Show u. u sti l PUGH Ma 5 S 4 Me Mc CLURE INSTALLMENT TWO The TWO The Story So Far T Maguire Is helping her moth moth- Kathleen had Just returned from a trip her fix It Like her her father father Mike Kl inner to be given that night for wild flowers to save a florists florist's bill was a lucky happy lucky newspaper man ims ms whose son Jaird Is The rear tire of the old car had gone His assurance Irritates her He seems Shirley Kathleen's sister A III flat and a strange young man helped III III amused and kisses her TER II Continued II-Continued s S' S f i eyes smarted It ItI I. I I the girl such rank int in- in t Laura should have to toji F ji glue and nail things toGa to- to make lake ake them do It wasn't lolka Ga af had nad been born to makee make- make e had grown gro up in In con- con mOSt moat she had had hada hOlds h But garda a belittle the e Of it since her maren mar- mar garde gard en ec y the e last few years ever worried Kathleen un- un fa is aU all bo or 11 1 the things her mother mothern n tot lt But somehow in the past sore i it had become a u sg t 6 She consciousness tnt a e erder girls girl's If Ifa Ifa Ifa i she was growing up a a harrowing process One shaking her foundations Bo Bar t lt plY She said nothing Itt It ItE t E her father She had hadde de liBen n his favorite And he heu heN u her er particular shining he- he N of f late had she begun to tomen men have flaws She was ya ya w fiercely loyal young perz per per- z made ade her feel dreadfully be considering Mike with t She didn't want to She ably didn't want to And Mrs Mays this afternoon Are murmured Laura 1 lou i Get cd Js arranging the irises in a ow w white Wedge Wedgewood wood bowl II i II J Uld stand on a mirror in of the table usine almost crowded me mek k urb fb outside Jensens Her was bringing out a box of flowers A box as long as asIs asIs Is she entertaining too toro to- to ro o tha thaS S you hear Mrs New- New utter theY'd have to leave bei be- be i for quotation for quotation marks marks marks-a a aate ate bridge at Mrs you invited t exactly intimate with d any more f use se you haven't the money s up P with Lizzie Lizzie I s i talc J. J shrugged her shoulders 1 b b ba a eft studied her with narrowed er l le te wished she knew whether Ier er r really did not mind miss miss- tl Q ith old friends Mays s has never quite fort fora for- for a t Laura because shed she'd nev- nev got Eugene Mays if you yen ven him the air T common common knowledge that IT aguire Maguire could have been IZ igene gene ene Mays had she liked n a B indeed had considerable be beat t eluding the banker in favor D rel Maguire And Mays had hade e catch of the town He Covington's richest man I I I storied three storied house was a ace ace set in stately grounds never had to darn arn table- table make over last years year's hats n r sE Kathleen scrutinized her 0 cl a S' S averted face t H leF aura ever think she had n g pI mistake Would she do it itt t rae cete e way a second time if she Fe choice Kathleen's throat c ti Her mother had rejected I and Mays and and real pearls and 1 home and servants Pit I w car every year and trips H because because because she was in ina inh inh h a charming Irishman Up ago it had never oc- oc Octo Kathleen that Laura had ODe h for love Or that she might nor er r bargain Somehow Kath- Kath d taken it for granted that lher was thrilled to death to and nd shabby and overworked s she Or did she feel that d life an and Michael Maguire V i sated her I I teen teen en shivered Her mother If 1 fawn cown the world over for roI ro- ro I Yet it appeared to Kath- Kath at somewhere on the road 60 I Id ad ad been defrauded Because d iS Ivas as nothing very romantic c Mikes Mike's socks and fish- fish dirty shirts out from behind behinds s then hamper where he in- in r J threw them bi u ask me said Kathleen Kathleene o e a e outside her sisters sister's door ye ve ye racket looks more like a afine ame ame me fine me than anything else You E- E w mad thrills thrills maybe But for them by taking it on tio tion n the rest of your life i in 1 n her heart she had a paneling pan- pan Deling eling that her mother must jp o have reached the same con- con although she was too game II M e. e f L f. CHAPTER CHAPTER- III ry jey ey Maguire Maguir snapped off the thea theiron a c iron as her sister entered r hullo Kath she said beg bey be- be y g suddenly very busy with one o 1 a rues on Lauras Laura's ecru or- or J P 4 frock rock she averted her face d ren could see Shirleys Shirley's viol violet violett et t the mirror over the dress- dress tei dd ble 2nd they were blurred S c me me finish Sis You look tired d b th JJ leen elaborately pretended c f Tali r was as merely fatigue and the had drawn shadows on ond d