Show M on torn The Custard Cup to th fht B BaL By rat taL I FLORENCE LORENCE BINGHAM LIVINGSTON I l Doran Company i CHAPTER Continued 23 23 JIrs Weatherstone's Weatherstone s eyelids lifted w involuntary surprise Mrs Pen Pen- r tb ty M smiled but mude made no explanation L lence n In Ina R a wealthy we family had this her Ten ber this knowledge but She althe ale al- al D e the Information to stand alone I Mrs Weatherstone would have pd d only Just dust begun to Iron the gins continued M Mrs Penfield length She held up a a. length of or ofte orIe silk embroidered In a scattered m te Ie e f sI of self color Mrs Weather Weather- f one le stripped off oft her glove and felt 23 s 4 the je the material l. l She Shook her h head sad I j 1 wouldn't have haY believed It could y k done Its It's marvelous Do you yon 3 fin tan Irs airs Penfield ld that you ou washed jj s and the spread In the water as f would white embroideries IT l' l no Id I'd have ha ruined em em that I II washed em S for tor sure with a aid Ji id ld a a- a Did you say a bag bagres Yes res like Uke this one tt Mrs Penfield t e from the cupboard a small l V to 18 K kg of ot muslin half filled with a soft a- a stance v 11 Mrs Weatherstone Featherstone felt of ot that too t was still sUll puzzled a 11 something that bu Is It you buy ors Jirs Penfield lau laughed hed Oh no I j r. r rite em era myself Its It's a mixture of and andT and and- 3 pin pains T 7 Stop cried Mrs Weatherstone e 0 Jawing growing up up her hand In a gesture of pick fad authority Dont you tell me 1 fb hats chats t's ts In It It Why not Id I'd Just as soon you'd bow sow as not z 1 Dont you tell me me- me or mer or r anybody else I 1 Dont Don't you tell a a. a soul a-soul soul what's ts t's In It t tors ors Mrs Penfield gazed at her In silent I Ton iou remember what I say Keep It j U to yourself I dont don't see why said Mrs Pen- Pen 1 field eld slowly Its Just something I It Il t l forked corked out and Its It's been wonderful lo for or the childrens children's dresses I can keep as bright as ever ever If If It aint faded to begin with I stumbled on It by accident and then I tented till I got the right Ingredients ud wd proportions and and and- That's Just It nodded Mrs Weatherstone Veath i erstone u and youve you've worked out a a ethod that Is ahead of ot the commercial commer commer- dal cial methods You keep your our own coun- coun conni i R Rl till tin I talk with a man I know who I tans DS a chain of ot laundries Ill I'll have I I ilm im come to talk with you ou i iA iI A flash of ot gratitude lighted Mrs Irs Penfield's brown eyes Oh If It could e worth orth something she stammered 1 I never ne had thought of ot that And I IDank Idank dank ank you I always knew you ou were kind tod Mrs Weatherstone's glance traveled briefly y around the bare bale kitchen rested reston rest rest- ed on LettIe Lettle who had followed silently silent silent- Ij ly skipped slipped to Thad who ho had hud padded b n D from rom the yard ard She bit her lips u ll If It an unwelcome conclusion about i Ur ker own thoughtfulness had forced Its ray fay Into her mind Im sorry I was Impatient Mrs Irs Penfield she apologized as the they went lack hack Into the room living but I never ne reamed dreamed you were so skillful She tas cas fastening her scarf as she spoke Oh do wait walt a minute please I Ig togged leaped g ed Mrs rs Penfield That sounds like Crinks Crink's whistle Hed He'd be so glad gladI I to b meet you ou i Crink came In at the tile big door Crink L la in the turned overcoat pulling oft oil his shabby flabby cap Lettie Lettle and Thad In their thin cotton were dressed according to the toe sunshine and the really mild tem tem- I but CrInk coming corning In contact the outside world wag dressed i according to the calendar month of ot January nominally winter This Is Crink said Mrs Penfield proudly Crink aint It grand to see I lira rs Weatherstone I 1 should say gayl I Crink stepped forrd forward for tor- ward ard rd ea eagerly erly I wanter winter thank you OU for tor this here overcoat Gee Its It's a u dandy 1 It was kas pretty good last wInt winter r but turned It aint nobody rot tot better You turned Geraldine's coat coat mur mur- dared Mrs Weatherstone Why I ever should Imagine It new Dra Drawing Wing on her glove she became gru gru- conversational Crink m mear my myar ear dear Is fa It possible that you and Lettle Lettie are Le twins Youre You're about the same Imme Size sine f but ut your coloring Is so co different t f T No 0 maam ma'am we ve aint twins Im I'm most moat but it I dont don't know how old L Lettie ettie is U UV V bat at would you say I enzle I 1 expect Lettie's younger smiled II krs 1 Penfield Only a 0 few tew months rely And you know tweet were we're gues guessing ore Lore or less bout