| Show 1 SIH kathleen 0 0 nords 0 0 KATHLEEN SERVICE THE FAR FAH shella sheila carscaddon blue eyed reddish haired and 21 loses her job in new york by offering useful but unwelcome suggestions suggestions to her boss typically feminine the she chaos chooses e 5 that time to show chow her new purse which she bought boucht at a secondhand second hand store to her cousin cecilia moore the purse revives memories of a boy she had met the previous summer a boy whose first name all she remembered was peter at home that evening waiting lor for her are arc her mother joe her brother and angela her crippled sister bister joe too has lost his job during the not so happy evening angela finds fifty dollars in a secret pocket in Sh ellaa eilas purse they are both happy at the discovery only to be dis heartened when mrs carscadden tells shella sheila the money must be returned to the person whose initials and street number are on the purse shella sheila Is going to return the money dressed in an ancient outfit then she feels the owner will reward her liberally she looks upon the escapade as a lark she feels different when she enters the magnificent home for or the occupants prove to be the me cann family old friends now wealthy of Sh Shel eilas lat father and there she sees peter her acquaintance of the previous surn summer merl I 1 I 1 CHAPTER ill continued 4 here said mrs me cann in her gentle voice and with her gentle smile go well with the bag monicas donicas Mo nicas ashes up at kenwood and shell be glad for an excuse to get new ones her hands lingered in motherly fashion about sheila as she helped to put them on she smiled at the result and mamie brought her hands together with one convulsive clap of triumph sheila her sense of shame deepening every second hung her head as she stood before them it was all like a nightmare their warmth their kindness their goodness were all completely disarming youve the purse dear and the money in it and tell mamma that judge me cann was one of your papas old friends and that ill be over tomorrow to have a little talk with her and youve your nickel for the subway youre awfully kind to me mrs me mc cann sheila could only mumble she had completely abandoned the brogue but neither of the other women was apt to notice the omission kind my dearl dear when the lord has been so good to me ellen me cann said humbly she went with sheila across the wide hallway again it was darkened now but there was still a dim indication of lighted lamps beyond the library archway and in some smaller room there were subdued laughter and the sound of voices mrs me cann herself opened the big front door for her guest f 1 i CHAPTER IV just as sheila was about to leave the dark young marx man who had entered this same doorway just after sheila had and who vl 0 o had been addressed by mamie as mr frank came down the big palm decorated sweep of the central stairs and joined mrs me mc cann at the door mother he be said he stopped in surprise and over his rather dark young face a smile broadened at the sight of sheila well you look bet better terl he observed mother he resumed im going out to Bernad ettes for about an hour I 1 could run miss this young lady home well so you could his mother agreed its right on y your our way my sons young lady lives in spuyten duyvil duyvis she said to sheila somewhat impressively bernadette said shed telephone you in the morning mother frank me cann said suddenly he laughed and his mother looked at him in s surprise ur prise what is it frank nothing he said ill im going to see bernadette give her my love mrs me cann looked at sheila my son will drive you home she said better than the subway oh I 1 have him sheila protested shrinking why not frank asked pulling on his gloves but it was not a question he did not even glance at her 44 well if you dont look stunning in monicas donicas Mo nicas old coati coat gertrude said suddenly joining them you look lovely aunt ellie elite she added im going to bed im sunk if I 1 dont want to be taken for grandma keane at my own wedding ive got to get some sleep where you going frank this was peters voice Sh eilas heart rose on a great plunge but she could not look up kennedys Kenn edys having a dinner for bettes aunt from syracuse I 1 said id come out late where are you going peter the mother asked 1 I am going out a while his confused husky tone told sheila where he had intended to go ile he had intended to accompany her have a few words alone with her but franks offer to drive her home hoine had balked him she dared sot not look at him she was choki choking g mrs me ilc cann was saying good night to her she and frank were descending the big brownstone steps wait for me here on the curb my cars parked right across the street 7 frank said sheila stood still tre mUing ling and then as she had half exported peter was beside ner for half a second and there was a slip of paper in her hand ive got to tn see sec youl you peter mum bled he was gone and frank was bringing a small closed car up to her in a blaze sheila got in the g lady im going to marry lives in spuyten duyvil duyvis frank im an 00 ny my wv heio tsieia sheila sat silent beside him and could make no answer weve been engaged five years 01 frank went on a long time its a good test of mutual affection the man said in satisfaction