Show I CG INGER m N J DE IR ELLA LLA ELLAby E IL LA LAI I V VI I r I by Ethel Hueston Illustrations by f Irwin Myers Copyright by Bobbs Babbs Merrill Co CHAPTER VII VII Continued 14 14 They did not try to plan for tor the future they simply contented them themselves sel selves es with the knO knowledge e that thai whatever what ever came carne to them must be good They did not look ahead to the win winter ter ter without without a church chulch without ri a pur par parsonage nr with a meager wenger twenty five e dollars a R month to pro provide food and ad clothes and a roof root over o their heads J They merely accepted d the present that I was given gi them and smiled at ut each I other and strove e In tn every ery way possible pos pus i sible aible to impress upon themselves es the sublimity ot of their aith the boundlessness bound of their possibilities In Ln divine lo love e. e l As they went out to the car answering an the call of ot Eddy Eldy Jacksons Jackson's siren they th the postman coming com cow ing Ingin in Ginger ran ron ahead ot of the others and took the mall from crom his hand Three for father one cne for Marjory mine mine mine mine- the rest Is for tor me S S S I Gingers Ginger's watchfulness s over Marjory Mar Mar- Jory and throw Buckworth increased She Intercepted every glance endured the soft smiles with a B glowering grimness grimness grim grim- ness answered every ery light sally as ns though it were Intended for her ber ears alone One e evening soon after dinner Hiram Buckworth decided that he must mutt withdraw to his room to prepare his sermon for the following Sunday and Marjory l she would go upstairs and manicure her nails But ut Ginger was not to tie be distracted by mere plans for the future She saw them both upstairs saw th the door of her hei fathers father's room closed behind Hiram Hmm Duckworth's Buckworth's rigid back sow saw Miriam ensconced d or OJ the fhe foot of her bed hed with files tiles orangewood sticks tIcks and butters butlers Then Ilen she event ent to ro I ih hI studio with a 8 sigh of relief There she settled down clown downto to a complete balancing of tier her ac tic- counts She Rhe counted ed the dimes rUmes In the dolls doll's trunk She wade made careful entries s sIn in her hu huge e ledger let Her waste basket hasket she found full tull to overflowing of discarded letters s little white angels which had accompanied the contributions to I the he home Gln Ginger er was systematic and orderly These angels were to be burned So with waste basket in one Mind land lantern In Inthe Inthe Inthe the other she made tier her way carefully x over ver er the narrow beams and down the ladder She noted comfortably that the two doors doom remained closed as ns she had left them ant and a pleasantly soothing stillness the house Softly happily with waste basket haslet and Ian Ion tex tern she slipped the curve of the circular staircase and stopped She stopped u rt ha t. t electrified spell bound n For beneath her tier before her hervery hervery hervery very eyes there e lay Iny revealed a scone scene whose ess' ess was be beyond ond her Ther p power ot of description The wide living room was lighted dimly lighted by one small corner reading Inn Inn p. p. p and lIt ir- the shadowy I semi darkness Ginger saw J two figures her her sister Marjory and Hiram Buckworth Ruck whom she had bad left behind behind be be- hind their closed doors not twenty minutes previous lous By y what strange IntuItiveness each had discovered dis dis- covered ered behind those barring doors that the thie other was de descending to to the common meeting ground of the living room below Gl Ginger ger never knew nor knew nor even which had made the initial move But Hut one fact was evident there evident there they were One due of ot Hiram's arms was about her sisters sister's shoulders and his free hand band was fondling very gently very caress caressingly caressingly the soft sort gold of her ber hair Marjory Marjory Mar Mur jory herself plainly not to be outdistanced out distanced In madness was raising her soft white fingers lingers to his cheek his fIls lips his bis eyes Gingers Ginger's Irrepressible gasp startled them I They hey looked up at her gravely cly They did not move wove Excuse me Gingers Ginger's voice was cold and ond subdued very small I thought you were in different places- places doing other things She turned short around upon the theand stairs and went up to the attic In En Inthe n the studio she sat at herself down beav- beav ily and fell to deep consideration Sti sh She saw clearly that the situation was critical Marjory was hopeless She Iliad ogled the grocery clerk She had bad hadI I I 1 almost