Show the honorable mho ono tu mft ible uncle lamanc lancy 11 imm IV air by ETHEL HUESTON a 0 bobu co THE STORY THUS PAR FAR lett left orphans by a tragic automobile accident which claimed the lives of their mother and father three sisters bisters helen adele and limpy are visited by their aunt olympia politically minded wife of 0 senator Do Dt laporte Slop shire she insists that the girls return with her to washington to make their homo home with them in addition to loving the girls aunt olympia knows they will be a terrific i political asset senator has ba as his bis political opponent one brother wilkie a mints minister t er whose political campaign la Is furthered by seven unspeakably abla brats who sit on the rostrum with him while he makes speeches senator Slop shire a pleasantly foggy individual who depends on the astuteness of his bla wife prepares egares tor for their coming Though lampy the youngest Is 18 10 and helen the oldest Is 21 the senator buys them all the toys and gilts gifts he can find when th they first meet their uncle lancy as he Is to be known the girls take him to the their ir united bosom soon adele most beautiful of the sisters meets len Hardest Hari lesty yi publicity man tor for brother wilkie though it la is lens lena job to help defeat the senator he erom promptly estly taus falls to in love with adele olympia buys an automobile house trailer chic which wt will accommodate the five of 0 them and from which the senator will campaign then she decides c ides to hire a publicity agent tor for the senator securing the services ot of dave cooper and as his assistant young cecil dodd at a washington tea helen mee meets is r gabriel bri e I 1 balotti dai dA lotti attl gabriel then searches out olympia and asks as ks if he might call clym olympia brac ta acquiesces thinking it might make helen forget her suitor back in iowa balch k Landis brick owner of a grocery store Is also running for congress CHAPTER VI continued 8 the girls gasped cecil made fast notes with the senate pencil aunt olympia descended then from the plane of an interview to practical counsel at first cece better let dave read your stuff and make S suggestions u g gest ions it if he wants to you see he knows our constituency you can use the same ideas tor for different constituencies not always though and frequently they must be couched in different words for instance some words will delight a scandinavian or irish settlement which would grossly offend a ladies aid dave has the state mapped out and lc knows aws every prejudice in it you can work that out with him ive memorized the map said cecil that is the regular map I 1 know the counties towns and rivers but theres nothing to indicate the prejudices davell indicate em said olympia now in writing about the girls cece remember to use only what we call innocent ad Jec tIves ayoung simple girlish in not innocuous be careful about that quiet dignity Is good and innocent youth and childish candor are effective it if you absolutely have to mention beauty quality qualify it call it youthful beauty or girlish beauty but avoid beauty if possible to the average mind beauty goes with bathing contests and rich husbands in mentioning their clothes always call them simple girlish and inexpensive they do not look inexpensive though he remarked being one who knew clothes considering the effect they are going to have at the polls th they eyare are cheap as dirt said aunt olympia never under any circumstances refer to elegance or lumur luxury y these be long to royalists never say lavish or costly or luxurious say homey comfort or companionable hominess by the way he inquired suddenly have you cautioned the girls about mentioning our plans to well len hardesty you know what he can so do with the most casual remark she winked cheerfully at the spellbound girls we mentioned the campaign to them be sure to get this in cece being entirely domestic and housewifely as I 1 am I 1 accompany uie the senator to take care ot of him to see that he eats properly cooked food at regular hours and gets sufficient clent rest resl we go only to look after his health his food and his comfort I 1 take care of his bis clothes make a note of that will you limpy remind me to buy a needle and some darning cotton but we play no politics the voters of our state are not constituents to me they are dear old friends and neighbors better get that word tor for word cece you cant improve on it FrIe friends rids and neighbors and when they know these precious children as we know them they will be their friends and neighbors too am I 1 sprouting a halo adele put in limpy neatly 1 I seem to be going angelic bythe by the minute cece remind me to add a motor cecle escort to the cavalcade said aunt olympia reverting again to the practical well need him to carry the socks back and forth to hilda to rip out what I 1 put in do you make spee speeches chee Aun auntie tle asked adele id love to hear you make a speech no indeed 1 declared mrs slop shire laughingly 1 I do not noi make speeches except perhaps privately to the senator no indeed no speeches all ali I 1 do is put a little ginger in dels dont put that in cece although adele had heard cecils hint bint about len hardesty without change of expression without flick er of long ey eyelash elish she didiot