Show W the M lucky luck y laurences lawrences Lawre maces ces amt by kathleen norris norr is by Ha cathlen thlen norris ottlo I 1 HMM W SYNOPSIS the luck that brought the boston lawrences laurences Lawren ces to california at the beginning of the gold rush has deserted the present generation from a acre ranch their holdings have shrunk to a small email farm arm and the old family home in ClIppers vine phil now twenty five ave him has gone into the iron works call to tile tha public library and edith to the book department of Clippers villes largest tore store sam Is 13 in school and seven teen year old arlel ariel Is becoming a problem phil Is fascinated by that terrible lily cass whose husband has deserted her young van murchison hlson scion of a wealthy family returns from yale and gall call has visions through marriage with him of the turning of the lawrence luck dick stebbins phils best beat friend has the run of the house ariel Is in sneaking out of the house bouse at night tor for joy rides phil suggests to his sisters consternation t that hat they invite lily cass casa to the house gall goes with van tor for a weekend week end with the chipps chapps his uncle and aunt she Is in received coldly by mrs chippa and her guests at a roadhouse gall call sees a rac coon coated man helping ariel into roadster CHAPTER V continued 10 she stopped fiercely fler cely as gall merely sat silent from vague worry and apprehension about arlel ariel suddenly the whole fearful danger had bad sprung upon her this morning it had been no more than fear now it was full knowledge you in san francisco with the camps then oh yes I 1 wast was I 1 we went down from there where was mrs camp she had to go to san rafael she left us at the fairmont just you two girls did she know you went out that night we tell her no there was a pause then gall said ariel I 1 cant believe you were there arlel ariel offered accusingly cu oh I 1 know etl gall call covered her face with lier her hands for the first time the younger sister eister seemed a little impressed and she spoke in a lower tone a tone that had some hint of huskiness duskiness or of apology in it it if it makes it any letter better we all thought that was a horrible place and that wed never go there again 1 you been there before arlel ariel could even laugh oh goodness not noi we just happened we happened here ill tell you how it was she leaned forward locking her hands about her knees mrs camp and dorothy were going in to the city on the ten yesterday morning to do some shopping and stay overnight because mrs camp wanted to hear bear some one preaching at church this morning see so they asked me to go and mrs camp was going to see her aunt in san rafael so she said that dot and I 1 could have lunch together and go see a movie well at about live five we were back at the hotel cleaning up and she telephoned and said that her aunt was so sick she was going to stay in san Ilaf Ita acl fael and we could get four orpheum seats and ask two boys to go with us so we vie were sort of telephoning around tor for boys and we got buddy raisch and his roadster well that was about all there was to it I 1 buddy said we could get a grand shore dinner dinder at Mocker sons about ten it if we went to the movie first but I 1 realize it was forty miles away and that it would be so foggy the horror that had held gall in a vise since midnight of tile night before began to loosen and fade she could breathe again so you went back to the fair mont certainly we did I 1 what time did you get there about one gall reflected a few minutes the heavy dark lawrence brows drawn together in a frown ariel youre only seventeen do you think men aspect a girl who goes about with them at all hours of night to places like that dont you want men to respect you she ebe asked 1 I 1 want ant to have a good time arlel ariel said simply men arent looking for good pure womanly women these days and dont you fool yourself that they are gail gaall I 1 hen bien want girls to run around with them slid and not dot to be afraid of being kissed stop you make me sick I 1 the older sister bister said sharply well weil its true how many men do you know who are going after girls like ede paying calls discussing ideals not kot onel and you think gall be began anward ing you think you can build a lovely dignified married life on running around to places like Mocker sons no I 1 donti dont artel ariel responded promptly to Is the pause but I 1 say its the only way you can have a good uwe time and I 1 want to live while im young I 1 just juat the same anne youre not right arl el call persisted honor la Is what well what it always was and dignity and self control it if we turn ourselves into animals we only have to work our wity back to decency sooner or later gluttony in food any more than than developing appe titles for for other things 1 I 1 know what you mean arlel ariel relieved her briefly S surely u rely su surely rely no sane girl could think that the sort of marriage that goes on now with jazzing janzing and fighting add and divorce gall call began begam eloquently surely DO girl thinks that Is worth while 1 why girls like that are burned out at twenty their lives are overl over I 1 they re fit for noth nothing ingi 1 they go on for a few years arlel ariel at your age to go on as you are going on Is simple simpie ruin and it if I 1 sit down at home then what pit Is it why gall arlel ariel said in a confident voice im no foell im not taking any chances taking any chan chances 1 gall echoed rolling up tier her eyes there was a pause now listen gall call artel began aln in deadly earnest you had to lie to get off on this clipp party you gall was checked tin im not proud of 0 III it she sold said presently in a shamed voice why you be proud of it there was nothing wrong in that party only you found out that it it ft depended upon a formal forma invitation from mrs chipp you simply go you you phil my father after all gall offered hesitatingly unwillingly nor minel mine I 1 but gall arlel ariel went on more confidently aware that she was gaining ground we cant get away from it we cant have any tun fun here unless we take chances chanc esl nobody noboa y could get away with anything in this town I 1 just as soon as I 1 can im going to get out and I 1 advise you tol why what does it matter she rushed on what does it matter what van murchison hlson wants how much he be wants to fool around how flow young a kid he Is Z 0 I 1 P this man was far from thoughts Though tt of marriage hes rich ties hes going to take his wife east and abroad what do you care about the rest you dont dodt want to change him you want to marry him let him be giddy phil said he was giddy let him be wasteful and frivolous it if lie be wants to he I 1 what is it to you lie he gets you out of Clippers ville and away from these gossiping old busy bod bodies lesl 1 the river of words dazed and terri fled fied gall this could not be delicate ethereal arlel ariel pouring out this coarse and dangerous philosophy of life or of death arlel ariel whom they had all thought young innocent protected confessing her determination to grab the first man she could and escape escape from Clippers