held 11 hands with Tub Andrews and the ukulele She even practiced hie her blandishments on Eddy Jackson who had the fortitude to withstand her wiles And now she was flagrantly flagrant ly Iy necking the young minister Ginger writhed In tn helpless fury The Irn- Irn Ister Ister Even a grocery clerk may aspire tot tot ownership a bank Janitor may progress slowly upward But once a vr preacher acher alwn always s 's a preacher Plainly then responsibility rested upon upon none other than Ginger and Ginger squared her Ier shoulders to receive race re ra- re- re ce cee e It Marjory was waa lacking tout in to ut at character character so so much was I evident But Hiram thrum now I he he was waa a minister he must ha have e eI I some sonic right within withIn withIn-an an appeal to him perhaps perhaps- Ginger regretted that she could not entirely abandon Marjory to her own misguided ways woys The rhe home for the tho blind was on Its way to firm establishment it was true but alas so many limes dimes went Into t the e purchase of a n load lond f t coal coni a n months month's groceries a delicate operation for the eyes An appeal then to Hiram B Buckworth u The next morning before breakfast Ginger alert and watchful sow saw him walking down the flagstone path between between be be- tween the rows row of lowers flowers Inhaling great breaths of ot the tue fresh morning air his entire manner and countenance r n mno nn 0 b ric with c the lIe world at nt large She hurried down and Joined him Mr r. r Buckworth u she began firmly excuse me for butting In In and and It really Isn't a thin thing against Marjory you know for sh she is just as ns nice pice as os she seems to be beI he- he I 1 should say she Rhe Is s I But Ive I've e known her tier a n long time and really she Is a terrible flirt though a a. a heart she doesn't mean menn a n athing athing thing b bj It I 1 dont don't know whether she has hns told you you you- I mean mean- You see It is already arranged Ellen I You dont don't mean that Marjory Mar Mar- MarJor Jor jory that jory-that that she Is engaged engaged- The rhe use of the word urd relieved her She was finding It unaccountably hard to express herself In n ft i way that would gain the desired result without com cow witting milling herself to falsehood Well teWell yes In a way Not exactly engaged you understand but hut It Is all understood if It you know what I 1 mean menn Yes I t do know Inow what you mean menn The bright ruddiness went vent suddenly I I She Stopped Electrified Spell Spell- bound out of Hiram Buckworth's Duckworth's face 1 understand entirely too well You are a good sport for Cor tipping Upping me off ott I see And then he went quickly Indoors and said nothing else The appeal to Hiram Buckworth had Indeed reaped results after a n fashion but Ginger did not feel very well vell pleased Hiram Buckworth although anything but a romantic figure was H tI i nice chap And Ith the shocked look on 01 his face the stran strange e hurt stricken look had touched her heart henrt He had looked sorry Gln Ginger er did not enjoy seeing people look sorry not even en disgusting pretenders who pawed and held hands Breakfast usually such a 8 gay gny and cheery meal proved pro an awkward occasIon occasion oc oc- oc 1 casion Hiram Buckworth seemed Beemer every Inch a n minister unsmiling I grave and stiffly formal He lie talked e exclusively clus ely ito to Miss Mss J Jenkins and ami not very entertainingly He lie he did not look at nt Marjory who had come ome In a n little late Inte with her usual brIght morning radiance But her radiance was of short duration paling swiftly to startled wide-eyed wide wondering She had no appetite toyed idly icIly with tier her fork und anti kept her eyes upon his face ruce curiously as as though tier her e eyes es were seeking something asking questions But ut always they found round nothing received re reo no answer Immediately after otter breakfast n he tie excused himself and went quickly out of ot the room Ginger was very uncomfortable In tn deed She trl d to tell herself that she was merely Imagining these things were so sQ that sw-that that t It was a n mere chance that Hiram had hod not looked at Marjory that could not eat eather eather eather her breakfast But she was Not even eyen a trip to the and a painstaking count of or berdoll's her ber dolls doll's trunk of dimes sufficed to put her In a cheerful frame of ot mind Not even oven the coming of the fb postman with sixteen letters for tor bl Iii Tolliver made her really happy He tie fished two small packages from his bag ung handed them to her ber I Isee Isee see youre you're Jetting getting some more of ot those sam samples Illes he