Show the I 1 g I 1 SILVER SIL V V 7 Z WOE F t 1 1 I 1 FLUTE I 1 ii I 1 I 1 by pe lida larrimore I 1 a le aj 6 macrae smita kompany ii service a I 1 s SYNOPSIS on her elgh eighteenth benth 1 birthday barbars barbara mot motherless herles daughter of christopher thorne artist awakes with anticipation of the joys joya of the day she receives a birthday ring from bruce maclalan MacL aln young artist friend ot of the family but more than friend to barbara barbara and bruce go ingon the sands at Province provincetown town he tolls tells her a story of a gypsy boy a little gypsy girl whom he loves and the song cone of a silver flute she knows it Is her own love tale her happiness turns to sorrow when she returns homo home to learn her father has been drowned barbara fears fear a she and her brothers and alst sister e r will wil I 1 be separated relatives arrive and take charge of things having been almost a mother to the others barbara cannot think of kits sensitive nature bruised in uncle herberts herbert household by his rough and ready cousins and gay spoiled by her association with silly aunt lola bruce urges immediate marriage but that would mean separation CHAPTER IV 6 aunt lolas car stood at the gate a beautiful car dove dote gray with silver fittings and a chauffeur named alerre aunt lola small and plump with mas caged looking skin and hair a shade too golden sat beside the living room fire wrapped in moleskin as soft as velvet gay was bewitched by aunt lola her clothes her jewels the dove gray car the chauffeur named bierre already she was different barbara thought watching gay adopt aunt lolas mannerisms her gestures the affected tones of her voice she want gay to grow up into a silly little peacock like gwen aunt lolas daughter married now and according to family gossip leading her husband a life mother would have hated bated it so and father too gay could be so nice dim uncle herbert came and went attending to business matters interviewing the real estate agent and the OM ceals at the bank uncle herbert was not above medium weight ruddy and stockley stock lly built but you felt that he was very tall and imposing uncle herbert was kind to the children lie ile was especially kind to kit well michael angelo he be would say have you painted a masterpiece yet or pinching kits arm he would say no muscle lie he would pretend to be terribly shocked see here young fellow that wont do walt wait til ill we get you out in pittsburgh roast beef Is what you need did he think they been properly fed barbara would try to choke back her indignation knowing that uncle herbert meant only to be kind ne he would talk about paul who played PI ayed on his hia college football team and joe who was a prep school star and junior who had six medals for swimming although he was only fifteen barbara an ache abbe in her heart would see kits flush deepen and a frightened look creep into his eyes kit play football ile he would neer be very strong tier her last hope had bad vanished she had pinned up her hair and worn her longest frock but abe he knew that she looked as young and frightened as she felt when she asked them to let her keep the children there in the gray shingled house we could manage barbara felt her courage slipping away with the pins that held her hair you can live so cheaply cheap V in provincetown Province town it if kit gets a J job and andee we dont have martha and it only a question of money uncle herbert said not unkindly there are many things to be considered si youre too oung boung to assume such a responsibility besides he added it necessary it was necessary she knew in her heart that it was necessary to keep the children together cut but she put it into words they confused her with grownup grown up logic she shut herself up in the studio and cried helplessly with her cheek against fathers coat aunt josephine had decided not to come the chonge in the weather she wrote made the journey too great a risk since she as young as she used to be barbara was to come to providence with cousin evie she enclosed a generous check cheak barbara looked thoughtfully at the strip of pink paper signed in spid spidery cry writing with great aunt josephides Jose phines name the check would take her to new york and buy her a winter coat A dress perhaps her wedding dross dress aunt josephine would make a fuss about bruce she approve of artists but mother had married father it would be lovely to be with bruce she thought curled in a corner of the davenport watching the lights in the ire fire she mind it if they much money darling brucel bruce 1 she twisted his ring on her finger and heard the tinkling of the small gold heart she told anybody the children thought tt it was a bIrth dall ring the relations might make fun she bear that darling brucel if it for the alie children the house was to be sold uncle herbert decided that was best they understand why barbara minded so 80 much why should you want to keep it c cousin julia a asked in amazement we like ong it cousin julia never ha had the I 1 long low room seemed so charming and friendly and dear but she knew it was useless to explain they never could understand ner her eyes brimmed over with tears cousin julia assisted by martha thoroughly cle cleaned aried the house things were burned in the fireplace replace fl there was little worth keeping cousin julia said barbara packed her sea cheat with treasured odds and ends everything else would be sold their last day together arrived a rainy day chilly and depressing marthas eyes were rimmed with red and her scolding voice was gentle people from the town came to say goodby good by well miss you they said the th house wont seem the same never the same again barban Bar barit realized it all at once with a sickening lurch of her heart beart the house would belong to somebody else the house that mother had loved they see the willows grow green next spring and the apple tree burst into bloom they sit on the studio with chips stretched out in the sunshine across their feet barbara ran blindly from the room up the stairs along the hall up into the attic she heard a sound of sobbing xit kit lay on a broken sofa in the unused part ot of the attic his face buried in his arms kit she cried softly running to him kneeling beside the sofa ile he raised it a tear stained face his cheeks were hot and flushed A feverish light burned in his hazel eyes sorry babs he gulped ashamed of crying trying to be manly do you mind so much about going with uncle herbert she asked her heart breaking for foi kit you dont know what its like dabs cabs he sobbed no longer ashamed uncle herberts boys are so strong I 1 I 1 keep up they laugh at things I 1 say they they think im sort of crazy id rather die than go back there it was dreadful to hear him sob kit so seldom cried not even when he was a little boy and had to sit in a chair he minded things so terribly those great boobies of uncle herberts barbara thought it fair she must do something kit suffer so you go with uncle herbert she said not very sure about anything wanting only to hush his strangling sobs well all stay together g ge ther kit ile he raised his head a question in his eyes well all run away tog together etherl 1 A plan presented itself to barbara she dl ant know inow why she thought of it perhaps all along it had been lurking somewhere here in the back of her mind 1 I know exactly what well do her voice sounded frightened but happy too she felt her heart thumping against her ribs what kit asked hoarsely well yoo hoo I 1 that was cousin avle com Ingup the stairs jhb I 1 barbara whispered her eyes dark with excitement a warm pink lush flush in her cheeks in the studio after supper ill tell you ton about it then cousin evie wrapped in a crocheted shawl reached the top of the attic steps you naughty kidd kiddies leal she said s trilling smiling brightly shaking clinking a finger in playful reproof hiding up here in the iho cold come on downstairs by the tire fire martha has made hot chocolate well have a nice little game of hearts 0 it was chilly in the studio the children huddled together in a circle on the floor they dared to turn on the lights for fearon being discovered A candle burned in an ash tray kit and gay and jamie looked at barbara well run away she began trying to make her voice sound confident in spite of the way that her heart was thumping against her ribs all of us gay asked forgetting aunt lola and the dove gray car in the excitement of an adventure all of us barbara said her eyes very wide and frightened in her pale face chips too jamie asked the question anxiously the small yellow dog hugged tight against his chest 1 chips too barbara said almost gaily why jamie thorne do you think we could ever leave chips where are we going camle asked not caring very much since chips was going too were going to uncle stephen there it was out and it sound crazy at all it sounded like a sensible thin thing to do did lie he invite us gay asked eagerly her warm color deepening no barbara was forced to admit were just going anyway but dabs babs worried thoughtful kit you write to ask him or telegraph or something its better it if lie he sees us barbara was sure of that certainly uncle stephen could never resist the charms charma of kit and gay and jamie A crusty old bachelor i she rill nt believe it ills letter sounded so nice TO BE CONTI NUEal |