Show BRIGHT 1 1 STAR 1 By Mary Schumann Copyright by Macrae Smith Co S Service SYNOPSIS Kezia Marsh pretty prett selfish and 1011 twenty arrive ar are rive home in Corinth from school and It is is met suet by her older brother Hugh Hush He lie drives her to the Marsh home where her widowed mother self self sacrificing sacrificing and Fluvanna a 1 warm hearted understanding soul lOut welcomes her Kezia's Kezia sifter sis sister sis sif ter Margery plump and matronly with the care cue of three children is at lunch with them Hughs Hugh's wife Dorrie Dorrk has pleaded a previous engagement ement On the way back to his Job at atthe atthe atthe the steel plant founded by one of his forebears fore bears Hugh passes Doc Doe Hiller a boyhood friend whom he no longer sees frequently because be because cause of Domes Dome's antipathy Fluvanna Marsh wakens akens the next morning from a 3 dream about her late husband Jim whose uns unstable Lle character char duro character acter she fears Keza h his has s inherited Soon Ellen Pendleton comes conies over She Is an artistically artis utis inclined girl who is a distant niece of ol She Fluvanna's Flu and md a favorite fa of Hughs happily tells Fluvanna she has become engaged engaged en en- to Jerry Purdue CHAPTER I Continued I-Continued 3 3 Im telling you first before anyone the girl went on I can cantell cantell cantell tell you things Fluvanna you Fluvanna-you you un un- un- un Im I'm exquisitely exquisitely divine divine divinely ly happy Why Jerry Jerry Jerry- she shook her head murmured Its beyond words words the the feeling I never thought anything so nice would happen to me All nice things should happen to you Ellen I wish Mother were as easy to tell things to as you Fluvanna She gave a rueful smile She wont won't be pleased pleased nor nor Father It will be hard that hard that part the part the telling them Perhaps Ill I'll wait a while Fluvanna called up the stairway Ellen is here Hurry down Kezia Ellen returned with the flowers arranged in vases I mustn't stay for breakfast I went out early painting in the ravine and left word that Id I'd be back by breakfast time Shell She'll worry Ill I'll stay until I see Kezzie Nice to have her home isn't it Not so lonely for you Fluvanna nodded Very nice And Id I'd have been much lonelier if a certain person hadn't been very kind about coming often I I loved coming S youre you're just fascinating to me I never get tired of being with you you perhaps perhaps fascinating isn't Vio tho 1 nn Cho c c oaf t nn it i 1 nu un un davenport beside Fluvanna I told Jerry I could tune in with you He understood He understands understands understands under under- stands everything Fluvanna patted her hand So all this happiness came to you last night May I tell Kezia Ellen laughed I dont don't mind And Hugh do tell Hugh Hes He's an understanding sort of person my favorite cousin among hundreds hundreds hundreds hun hun- The older woman knew she was getting pleasure out of her naive confession so she encouraged her You met Jerry in April Oh no last no-last last fall Ive I've seen something of him for a long time He would come then come then stay away You see he thought his family would matter His father is a roller roller roll roll- er in the mill and his uncle runs a cigar store He said he couldn't bring them to meet us and all the relations you relations you and the Ren- Ren shaws the Woods the l the we we are an awful crowd you know Not that hes he's ashamed of his people He says they are plain nice people saved to send him to school in the East hes he's very proud of them just thought it wouldn't do Afraid to let himself go because your father has money Ellen nodded then said in a low voice I told Jerry that the fact that he loved me meant everything every every- thing thing more more than money more than family It seems to me that when two people love each other they give the most priceless possession pos pos- session something session something greater than I anything in the world Fluvanna kissed her impulsively You are a sweet child child and and a avery avery avery very wise vise one A silence then Ellen rose I must be going Wait Kezia will be down in a moment She asked me to call her early because she's playing ten ten- nis She went to the stairway Coming Kezia Ellen is ina in ina a hurry She heard Kezia murmur to tu herself herself herself her her- self before she replied A few minutes In a little while Anna announced that breakfast was getting cold Ellen started toward the door the rainbow expression of her face faintly clouded I really must be running along Tell Kezia Im I'm sorry sor sor- ry some ry-some some other time She had scarcely started her car carin carin carin in the Ule street and moved off when Kezia came downstairs Her arms stole stoIc around Fluvanna's neck Alma Mater she murmured ca ca- Then she said with silky vindictiveness What was Ellen after at this hour in the morning morning- a worm Kezia 1 I know wanted know wanted to see what I Iwas Iwas Iwas was doing today and make plans She doesn't need to think I intend to go around round with her all the time Fluvanna took a drink of coffee Why