Show rei I The Custard Cup t B y z J I 4 FLORENCE ORENCE BINGHAM LIVINGSTON a Copyright by George H. H Doran Donna Company of I l f r CHAPTER Continued Continued II f r 26 26 f r No Ko sure surely not agreed Mrs Pen Pen- f 1 f geld field genially It j i Mrs hs turned to go Well Ill I'll run In just as soon's you get your yourI t I J F boxes move moved Ill I'll want to see seelOW a apple p pie 3 pow And Mis' Mis S lOW ow youre you're Lettin on say j penfield even en If It your our stock goes up I you ou wont won't never forget what close I i neighbors we been will you in r i No uKo Mrs rs opple never promised Mrs Penfield warmly 1 Amusedly she admitted to herself that Mrs Irs had not been far tar farI I wrong about the apple boxes which had Imd serve served d the family for multifarious purposes during the months that were i past It was different now now or or r would f be tomorrow Mrs Penfield had bad deI decided de de- I f died to purchase a n few fete pieces of ot furl furniture furniture fur fur- l to be paid for In Installments y j and to form the nucleus of ot a real realI home borne real In appearance as well as asIn asIn asIn I In spirit She was about to set forth on this errand when a n man In livery turned the crank crunk In n the erstwhile door barn at Number 47 41 and delivered a letter I to Mrs Penfield She opened the letter wonderingly and read It twice j i before she could comprehend Its mean mean- Ing It was written on heavy white 3 I paper with Mrs Weatherstone's Weatherstone s ads address ad ad- i s dress engraved ed I i 1 Dear Mrs Penfield It ran Will vm I t you IOU do me the honor to accept a n few tew I 1 articles which I have ha gathered up oro around and the house in the course of or our ourI J I refurnishing and shall send to you ou to to- tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow m morrow Think of them please as the operation co-operation of one mother with another for those who have no mother If U at any time you should hear of anyone anyone anyone any any- one else who Is doing for forlorn chIldren children children chil chIl- dren a service similar to your own o will you kindly let me know Sincerely yours ANNETTE TITE WEATHERSTONE J Mrs Penfield dropped the letter and andI eat bat for a long time thinking Mrs I got real feelings was the thought uppermost In her mind She Slie knows I wouldn't accept an anything anything any any- l thing for tor m myself and she knows I cant can't refuse things for children that aint my own Between the two I dont don't dontI I I sees see's I can do anything except anything except to tot t thank her best I know how Mrs Penfield would never forget forgett t the lean lenn days s between Christmas and New Years As never before she had hadI I realized by how frail trail a shield she was protecting three children from want and suffering A slight disturbance In Inthe n 1 the established routine could reduce 1 them to Immediate distress and as rapidly as feasible she must accumulate accumulate accumulate late an emergency fund which would make a recurrence of those days das m- m possible f 1 She was realizing too that with f every nery var ar now now the children would let lel le legitimately le- le t l require a greater outlay I I If they were to have the equipment I to which the they were entitled the entitled the ordinary m J nary advantages Rd th tha training for some particular work the clothing which Could uld not always be homemade Both BothIn BothI I In her own home and here In The Cus- Cus lard Cup she had dealt with young youngE E children she had not by experience struggled with the Increasing demands c with Increases In years ears l Mrs Penfield gave up her shopping plan and took off of her hat She must wait walt till the nature of ot the few articles arti artl- des cles was WIlS disclosed before she could select elect t the h e things which would bo bu most needed She had however taken the letter lettero letterI I so 10 o literally that she was wholly unprepared unprepared unprepared un un- prepared for tor the arrival of ot a n small i I E Tan an the following morning It was evident evi evi- evident I dent that Mrs Weatherstone's courteous courte courte- j ous ors eye ce had taken In the outfit of apple boxes as thoroughly as had the themore themore 3 more critical gaze of at Mrs It 1 was also evident that she had made her selections with more discrimination tion Uon than had occurred with the assignments as us- l previously bestowed upon Number umber 47 I The four beds eds and the bedding bedding- 1 also atso the four mattresses so comfortI comfortable comfortable comfort comfort- I able that the they logically necessitated f the alarm clock which was found tick- tick tickIng F- F tag lag In a n small box were box were suspiciously new ew new but e er everything r else bore evidence I of having