Show I f 0 HARRY PUGH S 1 Mc CLURE It the e INSTALLMENT FIVE FIVE The The Story So Far 11 Mag Maguire Is peeved Her man mm K Kathleen athleen had been kissed by a ayoung and the New sums arrive Another brother broth 11 i B giving a dinner for the NewS New'S New New- young stranger who fixed a flat tire Ure for er Alec out of a n job because of the t S 'S e b. b those hose son SOD Jaird Is engaged to her He Is a newspaper man maD out of a ajob depression phones he wont won't come Then Ier her er sister Mrs how how- job Her father Is a lucky happy to cap the climax the father brings the ld like Uke him to marry Connie editor and mayor of Covington Tom stranger Ritchie Graham to the dinner of the towns town's richest her her brother and his wile wife Mary Etta Kathleen Is annoyed U Uh PTER L VI Continued VI-Continued Continued ers er's s here Kathleen whis- whis It her mother And hang And hang Th Ti ear life he life he brought a ae e 1 Jaura looked as if she were n o faint so Kathleen added But t its it's not so bad as it 1 Alec lec isn't coming to dinner caught with a flat tire or oring ing and cant can't make it not say a word But it ito to o Kathleen that for a mor moI mo- mo I er r mothers mother's face looked It was too bad of Alec e te ims im's j- j ns n's hands itched to get at her herft hert t ft She hadn't been sure that knew new ew how he was wasting e e e But mothers have an in- in lf At least Laura had I fb b everybody stood on the threshold He S ged into the white linen I 1 r a had laid out for him and andas cl das as exuberant as a cowboy SAn SALT st rodeo Kathleen was torn resentment and admiration II way he captured the citadel even trying No one could fikes ikes ike's charm when it was wasn wasn n n all aU twelve cylinders Belle until face lost its dour look Laura a grin that chased Atle u Ue pucker which Alec had hadner G her ner eyes He told Tom iness was undoubtedly on a wing and for the first time brown face lost its d grimace Even Mary Ettas Etta's j relaxed when Mike assured she looked more like a black r f etching than ever He Hearm tr trI I arm around Shirley while I ked ed to Jaird and Shirley her father gratefully um e needed needed steadying He corn com ed Blake on being he few men raen who had known come in out of the economic 7 rious she with him as was had to grin at the way wound them all up and j jiIn Tl hem em dance to his tune T r f he priceless whispered a iH ial leen nodded helplessly regarded her with a cocked w Cw He was perfectly well of her displeasure But he hel l t entirely equal to it Kath- Kath iVer had been able to nurse a s 's 3 uince ce against her father and Vi it Nevertheless she did not he debonair grin with which her Kits Kt 1 s. s away because it was wasI I t to glower when Mike didn't I u to she said shortly Hes a little bit of oft t that Graham you snapped Kathleen the room where Tom Tomar ar m hie were enthusiastically any big city as the most moston e on earth to live while I Etta iEtta looked scornful r lly she observed Id of frazzled nerves from jams jams than rust to death in a aU U town iV said Tom you would nine hundred thousand oth- oth fd and jazz maniacs rh ie glanced from one to the as I could bear it if I never nother street car he adM ad- ad M But then I just happen to toto to night club croon- croon d d Im I'm fed up with being elf el- el f jF Id I'd even like to watch the theise therise ise rise ise once without being told by byJ J D footed flat-footed policeman to step then Hulda announced that was served And Mike pre- pre I if his arm to Mrs u flourish that brought a gd Id jd simper to her pursed mouth ii n realized that she was forced on Ritchie Graham for forr jer r partner He had until then thenH i 11 H d her And even after they seated at the table he con contin contin- tins tin tin- s heated argument with Mary Kathleen athleen had been prepared elch him the moment moment he hed d d his mouth But it was a lit lit- ettling when he appeared to her existence talked elaborately to Blake Blaker fl r im and fumed inwardly and andI I she were less t e of f the arrogant black head headman DE oEl man to her left It didn't help any that the rest I found him attractive Even Eveni I j 1 i smiled when he told about ordered to move on by a dumb dumb j cop the day he stopped in St. St ito to jo view the Sphinx on the top topI I Idyll courts building which he her iven four hundred miles to toU r ell U you he insisted the lithe big death to individuality or im- im Kids grow up warned to ff If f the grass