this handsome oldest son of judge me cann was well pleased with himself sheila decided peter and gertrude he resumed were a little quicker about it grown up like brother and sister of course were all devoted to gertrude but miss kennedy and I 1 wanted to be sure we so very long to go now june then I 1 think well run over to europe and stay until september it sounds wonderful sheila observed respectfully well its time I 1 settled down frank said im twenty seven he laughed with relish are you four years older than peter it had slipped out Sh eilas very soul shriveled with terror there was a sudden change in franks voice it became less sure less patronizing tron izing less satisfied he spoke you know pete 1 I well I 1 met him this summer mere at tillers beach but I 1 know until tonight who he was you know who he was we only knew each other one day I 1 remember his name an and maybe he remember mine ali ah hh h hh frank said as one awakening 1 I remember he mused aloud 1 I remember his telling 1119 me when he got back from that visit v aha he fell silent sheila could not speak you knew that peter was getting married on tuesday oh yes 11 another silence peter told me that he had met you I 1 suppose it was you frank observed he stopped the car at the forlorn dark bronx doorway well good night he said a little at a loss sheila said 1 I thank you and good night and was out of the car and heard it roar and hum away as she mounted her own steps her thoughts stopped her feet suddenly she stood still in the odorous thick atmosphere of the dim lower hall about and above her was crying the banging of pots the sound of radios phonographs quarrels voices echoed from behind closed doors her heart smoldered she stood still one look at peter me mc cann and the agony of that enchanted summer day and night they had had but the one was upon her afresh he had lied to her kissed her and she had believed him waited for him while he had been courting and winning a rich mans daughter a beautiful girl in a slim sim su suit it and furs who could lose fifty dollars without ever knowing it and now beside all that sheila would be made contemptible in the eyes of these friends who had loved her father who wanted to be kind to mamma they would discover that she had been play acting that she had been a hypocrite even before this oldest son she must appear as an impostor she was no such artless little angel as she had seemed in the me cann caan house mamma would bawl her out tomorrow the president himself make mamma lie and then all of them mrs me cann and gertrude and frank would know that their pathetic little beggar had been no beggar at all just a bluffer marnie mamie would know and peter would hear them discussing it she suddenly remembered the paper in her hand unfolded it and read it by the hall light be at the maritime law library top floor four thirty tomorrow peter had written ive got to see you 1 I see myself going sheila muttered fortunately even after entering the he kitchen she had a few minutes in in which to recover herself joe and cecilia moore were there murmuring at the table no one else was in sight presently angela and mamma returned and then the new coat and hat had to be handled and admired and the story told and retold the loveliest people you ever saw f mamma all so happy and so kind and laughing together paul me cann I 1 rim imber the name well Sh eilas mother mused he was a square built feller wit a head of black hair on um the one ma they were fine people mrs carscadden said and the girl their sons going to marry the ward that their sort son is going to marry sheila angela asked wistfully is she nice gertrude keane Is that her name it was her purse I 1 found you know oh sure and is she stunning sheila like we said oh ill bet I 1 saw his picture in the paper with her last sunday cecilia said with animation shabby and tired and poor and young talking sadly of their prospects with her joe she could nevertheless brighten into interest at the thought of this more fortunate girl she and joe had been engaged for three years the she knew that they easily might inight have to wait three more mamma sheila demanded her arms stretched across the table the dangling light bright in her eyes and upon the shining flattened fringe of hair across her forehead if mrs me cann comes tomorrow will you talk poor 1 I will not mrs carscadden answered if you choose to draw down the anger of god by pret pretending pretend endine in to be in th rouble youre not thin be a fine job braggin drag gin I 1 your mother into it mamma if just stick to the truth but sort of make a poor mouth of it begged sheila after an interval of unhappy thought 1 I had us all but starving in the streets street sl well find out were not thin not put their little coobs down my childrens throats oe I 1 it was long after midnight when sheila fell asleep or tell me how many pairs of shoes id buy thim in a mont with some dim yet still shouldering ing memory of settlement workers long ago visit mamma sheila began now I 1 genuinely appalled mrs me cann a charity worker 1 ashes corning coming as an old friend how could I 1 stop herl her if only be decent to her mamma if only be just polite polite to one and all ill ever be her mother began in an unyielding yielding tone but beholden to one if J diver niver seen oh