f s 's delicate checks cheeks The Mac Ma Ma- d 4 c ra had been brought u up P to ref re re- f each ach others other's And An did not refer to an any y hirley might have been shed shed- fAnd neither did Shirley 11 e all finished Kath thanks J. J I l But you can hang this in Lauras Laura's closet if you will Surely Shirley was employing a subterfuge subterfuge subterfuge fuge to be alone and Kathleen knew it But she obediently trotted across the hall and she took her time about the errand When she returned Shirley had bathed her face and powdered powdered powdered pow pow- dered her telltale eyelids and was curled up on the foot of the bed manicuring her finger nails as if she had nothing on her mind but the last development in liquid polish Mother thinks you ought to take a cat nap suggested Kathleen digging digging digging dig dig- ging out her red evening sandals which needed cleaning Im not sleepy said Shirley Kathleen bent over her task She didn't want Shirley to think she was tampering with things which did not concern her But the trouble was Shirley hadn't been sleeping nights either Kathleen had not told anyone anyone anyone any any- one not even Laura how often Shirley Shirley Shirley Shir Shir- ley rolled and tossed or slipped out of bed to sit in the window and smoke a cigarette Maybe she thought Kathleen did not know She always lay perfectly still and said nothing But Kathleen knew And it had her a little ragged Shirley just did not deserve the break she was getting Kathleen was beginning to think that fate takes a special delight in being ma- ma t 1 i I I 1 I Shirley Shirley was employing a subterfuge subterfuge subterfuge fuge and Kathleen knew it licious to the wrong people She could think of a number of girls it would be a pleasure to see knocked off their pedestals But Shirley was not one of them Kathleen admitted admitted admitted admit admit- ted she was partial All her life she had secretly thought that Shirley Shirley Shirley Shir Shir- ley was a bit of all right Probably because she was four years older Perhaps because they were so different different different dif dif- ferent in looks and in temperament Kathleen was pretty and viva viva- cious She looked slick to quote herself in snappy clothes She could wear extreme haircuts and get by with impudence and a general air of being more hard-boiled hard than she was But Shirley was beautiful Really beautiful ul She had wide smoke-blue smoke eyes and radiant goldbrown goldbrown goldbrown gold- gold brown hair and the loveliest cream and rose skin and exquisite hands and feet She looked just as pretty in a bungalow apron as m in an evening evening evening eve eve- ning gown And Shirley was quite as beautiful beautiful beautiful ful within as without She had high standards and she did not betray them She was never petty nor malicious malicious malicious ma ma- licious nor envious nor capricious If Shirley had wild ugly impulses she mastered them in secret They never never cluttered up the neighborhood Kathleen passionately coveted Shirley's Shirleys Shirleys Shirley's Shir Shir- leys ley's ability to put her soul through its paces without an outward ripple Shirley was proud and disciplined and reserved and self She kept her emotions firmly under lock and key as ns if they were dangerous explosives Kathleen sitting flat fiat on the floor with cleaning fluid and a rag vigorously vigorously vigorously vig vig- massaged the heel of a frivolous frivolous frivolous olous red slipper and wished she were as thoroughly the master of her fra frailties as her sister But watching the dimple come and go inthe inthe in inthe the younger girls girl's vivid mercurial face Shirley Maguire knew with bitterness bitterness bitterness bit bit- that her capacity for silent anguish was the point of her grave peril Far better she thought to be able to boil over like Kathleen than to keep agonies corked up in your heart To poison and ferment The diamond on Shirleys Shirley's slender white hand winked at her mockingly mocking mocking- ly as she filed her ring finger Shirley Shirley Shirley Shir Shir- ley had a strange feeling that the r i 1 tORy J 1 i fi 1 i ii AUThOR I ili stone laughed when it caught her eye But she brought herself up sharply She simply must not in indulge indulge indulge in- in in morbid fancies It was unhealthy unhealthy unhealthy un un- un- un healthy almost indecent It came from solitary brooding If only she could break through the cell of her reserve But Shirley could not produce produce produce pro pro- duce the skeletons from her mental closet for the inspection of others The table looks spiffy observed Kathleen from the floor Honestly isn't Mother a genius at making any old thing do in a rub I dont don't