forbidden to touch iwers in the park herded like c in pens on the way to the And at twenty or orthey er they develop into first class and thugs My God how help it sn ii i teen years ago said Mike rd d the editor of a Chicago news news- he could take his old job J 1 ump p into the lake with it be bc- I I was done with being pulled te a monkey on a chain hie gave him a frankly Do you know the last I loce newspaper assignment I had The Theone Theone Theone one that made me finally decide to cut all holds They wanted me me as had thought I was a red- red blood mans man's reporter to go out outto outto outto to a society horse show and report on the sort of riding breeches the local debutantes were wearing Riding Riding Riding Rid Rid- ing breeches I ask you Especially Especial Especial- ly those belonging to the knock- knock kneed daughter of the local beer bar bar- on He spends a million a year ad ad- Get the picture I wrote up the damned show And I put in inthe inthe inthe the beer barons baron's daughter knock- knock knees and all And I slipped it by the city editors editor's desk and got it printed just the way I wrote it I called her the Pretzel-legged Pretzel Princess Princess Princess Prin Prin- cess of Suda And then I jumped town before the earthquake Mike roared It was exactly the sort of thing he might have done Mikes Mike's laughter was always conta conta- Everybody shared in his mirth Everybody but Kathleen She surveyed the young man beside her with disdainful eyes that were as red-brown red as her rebellious curls And so now youre you're touring the wide open spaces where a man can l j 1 tb s She surveyed the young man beside beside beside be be- side her with disdainful eyes be his own man she observed in ina a low and decidedly acid voice Ritchie Graham regarded her through narrowed lazy gray eyes I III was touring he amended Her lier heart missed a beat You dont don't mean youre you're settling here Why not Its It's a nice little town Small enough for a fellow to have havea a few to honest-to-God friends big enough not to starve to death looking looking looking look look- ing for a restaurant We bachelors have to eat you know You looked Dad up because I Isaid Isaid Isaid said Id I'd never see you again You ou wrong me A guy in New NewYork NewYork NewYork I York gave me a letter to your fa fa- fa- fa ther He seemed to think Mike would be swell for what ails me Sorry to prick the bubble of your conceit he drawled You are calling me conceited gasped Kathleen She was conscious again of a devastating desire to puncture his abominable cocksure- cocksure ness Listen she said passionately passionate passionate- ly you may look like Clark Gable and maybe a thousand girls have told you so but you but you dont don't register with me You haven't from the first And anyway she added what could you do for a living here Or Orare Orare Orare are you rich as well as handsome and a lady killer He flushed No IINo Im I'm not rich And Im I'm not a lady killer Believe it or not women and I get along swell swell apart And my face is not my fortune Thank God If you must know Im I'm free lancing Doing a series of articles which Ill I'll probably probably probably proba proba- bly never sell Doing them exactly as I please And your fathers father's giving giving giving ing me desk space in his office for fora a negligible sum and the stimulation of my society I un understand you come down every day to do the society society society so so- column so Ill I'll be seeing you I III dont don't believe you'd be happy here she said in a funny quivering quivering quivering quiver quiver- ing voice Dont you Kathleen Her name was like music on his lips A wild sweet song that strained at her heart A little blindly Kathleen Kathleen Kathleen Kath Kath- leen turned away from the urgency of his eyes No IINo she said very distinctly CHAPTER VII At the other end of the table Laura regarded her younger daugh daugh- ter She thought Kathleen had never never never nev nev- er looked prettier There was a aflame aflame aflame flame in her cheeks and stars in her p eyes ees and something new in the curve of her mouth Something shy and uncertain of itself Lauras Laura's heart gave an odd knock And she leaned a little forward for a better view of the young man whom Mike had brought to dinner At first Laura had been inclined to think him too handsome if it any any- thing It had not been her experience experience experience ence that beauty in the male is always always al al- ways an asset But on