Show b 3 A L J tyr t 3 U L J G ra SYNOPSIS V victoria herrendeen a vivacious viv clou little e irl had b been een too young to feel eel the shook hock herren that came when hen her lather father keith herrendeen lost his fortune A gentle unobtrusive toul said he Is now cow employed as an obscure IC bernist in san francisco his wife magda ca cannot annot adjust herself herscu to the change she As i a beautiful woman fond of 0 pleasure and A magnet for mens attention magda and victoria have been down at a summer retort sor and keith loins joins them for or the weekend week end magda leaves for or a bridge party excusing herself for or being such a runa runaway the Herren deens return to their small san francisco apartment keith does docs not approve of 0 bagdas Wag das mad social me life and they quarrel frequently magda receives flowers and a diamond from rom ferdy manners a wealthy anan from argentina whom A horn she had met less than a week before manners arrives a few loura hours later magda takes victoria to nevada to visit a woman friend who has a daughter named catherine there she tells her she Is going colne ia to get a div divorce 0 ace victoria soon Is in boarding school att with h her friend alend catherine magda maeda marries manners and they spend two years in argentina victoria has studied in europe and at eighteen the she visits her mother when ferdy rents a beautiful ho home magda Is over fordys drinking and attentions to other women when her mother and stepfather return to south america victoria refuses to go with them because icausi of berdys unwelcome attentions to her magda returns and tells vie vic she and ferdy have separated meanwhile keith has remarried victoria Is now a student nurse magda has fallen in love with lucius farmer a married artist while she and vie vic prepare tor for a trip to europe ferdy band takes a suite in their hotel the night be ditore tore magda and vie vic are to sail magda elopes with luclus lucius farmer while nursing the children ot of dr and mrs keats vie meets dr quentin hardisty a brilliant physician much sought atter after by women who Is a widower with a crippled daughter in a tete a tete at the keats home he kisses vie vic several days later he invites her with other guests to spend a weekend week end at his cabin vie vic Is enchanted with the cabin and with the dinner next morning she and quentin go hiking and return ravenous the party la Is disrupted sunday afternoon by the arrival ot of marian pool a divorced woman avie vie Is lealous jealous of mrs pool and a few days later tells mrs keats she Is going to honolulu la in his office quentin questions vie vic 1 11 bout about leaving he proposes to her she him and they are married vie vic and quentin are happy in their home during six years victoria has tour four ch children ildrem CHAPTER VI continued 10 about an hour later when a party of six had just harmoniously s settled down to sundays cold supper there was an interruption it began with a ring at the doorbell but that was nothing pothina in a doctors household nor was a metas c as appearance a moment sr later at IV what h a t was unusual was the ap appearance pp r nce of the woman who followed meta et the sound of her voice for a moment vie vic know ithe voice at all or the little tinkle of high laughter or the person in in ithe lace edged hat and frilly silk coat frilly blouse frilly sweeping skirts who stood there then the aishe whole world turned upside down and she got to her feet and tried to isseak speak but hear her own voice and tried again with better luck Mo therl she said my dear the proverbial bad pen ny I 1 mrs herrendeen laughed coming in to sit down at the chair quentin provided and looking about ithe the circle gayly well youre having aing a party she said she was I 1 introduced all the voices spoke together cordially vie vic looks astonished and well she mayl the newcomer said beginning daintily on her meal no no wine quentin she said easily to the son in law she had met only a moment earlier ill have coffee would mould I 1 be a horrible pest if I 1 asked lor for hot milk ive had my coffee for so long with hot milk that I 1 cant seem to get used to it any other way she loosened the frilled coat victoria noticed with a disturbed heart that her mother under the first im of fussiness of frippery in in her clothes also gave a distinct effect of shabbiness the group broke up early they ivere all tired and magda especially so she took possession of victorias one small spare room gayly observing that she did not mind it at all her trunks often had to stand out in the hall victoria suddenly feeling hat flat and discouraged and that the long day had been too much for her and that it was a formidable thing to be managing a busy husband a houseful of children five servants and to be facing besides the prospect of illness and fresh responsibility satisfied herself with only a few weary moments ments ot of conversation with her mother as the latter prepared herself for bed mrs herrendeen assured her daughter that she would be asleep ui in ten minutes and must be awakened in the morning unless some boded bring me just the simplest breakfast but vicky was not so fortunate she lay awake most of the night trying to fit her mother into her so completely changed life wondering what would happen kovl now disturbed by a hundred vague impressions pres and fears of she knew not what her poor faded mother so gallant in the laces and frills the outworn badly worn finery there was no alternative mother must be made a guest of honor in t this his already crowded house tor for as long as she chose to stay but even to nights glimpse of her had made vicky feel upset and unsure of herself if I 1 had any character I 1 do she reproached herself things always look different in the morning nothing is as bad as it seems at nighal she really knew very little of f by KATHLEEN NORRIS 0 kathleen norris service what her mothers life had been in the last ten or eleven years victoria had been too much absorbed in in her own affairs to think much of her mothers and mrs herrendeen had not written very often in the beginning vie vic remembered remember edo there had been a long luxurious explanation certainly not a confession but there at least had been a long explanatory plan atory letter gay and confident unashamed unapologetic magda and her lucius rid md been in a lovers paradise in tahiti then and their escapade had seemed to them justified by their complete happiness after a year of that they had traveled first to south america and then to europe and finally had found themselves divinely placed in some tiny german town with rosa taking care of them it costs us exactly nothing magda had written her daughter and that is the main consideration with beggars like ours ourselves elvest lucius can paint to his hearts content and I 1 can at last catch up on some reading and go on with my french which these hectic years have sadly interrupted paris is near enough for an occasional spree