mamma for heavens sakel sake beholden sheila was tired emotionally shaken close to tears joe spoke suddenly you made her think we were something we arent sheila and even if it was only a joke it seems to me that it fair to drag ma into it if mrs me cann really does come tomorrow which s she he proba probably bly wont why mamma will have to explain to her that it was just some of your nonsense i 1 I get a chance to meet people like that and then you queer it sheila muttered bitterly maybe shell just think it was I 1 funny u n Y S sheila angela said j who but you would ever think of such a thing cecilia who enormously admired the spirit of the younger girl said shaking her head oh that one mrs carscadden observed with a glance for sheila a glance in which motherly pride mollified resentment and a desire to show herself friendly again were all blended you stop that one wit a th ruck she claimed it was a boast sheila felt the friendlier atmosphere and but for that scalding memory of peter might have been reasonably confident and content as she went to bed As it was a jealous confusion of thoughts and fears raged in her heart she hated gertrude because she was lovely and rich and beloved and happy and she hated peter because she sheila loved him 11 she got into bed seeming to the interested and talkative angela to be in a strangely unresponsive mood sheila lay awake long after her mother had crept noiselessly into bed beside her peter had wanted to see her well what else could he do he could hardly pretend that that last half hour of theirs that tremendous ending to their great day had not occurred at all they had met at a hotel lunch shella sheila had been with robby blake not that either sheila or peter remembered robby afterward at all peter had taken immediate possession of her they had watched the yacht races together they had been together alone in the mob at the barbecue and clambake clam bake supper they had danced at the casino strolled out into the moonshine to talk danced again the others had been singing shella and peter had sun sung too and it had seemed to them that their very souls had r risen sen to heaven on the strains of cheres theres a long long trail and the end of a perfect day aate there had been silence p peace bace i the dying fire and moon shii gaining over firelight and the soft rustle and rush of the sea sheila had been carrying her pocketbook through this marvelous week of beach holiday and she had opened it to find a pencil and a piece of paper and had scribbled her name and address there in the firelight for peter to carry away ive got to get back he had said im driving three fellers to G good 0 od ground im going up to town in the morning she had said were going monday well ill see sec you in town he had said and that had been the end no word from him no sign from him no knowledge of him until tonight and he was to marry gertrude keane on tuesday it was long after midnight when sheila fell asleep and after all it was neither gertrude nor peter nor frank nor even the intractable is ma on whom her last thought lingered it was judge paul me cann blue eyed honest generous good the only conception sheila had ever had of kindly human fatherhood he would discover that he had been d deceived e in her that she was a liar her cheeks burned with fear and shame and her dreams when finally she slept were only a hundred troubled versions of exposure paul said mrs me cann to her husband the following evening when they were in their own magnificent ent room just before dinner the goodness of the poor breaks your heart ye got to see the today he asked eagerly 1 I made it a matter of duty papa mrs me cann said well ye found thim in a little place mrs me cann sighed and repeated her former phrase rase it would break your heart it would eh he asked uneasily reluctantly as he sat up on the edge of the bed three rooms papa and you could put all three into this one ah h hl h he muttered as if in pain he shut his lips brought his feet to the floor and began to walk up and down the room if you could see the dignity of the mother paul no whining no hardluck hard luck story just one long tale of how good god has been to them and of what a wonderful son she has and that sheila the girl who came here is sheila ought to be an actress the way she carries on she made a joke of it the childs honesty and her returning the mon eyl 1 I knew the minute I 1 saw the child be something like that he said god be good to usall us all paul I 1 was thinking I 1 was wondering since this girl has lost her job whether shed come to us for next week were going to be simply rushed out of our senses she could keep an eye on veronica shed be the greatest help to katie then I 1 could get some idea of what she can do and what they need what is it gertrude the last phrase was an abrupt interruption ter gertrude clad in a dressing gown and with a t tragic dagic ragic face and loosened hair had entered the room without announcement aunt ellie do you know where peter is do I 1 peter where would he be well hes not home hes not here hes on his way home then darling aunt ellie hes not ile he was t to 0 go to the tailor and meet frank and pick out the ushers pins and everything and then lie he was g going ding to meet me at the 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