| Show farin A romance of the tha comm commonplace by frances parkinson keyes anu 6 ac copyright by frances france parkinson reyes ky SYNOPSIS M motoring through ug h vermont philip starr young po boston ston architect meets in unconventional fashion tanh lon blanche manning girl of 0 seventeen with whom he la is immediately enamored in conversation on he learns learna something 0 of f her family history it being a long lone dis distance ta n e to burlington starrs starra destination blanche suggests the v village ge of hamstead not boasting a hotel hote that he become for or the night a truest guest 0 of her cousin mary manning mary alary receives rec elvea philip with true vermont hospitality and lie makes the acquaintance of 0 her cousin paul recognized as her flance fiance starr finds mary Is acquainted w with ith ale noted boston architect I 1 in n w oss phillp philip Is employed lie informs n her 0 or 4 h his desire to win blanche blancha for or his wife if she Is sympathetic t and te tells 11 him ot of nn old family superstition concerning the blanches of the manning daml family y paul alan n ing Is inclined to be dissipated not re realizing alln marys blary s true worth marys reproach reproaches eg tor for his s undue conviviality are badly received rec elved by paul and the tha girl begins to have misgivings as to the wisdom of the alliance CHAPTER IV continued she faced this fact resolutely paul did not love her as much as she loved him why why she almost cried it aloud lie he was constantly falling her not only by hla his whole idle selfish life but by follies such as he had committed the night before follies I 1 there Is little compromise of language in the speech of the average new englander he does not as one writer has wittily put tt it call a spade a silver trowel the real name for such follies was sla sin and mary said it even though she flinched in doing so sin I 1 and how had she ever failed him or anyone else in thought or word or deed mary could not help knowing that there were other men in ID the village who lind had been attracted to her who would lime have been glad to make it plain that they were more than attracted it if she made it plain that no one in the world mattered to her except paul there was vas thomas gray for or instance slow and plodding but hardworking world rg kind and wholesome and then then there had been gale cale ilam lin the great architect whose name philip pronounced with tin an awe amounting almost to veneration she had bad never neer told her family much cinch about adams uncle her casual remarks about him had included little mention of his frequent calls at the adams house when she visited there none it at all or of that last call paid at the sc school h 00 I 1 when the news newa of her mothers death had bad come the sharp note of a phoebe bird singing beside her brought mary alary to the consciousness that she must have been dreaming a long time and se sent n t her hurrying down the hill still undecided what she ought to do but immeasurably if vaguely comforted and refreshed reaching the house she slipped out of her wet garments took a hot bath dressed again in crisp clean clothes and began a little breathlessly to get dinner she need not have hurried for everyone else was late but as she had no means of knowling knowing that they would be she was both tired and ruffled when at half past one she had a meal ready to serve sers which would have done credit to an older and more experienced perien ced cook violet was the first to appear and violet was nervous mary knew it the instant she looked at her paul coming to dinner she said bald tartly you hurt his feelings very ery much this morning I 1 cant think how you can act so especially when the poor hoy boy Is ill I 1 should have asked nothing better than to sit beside him the whole morning bathing his poor aching head if id only been equal to it but then of course theres no love as devoted and self sacrificing as a mot mothers herst I 1 though I 1 felt the same way towards martin I 1 feel eel towards him at aalthe all the way you do to paul I 1 have no I 1 dont believe you could said mary trying to control the grief and anger that seemed to be struggling for mastery in her voice im sorry he wont come ill talce take off hla his plate wont you come into the parlor now and meet mr air starr while this meeting was taking pla place ce very satisfactorily to both persons concer concerned med in it seth manning was sitting patiently in the family carryall outside the village church waiting for his cousin jane and his small son moses to come out of 01 sunday school miss manning in common with her neighbors saw nothing irreverent in using aisles and porch for a little in formal visiting after the services were over and as just at this time childrens sunday was looming large ahead of them there was a good deal to consider im just as nervous as I 1 bin be about them newfangled new exercises mis