Show AL 0 I 1 00 serpico CoPy copyright Tight norola CHAPTER continued 14 ashes not unhappy she would be it site she knew S she know larry you remember last week ewhen hen we were talking when aunt aes ues eg came in t 1 I had bad meant to say then what im trying to say now but we had so little le time 1 ive been in a fever since then tony said ive not been eating matters larry except if 1 I 1 men alvear coats like yours or walk the way rou do or if the telephone rings 01 1 I know he be said being in ID love it the 1 ari 1 amy 1 my asked dear he began and stopped short a and were never to have more than ire re had that night just that one time when men you kissed me anc she said the words slowly vily thou thought uli not looking at him staring out ceross the shining pacific larry said laid otting there was a long silence oh irot it too bad I 1 tony ex calmed presently in a shaking voice ive thought that what a horrible s fly it Is I 1 what a waste le thought thou ht sf going away cut but being just well nell barted started tar ted on the paper and haidn having no reason basoa to give her no excuse larry tony said after long Ji bought ought how ion long does docs this feeling list ast you mean our caring for each ither for it feel as if it would jure are up very fast tony faltered nth mth trembling lips M ait oit it you mean how bow ion long I 1 am going 0 o feel that you were made for me nd bd I 1 for you larry said looking irown own at his knotted fingers speak ag og very low 1 I think it is going to 1 beast hit all my life tony I 1 dont dare let e f ay iy y mind wander to the thought 0 of f I 1 would do it if I 1 were free I 1 aaa it let think what it would ean to have aou ou as my wife mine leepon leep ln my house for me waiting for foe oe at the end of the day we have to barget all that we have hae to go on com m here i no my dear theres only one way am m nt not going to see you again well 1 jass S each other in the elevators some tines im e a ill be downstairs in the city odom oom only when I 1 cant help it ex ept for that im ping going to try to forget bu im going to tell you now dow once ind hd for all le been so hungry to say st this to you the luncheon was over and they talked slowly out of the restaurant 11 lighther li i gether and stood in the sunshine out de I 1 near the parked car I 1 I 1 11 jno it no ill not even say that to you ony larry said steadily standing ro hrose 0 se to her looking down at her arhe wonderfulness of you the the r Y fery thing you for me ji D isope hope he be stumbled on confusedly lid d she knew that lie he was saying what ld had determined not to say losing 11 a 8 bearl bearings 1 l completely as she looked ahlm him 1 I hope all for some me luckier man please II 11 the girl said breathlessly breathless IY atou you are so beautiful larry wills whis red 1 I love you I 1 love you so janoli jan ach cli my girl my little tony fe lie turned abruptly and walked lout jont the car and got into the drivers at tony got in on her own side ey 6 y drove for some minutes without cakin caking youre going down to monterey SIon terey to arow I 1 arrow rr ow yes cliffs driving nie me ills his girl f at pebble beach for easter week sn ra be bg with bendy aiice re taking caroline down to r f oiw fw her the sights but pm im coming 1 sunday night 4 11 t not be at joes jt 1 then wo 0 1 I think its better this way fit it all seems so blank tony said r a silence r ja lank the man said briefly 1 ts a a nightmare abere there was a long pause when try spoke again they were at the ida or of 0 the big office building ill drop you liere here I 1 have to go to the club for a minute goodby good by then tony said she st I 1 down and said a muffled goodby good by try rry and turned away oh my id d help hell roe me help helli me help me she id d one hand band hard pressed against 41 pala pain at her heart hearl what shall 10 1021 lo CHAPTER endy had a square sound little with a shock of black hair on his d little head bead even tony admitted 5 tt it he was one of 0 the fascinating y babies ot of the world and brenda added him as she regarded alvin frather rather perhaps as she had bad once crded alvin with reverential awe ony ODY watching her sister perform solemn ritual that was anthonys ng be to bed fell into a dream bendy I 1 happy and ad that was as all 11 that mated the plain little cheap rooms t alcan idaa cupboard and empty icebox ov 4 patient washing of baby linen king of beds compounding of small comical puddings with each egg b ounce of butter jealously con 1 dered sl sI spelled full and glorious living to brenda tony youre not keeping anything from me darling what should I 1 keep from you 1 I mean are you still making yourself f unhappy are you still I 1 mean how much do you see lorry larry bellamy lets see two weeks ago once when I 1 got into that oakland mess and lie came out to the house and thursday at ruths when her niece came I 1 told you about that and lets see friday lit at noon in the office kofl ice for a few minutes dont you see him aery day in the office offic ev v 1 11 I do not but tony you know what im trying to find out do you still feel as you did last winter yep 1 A pause brenda looked thoughtful shook her head tony hummed lightly Ight ly but tony ruth ashes been so kind to you 1 I know abere the catch