Show 0 0 FF B BEAUTYS E A DA DAUGHTER U by KATHLEEN KATHIEEN NORRIS 0 kathleen kat hleen norris service 16 SYNOPSIS victoria herrendeen a vivacious little girl had been too young to feel eel the shock that came when her father keith herren deen lost his fortune A gentle unobtrusive soul lie Is now employed as an obscure chemist in san francisco at a meager salary ills his wire wife magda cannot adjust herself to the change she Is a beautiful woman fond of pleasure and a magnet tor for mens attention magda and victoria have been down at a summer resort and keith joins them tor for the weekend week neek end magda leaves for a bridge party excusing herself tor for being such a runaway later that night victoria Is grief stricken when hen she bears her parents quarreling the herren deens return to their small san francisco apartment keith does docs not approve of magdas mad social life and they quarrel frequently ly magda receives flowers and a diamond from ferdy manners a wealthy man from argentina whom she had met less than a week before manners arrives a few hours later magda shows him a valuable chinese shawl that has been in ae the herrendeen family tor for many years vie vic Is shocked when she learns her mother had contemplated selling it magda tells manners a dealer had offered her tor for the shawl magda takes victoria to nevada to visit a woman friend who ho has a daughter named catherine there nere she tells her she Is going to get a divorce victoria soon Is la in boarding school with her friend catherine magda marries manners and they spend two years in argentina CHAPTER III continued 4 victoria spent a somewhat bewildered wil dered yet happy easter vacation there exploring all the garden paths and all the big rooms she came back to california at another easter time eighteen years old and ready to graduate with her class her mother met her in new york and they made the transcontinental tin trip together ten weeks later victorias handsome bags were packed again and aid she went down to the chalmers place for the surf summer imer the beautiful chalmers house was open to summer breezes and filled with summer flowers the chinese butler discreet in his purple and blue silks motioned her upstairs another oriental took her bags her mothers maid who had crossed the continent with them a few weeks before met her at the top of the stairs vie vic asked to see her mother magda was in her magnificent bedroom a large airy apartment flanked by an enormous bath by a complete dressing room by an upper balcony victoria found her m mother 0 t h e r stretched on a couch by a windol window she was not reading the magazine she held and her eyes were absent and reddened a little from recent tears at the sight of the girl she began to cry again and they clasped each other closely my darling youre home at last if you knew if you knew how ive wanted youl you magda sobbed she i instantly n S bantly regained control of herself and smiled with trembling lips straightening the collar of victorias blouse as the girl knelt beside her was it all wonderful she said it was perfect and at the end we all cried because wt w all going to be back in september victoria laughed but mother mothe dearest youre not well ive been feeling wretchedly something mrs manners sodd said hesitantly something rather horrid happened last night and ferdy was arrested her eyes filled again she straightened the collar again it was all rather horrid and all be forgotten this time next week she said cheera cheerfully ully so lets not talk about it arrested victoria echoed aghast why what happened there was an accident I 1 dont know just what happened magda said her eyes watering it was all so horrible he had been drinking of course and he was driving may ainee home they were both in thecae the car asleep right near where the smash was who were it if it had been anyone buc may magda sighed however they say the poor fellows fello wU get well and pertly ferdy can stand the damages he was all smashed up the man they ran into and its a miracle they all killed but if hed been with anyone but mayl may chos chos she hes a cheap little idiot I 1 used to know years ago may smith she married tony feeney and divorced him and spent a few weeks in paris sa so now how ashes madame alnee and she can bardl hardly Y remember an english word and does ferdy like her magda looked at her daughter ruminatively answered mildly rather and of course ashes M making aking passes at ferdy oh vicky said it was the old atmosphere again or rather at the manners money which is very stupid for me magda ended the subject cheerfully stupid what it is for ferdyc Ferd yd never look at anyone like T 1 vl and row tell me more about today did you say grace peacock was there ashes margery kings mother 1 I knoy know she is and I 1 know st she went ill all over europe trying to ge get a priest to marry her to joe pea cock and margerye Mar gerys nice vicky said slowly and youre adorable only you yoi have those herrendeen eyes that thai you must remember to keep open magda said lovingly did you get gel yourself some lovely things in paris some not expensive but I 1 1 got one yes I 1 have two or three love have you had it waved vie vic my hair no joist brushing and setting convent bred and with an instinctive distaste for ferdy and for fer dys world yet she knew that slie she must either meet him halfway with flattery and flirtatiousness submit to kisses and embraces concede him confidences and little harmless intimacies cies or he would not like her at all on the very first evening magda told him good that he must stop carrying on with her daughter the idle days began to go by victoria wondered what she was to do with the endless line of them that stretched ahead for a week she enjoyed the new life lazily then quite suddenly the whole thing began to pall magda had her own beautiful suite of rooms ferdy had his they lived entirely separated lives sometimes they saw each other during I 1 voa victoria spent a somewhat bewildered wil dered yet happy easter vacation there the course of the day and sometimes not quite often they dined at the same house but the dinners were large and ferdy went to them before magda did explaining perhaps to a servant that he was meeting some friend first at the club for preliminary cocktails cocktail so and magda always went late in great state in her beautiful car with her own driver so that even then they had no moment together CHAPTER III HI her mother was not happy gallant and smiling keeping a brave front