tie added Those are for tor the tho twins she answered answered an an- vered s flushing Personally 1 I am om amnot amnot not Interested In beauty preparations I IThe The day D passed dully a busy day dUY ay mr Saturdays always s 's are In tn parsonages parsonages parson ages where arrangements are always I leading up to the climatic Sabbath Hiram Buckworth remained down clown downtown town for tor luncheon Marjory a still white Marjory busied herself In a studied way about the tte work of the house And AnI dinner in tn the evening was as wasn nn an n n f nf t n I. I v the morning When the tIle dishes were done Ginger repaired to the veranda Miss Jenkins sat there alone solemnly rocking Wheres Margie l She went to bed She has bus a head head- a chic ache Oh I 1 sec see Ginger went upstairs and knocked gently at her ber sisters sister's door o r. r Im Jm In bed called a muffled voice in answer Ginger opened the door and vent went In I UI just wanted to see sec If It 1 I could do anything for your She Shene gave ne her tier sister n a sharp look Youve been crying I J i 1 think Im I'm w getting hay bay fever said sold Marjory My y eyes sting eUng Im I'm going to sleep now nosy Ginger at this dismissal dis missal turned toward the door And Ginger dont don't you go o and talk about It to Miss to-Miss Miss Jenkins Jenkins or or anybody If f I have a Q headache and hay fever Its It's nobody's business but my own Not that anybody would care anyhow I wont won't talk tall about It Go to sleep now Margie Ill I'll II be very sery quiet not to disturb you And closed the door softly behind her I CH CHAPTER PTER VIII j t Sunday ordinarily such a tl pleasure pleasure- ably hurried day In the parsonage was no less than a dreary ordeaL Marjory appeared very late for her breakfast She need not have appeared appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap at all for tor she ate nothing I Headache all gone Inquired I Ginger Mm u Hiram Instead of walking companionably compan compan- to church with the time girls excused excused excused ex ex- ex- ex himself and went on In advance explaining that be he wished to see somebody somebody some some- body about something Marjory dreamed abs mindedly absent during the service while Ginger on the contrary contrary con con- listened attentively ely tc Cc every ery word reporting con confidentially to her sister later on on that she didn't think so much of time the sermon j I I In In n the afternoon Eddy Jackson Jaclson came carne In the car cor to take them U to Pay Dirt and although Hiram tried to be excused excused excused ex ex- ex- ex I from the party there was v.-DS no noe e evading l Eddys Eddy's dd s 's friendly Insistence n I But nut while there was ns great gaiety at Pay Dirt the arrival of or the car from the pa parsonage a sudden slump in their high spirits Alexander Murdock was there and Gingers Ginger's wrath long slumbering vented itself I upon his unoffending head hend Why I he spend oil nil OT his spare time at Pay Dirt What had harl a mere can an grocer to do with the conduct of ot a ag agriculture agriculture ag- ag And why if It mere friendship friendship friend friend- ship for I Eddy attracted him thither I Idid did he so openly Ignore his friend In n I his lent ardent attentiveness to Miriam I And wh why for that mutter flintIer should the so sensible Miriam be su suddenly denly thus gay and shining the matter with everybody anyhow demanded I Eddy crossly I some grouch of ot a preacher if you ask me Margies Margie's clear at the bottom bottom the dumps worst timing thing In the world for her complexion And even I you Ginger youre you're DC nc cheerier than thana a u broken crutch I Well 1 have a lot hot of trouble said t Ginger dully The one bright moment In the he afternoon afternoon after after- noon for Ginger was when Alexander announced that he was leaving the next day for the farther West I Walking she he Inquired coldly I Oh oo no Business has been quite good I 1 shall shull he be able to ride quite a I little tittle distance before I connect up with another Orange and Black I j Sort of a n can tour I Something of the sort yes But If It the parsonage group had little littleto I to contribute to the lays days enjo enjoyment ment It was more than compensated by the I glad hilarity of the others Mr Tolliver Tol Tol- j I I liver fiver laughed like a boy at the bald and ribald Jokes of the can grocer Miss Mss Jenkins und and Mrs Jackson lackson exchanged exchanged ex ex- changed gl giggling reminiscences of their own untrammeled youth Miriam Mi MI- nfl nfl- and Alexander were ringleaders In the days day's recreation doing all sorts of absurd young things TO BE CONTINUED I |