believe believe believe be be- lieve even Kitty-Cat Kitty can find a thing to sniff at Shirley flushed faintly Kathleen eyed her from under lowered lashes She knew quite well that Shirley would never have applied such an epithet to the lady in question Although Although Although Al Al- though Shirley had more reason to resent Jaird's mother than had any other person on earth If Shirleys Shirley's dreams did not perish of dry rot it would be through no fault of Mrs Blake Give Mother two hours and a bunch of wild flowers and she could entertain the Duke of Windsor in a style hed he'd love said Shirley Sure and shed she'd have time left leftover leftover leftover over to tp remind Mike to wash the printers' printers ink off his paws before beCore he shook hands with the Duke chortled chortled chortled chor chor- Kathleen Shirley smiled Mike will never grow up Not so long as he can get by without it said Kathleen frown frown- ing Shirley glanced at her quickly There had been a note in her sisters sister's voice Shirley had never heard Kathleen Kathleen Kathleen Kath Kath- leen apply to their father In their several ways all his children adored Michael Maguire But it was no secret that he had always been Kathleen's special god As a child she had been ready to battle anyone who dared intimate that anything about Mike could be improved No longer ago than six months Kathleen had threatened to box Fatty Banners Banner's Bonner's Bonners Bonners Bonner's Bon Bon- ners ner's ears for saying on the stump that Maguire didn't deserve to be elected mayor of Covington for the tenth time because he was no howling howling howling howl howl- ing success at handling his private business so why entrust him with running the city It was a bit of a family joke Mikes Mike's being lord mayor of Coving- Coving ton The office paid next to nothing In fact Mike never broke even on the deal His salary failed completely complete complete- ly to equal what he laid out on entertaining entertaining entertaining en en- visiting celebrities who in invariably invariably invariably in- in variably called on His Honor when in town and expected to be wined and dined To say nothing of the parades and the conventions and the charity drives to which Mike was supposed to lend his moral and financial support The city budget appropriated all it could stand for such eventualities But by November of every year the fund was depleted From that I point Mike was on his own Many a i time His Honor was reduced to the expedient of opening the Community Fund Ball on the proceeds of a pawned watch and chain To be redeemed when city taxes were paid Secretly although he made comical comical comical comi comi- cal remarks about it it Mike adored being mayor of Covington He liked to preside at banquets and throw out the first ball at the opening of the baseball season He got a great kick out of securing the new civic auditorium by a determined drive on the purses of bankers and politicians politicians politicians poli poli- and the like He was as pleased as a small boy with a little little little lit lit- tle red drum over the modest but complete municipal hospital for or which he had schemed for y ars He admitted it might be a luxury but he wouldn't have traded jobs with any ruling nabob And although he had determined opposition from Crom the political machine Mike went on being elected year after year The people had an nn indestructible faith in his integrity Other mayors had waxed rich By distinctly unscrupulous unscrupulous lous methods Mike lost money every every every ev ev- ery time he was sworn in His children teased him about being being being be be- ing a big in a very insignificant insignificant puddle But deep down within with with- in in none of the Maguires thought it funny to be lord mayor of Coving- Coving ton They might wisecrack about it among themselves but they were quick to defend Mike from an outsiders outsider's outsiders outsider's outsiders outsider's out out- siders sider's aspersion Kathleen had always al ways been especially sensitive to any unflattering criticism of their fa fa- ther And yet today Shirley for the first time had detected a bitter note in Kathleen's reference to Mike But at her ner glance Kathleen sidestepped the issue She might in her own mind have reached the stage where she was uncertain about values which she had accepted wholeheartedly wholeheartedly edly all her l life c. c but she could not bring herself to bare her slipping I loyalties even to Shirley So Kathleen Kathleen Kath Kath- leen changed the subject with an nn evasiveness which reminded Shirley of herself Did you know the aro leaving at nine To bridge at Mrs Mays' Mays Again Shirley reddened slightly Yes TO 1 llE E CONTINUED |