Show IT I f to 3 The Thirteenth Commandment By RUPERT HUGHES Copyright by Harper A Brothers I FOREWORD The Thirteenth Commandment Commandment Com Corn is an American story written by an American American Ameri Ameri- can for Americans It is according to a famous English English English Eng Eng- the lish critic American to bone and to the marrow of the bone It deals with that eternal conflict between between between be be- tween finance and romance It tells the story of what one lovable modern American girl did when she discovered how often the checkbooks checkbook's groan drowns the love song In this story Rupert Hughes is at his best and that best cannot be surpassed by any American author of the present day If you start J The Thirteenth Commandment Commandment Commandment Command Command- ment you will finish it and when you have finished it you will be glad that you started it CHAPTER I. I 1 4 rAs r As usual usual nowadays instead of knocking at the door Fate called up upon upon upon on the telephone I Though the bell shrilled almost In Mrs Kips Kip's ear she would not answer it She winced d shook her head agitated agitated agitated agi agi- her rocking chair with petulance embroidered vindictively and hardly I so 1 fi so much much called out as sighed very loudly toward the hallway Daphne oh 0 Daphne the telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone again On the stairs there sounded a a muffled scurry like the rush of an April shower chased down a hillside I sun An allegory of April darted darted darted dart dart- I ed across th the room and raised the telephone telephone telephone tel tel- ephone to her lips as ns if it were a beaker heaker of good cheer Her Hel mother was used to this humor of Daphnes Daphne's and paid no heed till a sudden frost chilled the warm tone of the girls girl's voice The smile of hospitality hospitality hospitality hospi hospi- wasted on the telephone had hadi given i en place to a look of embarrass embarrass- ment Mrs Kip whispered anxiously Who is It 1 Daphne motioned her not to Interrupt Inter Inter- rapt rupt and her voice grew deep and important It became what her brother Bayard called her reception voice In her grandest contralto she said This is Miss Kip Yes I have Yes he does I beg pardon Oh OhI Oh Oh Oh How do you do Mr Mr l Who 1 her mother keened Daphne whispered to quiet her A Ayoung young voting man from New York York friend friend of yards same same office I haven't got goths goth's li's lis name bane yet Into the telephone she was saying I and bowing and nodding the while with her poll politest test face Indeed Ill I'll try to be Of course Cleveland's not New NewYork NewYork NewYork York but but but- By the way do you dance That's good That's right might as well be deaf If you dont don't How long will y you U be in Cleveland Oh Is that all Well then you must corm out here and have tea with us th this 5 very afternoon Ill I'll call for you youat youat youat at the hotel In my little c car r. r No Its It's not one of those Its It's an electric I run It myself Afraid to risk It Brave man r I Ill I'll be be bethere there In fifteen minutes and you might be on the steps Goodby Mr This last was said In the fond tone of ancient friendship and she hung up tip the receiver with a gesture like shaking hands She turned to find her mother thinning thinning thinning thin thin- ning her lips In a long tight line her cheeks bulged explosively Daphne forestalled her ber Hes lIes a young fellow in lathe the same firm as Bayard Sa Says s 's hes he's here on business for ten days Bayard told him to call me up and tell me to be benice benice benice nice to him That sounds like By Also said he hadn't time to write That sounds lIker still sun Bayard told him to kiss you for him so he must be all right I was going to take him to the hotel to a te tea dance dance but I thought Id I'd better give him a over look first So Ill I'll roll him out here Get out the thenice thenice thenice nice china lIn and the napkins I monogrammed monogrammed monogrammed mono- mono and and and- But Daphne Walt Wait I I cant can't cantI cant can't- I r haven't time to argue with you mamma Please do as I r tell you f for r ronce once once- and dont don't fuss Mr will probably have ha a lot of news to tell you ou about your prodigal son Cb I I She hopped a kiss on the forehead that anxiety ty had bad turned to corduroy and ran ran- upstairs Ul like e another April shower chasing the sun uphill She lashed dashed down Iown again oguin with hat and laves ts o and md with nose I mimed th the front door gayly tIll 1 the stop steps and strode across the 1110 lawn to the little electric car I standing under the Ole porte The car was very large for a beetle but pretty small for tor an automobile CHAPTER II II The night train from New York had deposited Clay Wimburn in the grimy cavern of the station at an early hour bour He had dawdled over his breakfast feeling lost without his New York YorI morning papers When at last it grew late enough to telephone for an appointment with the theman theman man he had come to see he was disgusted dis dis- disgusted gusted to learn that the wretch would not be visible till the next da day It was then that Bayard Kips Kip's partIng partIng parting part- part Ing behest to call can up his sister recurred recurred