your our age too flate ate do very cr well for tor all three f You Theres There's a 0 heup heap of ot things more moreo D o Clint Mr AIrs Weatherstone paused with her din Jers g er 8 on the clasp of ot the glove she shead had 11 ad been about to fasten Her lIer dark t were ere full tull of ot Inquiry but her lips r Were ere polite Mr Mrs Penfield answered her ex p res- res uon on on liThe They weren't mine at all origin origin- at y i r I-I I T i i lost my own n Ok Olt Hut But they the b are firc related 7 BI less ess you ou no I Just adopted em fem 1 11 f rs Penfield w waved aced her hand careless careless- ess- ess t T f In Ina a tt rather correct Indication of the tJ og-tJ which nil all three had inn d. d dy y dop Three led children 1 ex ex- d dalm IY ell Mr IS h hy by yes es It wasn't nothing I wanted to and I could as wells well's not Mrs Weatherstone k look looking okin ng g at nt the Other woman across a vast gulf gult of t economic economic eco eco- disparity smiled gently Yes she sine said in a low locc ow voice oice you could Crink was uneasy There was somethIng something some some- thing In n the Interview that he be did not understand He felt the undercurrent Of ot unspoken thoughts and could only Infer In-fer Y that his beloved was beIng belag be be- ing lag criticized He caught Mrs Weatherstone's Weatherstone's Teath erstone's glance keen swift darting from the vivid Id pictures on the wall wan to the packing boxes to 10 the few tew st straight chairs to the bare spaces around the room where furniture most conveniently conveniently might have been Yes repeated Mrs Weatherstone softly you could Crink plunged Into defense You I dont don't understand Mrs Weatherstone I he said earnestly it aint a bit as youre you're thinking We Ve get along fine- fine honest we do I earn some mone money now and a lot of ot old e and things And we always have lots to eat that eat that Is all except last Int week un and d then then then-then then we got along But nut that's the only time We always have haye grand spreads two spreads two kinds to wiry Cry C ry meal and sometimes sometimes- He caught a warning glance from Mrs Penfield and stopped In confusion contusIon Golly what're you folks talking about burst out LettIe Lettle with violence Who ever thought we didn't have the eats Best chow on the Coast Never Ne was anybody like Penzie Lordy she's got me solid Id I'd die fore Id I'd get histed outa here You'd Just oughter oughter- Children children children- reproved Mrs Penfield who by quieter more unobtrusive e means menns had been unable to check this torrent of gratuitous explanation nation Im shamed of ot you Mrs made no comment on the Intimate revelations She gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered up her mutt muff and moved mo toward the door Will U the hangings be read ready tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row Mrs Penfield Then Ill I'll send for tor them you wont won't have to fold told them so much In that ca case e. e And I shall speak peak to Mr Crashaw Im I'm sure hell he'll come t 1 r I I i r h t r. r M i The Envelope of alII Was Gone to see ee you Good Good-by and Good and Happy Happ New Year With a charming smile she stepped down to the warped board that t took the place of ot front porch Well all go out with you shouted Lettie Lettle And come again whenever er Its It's been awful you can cnn wont won't you ou Intrusting seeing you The three children trooped after atter her prodigal with entertaining comment delighted with the graciousness of ot her response After Atter she had stepped Into the car the they stood watching hand In hand Remember u UK us to your yom daughters wont won't you 1 beamed Lettle Lettie In a climactic climactic cli cli- ecstasy of ot politeness Yes thank you returned Mrs Weatherstone not to be outdone In the moment before the car started started start start- ed she Bhe looked again nt at the three children children children chil chil- dren In their over made-over versions of clothing that had hod come corne out of ot her household She was wm unwittingly ly responsible re re- for the appearance which these three eager mites of humanity presented to their little tittle world orld May Moy the Lord forgive me she thought for what I have done to the Innocent I 1 In The Custard Cup the afternoon continued to be unusual To her In Intense intense In- In tense delight Lettle Lettie was Invited to have e supper Rupper with Mrs Irs Sanders Sanders Sanders-In- In Invited with that spontaneous Informality Informal Informal- ity that Is dear to the heart of every every youngster The rest of the family were at home lIn lingering around the thc table tuble when an un emergency en call came carne from Mrs Irs The baby had met with nn an accident painfully