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Show I Miss Lulu Belt By ZONA GALE Copjright by D. Appleton Company 1 1 V Cc-'.lnued. 1 - -11- Dwight mulled this. Lulu might have told every one of these women that cock-and-bull story with which she had come home. It might be nil over town. Of course, In that case he could turn Lulu out should do so, In fact. Still the story would be all over town. "Dwight," said Lulu, "I want Nln-liin's Nln-liin's address." "Going to write to him I" Ina cried Incredulously. "I want to nsk him for the proofs that Dwight wanted." "My dear Lulu," Dwight said Impatiently, Impa-tiently, "you are not the one to write. Have you no delicacy?" Lulu smiled a strange smile, originating orig-inating and dying In one corner of lier mouth. "Yes," she said. "So much delicacy that I want to be sure whether I'm married or not." Dwight cleared his throat with a Movement which seemed to use his shoulders for the purpose. "I myself will take this up with my brother," he said. "I will write to him about It." Lulu sprang to her feet. "Write to film now !" she cried. "Really," said Dwlght, lifting his brows. "Now now I" Lulu said. She moved about, collecting writing materials from their casual lodgments on shelf and table. She set all before him and stood by him. "Write him now," eh.n said again. "My dear Lulu, don't be absurd." She said: "Ina, help me. If It was Dwight and they didn't know whether he had another wife, or not. and you wanted to ask him oh, don't you see? Help me." Ina was not yet the woman to cry for Justice for Its own sake, nor even to stand by another woman. She was primitive, and her Instinct was to look to her own male merely. "Well," she said, "of course. But why not let Dwight do It in his own way? Wouldu't that bo better?" She put It to her sister fairly: Now, no matter what Dwight's way was, wouldn't that be better? "Mother y said Lulu. She looked Irresolutely toward her mother. But Mrs. Bett was eating caradmom seeds with exceeding gusto, and Lulu looked away. Caught by the gesture, Mrs. Bett voiced her grievance. "Lulie," she said, "Set down. Take off your hat, why don't you?" Lulu turned upon Dwight a quiet face which he had never seen before. "You write that letter to Ninian." she said, "and you make him tell you so you'll understand. ' I know he spoke the truth. But I want you to know." "M m," said Dwight. "And then I suppose you're going to tell It all over town as soon as you have the proofs." "I'm going to tell It all over town." said Lulu, "just as It is unless you write to him now." "Lulu !" cried Ina. "Oh, you wouldn't." "I would," said Lulu. "I will." Dwight was sobered. This un-Imaglned un-Imaglned Lulu looked capable of it. But then he sneered. "And get turned out of this house, as you would be?" "Dwight !" cried his Ina. "Oh, you wouldn't !" "I would." said Dwight. "I will. Lulu knows it." "I shall tell what I know and then reave your house anyway." said Lulu, "unless you got Ninian's word. And I want you should write him now." "Leave your mother? And Ina?" he asked. "Leave everything." said Lulu. "Oh, Dwight," said Ina, "we can't get along without Lulu." She did not say in what particulars, but -Dwight knew. Dwight looked at Lulu, an upward, sidewise look, with a manner of peering peer-ing out to see If she meant it. And . he saw. He shrugged, pursed his lips crookedly, crook-edly, rolled his .head to signify the Inexpressible. In-expressible. "Isn't that like a woman?" wom-an?" he demanded. He rose. "Rather than lot you in for a show of temper," lie said grandly, "I'd do anything." He wrote the letter, addressed It, his hand elaborately curved in secrecy about the envelope, pocketed It. "Ina and I'll walk down with yu to mail It," said Lulu. Dwight hesitated, frowned. His lua watched him with consulting brows. "I was going," said Dwight, "to propose pro-pose a little stroll before bedtime." He roved about the room. "Where's my beautiful straw hat? There's nothing noth-ing like a brisk walk to Induce sound, restful sleep," he told them. He hummed a bar. "You'll be all right, mother?" Lulci asked. Mrs. Bett did not look up. "These cardamon hev got a little mite too dry," she Raid. In Ihci oom, Ina and Dwight discussed dis-cussed me Incredible actions of Lulu. "I saw," said Dwight, "I saw she wasn't heiHclf. I'd do anything to avoid having a scene you know that." UIji glance swept a little anx iously his Ina. "You know that, don't you?" he sharply inquired. "But I really think you ought to have written to Ninian about, it," she now dared to say. "It's not a nice position po-sition for Lulu." "Nice? Well, but whom has she got to blame for it?" "Why, Ninian," said Ina. Dwight threw out his hands. "Herself," "Her-self," he said. "To tell you the truth, I was perfectly amazed at the way-she way-she snapped him up there in that restaurant." res-taurant." "Why, but, Dwight" "Brazen," he said. "Oh, It was brazen." "It was just fun, in the first place." "But no really nice woman " he shook his head. "Bwight ! Lulu is nice. The Idea !" He regarded her. "Would you have done that?" he would know. Under his fond look, she softened, took his homage, accepted everything, was silent. "Certainly not," he said. "Lulu's tastes are not fine like yours. I should never think of you as sisters." "She's awfully good," Ina said, feebly. fee-bly. Fifteen years of married life behind be-hind her but this was sweet and she could not resist. "She has excellent qualities." He admitted it. "But look at the position she's In married to a man who tells her be has another wife in order to get free. Now, no really nice woman wom-an " "No really nice man " Ina did say that much. "Ah," said Dwight, "but you could never be in such a position. No, no. Lulu Is sadly lacking somewhere." Ina sighed, threw back her head, caught her lower lip with her upper, as might be in a hem. "What if it was Di?" she supposed. "Di I" Dwight's look rebuked his wife. "DI," he said, "was born with ladylike