been used a fact tact which made mado the gift the pleasanter It was astonishing how quickly q and adequately these furnishings were I fitted Into the flat which had been Mrs Sanders' Sanders The two large plain ru rugs s J to In the room living-room and und room dining-room I the small rugs S Sn i hi n nm the be bedrooms looms the beds a u small dining table plain c chairs rocking chairs to sub say nothing ot of a set of ot blue dishes and a bo box of oft t Plated silver 1 I There were curtains that could be changed to fit dresses antI and coats that could be remade There I r Were ere four tour pictures In plain frames i When Mrs Penfield had unwrapped them she stood back with her finger Pressing out the smile on her lips All AU right she acknowledged ed und under un un- d der her ber breath its As s LettIe Lettle would say suy t j I 1 get you Mrs The Tho pictures went up and the time tin tin- can labels went down together with the lifelike bananas and the time vigorous J a old man who advocated cigarettes The Installation of or Bonnie Geralde GeraldIne Gerald- Gerald 0 tae Ine e was one of the first ceremonies to take place She and her winter quarters tars tel'S were transferred In toto tote and so j Willfully that she oho seemed not to know I that she had hud moved at all all which Is I the greatest tribute any hen can pay to a n change of abode It was far otherwise with the young Filibuster ter Caesar Penfield lie He was wIl wild with excitement and had to be forcibly det detained de de- de- de t tined In the new back yard ard un until l he should take a saner less active view of ot the life of luxury about to unfold around him LuCky thing weve we've got him though observed observe Crink I couldn't I never up my head in a stylish place Ilk like Uk this less we had hod us a nice dog og I aint so bowled over declared Lettle Lettie with an assumption of great carelessness s Its dand dandy but we been living fine ever ver since I froze on to this family Children said Mrs Penfield brIskly briskly briskly brisk brIsk- ly youre oure riz In the world a step or two and theres there's responsibilities connected connected connected con con- with It Higher up the ladder you ou go the more you Ou got to stretch your our moral nature Now theres there's one thing you ou plumb sure got to do from I now on You got to give up prowl- prowl Ing ins Oh scoffed Crink vastly relieved I bout gave that up when I got gut a steady job a hours a day dRY I III dont don't prowl contributed Thad his soft sott eyelashes rn raying out from his widened e eyes es Lettie Lettle was silent I mean you too too Lettle Lettie continued Mrs Penfield From now on you cant can't prowl you cant can't be dragging In stuff you cant can't scramble over dumps Why Penzie cried the child In dismay all my life Ive I've Ive I've had to to- to and I got the habit habIt and and Youve got to give Ive It up repeated Mrs Penfield firmly have lots of other things to do study do-study study and read and sew and cook You must remember remember remember re re- re- re member that you OU got a fine home now now and a R bed to sleep In and grand cloes to wear and heaps to eat eat and and you got to live up to It It Lettie Lettle stared at her solemnly out of wide black e eyes es It was evident that the wreckage of the thc world was calling to her with the allure of f Infinite variety variety variety va va- va- va with the promise of endless po- po aj I I Oh Uncle Jerry She Called Her ITer thin chest heaved She threw out her arm In a u gesture of utter renunciation All right she gulped Ill do It If It kills me I gotta stay with you OU Penzie It was while Mrs Penfield was exulting exulting exulting ex ex- ex- ex with Crink over the possession of a front window which gave a charming view of the driveway and the pepper tree that she saw Uncle Jerry Jerr coming rapidly Into The Custard Cup In his arms an enormous sheaf of ot stemmed long-stemmed roses glowing red through the thin paper covering She lifted the window Oh Uncle Jerry she called come right In and see Its It's just just just- Well Well oIl oh well Carline stam stam- stammered Uncle Jerry Im in kind of a u hurry I Ill I-I'll Ill I'll conic come In later luter I I-I I I got some news for you ou She looked Into his genial face ruddy with embarrassed color under tho the tan Oh lOh I know she said softly Youve fixed It up with with wIth wIth- lIe He nodded happily Say aint I lucky Cause she's shines the real reul thing thing thing- and so so-so so so fine I didn't scarcely shed she'd take a rough old lumberman lumberman lumberman lum lum- berman like me Im delighted she did responded Mrs Penfield warmly Ill be he glad g-ad to see both of you ou having a home She watched him go on up Miss Iss steps carrying his shoulders shoulders shou- shou ders proudly hearing bearing flowers to