Show BH haj II 11 I 1 IL II 11 I 1 kathleen norris 0 KATHLEEN NORRIS SERVICE CHAPTER X continued 10 but the tabloid paper had had a picture of sheila and peter on the fr front ant page sheila looked perfectly wi wild id in her tousled travel crumpled clothes and peter like the scared lanky boy he was and under this the caption had been love birds fly home bandits not wedlock claim assert telegrams a hoax story on page twelve the line under the picture had bad been and fortunately the story on page twelve had been absolutely true miss carscadden a belle of the bronx and the daredevil dare devil second son of the well known judge whose college exploits had caused his family and friends so much conc concern ern a few years ago had appeared at a police station early on monday evening and had told the following story to police sergeant francis X the tale of bootleggers abduction escape followed the young couple the newspaper continued whose absence from home since saturday night had been something of a mystery denied their marriage although official announcement of it had been made by miss dens mother and by judge and mrs paul B me cann Sh eilas brother neely and his wife lizzie arriving early at the carscadden apartment to discuss this calamity had exclaimed and tut butted about the kitchen until sheila had felt ready to murder them both what I 1 cant understand is why you wanted to talk to peter me cann sheila lizzle lizzie had lamented over and over again in her wondering innocent voice you knew he was going to marry gertrude keane it was in the papers well hes got scads for one thing neely who was slow witted said scads of what neely sheila had asked in a dangerous voice dough neely had ex explained plaine artlessly oh I 1 see I 1 ran away with him because his father had lots of money well sheila lizzie had taken it up in her plaintive tones why else would you you hardly knew him there you are sheila had answered why else would I 1 time to go joe had said abruptly at this point and the party had started out anxious and silent forthe me mc Cann house houe joe lizzie had said in the hall in her whining persistent voice id go 9 a with you gladly to the me canns if I 1 could be of any usel use no thanks joe had said briefly usually he liked lizzie usually they all did her father had a big bakery business where neely worked she was a wonderful wife to neely and she could be very funny describing the funerals of her aunts and the way her uncle jim acted when he had to change his wooden leg but today she had jarred 1 I thought maybe on account of mother carscadden she had said tenderly at which mrs carscadden had answered for herself get out lizzle lizzie theres a good derrll gerr ll lizzie had withdrawn with tears in her eyes and joe sheila and their mother had gone on their separate way the me cann house when they reached it looked very large and handsome and formidable and the entrance hall when the obviously excited and sympathetic mamie admitted them quite overwhelmed mrs carscadden with its magnificence she kept close to joe her eyes exploring the great curve of the stairway with its stained glass window and its palms the rugs and the curtained arches of the doorways the enormous chairs that flanked the hau hall its traries tr ories they arrel arre she observed in a whisper judge me cann came int in with peter the older man came forward hospitably with nothing constrained in his manner or voice and what sheila did riot accomplish in the way of introductions he did naturally and pleasantly and they all sat down then frank came in with his mother the grag gracious ious gentle woman of Sh eilas first visit looked older today she was pale and she had been crying her lips said mrs carscadden and sheila as she greeted them but she made no sound an am my boy joe Sh eilas mother said mrs me cann looked at isn him steadily how do you do joe she sat down and it was to be seen that she chose a low chair close to peter and reached for the boys big bony hand and held it against her breast every little while she looked at him with a glance full of love and sorrow and trust and when she did so peter would smile back at her with a boyish sort of reassurance and apology in his eyes mr mccann me cann mrs carscadden said impressively it all this has broke me heairt for me no no no the judge said seriously and gently we say that we say that well get gel to the bottom of this matter I 1 and straighten it out and ive no doubt he stopped and nd sighed ive a 0 doubt in his goodness that godal make it all clear to us he said mrs me cann freed her hand from peters long enough to find a handkerchief and wipe her eyes frank standing on the heart rug looked down on them all in turn A coal fire was sleepily burning in the old fashioned grate outside the heavy velvet curtains at the windows and the rich lace curtains that were crossed inside them the quiet holiday morning had clouded over and snow was beginning gently to fall the heaviness and shadow out of doors seemed to make only more 16 luxurious urious and handsome this comfortable sitting room with its babics and chairs and firelight did frank tell ye what casserly reported judge me cann opened the talk by asking that was after I 1 got home last night pop I 1 know that when I 1 was at frank said right too casserly