| Show T B BANNERS aw jno aft M N E R samiha SYNOPSIS brooke reyburn visits visit the office of jed ed stewart a lawyer r to d s cuss the terms of an estate she has inherited from mrs mary annanda dane unwittingly she overhears jed talking to mark trent a nephew of mrs dane who has been disinherited mrs dane had lived at lookout house a huge structure truc C ture on the sea built by her father and divided into two tor for her and mark marks s father brooke had been a fashion ex expert pert and mrs dane a shut in hearing her on the radio had invited her to call and de a deep affection for her mark dis closes clo es that mrs dane had threatened to disinherit him it if he married lola from whom he Is now divorced he says he does not trust henri and clotilde jacques acques mrs dane danes s servants he says he is not inter ested in an offer of brooke s to share the estate with him leaving her department tore store job brooke refuses an off offer er to go stepping epping tt with jerry erry field a carefree young man who wants to marry her at a family conference she learns she must live at lookout house alone since lucette her younger sister who Is taking her job her brother sam a young playwright and her mother plan to stay in the city jed and mark are astounded when they hear from mrs gregory a family friend that she bad witnessed a hitherto unknown will with henri and clotilde two weeks before mrs dane died brooke bad had arrived just as she he was leaving CHAPTER ill III continued 5 destroyed it but how could brooke reyburn have known what was in the first will perhaps your aunt had told her that she was to be residuary legatee it t seem probable but women do fool things he grinned I 1 of course men never do we ve got to get busy it if it isn t destroyed that will may be at lookout house you youve ve never liked the jacques and you say that they hate you I 1 have an idea open your house live Liv there ethere get friendly with the girl 1 I would feel like a sneak to go 4 there to spy on her I 1 you suspect that she may have j influenced your aunt to make a will j in her fa or don t you I 1 do then give her a chance to prove that she didn dian t take a duple of japs and go down and live next door ido or 11 9 1 I von son t commit myself to that i proposition in a hurry if I 1 decide I 1 to do it will you come with me I 1 sure I 1 ve been hoping you d ask me philo vance is my middle name 11 stewart picked up the note lying on the desk I 1 you d better open the investigation by accept ing this I 1 the reyburn girl s invitation to dine on thanksgiving day I 1 would iveel feel like a spy a traitor the tur they would choke me I 1 do you want the truth about athis this will 44 you bet I 1 do then go 90 don t write we never disend send a letter when we can send a pan a phone the night before that you are coming corning she shell 11 have less I 1 time in which to think why you are accepting brooke reyburn stood in the door way of the living room at lookout hillouse i house behind her in the hall a I 1 graceful circular stairway wound up and up she nodded approval the broom room was the perfect setting she had visualized for the duchess of cargyle argyle since the day she had known ithac j that her father had willed her the portrait the green of the walls and trim repeated the color of the satin gown of the woman in the dull gold frame which hung above the mantel of carved black italian mar ble repeated also the shade of the feathers of the dozing parrot in a I 1 gilded cage threw into relief dark polished surfaces of mahogany she had had everything that she thought belonged to his family stored in the apartment over the garage curious that she had found so little silver she looked at the door which mary amanda dane had told her opened into the twin house some thing uncanny about it whenever she was in the room it drew her eyes like a magnet mark trent s house was on the other side it had not been lived in for years what a waste had his wife refused to live ine there his wife she couldn coulden t think of him as having had a wife why think of him at all she resolutely switched her thoughts to her surroundings th this is was the same room in which she had first seen mrs dane in her wheel chair but how different then it had been drab and heavy now it glowed with soft color she would never forget the pathos in the worn an s eyes as they had met hers nor mor the eagerness s of her greeting she had registered a passionate vow to make her lovely and attract tive in appropriate clothes that had been her job ob then and a thrilling job too to help women make the most of their good points how now mary amanda dane had fooled her about money the crippled woman had kept her feet firmly on the ground when it came to spending planning inexpensive at clothes for her had been an exciting challenge she had sue suc ceedee the frocks had been charm ing and with her drab wardrobe the invalid had shed much of her crabbedness lovely clothes did that for a woman pity that more husbands didn dian t realize the fact now she was gone and had left a small fortune behind her why had she denied herself so many of the luxuries of life brooke blinked long wet lashes and said aloud as she had said many times since she had cume to live at lookout house by emilie loring 0 emilie loring service thank you for everything mrs mary amanda thanks billions she swallowed the lump which rose in her throat whenever she thought of the woman s incredible kindness hardly the time to go sentimental when at any moment the family might burst in on her they were on their way to spend thanksgiving for the first time they would see the changes in the house she had postponed their corn coin ing until it should be in perfect or der the honk honk of an automobile horn outside was followed by voices singing lustily I 1 over the river and through the wood trot fast my dapple gray spring over the ground like a hunting hound for this is thanksgiving day I 1 V the gay chorus was followed by laughter and vociferous cries I 1 whoa there therel stand still light ning I 1 whoa I 1 I 1 laughing brooke dashed for the front door it was so like the rey burn family to dramatize its arria arenal al in a rush of cold air and excited greetings she piloted her mother r 1 f laughing brooke dashed for the front door and sister to the library the star tied parrot shrieked stop look listen I 1 boy you don t need a burglar alarm with that announcer you ought to loan him to a bank I 1 lucette made a gamin face at the parrot as she slipped out of her ocelot coat she dragged off her hat and patted the swirl of her dark hair brooke hugged her