Show 7 C PAL PALA A 11 by CHRISTINE CH v IY vr CHAPTER I 1 they sat facing each other separated by thirty seven years two utterly different temperaments and six feet of priceless wine colored that covered the old daven port i james lambert who found it difficult to relax when he intended to be unrelenting sat stiffly arms folded at his end of the six feet leonora at hers was curled up in the manner of a little girl her head with its aureole of pale gold hair resting upon a velvet cushion one small silver clad foot dangling against the gorgeous color ot of the old like some barbaric aebel igwel from the orient orlena Thou though gha a log blazed cheerily on the hearth the atmosphere of the room was tense with disapproval james lamberts disapproval said leonora resuming a discussion which dinner had interrupted but no reason dad no reason at all no rea reasone sont james paused presumably to clear his throat but in reality to curb his temper past experience had bad taught him that th at it was wa a futile to rage at this be bewildering w ilder foster daughter she merely laughed at you he wondered the old wound aching for a moment it if the italian baritone who had lured his wife away from him possessed that quality the girls mother had been quick to anger but leonora simply get mad no matter what the provocation she laughed and that made a man feel foolish disarmed his dignity and dignity james sometimes thought with bitterness ter ness was all he had unless one counted a fat bank balance his sense of humor that nora loved but which too often raised its head in disconcerting moments he refused to consider an asset but dignity was something one trifle with so he endeavored to be reasonable unless a house Is founded upon a rock my child it will not survive v I 1 ve nor will one that founded upon love retorted leonora you cant beat that dad in my casp case 11 he replied coldly ollove love did not prove a foundation 11 and added not wishing to pursue the subject of his own marl marital catastrophe be sensible nora that boy will vill never in the world provide tor for you he thre threw wian an appraising glance at the silver slippers just face the facts honestly my dear r he is twenty seven by his own unabashed confession he dropped college after a few months merely because it bored him and what has he accomplished since then in the years that should have given him a start in life nothing absolutely nothing can you deny it A maddening smile curved leo noras adorable mouth 1 that depends on what you consider alder a start in life dad hes got some lome per perfectly i factly corking memories s memories 1 james was obliged to io clear his throat again then said with sarcasm find I 1 fear that even the most delightful memories wont pay the butcher and a thousand dollars added the girl naively ns its in the farmers a and nd mechanics bank downtown the sense of humor popped up and grinn edat james IUs his mouth relaxed a little even as he contended Is it indeed an appropriate place for the savings of ofa a a vaga bandl this brou brought glit a laugh from leonora a delightful laugh which brightened the whole room sometimes dad she told him you are simply priceless its an I 1 enigma how so bright a man as you can be so D dense but the truth is don earned some of that thousand on a ranch tn in california farming for you and down at santa fe he worked three months ata at a garage driving tourists if mechanical that ought to be but youve no idea the amount of history he picked up along the way and in south africa james lamberts hand went up in the forbidding gesture popular with traffic officers dont go all over south africa again I 1 beg of you all this chia remarkable young man did there wa was to get into a diamond rush that netted wm him nothing that Is he glanced at her sternly nothing but memories now look here nora its no use quibbling youre blinded just at present by all the follows fellows exploits but youre young and impressionable able you can forget him ill send you abroad again if that will help ill even go with you myself though I 1 loathe travel ned tells me 1 I see k interrupted nora as one enlightened so ned has been poisoning your minda mind I 1 might havi have known she sp spoke oke ev evenly enly coldly yet hot color dyed her face and something told her foster father that she was nearer bearer anger than he be had ever seen her but he was angry himself as ne ie retorted in a voice like ice Is it ii anything deplorable for a man to be interested in the welfare of his hia own sister im only his half sister the girl corrected and there are times enough when he wishes I 1 oh I 1 know what it a good egg ned is in his own way but he a spark of imagination he never sees the tha other fellows side lies hes content to eat breakfast at precisely the same time each morning and to know where hell be every hour of the twenty four hes perfectly Y satisfied with corinne and her beautifully kept house which changes with every changing style so you cant fand your way around if you happen not to go there tor for vc a month corinne never does anything that done you know but she makes him comfortable and all ned asks of life cum fort plus an increasing bank ba balance latice hes a superb example of the successful white collared american business man like nora paused suddenly inarticulate and james finished her sen I 1 1 g 19 r J I 1 J nora paused suddenly inarticulate tence with a question like his father youre not his father began the girl then stopped tearing fearing to hurt him 