comes in will you see him at dr vander walls house on monday Mr inday 11 larry rry no lies iles not coining coming down why not theres something else he has to do lies iles bringing ruth and all of them down to del monte alonte tonight but hes going hack back tomorrow tony looked tip up ready for further explanation cut but brenda had forgotten lawrence rell Bell amys existence take your oil she said in an undertone to the child on her arm be a darling and take your oil there you vou arel look at him try to spit it out he hates his big fish oil can you blame him tony asked sympathetically nis his little world smells of fish already tony looked at the telephone larrys voice was at the other end of 0 it the Bell amys party would be at del monte now every fiber of her being seemed drawn toward it lire life went on in the contented the almost smug groove that brenda an and alvin had chiseled out tor for themselves the haby baby went to sleep and there were tomato salad and bran muffins and a cold custard for supper with alvin discoursing upon the superiority of the meatless meal to say nothing of oe the economy brenda rather pale and with her forehead wet said cheerfull bringing in the tea cut but that why we do it alvia said quickly and brenda echoed loyalty loyally oh no that the only reason we do it after supper alvin observed that there was rather a good movie up the street brenda said slie she was tired and not eager to go until she ascertained that lie he really could not go then she went with tony well be on the right hand side of the house about halfway half way down she abe said to him in parting explaining to her sister as they walked up the pleasantly straggling small town street in case of a call tony lay awake all night all through the quiet sunday she felt like an animal bound in a net her mind her soul the very muscles of her body seemed jerking themselves away from this tame scene of bren das interests cliffs girl and her mother and the dull lunch at the bly cottage ge salad and strawberries and hot rolls and pink sliced ham noblesse oblige she said to herself sternly brenda was no good at this party she was sitting in a trance most of the time with anthony in her lap saying rapturously to anyone who would listen ills first little social event and I 1 do think hes good and alvin was throaty and opinionated cliff was so ridiculously absorbed in mary rose that he be could not see anything else and for the rest the group consisted of rather aNk awkward ward little sisters cering about tremulously and observing in gales of joyous laughter that they supposed that all be falling la in love now and mamma said she want to hear any more of engagements gage ments tor for five years tony threw herself into the business of being charming she was the personality son sona lity allty she was cliffs tremendously clever sister who had so much fun reporting on the call she told them sonic some ot of her adventures and she saw that was proud of her fat mrs ely bly listened in rapt delight and said that mat tony was as good as any actress she had ever seen as good as georgia layvan or ada rehan behan any day there any actresses any more mrs airs kly illy said regretfully there were just painted dolls without any expression in their faces aces the festivity dragged on tony sat next nest to dr bly at luncheon and painted so attractive a picture of the young tarts and their orphaned struggles that the doctor said feelingly that he wished that his own daughters been born with all the landvoe money behind them it a good thing to have we life so smooth safer tor for girls than for boys though tony observed listening at the doctor fervently agreed nothing ruined boys boya like too loo much money and all the while larry was close perhaps playing golf on the pebble beach links hla his white shirt open at his brown throat his dark head bare the blue sea rippled in in a dazzle of spring sunshine and the gulls flew about crying their shrill piping cries and the alys fluttered about like gulls too pleased when the guests admired tile the wide vide porch and the few so urgent with the little damp saad sandwiches and tle tile fruit punch mary rose in white geraldine Gerald lne and heloise in blue pauline in bellow the alie youngest of them a gawky and beautifully full sixteen was nag fondly called baby and the sisters interrupted each other in eagerly telling tony liow how smart she was and how the boys liked her already it was a hot day a rarely hot day for the ocean shore it had brought forth an eruption of picnics and excursions cars winkled twinkled in black lines along the clifus every little cottage was gay with ith guests tiresome glare tiresome people rich sticky silly food tony endured them nil all with a sort of cling clinging ing g of mental and spiritual forces at del alonte and pebble reach keach everything every lhing would be cool elegant ordered ord eroil the men in white the women on the terraces and in the cool deep rooms in frocks that lint had come halfway around the world if tomorrow were like today toe joe would have heavenly weather for his housew arming arclo ruth mrs patterson rat terson caroline would be there not larry tie ile was going back to the city lie did not dire dare come lie did not dare risk meeting this girl in white who