the gentle lady Indy who had hind put aside her dreams to live the life of ot the present Then she sIle closed the window and went back to her work There was to be a supper that In Itself would be a house With her usual forethought Mrs Penfield had told the members of her family that It would be a fine spread this spread this time with supplementary details that added overwhelmingly to the weight of her statement There were to be muffins and honey for tor the first course and for the time second a tapioca pudding It was on only the middle of the afternoon afternoon after after- noon but preparations were already I under way Crink had been dispatched dispatched dis dis- dis patched to the store to get the hone honey Mrs was setting the table In the dining From the window she could catch a glimpse of ot the hills kissed green by the recent rains Last week It had been winter today It was spring With the charmIng charmIng charming charm- charm 1 Ing caprice that is California's Januar January January Janu Janu- ar ary had hud said I was trying to give you ou some winter but I couldn't hold to It Mrs Penfield's heart was full of ot thankfulness as she set out the dishes and placed place the silver She even arranged arranged ar ar- ar- ar ranged a centerpiece a small vase containing a tea rose from a bush that Mrs Sanders had raised At last the children were to have the surroundIngs surroundings surroundings surround surround- ings that help to nurture the home feeling a n feeling which persists If it It Is Incorporated In ones one's childhood but which Is never built up in exactly the same wa way If that t childhood passes without It Thoughts of other da days s 's thoughts o 01 the other home that this one called up knocked persistently against Mrs rs brain but she refused to let them enter Like Miss Hapgood she live In the present The pudding was made Lettie was waa beating the white of the egg for the frosting Jimmy aint this fun iun I she ex ex- claimed Ive always alwa's wondered how howIt It felt to beat an un egg I could keep at It till kingdom come Crink burst In at the kitchen door Oh Penzie he lie cried so excited do down n nto to the store I I got to togo togo togo go right back but I had to bring ing the the the- heres here's the honey honey and and tell you quick Mrs Penfield took down the can an of ot sugar from the tIle shelf above the sink What Is It Crink What's happened happened happened hap hap- 1 He Be stood In front of ot her breathing hard his eyes shining with eagerness Oh theres there's been a accident and the father and mother were killed but the baby wasn't and and and- what about Crink are you talking demanded Mrs rs Penfield in dismay Why Penzie the bab baby Evry body's talking bout It to the store It got nobody left not left not nobody Its folks wasn't related to any other folks And that comes In InIs InIs Is talking bout bot t it gasped for breath but Jerked out his statements with wild gesticulations r E bod s sa saying Ing what'll become of at the baby and It'll have to go to a l and so I thought Lettle Lettie reluctantly relinquished the tho eggbeater but zealously advocated tho the Infant O 0 Penzie lets let's I 1 It'd be such fun Golly Id I'd love loe to have a a- a a Mrs Penfield stirred sugar Into the beaten white and spread the frosting over the pudding your Idea Crink 1 she asked as she slid the dish Into the oven for the final browning Well Nell I thought we could take It You see we got any baby now now Thad's Thad's growing up so fast And Ancl Id I'd like like like-it Oh cant can't we have It It please Penzie Penzie Pen Pen- zie begged Lettie Lettle A IIA baby's Just what we need There'd be a heap more variety It- It If Yes It'd be a good way to c get t variety agreed Mrs Penfield lookIng lookIng looking look- look Ing from one eager face to the other I expect youre you're right Fact Is Is I been kind o worried all the afternoon thinking how fine we got and how much we got to do with and how easy Its It's going to be V Why h 1 got a thing to do o now but keep the house and do the washings and look lifter after you three children I dont don't have ha to watch The Custard Cup t all aU allany allany any more I know I aint going to feel right if f so easy Oh then you will will- will willOh Oh Oh Penzie wont won't you OU hurr hurry and get there foro fore an anybody bod else wants it Land Crink there aint never such sucha a rush as that But Ill I'll change m my dress right now and well we'll go down- down wherever It Is hr M My goodness I cant can't wait walt myself sef to get gut hold of ot that blessed baby boby E says Its It's a n fine one put In Crink enthusiastically Its healthy you Ou know and know and Oh well we'll hn have ve such fun raising It I 1 IsaId said Mrs Penfield briskly I III Just know Its It's going to work out grand THE END |