mother it s wonderful to have you here celia reyburn and aren t you devastate deva stat mg ing in that eel gray ensemble 1 I 1 not as devastating as you are in that white daughter it brings out the copper lights in your hair brooke laughed we are like two diplomats exchanging campli ments the difference is that ours come from the heart where s sam don t tell me sam isn t corn com egl I 1 lucette held a lighter to a ciga aciga rette with a faint hint of bravado don t cry darling sam came didn dian t you recognize his voice sing ing as if his little heart would burst from joy as we approached this baronial hall doubtless he is kiss ing his peachy convertible good night in your garage he s crazy about that coupe you gave him brooke he has named it light ning and can it go I 1 who s the tall gent with the undertaker expression who pulled our bags from the car as if he were extracting upper and low er molars I 1 henn henri he and his wife clotilde worked for years for mrs dane I 1 kept them on to help me settle they take a lot of handling believe i or not I 1 believe it this room looks like part of a house beautiful it its it s corking I 1 I 1 wait till you see the rest of the house lucette here s sam 1 I would recognize his bang of a door if I 1 heard it in timbuctoo wel come to lookout house sammy it s wonderful that the theater closed just at this time yeah it s all in the point of view there are them who think otherwise however I 1 in not kick ing he caught brooke in a hug he kept his arm about her as he looked around the room swell joint you ve got here I 1 like the greenhouses green housey smell from those plants say listen we ve missed you like the dickens haven t we mother 1 we have sam celia reyburn steadied her voice we d better stop emotionalizing and get ready for dinner I 1 have kept house years enough to know that promptness at meals helps to keep the home maker s life s walk easy you would think of that moth er it isn t dinner to night I 1 planned a buff buffet et supper not being sure at what time my relatives from the big town would arrive come upstairs and show you your rooms A family might get on each oth er s nerv ner es as of course it did at times but there was nothing likar it brooke concluded fervently as after supper on a floor cushion in front of the library fire she leaned against her mother s knees lucette burst out nervously if sam can stop that nut munch ing marathon perhaps he 11 an bounce the latest reyburn news flash brooke sat erect what news I 1 sam took careful aim at the par rot s perch the nutshell struck its bullseye and roused the dozing bird hell hells s bells I 1 he croaked and ruffled his feathers looks as if he were caught in a typhoon doesn doean t he hea the laughter in sam s voice vanished mother has been invited to spend the winter in england with her friend lady jaffrey sami saml with the exclamation brooke was on her feet do you mean if it how perfectly grand grandl she lives in an old castle doesn doean t she hey pipe down brooke there s a in the woodpile wait till you hear the condition I 1 A condition in lady jaffrey s in vi tation sam I 1 cant can t believe it be quiet children let me talk arms crossed on the back of the wing chair in which she had been sitting celia reyburn faced her family her cheeks were pink her eyes as blue as her son s were brilliant with excitement she clasped her hands tightly as if to steady them the chair recognizes the lady from the big city sam encouraged with a grin what s the condition mother don t you want to go very very much brooke but I 1 t enjoy a moment of the visit if I 1 left your brother and sister in that apartment alone perhaps I 1 m a selfish woman but I 1 would like to and will go it if my mind is perfectly at ease about lucette and sam if they will come here to you and if you will have them have themi mother don dont t be foolish I 1 have been rattling around in this big house like a dried coco nut in a shell of course I 1 want them but will they come who s being foolish now I 1 lu cette flung her cigarette into the fire her cheeks were almost as red as her painted lips of course we 11 come brooke reyburn of course we 11 II play ball mother s way sam and I 1 aren t cold blooded fish if taking to the sticks to be chap erined by big sister will make mother s visit happier we 11 settle down here with bells on she s earned all the fun she can get shell she 11 have one grand time and mow those stiff Britis hers down in swaths and come home countess or I 1 miss my guess Lu lucette cettel 1 celia reyburn protested indignantly don t mind her mother broke reassured by the time you return your younger daughter will have acquired all the social graces just a minute now I 1 make a condition I 1 come only if I 1 keep on with my job it would mean early and late commuting lucette I 1 I 1 ve thought that out in sam s convertible we can make it I 1 but you and sam won t be corn ing down at the same time and don t be so sure brooke sam aimed a nutshell at the parrot the theater has closed permanently and I 1 in up against one of those simple economic problems where s the next job coming from III go to new york to see off mother and take my play now that producers have begun to sniff around for bar gains I 1 may get my chance sam dear brooke attempted to lighten her dismayed voice bad enough for him to be out of work without having her turn sob sister you 11 find something I 1 read the other day that the theater is on the up grace if you don t oh sam my what a chance for you to write why not give your play a try tryout out here well we 11 do it for the town s vi 1 elfare fund in the club house the ater what a chance to try Is lands arise on the dog I 1 news flash the Rey burns stage a play lucette cut in I 1 why not brooke persisted ea 9 gerly erly most of the summer homes are to be kept open during the win ter and answer the phone will you sam take the message tor for me I 1 ve been pestered to death by and insurance agents wanting to sell me something tell them 1 I rn out of town for the e e ning anything I 1 the silence of the room was broken only by the snap and hiss of the fire as sam reyburn put the receiver of the handset to his ear hullda yes miss rayburn I 1 is out of town for the evening sure she 11 be back tomorrow oh it is I 1 yes give her your message shell she 11 be pleased purple I 1 get you tell her bye I 1 he laid the phone on the stand who was it sam what will please me purple brooke de banded uneasily A party by the name of trent I 1 what did he wanta not much only to say that he accepted your invitation for thanks giving dinner with pleasure TO BE CONTINUED |