1 I I 1 mean ive been neds father longer than ive been yours nora he reminded her with unaccustomed gentleness tl eness the boy was less than two years old when I 1 married his mother and hes been compensation as fanas far as such a tiling thing is possible tor for all the trouble that came later meaning me she should ni have said just that of course co jurse but her up lip trembled a little and ond jamea James forgave tor gave her he responded instantly dont be a goose dearl dear ive never regarded you as a trouble not for a minute A problem perhaps because I 1 dont always understand you and you often rub me the wrong way but I 1 want you to be happy nora and safe and I 1 cant see safety for a woman or happiness either unless theres a certain stability in the man she chooses don mason got that stability and I 1 doubt if Ws its pos sible for him to acquire it now I 1 dont call him a neer do well though james stopped the curtains at the door had parted and a maid announced noun ced i mr mason is in the reception room oom miss nora A ask him to step in here please replied the girl then to io her father perhaps better tell dochow don how you feel ned and corinne made their attitude 4 quite plain last evening at the country club it hurt me frightfully why I 1 blew up just no now if I 1 felt that ned really calbout ceL cared about bout me it would be different but lesnever hes never cared not like a real brother not as as you care dad sometimes I 1 feel fe elOh oh hello donl come in dad wants to see y you ou the young man paused on the threshold he did not speak yet one knew instinctively that he was asking Is this a declaration ot of war or a friendly counsel couns elIt it was perhaps only a few seconds that he waited in the illuminating silence but facing him james lambert was conscious of a pang of envy here was youth youth atias best and brightest what arguments could a man of sixty use he asked himself to counteract the sense of high adventure which this boy brought with him into the quiet room years afterward james was to recall every detail of that scenes scene how as don stood there his hair seemed to be blown back from his forehead by a mountain breeze how tanned his neck had looked above the collar how broad his shoulders how strong hi his hands and how as the girl came forward his eyes which had been shrewd and questioning tio ning changed softened soften c d lighted as it if by magic you wish to see me sir james thought 1 I wish I 1 may never see your handsome face again but he gripped the outstretched hand in not unfriendly fashion as he replied with crisp finality only to say that im tak ing nora abroad tor for the next year for one startled moment dons eyes met leondras Leo noras held them what he read there james never never knew he said a smile curving his engaging mouth our tastes are simi similarly larl I 1 meant to do that very thing myself indeed there was a world of sarcasm in the lifted eyebrows on a thousand dollars don said quite seriously it take a thousand mr lam ibert bert ive ave been from Persia Perila va tb see here james broke in with I 1 impatience it in the least matter where youve been ive no doubt you traveled steerage 7 roughed it even mixed with the dar darkie kles sas as a deck passenger may I 1 ask itsou if you ever traveled with a woman oh dad warned nora but the young man silenced her with a laugh sit tight my dear your fathers not insulting me hes merely point ing out the fact that a feminine corn com panion complicates things on ajoue ajoux ney hes hea right of course but as it happens mr lambert I 1 did travel for ten days with a girl I 1 picked up outside of shanghai we P he paused because james la lam bert had made a strange sound in his throat nora recognized it as the forerunner of a storm a sort of distant thunder it if possible that storm must be averted and she said hurriedly don mean dad and do you mean blazed her father thoroughly roused that consider marrying a fellow who admits traveling with strange women picking them up here there god cod knows where do you understand child to his amazement a short laugh came from don calm down everybody he pleaded calm down the lady in the case was above reproach this adventure which sounds so wicked to you mr lambert oc burred during a chinese rebellion the girl got separated from her family and I 1 took her under my brotherly wing as it were until we found them would you have had me leave a fellow countrywoman to the tender mercies of the bandits who had wrecked our train nora laughed while her father experienced the unpleasant sensation of appearing foolish this made him angrier still and he exploded why you say so in the first place rm im under the impression replied the young man suavely that you give div e me time what I 1 started to iel lyou mr lambert Is that we got on famously natural conditions and innumerable I 1 hardships she was a sport thail that girl ive often wondered why I 1 fall tor for her thatis that Is I 1 won dered till I 1 met nora james still slightly ruined ruffied snorted edline like an angry horse very pretty very pretty indeed but you must consid erthe tact fact that rny MY that nora has been accustomed to every luxury hardship is something she dimly glimpse youir 11 youre twenty seven and according to nora youve accumulated only a thousand dollars if ashes mistaken I 1 apologize if ashes right what may I 1 ask have you to offer her compared to what dozens of the men she knows could offer so it was warl the young man comprehended TO BE CO CONTINUED |