was so dutifully amusing the illys so respectfully fully raising blue eyes to tiresome old dr bly at the bead of thi IN long iong table but im prejudiced where cliffs CHITS concerned doctor ive never dever known him to do anything that gen if 1 I 1 am afraid you will he said in a hard voice erous and wonderful and good lie ile deserves a wife lire life mary rosel well ashes a good child ashes a good child and the doctor took off glasses to wipe his smiling eyes tony had another night with brenda another adoring morning with anthonys bath and bottle and nap on sunday morning joe came for her in the car and she and ruth and caroline and old mrs patterson were carried oft off into the hot still satin blue world of beaches and water towering eucalyptus and crouching cypress trees now listen dont expect too much joe warned her its only a shanty really but ive sort of fixed it up ill love it ile he turned in at a field gate followed a wavering dirt road toward the shore brought them triumphantly to a small bare white house that stood ridiculously square and harsh upon the odge edge of the cliff joe enthusiastically displayed the foursquare four square rooms that lie he had bad had cleaned cut into more spacious proportions this finis finished lied this was going to be ba great but it was hardly started of course here was where the bath was going to be that be great and here this was all la in a mess the man who had been doing it had broken his big leg but loot look bookcases here that swell outside they hoard heard the same story seeds had been planted all along here and there the roses all were in but you had to keep the gunny sacking over them carrying chops and buns and coffee down to the rocky shore joe said to tony come down here and run it and ill tear the whole place flown down or buy you the alexander place over nt at pebble beach 1 I like it just as it Is I 1 tony laughing as she stretched ched a band to his stepping carefully over ever the boulders he tool took like a stairway stopped and corrected herself her icle 1 I could like it mio sli s li sald said id tile the floor of the big room and put a big terrace off toward the north well blast it those are just the things I 1 want you to tell met mel joe protested they were down on the damp sand now among the big rocks there was shade here from the headland that rao ran out to sea on the south the waves were creaming in in lazy interlocking ter circles joe joe joe dirling darling airs murmured established in her scarlet stripes and scarlet hat fiat against a great boulder her strange black eyes staring far out to sea its too beautt beautiful your house yes yea it could be improved in minor details but this this Is matchless we e ell this Is what I 1 bought after all joe reminded oded her well pleased the rotund buns were toasted the coffee poured like smoking amber into the white liate tin cups the chops chopa were sizzling in the last stage of perfection when there was a hall from the cliff the four women and joe looked up it was larry tony her hands occupied with her chop and her cup merely waved at him as lie he came down the rocky stairway she could wait now 1 I got homesick for all of you driving in last night so I 1 telephoned arnoldson no ldson and vie nad our t talk alk at breakfast this morning and I 1 started right oft off again I 1 thought id like to have a look at joes housewarming and then maybe we could all have dinner at the lodge tonight cut but ive got to turn in early and get an early start in the cool of the day tomorrow or maybe ill go up tonight the conversation was happy desultory they were all relaxed into comfortable for table positions the food was good that roan man out there doing abalone fishing they send them up to san francisco are they any good asked caroline only tony answered when they have garlic and tomatoes and onions and eggs and cracker crumbs to disguise them like clams you have to have everything else to go with them clams and hot butter just hot butter joe rhapsodized clams need nothing more uehl tony ejaculated shuddering 1 I gather you dont like clams larry said it was the first time he had spoken to her the girl raised lazy lashes and glanced at him looked away again to sea caroline swift look went from one up to the other her forehead wrinkled fall faintly itly presently tony and larry had their moment it came when ruth joe caroline and larry had started up tip the beach to a certain rock pool that joe said was unique in the entire world re he had bad taken more than fifty specimens from it and believed there were more tony washing cups in the tide edw edge had bad told the others to go on she would stay with mrs P patterson atterson but now dow the old lady was quite frankly asleep and when larry came back for ruths camera it was quite natural for tony to say that she would go on with him and join the others ilow how goes it tony badly the girl answered with a brief little rueful laugh yes I 1 know it goes badly he agreed seriously they walked along larry waving the camera at ruth kuth a hundred yards ahead who had stopped to look back oh dear tony said in youthful despair after a minute she went on in a different tone then ill tell yo you what im going to do larry im going to new york its a ion ions way away and I 1 would have to work |