connected with the hot stove Crink was dispatched to the thc dru drug drugstore drugstore store for soothing remedies Mrs Penfield Penfield Penfield Pen- Pen field agitated out of ot observance of her customary supper after re regime we I Iwas was Inveigled Into permitting Thad to hunt up his chum Timm Timmy She left lett the table as It stood and hurried hurried hur hur- ried to Mrs Half an hour later Inter when the baby was relieved d Mrs Penfield went back buck k to her Interrupted routine She switched on the light licht ht and began clearIng clearIng clearing clear- clear Ing the table table stopped stopped In the net act of ot lifting a plate Her eyes had fallen on a chair overturned on the floor of ot the living room A slight tiling thing g but It had happened while she had hud been gone While all the family had been gone I Her heart stood still as she thought of or the money which she had hall failed to deposit that afternoon More than two hundred dollars I It had totally slipped her mind In the excitement of the Enslow catastrophe She Sire dreaded to look In the suitcase Seconds passed while she stared at ut the overturned chair paralyzed b by dread At last she nerved ner herself herselt to Investigate In The front door was still locked but the back door had been left open that the children might enter when they re re- re- re turned She went Into the bedroom The suitcase was on the floor The rickety old fasteners were undone The envelope elope of bills was gone So was Gussie Bosle Bosley's s package Mrs Penfield sank back on the floor by the suitcase faint and sick Her blood seemed to have stopped The room whirled She was hanging over o overa oera a chasm black ruin Crink came in Wheres Thad Penzie Aint he here Thad I repeated Mrs Penfield still In a daze Yes Hen Timmy were playing In Inthe Inthe inthe the back yard and Thad came home for his spools Timmy waited for him till Mrs called mm ID in rie He spOKe to me outa the window M My goodness We Ve must find him right off oft Time he went to bed any anyhow how bow Its It's most dark They went through the house lookIng looking look look- Ing In bunks on the chance that Thad might be hiding moving box boxes s behind which no one could be concealed The They searched In the back yard In the driveway No Thad Thud Mrs Penfield was alarmed Crink we must find him Must l I yes res cried Crink We Ve couldn't live U Thud Thad They separated each taking a side of ot the driveway ewa and ond ringing doorbells In rotation Some one was at home In every ery flat flat except except the Bosley's where the windows were dark and und the evening evening eve eve- ning paper was still on the steps But no one had seen Thad since he had left Timmy They rhey went up and down the sidewalk sidewalk sidewalk side side- walk outside The Custard Cup through all nIl the yards once more through Number 47 Lettle Lettie bounded In She had known that Crink had rung Mrs Irs Sanders Sanders' bell looking for Thad Thod but It had taken takeD takena takeDa a few minutes for this Information to turn into anxiety in her mind Have they found him she de de- mantled mandell The silence answered her They had all loved Thad but no one had real real- realized realized how large a 0 place he held Mrs Penfield stood In the middle ot of the room dazed unable to see the next move mo to make Her face was chalky white Her brown eyes looked black they burned with a fierce fire She had totally forgotten the loss of the money She had not even en mentioned It to tho the children What was money compared with Thad the baby that she had loved as ns If It It had hod been henby hers hen hersby hersby by blood Lettie Lettle had hod never seen her Idolized look like that had never neTer seen Been her withdrawn from the ways of ot speech A mighty Impulse surged up In the child to make her Penzie happy again and I It was as If It the rising tide of ot that Impulse lifted a recollection fallen In one corner of ot her brain and bore It to the surface Her mind was waa Illumined with conviction con Ill get et him Penzie Ill I'll get him she screamed waving her arm wildly and dashing toward the door Mrs Penfield sprang forward and caught the child by the shoulder You stay right here Lettle Lettie Aint no use starting off orr at nt random Im I'm going to Mrs to telephone the police p po police lice and and and- Leggo go cried Lettie Lettle working her herlean herlean lean lenn shoulder madly In the effort U to free herself Le Leggo go I Ill I'll get him Lettle Le tt t e Leggo I gotta get him The frail cotton tore under Mrs Penfield's grasp Lettie Lettle had wrenched herself herselt loose Dont you ou worry darling she shrieked as she darted toward the door I 1 know where he Is Ill I'll ge get gAt him Ill I'll get C him TO BE CONTINUED |