recurred re re- re- re to Wimburn He planned to compose a formal note of self Intro ducHon but Bayard had forgotten to tell him his sisters sister's name or his fathers father's fathers father's fathers father's fa fa- fa- fa ther's Initials There were several se Kips Sips in the telephone book and he could not tell which would be which He lie decided to call up each number and ask a maid or somebody if Mr Bayard Kips Kip's people lived there The very first number he called caned I brought Daphne herself suddenly voice to voice with him Voices are characters and it was a case of love lovent at nt first hearing with him She had him smiling and cooing at the second phrase He lie felt that she was going to tomake tomake tomake make his stay In n Cleveland pleasant He formed all sorts of pictures of her while he waited on the hotel steps but when she stepped out of her car carand carand and looked about she was none of the Misses Sip Kip he had planned She was wasa a round pretty little thing amiable of e eye e and humorous about the lips Ups and cunningly dressed She looked as if she would be a n. plucky tireless sportswoman yet she had a wistful tender that a girl ought not to lose however well she plays tennis Is this Mr she began He was too nervous to notice her pause He retorted Is this Miss Kip He noted that she shook hands well I with a boyish clench accompanied by byan byan an odd little duck of the head Mighty nice of you to take me off this desert island he beamed Mighty glad to have the privilege she said as she verified the fraternity pin on his overcoat Mother is dyIng dying dying dy dy- dy- dy ing to hear how Bayard is is Mothers have little power left as guard guardians Inns but the children find that the title has a certain value at times In keeping order Wont you get in said Daphne pointing to her car She made him crowd In first then followed and closed the door and pulled the throttle He meditated aloud How wonderful wonder wonder- ful it really reany Is that you should talk to tome tome tome me over the telephone and invite me meto meto meto to your home and come and get me melike melike melike like this so wonderful about that said Daphne Everybody does docs it Ever Everything thing that er e everybody bod does is wonderful said Wimburn But how especially wonderful it Is to live In a city where there are no walls about the gardens Look r there arent aren't even evenI fences The lawns are all Joined to to- 11 y a t 1 1 Already Wimburn Was a Member of the Household gether and the houses are mostly windows windows win win- dows Everything Is so open and free full fun of sunlight and frankness Youre You're taking me home in this charming little glass showcase to Introduce me to your jour our mother I tell you the world do move A woman of today has a lot lott lotto lotto t to be thankful for You ought to be mighty happy to Ought hasn't much to do with Is Daphne sighed Weve got a lot lotto lotto lotto to get yet yet and and a n lot to get rid of He sank back discouraged The sex was still Insatiable After a short ride they turned Into a driveway leading through a spacious expanse of grass tass dotted with trees and shrubs to a homelike house without beauty or ugliness ugliness-a a house that had grown with the personalities of the occupants The only about the place were the cupola of an earlier day and the porte stuck out like lUw a broken wing She led him Into the house and waved him toward the hall tree When he ic had set down his hat and stick she led leel him Into the drawing room Mother Iother were we're home Yes dear said Mrs 1 Kip who called Daphne dear before compan com com- pan pany Mother said Daphne I want to present Mr mumble mumble gulp gulp She lad had not yet achieved his name Her IIer mother shocked her by saying Delighted to meet you ou r. Mr Mr I didn't quite catch the name Daphne blushed for her mothers mother's query but was glad to overhear tho the strangers stranger's answer I am Mr 11 Wimburn Mrs Kip Clay Sip Clay Wimburn At this moment a n tall shambling man nan walked in He looked as if he looked older than he was His spectacles spectacles spectacles spec spec- overwhelmed a rather unsuccessful unsuccessful unsuccessful nose Daphne hardly needed to Introduce him as us her father She gave VIm Wimburn burn a name now and he lie felt elt called upon to e explain his incursion incur Incur- sionI sion I I know your son Bayard very wellIm wellIm wellIm well Im I'm in his office We Ve belong to the same fraternity fraternity different different chapters of ot course We struck up a great great friend friend ship When he knew I was coming coining to Cleveland he said Tell my sister to tobe tobe toe be e nice to you and and and-and- and Wimburn paused In some embarrassment embarrassment embarrassment embarrass embarrass- ment before the ballroom manner of Mrs Irs Kip but the pompous disguises of timidity fell from her as she murmured mur mur- and and blu blushed hed in a motherly way Daphne told me He said for you to kiss his mother for him Ye Well I am his mother Oh May I 17 Will Vill you 7 He pressed his lips respectfully on her ler cheek but she closing her eyes to Imagine him her herson son son flung her fat arms about him and held him a mo me- ment meat He kissed her again with a kind of vicarious devotion Id want Bayard