feelings." It was not yet ten o'clock.. Bobby Larkin was permitted to stay until Later On, Corni6h Confided More to Dwight: He Was to Come by a Little Inheritance Some Day. ten. From the veranda came the Indistinguishable In-distinguishable murmur of those young voices. "Bobby," DI was saying within that murmur, "Bobby, you don't kiss me as if you really wanted to kiss me, tonight." to-night." VI September. The office of Dwight Herbert Deacon, Dea-con, Dcnlist. Gold Work a Specialty (sic) in black lettering, and Justice of the Peace in gold, was above a stere which had been occupied by one unlucky tenant after another, and had .suffered long periods of vacancy when ladles' aid societies served lunches there, under great white signs, badly lettered. Some months of disuse were now broken by the news that the store had been let to a music man. A music man, what on earth was that? Warbleton inquired. The music man arrived, Installed three pianos, and filled his window with sheet music, as sung by many ladies who swung in hammocks or kissed their hands on the munic covers. cov-ers. While he was still moving In, Dwight Herbert Deacon wandered downstairs and stood informally in the door of the new store. The music man. a pleasant-faced chap of thirty-odd, was rubbing at the face of a piano. "Hello, there!" he said. "Can I sell you an upright?" "If I can take It out In pulling your teeth, you can," Dwight replied. "Or," I said he, "I might marry you free. I "ither one." I On this their friendship began. I Thenceforth, when business was dull. I the Idle hours of both men were be-l be-l gulled with idle gossip. I "How the dickens did you think of pianos for a line?" Dwight asked him once. "Now, my father was a dentist, so I came by it natural never entered my head to be anything else. But pianos pi-anos " The music man his name was Neil Cornish threw up his chin in a boyish boy-ish fashion, and said he'd be jiggered if he knew. All up and down the Warbleton War-bleton main street, the chances are that the answer would sound the same. "I'm studying law when I get the chance," said Cornish, as one who makes a bid to be thought of more highly. "I see," said Dwight, respectfully dwelling on the verb. Later on, Cornish confided more to Dwight: He was to come by a little inheritance some day not much, b'vt something. Yes, It made a man feel a certalu confidence. . . . "Don't It?" said Dwight, heartily, as If be knew. Every one liked Cornish. He told funny stories, and he never compared Warbleton save to its advantage. So at last Dwight said tentatively at lunch : "What if I brought that Neil Cornish Cor-nish up for supper one of these nights?" "Oh, Dwightie, do," said Ina. "If there's a man in town, let's know -it." "What if I brought him up tonight?" Up went Ina's eyebrows. Tonight? " 'Scalloped potatoes and meat loaf and sauce and bread and butter," Lulu contributed. Cornish came to supper. He was what is known in Warbleton as dapper. dap-per. This Ina saw as she emerged on the veranda in response to Dwight's informal halloo on his way upstairs. She herself was in wdiite muslin, now much too snug, and a blue ribbon. To her greeting their guest replied in that engaging shyness which is not awkwardness. awk-wardness. He moved in some pleasant web of gentleness and friendliness. They asked him the usual questions, and lie replied, rocking all the time with a faint undulating motion of head and shoulders : Warbleton was one of the prettiest little towns that he had ever seen. He liked the people they seemed different. He was sure to like the place, already liked it. Lulu came to the door in Ninian's thin bla'ck-and-white gown. She shook hands with the stranger, not looking at him, and said, "Come to supper, all." Monona was already In her place, singing under-breath. Mrs. Bett, after hovering in the kitchen door, entered; but they forgot to introduce her. "Where's Di?" asked Ina. "I declare that daughter of mine is never anywhere." any-where." A brief silence ensued as they were seated. There being a guest, grace was to come, and Dwight said, unintelligibly unintelligi-bly and like lightning, a generic appeal ap-peal to bless this food, forgive all our sins and finally save us. And there was something tremendous in this ancient form whereby all stages of men bow in some now unrecognized recognition of the ceremonial of taking tak-ing food to nourish life and more. At "Amen" Di flashed in, her offices of-fices at the mirror fresh upon her perfect hair, silk dress turned up at the hem. She met Cornish, crimsoned, fluttered to her seat, joggled the .able and, "Oh, dear," she said audibly to her mother, "I forgot my ring." The talk was saved alive by a frank effort. Dwight served, making jests about everybody coming back for more. They went on with Warbleton happenings, improvements and openings; open-ings; and the runaway. Cornish tried hard to make himself agreeable, not ingratiatingly, but goodc.aturedly. He wished profoundly that before coming lie had looked up some more stories in the back of the Musical Gazettes. Lulu surreptitiously pinched off an ant that was running at large upon the cloth and thereafter kept her eyes 1 steadfastly on the sugar bowl to see If it could be from that. .-Dwight pretended pre-tended that those whom he was helping help-ing a second time were getting more tiian their share and facetiously landed land-ed on Di about eating so much that she would grow up and lie married, first thing she knew. At the word "married" Di turned scarlet, laughed heartily and lifteil her glass of water. "And what instruments do you play?" Inu asked Cornish, In an unrelated un-related effort to lift the talk to musical mu-sical levels.. "Well, do you know," said the music mu-sic man, "I can't play a thing. Don't know a black note from a white one." "You don't? Why Di plays very prettily," said Dl's mother. "But", then, how can you tell what songs to order?" Ina cried. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |