Show EV TV W YAE 4 do 0 ser vica copyright kitilson Ks tilson CHAPTER continued j 16 I 1 la ruth rath bitter about it larry i on the contrary site she see or she wont admit anything to be bitter about aboul ashes very happy and very affectionate and grateful to me for going along and sure sur e ill love it all 11 II ashes taken that position tony said aid in a hard voice ashes yes ashes taken that po mitlon 11 the girls voice was gentler her blue eyes shadowed when she spoke a gain but she knows we love each other she never had said so site she talks of et what the best thing Is for nil all of us for me and for you for all of us poor ruth tony sat sald what other attitude can she tale take unless anle s she wants to let you go caroline and mrs patterson I 1 il terson help her ber to keep it up tip keep up I 1 the well the little fiction that hat the whole thin thing Is Is just something to be hustled hushed up and forgiven rind anil forgotten i forgiven given anil ana forgotten tony said eald with the proud color in ill tier her face they seem to feel that there luiere Is no question that I 1 like you too much and you like roe me too larry said but since its larry mid and tony they must inest be protected and excused larrys like that and poor little tony know what she was letting herself in for what gossiping tongues would make of it 1 I suppose so tony said dryly does ruth believe it ruth always beli believes ees what she wants to bellee believe yes she believes it an aa far as ashes concerned its true much the best thing for all concerned Is for us to hush it up and go away tony made no comment she had taken off her white hat her dark uncovered hair lay in loose rings and sprays against the mans shoulder ile he could look down and see the smooth clear tan of her cheek where the fine down of a peach showed against the white light of the strange muffled day and the lowered thick dark eye slashes and the curve of her floe fine wide mouth tony again was in white today but her loose soft coat was brown and the small square pumps traced braced against the foot rest were irown brown too larry tightened his arm about her shoulders it wont vont be forever tony tody 11 no somehow somewhere where the toads roads will conle come together again and meanwhile well think of each other and of today ah what they always say the girl said with a break in tier her voice and then they forget ill not forget ali ah youre so sweet 1 he said with his lips against her forehead and then tony we just run away from it all not from bendy and bruce and cliff clife and aunt meg no all hoped too much for maolone me done too much ifor for me it be fair its like a terrible dream that were together now that youre sare safe in my arms here tony and that tomorrow that ache for you that ache for you will begin be in and there wont be any cure I 1 no matter where we are no matter what happens well always belong to each other larry wont we always be what you are now tony the only person in all the world for me and ana you tor for me epe she said in a voice she tried to hold bold steady ill always be glad we had this much larry this is something this is ie more than I 1 ever thought id have it seem possible to say goodby good by larry presently said very dimply tony stirred herself against lis his arm drew away let me look at you larry they looked gravely at each other the tall lean brown skinned man with the high bridged nose and the deep icet eyes and the girl in her white frock and brown coat with ith her dark tair hair disheveled and her blue eyes set in delicate circles of umber and fringed with dark lashes that were frankly wet its goodby good by my dear said tony ile he put his arms about her and for it long minute she lay against him and felt his kisses on her lips forgive me tony for ever letting tills this happen ah if forgive me mel I 1 I 1 let it bL happen apPen you 11 my ly wifel larry whispered and straightening herself in her seat beside him again the girl repeated it her wet ebes shining yes nothing will ever make me anything but that larry the woman that was waa meant tor for you he touched the starter turned the car on the short brown grass they drove back into the city and at the door ot of the newspaper office tony said another halt half audible goodby good by abe heard no answer as larry guided the car into the traffic again and drove away she went up to her desk stopping to hang bang up her hat and coat straighten her hair her face looked odd to her it was white while or perhaps it was only the effect of the foggy light that cania came in through the high dirty villee office windows and mingled so oddly with the glow of the lamps the newspaper onice office was very quid at twelve larry was in meeting caroline Carol lue and ruth for and to do some last shopping A truck would call for the trunks at five they would put their and their books and hairbrushes hair brushes into their handbags tomorrow mornin morning gand and the apartment in ent they were abandoning would be full of cheerful conversation ca caroline ra have you room for a pair of slippers dont put your coat on mother darling be too waren ali ah heres joe now I 1 and so down to the bis big white ship a and nd through the pleasant faurl hurry y oi of passports and of finding fiti oling their state rooms with the clutter and confusion of tile the waterfront all about them with the bay steamers pouring soft whis w his ties into the noon air and the salt water slapping idly against the af pf piers ers she seemed to be hearing ills his voice again reeling feeling the tightening of that big arm about her shoulders she seemed again to see the brown face and the high bridged nose and the movement of lils his brown loan lean hand band when he took oft off his glasses to look at her tony crossed her arms on oil tier her dek dei and put tier her head down upon them waves of bitterness and longing broke over her and receded and strengthened to break over her again yawning a call boy came in to arch himself like a snake over a telephone no the managing editor there yet the city editor there yet RID ring back please it looks like donny was going I 1 to get the works dont it miss taft said the boy loitering it be begins ins to gee ill bet it was a kick aeu ru being a witness it was horrible you bet id take a chancel chance lie ile dawdled away and tony flattened the curiously assorted notes on her desk brought her heavy eyes to them she picked up a pen I 1 sirs drs bainbridge fosters announcement no of the engagement of her daughter mary barbara was one of the surprises of an unusually gay season son miss foster a debutante of last winter 11 CHAPTER it was a nice thing tor for them to ask us and I 1 dont see how we could have gotten out of it said aunt meg ale in an undertone but gosh its more fun at home christmas eve cruce bruce observed sh h hll hl brenda muttered in horror your voice Is absolutely penetrating tra ting they were all in the ely bly library guests at the great christmas party that cliffs parents in law had been planning for weeks for the moment only the tarts tafts were in the room aunt meg rustling in silk bruce handsome and sulky brenda to in rapt attendance upon little anthony nervously proud of them all alvin had just arrived tony had had to do the christmas tree at the orphanage but of 0 course she was coming later the bly house was enormous it 11 stood majestically on a pacific avenue corner that commanded the sweep of the cold winter bay and the presidio slopes and the golden gate the sea was all white whitecaps caps on this singing windblown wind blown christmas eve and tamal pals stood out as it if carved in granite against a pale sky oh glorious said all the guests as they arrived to find the big back drawing draving room deliciously warn warm and a great wood fire roaring and snapping in the enormous fireplace fire fireplace ilace like all the houses along pacific avenue on the north the living rooms with their windows for commanding the wide panorama were at the back the entrance hall was a jumble of wraps and of attentive maids today but there was plenty of holly and mistletoe there too christmas trees stood to in all the corners and up on the great angle of the stairs and scented the air with pine there were relatives asked in for christmas faded gentle elderly men and women basking in the family glory there were nice boy cousins all penniless evidently and rather variously dressed but bashfully amusing and talkative and being very much encouraged by uncle rick and aunt tina there was one spectacled nice girl cousin with her young man and there were meaningless young men for geraldine Gerald lne and pauline and of course martin gossing for Hel heloise olse for ile dolse was going to be married too only two years after mary rose and mamma positively sold said this time that she want to hear bear another word of engagements for years over this heterogeneous party dr and mrs bly reigned in happy excitement the doctor told aunt meg areg at every opportunity that that was what the house was for to give the young people a good time he reiterated in great satisfaction the statement that it was his idea to have hare cliffords people have everyone cliffs aunt and his sisters and brothers why not it was christmas evidently the big biff table forty one would sit flown at it had been in the process of getting set and decorated for the better part of the day as for tile the tree concealed downstairs in the billiard room its completion had occupied aupied the family for weeks the atmosphere mo sphere of the big house was one 0 of innocent laughter and cheer the mys the tarts the cousins might all have been children again gathering at the piano to sing the carols pauline played so nicely bending over the great jl jigsaw jig saw s puzzle that was spread on tile library table running up and down stairs brenda and alvin with the precious woolly armful that was anthony had arrive at the taft apartment that morning before tony was out of bed and brenda and aunt meg had bad spent a happy day managing the good sweet contented baby tony had rushed off to aik oik bruce had bad come home and in the old w way ay had kept the place in an uproar while lie managed a bath cliff had find come at about three to gather up tip presents for the ely bly tree gosh the bly library looks like the packing room knowlt now cliff CHIT had bad exulted as they had filled his arms with the very creditable taft collection everyone had bad been dressing then lion for it was to be an early dinner aunt crim crimped peel and rus brenda quite changed in flure