came here said the judge in his mild fatherly way with a report on the columbus avenue place if a bunch of liars peter spoke up angrily and suddenly yo nothing to mel me why do you take what a bunch of liars says for gospel you expect to get the truth out of them did you casserly saw the marks of where the kids had jumped out of the back libary window judge me cann continued and he saw the door where they come into the studio hand me that paper frank he glanced at a paper which his eldest son picked from the table and handed him theres an artist joseph bertin berlin and his wife and baby lives in that studio he said mildly scrutinizing the paper been there a year the restaurant feller tony knows the both of them well she was out at church Sa night but he was there his statement is that a young couple came down his stairs laughin and covered with snow and that they got their breath and told him the way been th rapped and with that went on he knows not where 1 he stopped everyone looked at peter who shrugged tossing hi his is head and at sheila all a lie sheila said firmly is we aeu well the judge said M making aking a little clicking noise with tongue and teeth he laid the paper aside that ends that he said CHAPTER XI peter his mother began gently had you only come to me and told me dearl dear gertrude would have gladly let you off you could have been married rightly with all of us there judge me cann sheila said you dont believe that peter and I 1 ran off to boston and got married by a justice of the peace leacel not if you say you dear he answered in a troubled tone well I 1 do say we I 1 say we were taken up to connecticut somewhere in a truck and kept there well well the judge said soothingly then ill believe you but here he went on look here a minute you and pete here met last summer you at tillers beach on labor day and you liked each other very much we did he asked you to marry him he we only knew each other that one day sheila stammered unable to move her eyes from those of her interlocutor only knew each other that one day but you liked each other we might have sheila said with ar an effort that is I 1 thought we might have but we see each other again why was that because peter lost the paper with my name on it sheila managed a fleeting glance it at peter looked back 1 I know she said that peter was rich was a rich mans son I 1 thought he was just just like the other boys the artlessness ef cf it made a sudden onslaught upon her hearers well what if you had the judge began clearing his throat and mrs me cann said quickly what difference would that make papa no difference at all paul me cann said and theres where ye both were so stupid he added feelingly why ye come to us and tell us the truth sheila comes in here play the boy sees her poor and pitiful as we thought she was then the man continued and all his love for her comes back theres love at first sight as we well know dont we mamma we do paul agreed mrs tic me cann we work it out that hes promised to gertrude but he meets sheila their plans are laid and off he goes with his true lovel love the judge concluded the story the way it looked he added claca tingly sheila laughed disagreeably her cheeks were still scarlet only that what happened she said sheila said mrs me mc cann suppose that judge me cann and I 1 said this to you and peter you like each other youve been thinking about each other for months toda today y was to have been peters wedding wadding day well have it so be married quietly this afternoon right here in church on lexington well have a little party afterward to celebrate the first weddin there were tears in her chinin shinin shining 9 eyes she wiped them away and went on still holding peters hand still patting it gently then you go off to pittsburgh ive a brother there judge me cann had him on the telephone this morning peter my brother has a big foundry there and hell find a job for pete hed seen the newspaper story and he was so nice about it he papa and of course you and peter not being able to manage on what hed earn why wed see to that part of it 1 I talked to peter about this this morning she concluded with a glance at her sons attentive face tell sheila what you think dear why I 1 think its the best way out of it gerts gone to her grand 4 why but peter knows perfectly well what happened mother ashes off me for eifel peter said gruffly sheila stared at him in blank amazement moved her gaze to frank her eyes went to every face in the circle in turn she looked at mrs me cann gently persuasive at the judge who was watching her keenly with a half frown at peter flushed and stirred and heroic and at her own brother who had been alertly following all the proceedings ce without himself taking any part in them her mothers face she reached last the look of outraged suspicion that the familiar countenance had worn through the entire morning was slightly softened now mrs carscadden was not mollified but she was interested at least in the thought of this unexpected solution sheila turned to frank who was studying her with his odd grave half smile frank so comfortably secure in his own wedding plans 4 but I 1 dont love peter she st stammered arn mrs me cann interposed in a soothing tone as if she were speaking to a small refractory child but peter loves you