did not torget forget it that night when they were an all together at dinner he said cheer fully and yet with gravity darlings would it be better better politics icso I 1 mean me anfor for us to see no more of on one len hardesty until after the election I 1 can get along without him you know and if it would be less dangerous it Is ii quite all ali right with me aunt olympia spokesman po kesman for the senator as well a as herself hersi lf offered a prompt disclaimer not at all adele its nice of you to make the offer but it Is not necessary of course we may accidentally let something drop that he be can pick up and if he be can he will but lens lehs quite a dropper him seu self and ilano slouch at pickings up and it 11 it len banging hanging around it would be somebody else and probably someone a good deal I 1 less ess interesting she frowned thoughtfully tor for a moment in tact fact the closer you keep him to your fin ger tips the less good hes doing brother wilkie and the less harm to us im not sure sur e but bu you should marry him and put him into the discard once ance andhor nil all and good riddance the senator was so touch touched ed at the generous thoughtfulness of 0 adeles offer that he be wiped his glasses one pair alter after the other tor for a solid hour and discontinued only when helen came in from the libra ry to ask his help uncle lancy she said 1 I find im terribly vulnerable in my national defenses have to straighten me out just look at this map she spread a relief map of 0 north america on his bis knees arid dropped on a stool beside him heavens helen have you gone back to geography said adele ill go back with you offered limpy quickly ill swap you my trig for your geog impery im very good at geography what do you have to do fill in rivers and mountains no said helen 1 I just have to build forts and guns and establish submarine bases and scrape up a few aerial bombers now look uncle lancil this to Is the canadian border not a fortification tor for miles think of have the canadians declared war asked Limpy no andee and we say they never will and probably they wont but bof not the half balf of itt SP suppose re great britain got messed up in europe say with russia that would keep her busy then suppose germany and italy got together and decided to colonize canada they could come 9 galloping al loping right over and england do a thing and there be bei right next to us and rno no defenses come over you helen 1 I thought you were a pacifist so I 1 am but I 1 have been talking to re they say you cant be peaceful without preparedness pa redness and just look at that canadian bordell bor derl all ali right look at the canadian border youre right its vulnerable agreed tie the senator smiling then take the mexican border A mexican invasion would rould start us all eating tamales famales and beans it asked limpy mexico herself invade sold said helen ah but suppose she had alliances strong alliances say with japan very vulnerable I 1 the mexican border is better defended than you realize said the senator we got all those forts and flying fields and military camps down there just tor for the sake of the climate big cities are the vulnerable points for an enemy there aber are no very large cities down there and we have a scattering of defenses from the border northward said the senator becoming interested almost defensive and just look at our atlantic coastal helen was full of her subject disgraceful just look from way up here at the tip of maine clear down to Pari panama amal and how much of a fleet deet have we got how many airplane bombers how many tubs subs and dread and what else should one have Why ita an open temptation to the covetous like leaving pennies around in sight of little children who are wild about lollypops lolly pops you can join the red bed cross helen help said adele you can be a girl scout and coax uncle laney lancy to buy you a bow and arrow said limpy the trouble with people who go around talking about national defenses said uncle laney lancy pleasantly liking his attentive audience Is that for or the most part they dont know what they are talking about personally as you know helen 1 I while an ardent and consistent pacifist am in favor of ft a full defense program from bombs to bandages but that atlantic seaboard la Is better defended than you think it weve got a lot of very impressive works spread out along there they look like mere show places to the visiting tourist but more under the surface than shows on top you dont suppose the shipyards up in maine and new hampshire are undefended do you and in afa maryland and virginia you dont suppose boston is standing wide open do you the most doubting doub tini of thom t uses ases must realize that new neld york harbor has a gun or two tucked away somewhere an and d come on down the coastal heres Washingto nl I 1 doubt if 11 even gerald nye would vote to destroy tho the defenses of washington but Bu were not what some people call plain suckers at that said uncle laney lancy weve got strategic trat egic points fairly well taken care of and weve got second and third and fourth line defenses spread clear across the country we enough helen I 1 admit that were working at it though the trouble Is its not such hard work building up defenses as talking down the