Show BRIGHT STAR By Mary Schumann Copyright ht by Macra Macrae Smith Co Service CHAPTER XI Continued XI-Continued Continued 22 22 Up so late big brother How come He turned from front his introspective tive thoughts Lo Kezzie I waited up for you After midnight again Ill I'll have to look after alter you a bit If Kezia was annoyed she restrained restrained restrained re re- re- re strained herself Sorry If Id I'd known you were waiting Id I'd have come sooner Jerry She nodded and tossed her beret beretin in the air caught it Chasing dewy adventure out at Did you OU catch up with it Yes but found it rather dull after I did I used to have a better better better bet bet- ter time time time- Hugh smiled You mean when things are new new new- You get such a zip out of them when they are new I She sighed But the boys look down on you unless you accept things with savoir faire So you learn to do it whether you feel that way inside or not Presently that is the way you do feel the feel the kick all gone To get nowhere nowhere follow follow the crowd quoted Hugh Id say you were missing youth Kenzie when you sacrifice the kick But Im I'm an aged thirty not competent to judge I Kezia stood over him ran her fingers through his hair twisted a alock alock alock lock between her thumb and finger Got the toothache Hughie she inquired softly No worse than usua usual A charred log broke in two sent up a blue flame for a moment arouni aroun the whitened edges He rose put the screen around the fire Time I we were going to bed Mother gone A couple of hours ago Dont you want to sit here and andI I I talk to me His left eyebrow lifted You can be sweet at times His eyelids twitched a little as he gazed at the floor Kezzie about Mother she had a pain in her arm before she went to bed I rubbed it with liniment Im I'm sure you could make things easier for her She doesn't look well this has been hard on her Wont Won't you look after her a bit See that she doesn't overdo Your clothes for instance You really should see to them yourself Yes I will promised Kezia And if she could sleep late have her breakfast in bed Couldn't you get up and attend to the ordering and running of the house She gave him a dazzling smile Ill do anything you say darling I know Im I'm careless but I haven't meant to be selfish She clasped her hands around his wrist leaned her cheek check against his sleeve Good said Hugh relieved His opinion of Kezia ran through such infinite modifications She was so incalculable never twice alike He felt a warming tender glow to toward toward to to- ward herAnd herAnd herAnd her And if I do that for you will you do something for me Name it said Hugh without thinking Will Vill you get Jerry a decent job jobin jobin jobin in your plant something with good pay and a future to it Hugh gave a short laugh drew away from her Please Hughie Hughie please So you were bargaining Weren't you concerned over your mother That goes without saying But this means such a lot to me you me-you you youcan can manage it A soft job with fat pay Any job at all is scarce in a steel plant As soon as we can manage it we take back our old men whom we laid off Kezia gave a deep deer sigh her eyes swam in mist Oh Hugh you arent aren't going to let us down I counted on you Us Certainly Dont you see hes he's using you to help himself along He wants you to ask me your brother for a good position I Why doesn't he apply apply apply ap ap- ap- ap ply in the regular way way way-go go state his qualifications to Kelly Burns who has charge of that Dont blame him I thought of it Does he know youre you're asking me Y Ye es c He gave a shrug He doesn't want a soft job she hurried to say He wants something something something some some- thing with a chance at advancement something hell he'll never get where he is Speak to this Burns she coaxed just speak to him I Wont Won't you do this tiny favor for me Hugh He shook his head No Kezia Hes He's lucky to have work work work-if if you ask me Tell him to take good care of the job he has hasl Youre heartless she Im going to ask Uncle John Renshaw Renshaw Renshaw Ren- Ren shaw she threatened The monotonous days of November November November Novem Novem- ber dragged by with a preponderance ance of leaden skies of chill of fog church and club activities started up orders slackened at the plant started up on rush business died down again Dorrie Dome applied for a divorce on the grounds of incompatibility Hugh thought he was all braced for it but it came as a shock when the papers were served on him and again when he stared at the newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper and saw their names linked together in hi the public admission of defeat His mother made cheerful conversation conversation con con- when he felt like talking talking talking talk talk- ing served his favorite dishes at atthe atthe atthe the table She accepted him naturally naturally nat nat- without reference to his wife wito just just her son who had been away from home for a few years and had returned Dorries Dorrie's name never crossed her lips Instinctively she knew the throb which accompanies a name associated with fatality realized that Hughs Hugh's nerves had not grown the protective layer which would allow him to hear it without tion She showed him some colored pictures of French villages in a magazine one night I 1 have the wanderlust at heart and Ive I've always always always al al- al- al ways wanted to see France Notre Dame the Seine the Place de la Concorde the Bois de Boulogne Boulogne- and Ive I've kept up my school French by reading Anatole France and de in the hope that I might go there some day Ive I've seen most of my own country I I had hoped that Europe would be bemy bemy bemy my next adventure Hugh examined the pictures not from interest but from the wish to respond Its not impossible at r r D t Q t q J- J Jj j 1 i 4 iIi h H i l n rt t t v 1 r 1 Youre You're Heartless She Moaned all you all you and Kezzie might go next summer Shed She'd like it She shook her hea head i. i I 1 wouldn't leave you Nonsense why Nonsense why not Satisfy your wanderlust Fluvanna Her eyes looked as if she were seeing distant things I 1 wont won't plan ahead Time has taught me methe methe methe the folly of that Why not plan Would it tempt you if I said I would try to come over and bring you home Even that would be leaving you not not seeing you for a while awhile She paused her voice became almost inaudible These days days are are precious precious precious pre pre- cious to me in a way you dont don't know about Hugh CHAPTER XII You talked to him WIn then Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful Beau Beau- Kezia's face assumed an expression expression expression sion of silken discontent Mm mm No results None Comments He crabbed about the men they laid off at the plant and had to take on as work picked up he said you should go to Kelly Burns who hires them uN Never ever mind I expect you did the best you could Providence wasn't willing It is or is-or or i it isn't Shall Shill we drive to Brookline Too far Cold Not much Kezia shivered You might run up that window a abit abit abit bit There There There-that's that's better I Your brother doesn't like me but that said Jerry heroically keep me from seeing what a fine fellow he is I hear it on all sides sides Hugh Hugh Marsh Marsh Marsh-a a prince of a chap I Hugh is pretty swell The car crossed a bridge with a rattling of planks and made a rather rath rath- er chugging progress up a hill Cousin Gavin probably would have taken you in his bank said Kezia reflectively Lizzie say he would Once admitted Jerry Until I threw the cat in the electric fan I teased Kezia Woman cried Jerry with vehemence vehemence ve ve- Ill kiss Ill kiss you He suited suited suited suit suit- ed the action to the word swiftly Now will you be quiet Like a mice She laughed and leaned possessively against his shoulder Jerrys Jerry's voice came to her with seductive sweetness above the roar of the noisy engine Its you gorgeous Im I'm thinking of I want to marry you but bul how can we do doIt doIt doit it on twenty five a week Youre so practical A fellow has to stop and think occasionally I adore you precious too too much to tie tic to you up poverty ty 1 J Sometimes I think think think- TO BE CONTINUED |