to deliver dellver such a message to your mother she ex ex- ex- ex Already Wimburn was a member of the household he lle had been kissed and sympathized with He turned to Daphne with an on apologetic apologetic apologetic apolo apolo- getic look and saw that she was starIng staring staring star star- ing at him with softer eyes than he had thought she had Definite anxieties engaged Mrs Kip Sip for tea ten had come In tottering on a tray carried b by a smitten panic-smitten cook as agile as a hippopotamus and as shy as ns a violet Daphne and her mother and father went through the tea ceremony with the anxiety of people in an on earthquake earthquake earthquake earth earth- quake and the Swedish dromedary stared at the unaccustomed sight as asif asif ast if t the tea bibbers were drinking poison poison poison poi poi- son and she watching for the convulsions convulsions convulsions to begin Clay Wimburn talked altogether about Ba Bayard and his wonderful ress In m business m in spite or of tile the hard naru times Ba Bayard ard he said was sticking to his desk like a demon and he let nothIng nothing nothing noth noth- ing distract him It must be glorious living in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York Daphne sighed Why dont don't you come and pay Bayard Bayard Bayard Bay Bay- ard a IsIO visit Wimburn suggested He wouldn't have time to take me were anywhere and I dont don't know anybody else there You know me And Id I'd be only too glad to try to repay your Sour hospitality to me Mrs Kip looked on and listened with the fond alarm of one ono who has seen fatal courtships begun with Just such fencing When at length Daphne suggested that there was still time to rush down downto to the Hotel Statler for a dance or two Mrs Kip smiled at her Wimburn did not know that he had been brought home on approval Mrs Kip realized that he was not to be returned as im Im- possible Her Der fancy gambled In is fu fu- fu- fu tures Wimburn was the victim of an onset of that delirium amans known as love at first sight He lIe was at the right age and he lie found something exotically captivating In this strange girl in the strange city He Dc was poisoned with love and his opinion of Daphne was fantastic No one In the world equaled her No one ever had equaled her or could equal her In any future eve ever Spring and aoel love are the perennial miracles always new always amazing It was springtime In Wimburn's years I and In the Calendar of the world and countless other youth of mankind animal animal ani ani- I mal kind bird and fish kind flowers and ond fruit trees and perhaps of chemicals chem chern chemicals in the ground were feeling the same mania Daphnes Daphne's cordiality was at first merely the hospitable warmth of her unusually cordial community But she caught the fever from Wimburn and decided that he was the final word In Inhuman Inhuman inhuman human evolution They began begun to dread the society of others to resent the existence of a squatter population on their private 1 planet The world was too much with them The little car was transparent Even at night etiquette required them to light It up within Wimburn did not return to to New NewYork NewYork NewYork York so soon as ns he expected It seemed impossible to uproot himself from that pleasant soil One afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon when he le had already overstayed o his furlough Daphne and he were ridIng riding riding rid rid- ing In the little car through the outer suburb known as Shaker Heights HeIghts HeIghts-a a section rapidly evolving from a sleepy religious community to a swarm of city residences The late afternoon moon had risen In a sky still sUll rosy with the afterglow of sunset The air was with pleading Suddenly Wimburn cried aloud to his own surprise and hers Daphne I Miss Kip I cant can't stand everything you know Im I'm only human after all the matter she asked in prosaic phrase but with a poetic flutter flutter flutter flut flut- ter of breath I love you d n pardon it-pardon It pardon me but Im I'm infernally In love with you Im I'm tormented I came here on business business business busi busi- I ness and Instead of my finishing It youve you've finished me Im I'm two days das overdue overdue over over- due In New York nn and anil Ive I've had to lie lieto lieto lieto to the office to explain wh why And all allI I can think of now Is that Id I'd rather resign and starve to death than go goback goback back and leave you here Honestly she barely breathed Desperately I he moaned to become of me better go back I suppose You'll soon get over it and find somebody somebody somebody some some- body else to love Theres nobody else in the world worth loving Id I'd die if I gave you up Id I'd simply die He lie went on with aching anxiety Could you ou care for me just a little If you could love me or just promise to try to I could face my exile for a while Do you think you could love me ever She dropped her chin on her breast and sighed I 1 guess I do now The miraculous felicity of this situation situation situa situa- overwhelmed tion them Ulem both He her in his arms and she flung hers about him forgetting entirely the steering wheel The neglected little car promptly scattered off the road crossed a gutter Into a vacant lot scooped up a For Sale sign and was about |