that had been the last heard from rothenberg just why or how this ideal arrangement had terminated victoria never had known but her mothers next letter had been from biarritz Biar ritz and not in that nor in any subsequent letter had she ever mentioned lucius farmer again she M r 1 1 1 irl L V mother she said had usually been with delightful friends or she had a tiny diggins in paris in florence in monte carlo and always the cramped note of money shortage had been there once she had been selling darling sibyl Hudder stones divine things giving them away rather and once she apparently had had some sort of agency for powders and perfumes because one must make ones poor little 40 per cent if one can she had explained the last letters had quite frankly asked for financial help vicky was married now and if she could help her mummy just a little it would be such a godsend for we dont count money here as you do darling magda had reminded her daughter cla what you spend on those frightful ice cream sodas and on movies would take care of a whole family here in the morning after she and quentin had shared their early breakfast and after the usual visit to the kitchen and to the surging and shouting nursery victoria somewhat wearily prepared a tray not forgetting the continental touch of a pitcher of hot milk and add ing a tiny clear green glass vase in which sprawled three stiff brilliant nasturtiums mrs herrendeen was awake when her daughter came in oh you darling child with all you have to do and the newspaper too but I 1 shall miss my paris paper these american papers never have anything in them did you sleep mummy vie vic asked with her kiss 1 I slept divinely I 1 always sleep divinely the other woman answered her cheerful voice and freshened face bearing witness to it 1 I meant to lie awake she went on beginning her breakfast and think what a smart child I 1 have and what a lovely home this is quentin liked her that was a great help magda had still the secret ot of pleasing and interesting men whatever it was faded fussily dressed affected and artificial yet there was something real and affectionate and clinging in her nature that all males liked about a week after her return quentin electrified his wife by suggesting that they make up a party for the first night of the opera stern had sent him a box stern was on the committee it might be rather fun quentin who never wanted to go anywhere fun I 1 vicky echoed excited and interested it would be the time of all times to return the perrys hospitality pita lity and for a sixth they might ask nice old musical dr ward CHAPTER VII it was at the opera that they first saw serena screna morrison not that vicky or anyone in her neighborhood knew who the woman was at first with four men she was sitting in the forward seat of a box an ashen blonde in a black velvet gown with petal smooth bare shoulders and deep set umber shadowed eyes everyone in the house was looking at her when the curtain went down and the lights went up tip but if she was conscious of the admiration and curiosity she excited she gave no sign of it joe younger that stout fellow with her quentin said laying down his glasses after a frank inspection by gosh she is beautiful oh quent you know himl him vicky said eagerly leaning forward in her old chocolate lace to have another look you slip over and meet her no time now I 1 will in the next ent quentin whispered as the house lights fanned down and the footlights went up but before the next act there was the familiar whisper in the back of the box vicky had resignedly expected it it always came somehow when they were daring enough to go to the theater dr hardisty the whisper said in the dark the hospital on the telephone doctor dr bruce ile he said it was urgent and then quentin was groping in the gloom for his hat and coat and off in full evening regalia for some hot odorous surgery with the val dyries wild scream interrupted halfway it was too bad but it the first time and be the last vicky reminded her mother philosophically when they were in the car going home and lucky for you tool magda responded lucky well he was perfectly mad about that blonde woman whoever she was he was going over to that box just to meet her but I 1 thought you handled that very cutely vie vic magda said handled what vicky was genuinely amazed oh saying she was lovely and like to know who she was that was smart vie vic th there ere was nothing pothina smart to vicky laughed in generous amusement but she felt just a little chilled nevertheless A bleak breath of wind from an almost for gotten country seemed to touch her cheek quentin admires beauty she e pres presently antly said but as far ar as it goes just the same ill bet you something ie vie vic that he finds out tomorrow r who she is mother youre incorrigible they were at home now yawningly dragging themselves up the long stairs ill bet you a chocolate bar that he never mentions her agai again nill they were in the house the following afternoon when quentin came in to smile wearily at ken kenty ta and susan who were cavorting about in pajamas and to discuss the products of the argentine with gwen magda was playing solitaire by the fire oh listen vie vic remember th the e blonde venus in the box last night 11 quentin presently asked magda looked up and vicky turned with a little color in her face from a minute inspection of susans reputedly burned finger ashes an E english mrs harrison or morrison or robi robinson in or something quentin said 1 I telephoned joe younger today I 1 wanted to ask hikin something about the golf club anyway 11 her er husband is an english officer attached to the foreign office or something they left today for china he tell fell to musing a half smile on his face that was certainly one beautiful woman he said it if you want to hold a man me like quentin you ought to well flirt with him magda said victoria laughed flirt with my own husband 10 something like that not flirt dirt exactly but interest him magda said a little at a loss for the exact words she wanted keep him busy unless a man is kept busy he gets into mischief aspeci especially ally a sheik like quentin with a voice all the women fall for 1 I dont know that all the women fall for his voice vicky said unalarmed and as for keeping him busy I 1 dont know what would keep a man busy if an exacting profession sion five children four servants a wife and a mother donti oh lord not that kind of buryll basyl magda scoff cd 1 I dont mean worrying about the furnace or if the new electric light bulbs clime and I 1 dont mean curvature of the spine either A mans got to have some play vie vic the sensible thing for a woman like you to do is cut out all this nursery stuff have a hairdo hair do every week get a new lipstick and some peau de jeunesse and lie around in the mornings reading fashion magazines magazin esi 1 1 I dont know where be today if cut out all this nursery stuff I 1 vicky wanted more than once to say good but she never did I 1 TO BE CONTINUED |