very much sheila and he never would pe permit amit and his father and I 1 never could approve of your going on after all this with such a stain on your name be no blessing in that for him or for us it may not seem so serious to you now but the time will come when it would be serious believe me dear and the judge thinks so too the world would think very hardly of you sheila they know it if you were married or married 1 I care what the world thought sheila asserted 91 no you w now but the ti time me might come when want to marry someone else and then always be that shadow judge me mc cann and I 1 want peter to be responsible for it and peter either why but peter knows perfectly well what happe happened sheila persisted indignantly he knows that we were both as innocent as babies through the whole thing peter who appeared to be exquisitely uncomfortable cleared his throat well I 1 hate to give up my law work peter said courageously but as mother says ive never seen my uncles foundry you have to think of the appearance of things sheila mrs me cann persisted gently the appearance of evil you know how much we hear of that and you mean to say peter sheila began bewildered and stopped peter at twenty one was only a little boy after all a little boy who would be delighted to stop nis his difficult law studies and be off to a strange city and a new joo one sr laughed suddenly mirthlessly this seems very funny to me she said sheila Sh cila dear mrs me ate cann said in remonstrance and distress S you think were trying to corner you dear or to trap youl jud judge e me cann and I 1 talked this over all day yesterday almost all night last night we want to do fair to you this seemed to us the fairest thing the thing want to dol do surely surely it if you and peter are fond enough of each other to have remembered each other all these months to have made an engagement with each other only a few days before he was to have been married surely then it was na natural tural that we should think that this plan would please you both and admit that we were lying ill sheila exclaimed angrily aw sheila pull yourself together erl joe said unsympathetically dear child we were only thinking of you mrs me cann protested in a hurt voice 1 I thank you all sheila said 0 in a loud hard voice but it necessary to to sacrifice your son on my account suddenly she was shaking with rage such as she had not known since very small schoolgirl days she walked out of the room with her head up and out of the house no one attempted to stop her or if anyone did she was too blind too deaf to know it down the brownstone steps that were being gently powdered with snow she went quickly the cool pure air of the silent holiday noontime smote her hot cheeks refreshingly timid little flakes fell all about her her footsteps were softened in the thin covering of the snow at the corner she turned back looked at the street she was not being followed there was not a human being in sight instinctively she had turned toward the subway and home but on the way she passed on lington avenue a shabby sign cluttered doorway almost every obscure activity known to the business world was housed in this old building a passport photographer a stuffer of dead animals a dressmaker whose ambitious sign of modes had been crossed by a humbler notice childrens school uniforms at cost A dancing teacher had the top floor a mender of broken china was somewhere upstairs the second floor was given over to mrs famous employment bureau and against her particular sign mrs oconnor had tucked cards four box workers wanted girls good money and childs nurse wanted lovely family right near city sheila stood reading these cards her breast smoldering they were all against her the me canns and joe and ma everyone even frank had smiled as he handed her over to peter to peter who had departed from Sh eilas dreams forever who was less to her now than that casual clerk arm the office who had been waiting for listher Mis ther frank in the me canns hallway it be open on a holiday sheila reflected looking up the dank uninviting stairway that lurched toward mrs famous employment bureau heres decide it she said aloud if its open ill III try it and if I 1 dont want to do it I 1 can back out arid and anyway id have to go home for my clothes and probably ma and joed be home and not let me go but if I 1 get away this time its for good of she mounted the crazy stairway and laid her hand on the knob of the glass paneled doorway that indicated the knob turned the door opened and sheila found herself alone in a shabby spacious office with a kindly looking woman of fifty whose face instantly told her that if this was not mrs oconnor at least it might be 1 I want a job sheila said going in mrs oconnor proved to be an affectionate and encouraging person now ill tell you dear she said to sheila what did you say your name was mary moore ill tell you mary I 1 dont often keep open on holidays but ive a rush order I 1 do nothing with yesterday and ive had to put it into today theres a federation of business clubs meeting at atlantic city this week and every place down there is full youve got a reference dearie from someone that knows you your teacher or the parish priest 1 I can get it well mary take the four to atlantic city get your fare and your lunch |