figure again matronly in spreading sll silk the baby in his tur fur trimmed iJ cap and coat just as they started bruce had come in to escort them and a moment later tony who had to change and to rush off to cover one more christmas tree before joining them at the alys it was this circumstance that gave theta them a chance cliff and brenda and aunt meg to discuss her when they found themselves for a moment quiet out of the noisy current in the big leather chairs of the bly library tony ought to be here shell be here any minute now she look well bendy beautiful she looked badly for a while just at first brenda said lowering her voice but lately oh ob well theres no one like tony mary rose hose Is crazy about her cliff said you know how tony can get people when she goes after them 1 I believe ashes over it aunt meg said decidedly she looked hopefully at brenda and then at cliff shell neier be over it brenda said shaking her head she brushed k P Z they cook and they tramp around her lips across the soft fluff of an hair think not hey cliff asked with a shrewd look brenda shook her head again hat hal aunt meg ejaculated discomfited cited no but I 1 think this of tony brenda began slowly 1 I think she was horribly ashamed of her herself 1 I dont see exactly why she should have been ashamed of herself cliff protested because larry was married she help that just the same a girl does feel ashamed when she falls in love with a married man mail alvin thinks she was too brenda said clinching the matter with the unanswerable argument it seems to me its more bad luck fuel than anything to be ashamed of cliff persisted A girl feel so and tony was bitterly ashamed she know knew that if ruth stood by tier her when that horrible donny thing happened dont speak of it pleaded aunt faintly her little chin gripped in her hand her eyes anxiously look ing from one to the other and I 1 think brenda pursued after a sympathetic nod end and glance in tier her aunts direction 1 I think that tony just just woke up I 1 think she grew three years in three weeks after the Bell amys went away it wits was as if a part of tier her the hot olt oli ampa tient selfish she was never selfish said aunt meg ready to weep no she never was but she was quick tempered and stubborn yes she was aunt me ale As a mule mul said cliff and both women laughed she changed said brenda etwas it was as if she thought til ill dle die tony tatt taft ill live lire for all the rest of them bren da and tile the baby and cliff and mary rose and aunt meg and aunt sally ill bo be gentler ill read and ill study ill make myself the wisest woman the finest the most cultured ill not be ild gay reckless tony taft any more it was something like that cliff said as brenda paused alth tears in her eyes 1 I think it was brenda said but then the child going to get out of it herself aunt meg asked ashes nearly twenty eight she w want ant to marry 1 I wish shed marry joe vander wall erenda brenda exclaimed in the pause ue ile click cliff said slinking shaking ills his head lies iles a prince ashes devoted to him she goes down to his bis place and they cook and they tramp around she admires him but somehow it click where are tile the Bell amys now bendy in ID nice larry came back to new york fork once now I 1 believe hes gone over again the old mother had bad a stroke strobe you know and just been hanging on waiting ting taken a place there and larrys writing a book they went away when A year and a half ago it was just before mary rose and I 1 were married what do you suppose larry does with himself all day oh writes and swims and plays bridge the cousin Is with them mrs rol hemus does tony hear from him only through joe no she write and I 1 must say I 1 think brenda said loyally io yally ashes behaved magnificently ashes been a good sport cliff said sald all ah here she Is tony in the next nest room now said aunt meg and bruce brace added now be a party here was tony indeed coming in fresh and rosy from the cold air she had left her outer wraps downstairs her freshly brushed hair fell in waves over her low forehead her gown was dark green velvet with deep vandyke cuffs and a collar of lace ace site she was joylou eager lovely she seemed to bring with her to the somewhat halting party a breath of new life white violets she said coming up to her elderly little hostess they gave them to me at the orphanage arent they delicious here tor for you are we all kissing you today doctor because its christmas you dont know how wonderful it is to get into this warmth rind find you all I 1 hello my anthony are you a good boy hello mary rose and then in an undertone how goes it the horrid feeling in the morning has stopped mary rose confided to her sister in law ah what a relief that Is brenda said if it should be a girl I 1 bellegie my eatherd fat herd drown it cliffs wife murmured 1 I want a girl brenda said tony burst into an animated description of the orphanage party the spilled milk and crumbled sponge cakes the ailt little arms held out for dolls the mangy ornaments mouldy bouldy and broken and old little dirty wax angels with their wings bent and gilded walnut shells with holes in them I 1 penell pencil hoses boxes and lotto those arent very thrilling tony went on 1 I thought of anthonys christmas nis his grandfather |