closer inspection inspection in inspection in- in she decided that Ritchie Graham did not take his good looks very seriously He had a trick of drawing down the corners of his wide mouth in a derisive grin which no man ever acquired from practice practice practice tice before a mirror mirror She suspected he was vainer of his principles than of his disturbing gray eyes But they were disturbing Laura glanced again at Kathleen It came to the mother with a pang that her baby was growing up Its only that she's so vulnerable ble Laura excused herself Such an intense inflammable impulsive impulsive impulsive im im- im- im young thing So completely So-completely at the mercy of her emotions You work dont don't you Mrs Maguire Maguire Maguire Ma- Ma guire Laura came to herself with a start Belle had flung the question at Mary Etta with a supercilious supercilious supercilious super super- cilious smile Laura suppressed a groan It was like Belle to d discover scover something to be hoity about Tom went a little white But Mary Etta accepted the challenge challenge challenge chal chal- lenge with enthusiasm She always carried a chip on her shoulder and welcomed any opportunity to defend it Yes Mrs she said in her clear strung high-strung voice Im Imone Imone one of these working wives you hear so much about My mother thought a womans woman's place was in the home So she bore five children and washed and cooked and scrubbed and died at thirty-one thirty because she was too tired to go on living And my father father father fa fa- fa- fa ther married again a young woman who hated us kids So he let her push us out to take care of ourselves ourselves ourselves our our- selves as soon as possible I made madei up my mind then Id I'd never be submerged submerged submerged sub sub- merged by any man Tom stared fixedly at his plate Of course bridled Mrs New- New sum Ive always alway said sid a man has no right to a wife he cannot af af- a- a ford She looked at Jaird who was gazing gazing gazing gaz gaz- ing at Shirley But Shirleys Shirley's lovely reserved face did not change in ex ex- ex- ex Tom was looking at Mary Etta almost as if he hated her Good heavens thought Laura with a constricted constricted constricted con con- heart they mustn't say things like that to each other Words leave wounds Wounds which Laura feared neither of them would ever get over I III can understand a woman demanding demanding demanding de de- de- de manding more out of life than just justa a share in some mans man's possible failure failure failure fail fail- ure put in Jaird suddenly He smiled wryly I III guess we men have a crust to expect women to hang around the edges of things waiting for a guy who will probably in the end turn out to be just another another another an an- other crumb His mother gave him a fond smile Darling she said indulgently if you are referring to the fact you haven't as yet made any startling progress toward a future you must remember how young you are Jaird's cut clean-cut profile p sharpened and his blue eyes looked a little hag hag- gard Im old enough to hate being being being be be- ing he muttered under his breath But Shirley heard She did not lift lUt her eyes She could however see Jaird's clenched hand quiver on the edge of the table beside her It was no news to Shirley that Jaird was goaded almost to the breaking point It seems to me announced Kathleen in dogmatic tones that if a woman has any sense she will pick her a n desirable husband first and fall faU in love with him after after- ward Mike sniggered and Kathleen scowled at him Is Ills that how you intend to do it inquired Ritchie Graham with an amused laugh Yes said Kathleen thickly If you ask me roe its it's all phooey this love racket and letting it make a screaming idiot of you Im I'm sure Id I'd hate being some mans man's domestic slave Just for the sake of a few kisses They always seem to dry up after the honeymoon Haven't you noticed And then where are you Sold For a gob of romance Only the romance has gone to seed or petered out or something But youve you've got to go on slaving for friend husband because its it's a l life e sen sen- tence Not necessarily remarked Tom dryly and looked at Mary Etta Theres always Reno Laura felt as if it the words had bruised her But Mary Etta merely merely mere mere- ly shrugged Thank heaven chuckled Mike I III couldn't pay for a divorce if Laura wanted one Its It's just another one of these newfangled gadgets you'll have to do without old lady 10 TO fl BE CONTINUED |