Show queen anne s lace G by frances parkinson keyes ca frances parkinson keyo service if SYNOPSIS in a mood of disappointment through her duo due to the selfishness eU ihne of her family famay to put finishing touch touches to her costume for a country dunce dance anne ann chamberlain is irritated by the stolidity of c hr her escort cort george hilbreth Hil ireth A visitor in the community neal conrad youny young lawyer is I 1 to bo be the sensation of the ev evening ing and hildrith annes anne suitor Is I 1 vague ly jealous conrad is impressed by annes annc fresh young youn beauty and readily perceives perceive her fine character CHAPTER ir II continued 5 perhaps join me oh no that fair I 1 knew you I 1 only wanted to hear you sa y it why 1 I dont know rut but I 1 like ilke your voice where did you learn to use it so well 1 I never learned at all ive just kept trying ive thought about it I 1 mean and practiced by myself and I 1 love beautiful english but ive never heart heard much where lid did you go to school in west II Il amstead at the district school until I 1 was old enough to go to high school I 1 teach the district school myself now and you went to high school m hero here in Il amstead I 1 lived with bummers mummers Mum lum mers aunt sarah she was an old fitly a cripple she was awfully good to me she let me come and live with her and work for my board tin and go to 0 sc school oo 00 if s she e ia nt id have had to go out as hired help when I 1 was thirteen are are your parents dead oli oh no but never seemed to prosper lup cuppers pers had hard bard luck always and INI mummer ummer strong anne hesitated a moment and then continued in a burst of confidence im abrald you ou wont say anything about loving lovan to hear me talk again after hearing roe me call them hummer blummer and aupper but I 1 did when I 1 was a little girl and when I 1 learned that I 1 ou ought ht to say namma mamma and papa they let me change they thought I 1 wit was s trying to put on mrs airs did aou ou think of father anti and mother alother yes but they like that either 1 I 1 see so youve youre never been away from II fl amstead anistead well of course I 1 go to wallace town on errands and once in a while to a show you like to go fur further ther away than that I 1 like to what do you yon suppose well I 1 suppose you would so why dont you why dont you let me come and take you for a nice ion long arlie up through the mountains in my automobile anne was speechless it was imps sible and yet it had happened for the first tinie time in nearly tin nn hour she remembered the existence of george ceorge and only because it would be such a satisfaction to tell him that his jeering prediction had come true then her heart smote her george would be hurt terribly hurt by the mere knowledge e that the invitation had been bee extended if site she accepted it lie he would be stricken 1 I could come for you ri right after brea breakfast krast neal went on then we could stop in Wallace wallacetown town and pick up mrs griffn and roy wo we could coul T have lunch at some hotel we could coul d go a long iong way in a day youve no idea then id bring you back in ili the even evening hig oli oil I 1 cant neal flung away his cigarette and looked ut at her curiously in the moon light there was real anguish in her voice well dont take it that way even if you cant but why cant aou ou you have no idea liow how much work there Is for me to do at home and theres extra washing to do this week we could go on sunday on oil sunday I 1 dont believe you understand our ways we ve never go any anywhere here on sunday well you for once no eien een if t I 1 thought it was right I 1 have to play the organ in church and teach my sunday school class and somebody else do that for you just doncet once no one ever has no sign no one ever would Y lu u might light ask she tried to shake herself free from the lure of his suggestion il 1 I george like it nt at all if I 1 did who la Is george george If Ildreth ile he lives on the next nen farm to ours 1 I see are you engaged to elmr him no but allut hut lie he wants you to ile be kcf ye ive known him for years lie it drought me here three cheera for georgel george sald neal heartily 1 I doul dont believe you 1 i stasi s tasi really intend to marry him though do you no but s then it be a real kindness kindless in the end to let him find that out right away perhaps but do you know how many times youve said but to me bonig tonight lit no but they both laughed it seemed somehow very easy for anne to laugh with neal conrad and in the course of 0 her laugh she recovered herself somewhat hat 1 I may as well tell you I 1 possibly go with i you to one of those big hotels I 1 anything to wear she was afraid then that he was going to laugh at her instead of with her but he did nothing of the sort ile he regarded her with less amusement than before and something very like tenderness you dont need to dress up you know you a simple little serge suit of some sort its cool motoring no and you get one no I 1 afford to buy one and anyway I 1 know what to buy I 1 know what was suitable neal saw that he was facing real heartbreak frankly conr confessed essed tie he veered away from it with consummate tact well we could take tak e a picnic lunch and eat it by the roadside then you could wear anything you happen to have what wear to church as long as were ivere going on a sunday how would that do 1 I dont believe it would do at all why not it just A scraping and booming sound began to float through through the open windows 4 A mr 1 N 1 I dont believe you really intend to marry him though do you of the town hall ball clearly the bandi band was preparing to recommence its ministrations neals time was growing short lie ile leaned over and took annes hand band which somehow she could not seem to withdraw and spoke to her very earnestly look here youre not refusing because ca use you think im trying to be fresh asking you to do this when id never met you before VO no V N o 0 for im not if rather we wa wont n say anything more about the ride until ive called on you several times and all that this Is thursday I 1 could come twice before sunday anyway tomorrow evening and saturday y evening youre willing I 1 should come to call arent you Y e e c s the only trouble Is I 1 can only stay here a few days im on my vacation but its got to be a pretty short one im a lawyer you know in hansboro nin Hin boyll tell you or your family anything like to know about me im doing pretty well quite well but this Is the first vacation ive ever taken and I 1 cant afford to leave my office too long now I 1 take any chances ive worked too hard building up my practice to let it slide you see that dont you annes heart had bounded from her fluttering flutter lna breast to tier her throat she cou could id not answer him inside the liall hall the leader of the band was be beginning m to call the numbers of the portland fancy thomas gray would be hunting for her and george wont you please say boull take that drive it was no use she could not struggle against her own ion longing ing somehow site she found her voice all right she said breathlessly it wits was barely more than a whisper but neal henring it know knew that she ilie would not change her mind yes ill go TO BE CONTINUED |