do you think such unpleasant ant things You played together a great deal when you were small Wouldn't it be just as easy to think she was fond of you wanted to welcome welcome wel wel- come you home Kezia sulked for a minute Then she broke a piece of toast crumbled it thoughtfully I suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose I might have come down Her mother smiled as she saw victory in sight Kezia was ashamed of her action but had had to defend it She has a tough time at home No wonder she comes here so much Cousin Gavin is too nervous nervous nervous nerv nerv- ous to allow the radio to be played when hes he's in the house and her mother pretentious and calculating calculating calculating ing nagging the life out of her her her- what a mother shuddered Kezia I have no reason to be envious of Ellen If It Ita a man goes romantic over her they her they think of Lizzie for fora a mother law then mother then its it's good-bye good Ellen She sat there her eyes dreamy and misted Im so mean she faltered and youre you're so good to me Oh Mother how do you put up with me Fluvanna was moved as she always always always al al- al- al ways was when Kezia was penitent penitent penitent peni peni- tent and misty-eyed misty even though she knew it did not hinder her from doing the same over again directly The girl rose in a sudden whirlwind and came around to her chair laid her cheek against hers I know Im I'm horrid Charming emotional and impulsive sive like sive-like like Jim Her heart plunged 1 with misgiving for Kezia a vague anxiety She caressed her auto auto- Kezia went back to tier Her chair Be nice to her when she comes again again or or better still telephone her I will Kezia nodded between bites Ill telephone her this noon Pete told me about this Purdue Purdue Purdue Pur Pur- due she has been going with with very very smooth looking looking like like Ronald Col- Col man They're all betting it wont won't last a month I wouldn't be too sure Kezia looked up quickly H m mm have you a scoop she scoop she tell you anything Not for the public yet So keep keepit i it secret No Kezia's brows went upWell up Well VeU is that a headline Ellen put it over Cheers for Ellen Kezia rose from the table Ill breeze around there after I get through playing tennis and ask her herto herto herto to bring him over some night soon She dropped a kiss on her I mothers mother's hair Ill tell her that while Im I'm immured in the halls of learning she grabs off oil the best- best looking man in town CHAPTER II The back yard lawn of the Hugh Marshes was veiled in the translucent translucent translucent cent light which comes just before darkness The west was a faint saffron streaked with mauve birds talked in sleepy a awood awood awood wood dove cooed in a willow Dorrie reclined on a wicker chaise longue and Hugh sat near her smoking a pipe Hughs Hugh's eyes were on the arabesque pattern of the trumpet vine Dorrie allowed the evening paper paper paper pa pa- per to drift to the ground Hugh Im I'm constitutionally lazy M Arent you interested Did you hear what I said That you are lazy Yes I heard I dont don't know what we can cando cando cando do about it She shrugged and a curling smile that he never liked to see crept around her mouth It uIt means nothing that you have havea a lazy wife You make pretty things for the house house curtains curtains cushions Your clothes you clothes you spend a lot of time sewing But that's what I like to do Im I'm because I dont don't I mean lazy L T kL 1 4 1 1 do ao me i 1 10 UJ LU out uw aon t I. twant want to You see theres there's a tion Im not complaining His mind slipped away to the plant If they landed the Cincinnati Cincinnati Cincinnati Cincin Cincin- nati order and the one from Dayton Dayton Day Day- ton tori it would keep them running all through June when there would be a natural recession They done badly for a small plant considering considering considering con con- conditions Youre not thinking about me said Dorrie sharply Who Vho else He knocked the ashes out of his pipe If I think about the business its it's for you isn't it Im trying to make a confession confession confession confes confes- sion but you wont won't listen His left brow went up in its humorous humorous humorous hu hu- hu- hu twinkle bothering bothering bothering bother bother- ing your conscience I should have your family here once in a while Were We're always being being be be- ing big invited to your relatives' relatives Its It's one of the things I ought to do but dont don't want to You mean you dont don't care for formy formy formy my family I 1 dont don't care for many people do I she tossed back smiling No but I thought you and Mother Mother Mother- Im fond of your mother She has an extraordinary effect on me Makes me feel good inside and out like like a steam bath and a soothing soothing soothing sooth sooth- ing oil rub by a Swedish masseur nasseur Gosh Dorrie Margery since she has those children doesn't talk my language I cant can't get passionate over croup and adenoids and spinach car I P I But Kezia has a streak of ness I Fun to w I her maneuver her v o t s. s UH I TO UE liE CO |