weston has chosen mrs elliott was confiding to miss manning of course heeln ashes chairman of the committee on entertainment none of the rest of us could say a word but it looks to roe me as if shed bit off moren she can chew if sylvia gray was sos gos she could te ie around I 1 worry none tut but landl land have you heard I 1 sylvias vlas ex pectin again and ashes real poorly she aint int strong enough to have children so fast I 1 went and told her sn en the other day and what do you think lie he said that she was real plon BIM C ahat rne ane only holad it would be twins twin girls so shed have two of era em right off to go with the two boys 1 she does beat everything 1 when at last the assembled family with the exception of paul sat down to a repast by this time slightly overdone seth was hampered by the desire to avoid trouble and to please everyone all the time violet had come to him just before they sat down and urged him to omit asking a blessing for fear that mr starr would think they were old fashioned he had agreed wit with h her but now he qua quailed ed bafo before r e ja janes n es s stern te rn eye for what we are about to receive make us duy duly thankful 11 he gulped all in one breath and was immediately conscious that now he had offended both his cousins one by asking the blessing at all and the other by his manner of doing it lemme give you some chicken mr starr he said hastily which do you favor light or dark before phillp philip could answer cousin jane also asked a question 1 I suppose youre not a church member she said with dark conviction philip smiled oh yes he said my aly father was a congregational minister I 1 told you that before had I 1 dark please air manning A congregational minister 1 exclaimed cousin jane in amazement while the others sat staring at him in speechless relief at his bis tact in intro the slow drive home was permeated with magic dicing so exemplary a relative into their ruffled midst why I 1 understood mary to say that one of your tour grandfathers was an irish immigrant yes res he was north of ireland protestant plumber after he got to this country made lots of money when he got started to plumb just hit the first wave in the fashion for bathrooms he only had one child and there was plenty of money to let him travel and study and prepare tor for the in ministry 1 a astry which was what he wanted to do those queer freaks of heredity come sometimes you know lie he was minister for years of one of the largest congregational churches in massachusetts chu 8 until he died in fact he he was an awfully good sort for a fellow to have for a father my mother came from brookline she was another only child and im another ended philip less cheerfully do you mean to say asked blanche with unconcealed envy I 1 that you a cousin in the world not one nor parents nor grandparents it much fun blanche agree with you sali said cousin jane but her mind was still too busy with Phill philips po unexpected and gratifying gratify inh disclosures to dwell long on the shortcomings of blanche how flow come you not to go to church this morning then 11 extenuating circumstances answered philip promptly glancing at blanche cousin janes next remark was interrupted by a terrific clattering and banging in the room above them mary arose hastily in the act ing stewed tomatoes only algy she said by way of explanation to philip waking waiting up from his nap ill go and dress him and bring him down when algy aigy still pink and warm W with ith sleep was settled in his high chair the ice fee cream was being b ing served and the fresh feathery sponge cake passed about both were delicious there was a comfortable silence as everyone began to eat with renewed appreciation of marys talents as a cook CHAPTER V on monday morning it was still raining raining much too hard to attempt the unknown roads roada to burlington there was blanche added to be one of Hamat eads infrequent dances in tho the town hall ball that evening it was stupid for her tagging along with paul and mary even when they were on good terms and anyone could see that paul was having one of his bis grouches grou clies pauls grouches corresponded to his mothers nerves and none of the boys in the village seemed to realize that she was old enough to be asked to go to parties by herself now well thank the lord for that said philip piously ill stay of course in the afternoon it cleared and he went to violet hesitating a little and asked if he be might invite blanche to go for a little ride with him why of course sli ih said delighted ly take one of the roada out to west nam Hams stead toad very pretty and quiet I 1 know our fine vermont air la Is going to do you lots of good you look better already than when you came 1 I feel better said philip thanks awfully for letting me take blanche ril ra take good care of her the route which violet had suggest ed was one which could easily be covered in two hours with the old family