wine together together to to- gether My friends I do not nor do I 1 believe that believe that my old friend the Senator would deliberately betray betray be be- tray his country and sell ell Its It secret secrets to any foreign Inimical nation I know enow the Senator he Is my friend He is an Innocent trustful unsuspecting unsuspecting gentleman farmer but sad sadly iy ly lacking in political acumen and farsightedness Are you to trust to handle the intricate problems of sta statecraft to represent you In the Senate of the United States a man who innocently Ingenuously Ingenuously and and most unwisely receives unwisely receives as his inti intimate mate a common spy On these points I challenge the Good night and thank you you The Senator was a good deal sun sur Olympia scarlet carlet with rage was at t work on her under Adele and Limpy who had become accustomed to charges and countercharges countercharges counter counter- charges and knew there was nothing In them snickered a little But Helen Hel liel en who had turned dead white twisted her slim hands hand nervously in 10 her lap Who the Ever bear hear of him asked Dave briskly Why the girls have been talk talking about Yes I must have met him He lie never had dinner at our house housein in his life He Just came to call calf shouted Aunt Olympia Howd he get in persisted Dave I invited him said IBid Olympia I angrily He lie asked for it and I invited |