fanatics well rell im relieved said helen 1 I sure I 1 could sleep tonight of course im to peace myself not quite at any price perhaps but at any price within reason helen was having almost as busy a time as aunt olympia herself tor for she continued her pursuit tit political enlightenment so avidly that lim pys logarithms were overlooked tor for days at a time dull teas deadly receptions luncheons congressional clubs she attended them assiduously she had hadad to in order to help brick when the time came and how about this garden p party ar at the british embassy aunt olympia demanded one day weve got to answer it do you want to go id love to said helen promptly I 1 invited asked adele jealously yes were all invited all right ill accept for you girls and A 1 4 4 4 ili OIL A len hardesty Harde siy taught aught we me that trick us it if you really want to go and decline for limpy aw uncle lancy I 1 walled allm py ive never seen a loidl you he ejaculated well well think of that now no great shakes in my opinion but isyou if you want to see one go and take a good look dell protested aunt olympia why ashes a mere chialdi well ashes a nice child he insisted if a cat can look at a king I 1 reckon a child a nice child can have a squint at a lord in the making theres nothing worldly about garden partle parties s ilmy in my opinion its lVa children given tor for garden parties said aunt olympia severely are worth the wages of a gardener for the cigarette ashes they keep off the rugs alone it was very nice helen wrote to brick landis they served champagne punch under a marquee at one end of the garden and them the refreshments a long way oft off at the other end under another aunt olympia said that thai was to make it harder find and take longer for guests to go dashing back and forth consuming liquor and refreshments they served exquisite big strawberries and an american substitute for devonshire cream you know how limpy loves strawberries unda uncle laney lancy braved that tha t formidable line of butlers three times to get extra portions for her he said she was entitled to still more under tier her quota because she drink champagne limpy said the he think the tha ambassador was hall half as lordly looking as uncle lancy and he wiped his glasses for ten minutes and the tiep top of his head bead turned so pink that somebody asked it if he was sunburned he stopped the car on the ithe way home and bought her six big boxes of strawberries and I 1 dare say shell break out in ln a rash the invitation said from five to seven and exactly it at seven the orchestra came out from behind the bushes and played god save the king and everybody stood up and the chairs just seemed to io melt sway away out of sight and everybody went home limpy told aunt olympia she ought cotry to try that way of getting rid of people at her parties when she invites them tirom from five till seven for a dozen or more tick stick around around till nine bine or ten and len hardesty so go till he be Is put out but aunt olympia said it work with americans said somebody would SUP the orchestra leader a dollar to swing it IV and all start dancing and shed harthern have hav them thern on tier her hands tor for breakfast adele complained that they did not serve nearly dearly so much as at mosi most of the embassy things the south african union tor for instance where it was a banquet as it always is at the siamese legation aunt olympia says its the law of compensation the smaller the nation the bigger the feed 1 I finally put gabriel dAllo to shame on the pacifist question by proving that we are not as vulnerable as we look and sound uncle laney pointed out oil all the hidden defenses to me and I 1 made a lovely map of them im keeping if it tor for you in case you go on national defense and oh brick you surprised at ed etcher elcher retiring from the ther race pe for congress afterpe after be he had won in the primary and d what a break for us iowa hean publicans Publican public ans sl aunt olympia Olymp lawas was furious she said bald in her opinion it was a congress mans christian duty to hang onto a good seat instead of chucking it t to 0 the wolves by wolves ehe means us R iowa she wanted undre lancy to call him up and give him a piece of her on a morning in june the girls were amused to find aunt olympia sitting at her desk very red of face frowning intently at a thick pad of paper and cher cheang ing ng the rubber of a pencil with along a long sharp point As they watched she bent forward smiling broadly and wrote a few lines very fast when she had finished with a big black period she looked up at the girls with a slight smirk it cant be her expense account sald said limpy for even in a dumb thing like trig they figure things out in numbers its my speech sold aunt olympia Olymp la obviously well pleased with what she had written your for the campaign she ex pla ined you know helen sald said limpy reproachfully that trigonometry of yours has got nie me clear off the english language what cosines and tangents do to a brilliant mind I 1 understood her fier speaking to say she make speeches you understood me all right said aunt olympia Olymp la but there always comes a time quite late in the campaign I 1 select the time when the senator is delayed inan in an important conference perhaps |