horse but no one seemed to think it worth a comment when philip and blanche leaving the house a little before three reappeared late for a six alx lx supper they had bad come to a little lake silver pond blanche called it and found an old waterlogged rowboat lying neglected beside it they balled out the water in it with a tin can found pro providentially v identically near at hand they they rowed about the lake for a time and finally finall y climbed a hill bill back of it where the they y sat and admired the view philip had been laughing off on and on all the afternoon from sheer beer joy J uy and when blanche told one of her little stories with perfect artlessness he laughed more than ever it seems so absolutely peaceful here he said lets not hurry away well we of course replied blanche it if it for the danec dance oh yes the dancel dance 1 will you give me every other oner one 1 I think rather many perhaps dont you asked blanche flushing a little oh no not at alli all I 1 I 1 w dream of asking for less it done now youre laughing at me again ill I 1 had any man philip wondered ever found a girl so unspoiled so utterly delicious it was difficult tor for him to refrain from taking her into his arms then and there and though somehow he be managed to steel himself against doing this he reached out for the little hand that lay lightly on the extremely narrow strip of wood that separated him from blanche and locked his hard lean fingers with her soft pink ones that he had ever experienced in his bis life had bad awakened in him such a feeling of ecstasy what tremendous what undeserved luck had been with him when he decided to take that SWIM swlma I 1 1 I am so glad you agree with me ma about the dances he said at last rising reluctantly cut but I 1 agreed agree 1 philip how can you philip I 1 she had already begun to forget to call him mr starr ile he had never known before what a wonderful name philip was the slow drive home was permeated with magic without knowing when or how he had begun to do so philip found that he was holding both blanches hands bands he be felt her golden head sink gently on hla his s shoulder boulder and rest there quiescent the deepening dusk en folding them seemed pregnant with the promise of 0 still closer companionship of more ardent embraces but the prelude to these was perfect and complete in itself neither the return to the farm nor the family supper nor the departure for the party to which blanche had bad looked forward to eagerly dispelled philips illusion of enchantment ot of course he got his dances many of the alternate ones he be danced mary A all on the lady blanche farm were r sorry orry when philip said goodby good by bright and early tuesday morning blanche to whom he be had suggested a short walk through the orchard lifted brimming eyes to his he stooped and kissed the tears away from herb her lashes then he laid his cheek against hers this really goodby good by you know he whispered and added softly t sweetheart I 1 violets farewell was likewise accompanied con compa danied nied by tears as well as by little pats and cooing sounds mary packed a delicious lunch and laid a ne neatly atly folded road map with philips route clearly marked in red pencil on top of his suitcase the day after his departure the station agent called up violet to tell her that there was a big box addressed to her and marked perishable express paid waiting there and when it was promptly brought braught home by seth and opened with some excitement it was found to contain four five pound boxes of candy all exactly alike but elaborately tied up with different colored ribbons and under each bow of ribbon was slipped a card which read with kindest regards and man many thanks for my wonderful visit from philip starr as a jane manning had never had a suitor this was the first box 0 of f candy that had ever been given to her she tried to conceal her pleased su oprise a as s long as she was with the others then she carried the box home very carefully and put it on her bedside table near her bible it did not occur to her to open it she drew up her rocker and sat tor for a long time looking at it 11 no one but him would ever have re me she said aloud at all let alone me candy at my age and all tied up with red ribbon I 1 that nice boyl she ended abruptly and blew her noa nose hard the excitement aroused by the boxes of candy and the pleasant bread and butter letters which followed in their wake had hardly subsided when something even more thrilling happened A beautiful limousine beside which philips little runabout could no more have stood comparison than could Cinde rellas pumpkin with the fairy coach into which it was turned driven bya by a slim young chauffeur very smart in a uniform to match the cars cara upholstery hols tery drew up in front of seth mannings door and a till tall distin looking man of early middle a ae go gt out and asked for uary ilary TO RIO BB OON TUii B D |