to the world magdas soul was trying to feed itself on husks what she told victoria of the last few years was a story of disillusionment and loneliness in a setting of luxury travel extravagance biarritz Biar ritz had been dull london dull paris dreadful rosarios rosaries down in buenos aires where berdys spanish mother and spanish sisters lived had been insufferable perhaps I 1 to tell you this vicky but the beginning of it all going wrong was of course that there were always other women his wife was only to wear the jewels and be introduced to all the business friends big german and spanish cattle men scores of them the wife is a figurehead after the first year if she has sons and keeps the peace with his family and forgives him everything the man is pleased with her if she gets temperamental pe tries to assert heisele hei self he is annoyed but he goes his own way just the same victoria looked thoughtful her fine dark brows drawn together you to stay here where magda asked simply ought we go the summer idled itself into autumn and victoria and magda went event down to the shore again this time they had the smartest cottage at the lodge and the beautiful mrs manners was much admired and entertained mr manners she explained to everyone with a flash of white teeth was fishing for steelhead up in the klamath every hostess told victorias mother that she had a wonderful man for her as a dinner or bridge partner but victoria noticed that magda found none of them really wonderful in october ferdy went oi off on yacht for six weeks he seemed a little guilty about it and gave victoria a large check to waste in new york later she suspected that his twinges of conscience were because the yachting trip that he had mentioned as involving only a few fellers actually included the owners wife another woman and the ubiquitous may magda did not know that or victoria believed and hoped she did not they came back to california in december and ferdy came back for christmas little was said of the feminine element on the yachting trip and the three spent th the holidays in a splendid suite in th the fairmont hotel up at the top of the hill with the green iron balconies of their breakfast room hanging over the fascinating jumble of masts and stacks and long pier roofs on the embarcadero ferdy now said that he thought he must go back to rosarios for a few months he thought magda would be a great fool to go it would be hot traveling and she hated the place anyway AT unusually long period of affection and placation resulted in april in magdas decision to go with ferdy to south america victoria told her mother she was going to stay in california well because catherine and mrs brock were going up to the lake again and wanted her well and because she really would like it like it better she might come down to rosarios later all by herself but bu t but really she would like it better this way now magda was gently hurt puzzled ferdy smiled but vicky knew that he was furious she held her ground good natured and affectionate but not to be moved in the end they left without her and vicky and catherine went up to the lake A week later when she and catherine were sitting down on the lake shore one day victoria told her the reason catherine cross your heart and hope to die if you ever tell anyone this 1 I do said catherine solemnly suiting e the action to the word it was he victoria said who your stepfather my stepfather not nothing hingl vicky 1 echoed repudiating the relationship ile he catherine if you ever tell anyone this ill never speak to you again he followed me into the sitting room one night wed all just come home from a movie and kissed me and crushed me against I 1 him victoria was at the dock in the fine soft november fog to see the big ship come in the empress ot or panama was on time at exactly one minute before eleven she drew up alongside and all the excitement of landing began then mother and daughter were in each others arms and victoria was laughing and hows ferdy ferdy mrs manners glance returned from the luggage and fixed itself upon victoria ferdy is just the same as ever and when does he get here or does he go to paris you were so vaguel vague no here when the loughboro boughs yacht does whenever that is mrs manners said in the same sama tone of pleasant indifference and now is a car here and did you reserve my rooms she demanded gayly is as the customs formalities were concluded and she could pick the Pe kinese from victorias arms again and accompany her along the pier dont tell me its going to be freezing like this its been actually hot until today this is just fog victoria explained pla ined maid dog parrot bags the they Y got into a large waiting car at the embarcadero bar cadero mrs manners talking as is the custom of returned travelers of the amusing steward on the boat the races at havana of everything unimportant and inconsequential they were driven rapidly up the steep hills to the big hotel everything going with the smoothness of custom victorias mother had been arriving and departing in just this manner ever since her second marriage five years earlier soon victoria and her mother settled at luncheon beside the fire well this is tun fun said magda then and now we can talk you look so well vie vic and youre really handsome really you arel are what have you been doing with yourself tell me everything you got my wl wires res youre th the e one with the news she said smilingly nothing has happened here miss butler put me on night duty last night only the second time and im dead I 1 had breakfast at the hospital at seven and had to clean up three bathrooms and stopped on my way downtown to leave my bag here the hospital magda echoed aghast not hearing the rest youve been ill victorias smile was reassuring her color was beginning to come coma back now as she fell with vigor upon a three inch steak and there was revived light in her eyes im in with catherine she explained pla ined stu student dent nurses mrs manners sat back and regarded her with puzzled eyes mummy youre such fun its such fun to be talking to you again end and its the best food I 1 ever tasted but darling victoria pleaded 1 I had to do something I 1 just take a room somewhere and w ait for you you were with ferdy way down in south america and I 1 was absolutely on the loose but you wele with anna and catherine aunt anna got a most flattering offer from a school in cleveland we go with her and kittsy was going to be a nurse so I 1 went along to the hospital with her TO BE CONTINUED |