ville most terrible of all to gall was her little sisters easy air of conspiracy her casual quick assumption that they were both in the same boat gall gail w was as frantic with alarm it if she told philip there would be domestic pandemonium and it if she did not she herself must assume a most appalling responsibility perhaps it if she felie could get arlel ariel to promise to swear in the end there were no reproaches no threats site she slid to her knees beside aniels bed and locked aniels hand in her own and after a long and solemn talk they promised each other that there should be no more deceiving no iio more clandestine parties everything open and above board between the two of them at least gall felt oddly old exhausted with emot emotion lon tired from the confused impressions pres press lons of these last brilliant novel days weak from the reaction from arkels revelations yet she was strangely deeply happy too somehow in the confession of their mutual adventures the acknowledgment of 0 their mutual desires and dreams she seemed to have come very close to arlel ariel today the sense of her responsibility as arkels senior of her big sis bip lp was solemn upon her she loved its weight not one of them edith gall A ariel riel saul sam la Is really self supporting 1 thought phil and cass sends lily nothing sho she even know where he Is I 1 lily and the three elds buffy and miles and daniel it if she came here it we were married carried mean there were nine of us here eating three meals meala a day twenty seven meals a day G U dl gall might raise the root roof too she might get edith and arlel ariel to fight but what could they do arlel ariel was not thinking but her mind was washing idly about among the memories of the last 24 hours houm and buddy flaesch and his nerve and that horrid hard kiss that had been plastered against her delicate mouth when she had gotten out 0 of the car at the fairmont in the drifting silent fogs foes of one this morning she determined ter mined to have nothing more to do with him roadster or no roadster but she could not go on living in clippers ville she hated this jay town and these jay people and this old house with a bitter hatred there must be a way edith told herself complacently that all this was very nice here was phil home at a time when he might have been with lily cass which proved that his affair with her was over gall was getting on splendidly with her new and wealthy friends and would undoubtedly marry van murchison hlson arlel ariel had had a lovely little garl time with dorothy everything was going beautifully arlel ariel Is smart about boys gall was thinking ner her cheek flushed as she blie remembered what arlel ariel had said gall herself had vaguely observed some lack some essential thing missing in her friendship with van but it had been left tor for ariel to put it into merciless words was it true well no not entirely there was some truth in it of course but it van murchison hlson happened to be a lighthearted light hearted unthinking fun loving boy young for hla his years and it if gall lawrence was developed beyond hers matured by responsibility and experience that did not mean that they could not fall in love with each other how could she demand more of him than he naturally gave what attitude on her part would create in him a soberer a more dependable mood on which a woman might base real hopes and plans thinking these thoughts she did not feel quite the usual thrill when ihben he be come came into the library a day or two later and stood as he be often did with an elbow on the high desk watching her amusedly as she stamped and scribbled in the shabby old books nave have you a good reference book on the diseases of hawk parasites the ringing voice said joyfully when she was tree free there was no change la in galls manner as she touched his bis big brown hand band but deep underneath she was conscious of change in herself this man was far from thoughts of marriage by what twist she wondered did a girl bring her man from such irresponsible galety gaiety as this to the definiteness of an engagement an engagement began to seem to her an achievement something gulte extraordinary a triumph what a thing a girl accomplished when she could simply complacently tell her friends that she and tom so and so were going to be marlell married 1 van wanted gall gail to lunch with him today and she reached for the telephone extension and told edith that she would not come home as usual it meant a pang to edith but it could not be helped but immediately after this V van an suddenly turned scowling and gloomy and said that no hang it ho he could not lunch with her after all ill tell you he said with his characteristic act chuckle 1 I promised a man at Beres beresford rord that id go and look at a puppy 1 gall did not know quite what to say feeling as she did a little dashed and perplexed by the sudden change of plan she tried to feel fondly indri indulgent he was only a boy after alt all put but she had a sense of futility there seemed no way of catching the slippery substance of him in her fingers im sorry lie he said oh all right 1 say lets go over and have lunch at santa cruz some sunday and swim can you swim 1 I loie it il yes we all swim mention of santa cruz reminded her of Mocker sons and she wondered what yan van would do it she told him bin her anxieties about arlel ariel would it develop anything new in him responsibility gravity she could not do it now but she liked to think about it IL lie he was gone lie was wag hunting amusement somewhere that was all be wanted van was like a child looking for some one with whom to play her thoughts were following him into the sunshiny eun shiny june day what fun to be mrs murchison hlson white and cool and at leisure there on the tilted leather seat beside him and go and have lunch at the country club and watch tennis or perhaps play golf goit anyway anyway she eba reflected walking home to lunch she was a good deal nearer to that envied position than alian any other girl in Clippers villel she had proved herself on that grilling weekend week end visit to los gatos quite the match of the women of vans set I 1 she had bad won them in spite of themselves edith was in the kitchen ecstatic over galls galla unexpected appearance and the addition of strawberries to her humble little meal they laughed lau glied together gathering the dishes dl cups spoons into the dishpan brushing crumbs drawing shades did you make tiny any date with him gall call nothing definite but nothing could be more satisfying outwardly than his bis pursuit of her and gall had to be content with that for awhile in a halfhearted half hearted highly unsatisfactory sort of way mrs chipp had asked gall call to far niente again and this time everything had gone gloriously breathlessly there had been charades charales cha rades built on the lawrence formula there had been a hysterical game of sardines leit even the gron pi own ups spent und lind agonized liali laughter some borne of these demigods demi gods bud gone so BO far us as to reme remember vans little lime friend from the library in ClipperS ville and had ban been gracious to her TO file CONTINUED |