| Show 0 Q li Q Q may by Er aHr W 80 1 Q 2 copyright by the bobbs sterrill co CHAPTER I 1 11 the cary house this must be the housel house 1 geoff ensloe thought alighting from the tail and stopping before the gated gate here was the double pointed iron fence enclosing the large yard here were the two stone lions guarding the front steps lions on whose broad backs G 0 ars frs mother and little nona cary had d r ridden some thirty years ago there at the left was the garden with the antlered deer one kneeling on delicate forelegs fore legs the other standing haughtily erect time had bad been at work upon the impressive length of their antlers anglers but otherwise they were just as mrs ensloe had described them by george theres the identical marble lady pouring water vater from the two handled jug on her shoulder how I 1 loved to hear bear about that fountain when I 1 was six and had bad scarlet fe fever er he had reason to remember that illness since it gave him more of his mothers attention than he had enjoyed before or since sirs ensloe was not as she herself frankly admitted the maternal type of woman she loved her clever husband with at al her heart and soul and its as his profession of che chemical engineer carried him to all parts of the world she hart had gone with him leaving geoff at first in the care of his grandmother then as he grew older at various schools and summer camps john ensloe was dead now and geoff was following in his fathers professional footsteps mrs ensloe however did not suggest accompanying him to denver where he was to spend a year in laboratory work before returning to take his fa fathers place in the new york fork firm instead she settled down to finish the book on properties and uses of hydrofluoric acid which her husband had begun and which his bis publishers considered could be completed satisfactorily by his widow you tou must look up the carys in denver she told geoff tile the ayles burys I 1 suppose I 1 should call them now only captain cary Is left I 1 used to visit nona cary every summer when I 1 was a child her father had large mining interests there and my father had business with him 1 I know said geoff nave have you forgotten how you used to tell me about the big house and the lions and the lady in the garden I 1 even know that there was a blackheart cherry tree brick back of the house and you and nona made yourselves sick one year eating them his mother looked amused id forgotten id told you all that I 1 always intended to go back and see nona after I 1 married or have hae her come on here I 1 always remember to send cynthia a birthday gift each year site she added hastily geoff grinned at her ton remember who was it reminded you last month and went down neth you to select the gift A corkin corking jade dinner ring it was As a godmother he reproached aier you leave something to be desired As a mother too perhaps she he said quietly though I 1 must sa say y youve rather thriven under neglect nona cary now nona A av lesbury alesbury les bury I 1 mean will fulfill all your dreams of nn an adoring maternal parent shell rugs fuss over ou pet you worry about you if your little finger aches she was a perfect little mother even when we were children together you talk as it if you expected me e to sted live with her ber geoff inter interested in this implication did not heed the faint bitterness in his mothers tone it might be a good thing for everybody concerned slie she answered 1 I rather imagine tile the Ayles burys burva are having a hard time financially captain cary was never a business man lie he inherited his wealth from his father mho alio came from virginia and made a fortune in his old age I 1 belle hellece e nonas husband put ills his own money in with the captains and when he died sir mr AIes alesbury bury I 1 mean it seems to me there was some sort of financial crash your father and I 1 were in spain slie site stopped slopped abruptly her eyes dark with mer memories nories geoff however was very much occupied with the present 1 I hope you committed me to living with them there was alarm in ills his voice the alarm of a young man who has bad rueful ex experience per lence with ambitious mothers of 0 pretty young daughters site she shrug shrugged aged Is it likely youve managed your own own affairs for a great masy years now but I 1 know you hate hotels and boarding houses and the cary place used to be delightful mrs birs aylesbury went back to it when tier her husband died oh she khe neer left it her rather father insisted that bhe and mr aylesbury moe right in with him sirs cary had been dead for years and the house is big enough to hold leeral families families nona has fins two children a son about lur dour age and cynthia ayn I 1 ahlas younger she like ilke hl mother lifted tier her heavy oye eye troas ware cynthia if sties like tier her mother ashes pretty and appealing and nd learned to flirt in her cradle how flow long did you say be in denver geoffr eyebrows lifted in imitation of her own he had caught the trick from tier her when he was an adoring small boy and had never dever lost it 1 I told you he said mildly A year perhaps longer it depends on how well I 1 stick to business and learn what im there for less than a year then she said with some dryness you work like a tiger I 1 wonder why the idle question betrayed how little understanding she had of the fierce ambition which had whipped him hial along for years to be as brilliantly successful sf ua its as ills his father had been to command his mothers respect her ad mi ration to stand at last on an even footing with her who had been the idol of ills his boys heart tills this had been the goal toward which lie he had been working through long months and years of study and now that he was vas within sight of that goal now that he had met his mother as an adult instead of a child he asked himself uneasily if it had bad ideen been worth while after all nis ills clear young eyes saw her now as she was a woman suddenly deprived of all that had made life worth while to her getting through the rest of her days as best she could having an affectionate interest in her son but never rising 7 to those heights of companionship and understanding of which he bad dreamed so long iong lie was remembering this conversation now dow as he stood outside the carys yard there was a little girl in there he saw jumping rope she had heavy dark hair cut in an egyptian bob big black ees a thin little heart shaped face and long iong thin arms and legs she wore a handsome linen frock which was none too clean a pair of blue silk socks and patent leather slippers her bare knees were scratched and grimy As geoff laid tits ids hand on the gate she come came toward him still jumping I nello lello he said with his friendly grin does mrs aylesbury live etere the child nodded and cynthia and caan and marguerite 1 geoff shook his head reprovingly nener neer give out more information than you have hae to he instructed her its extravagant and be besides bides in these days of kidnapers she skipped closer and regarded him with interest late rost are you a kidnaper 1 I dont know yet ill tell you later when rm im better acquainted with you Is mrs aylesbury at home she nodded never ceasing her rhythmical motion you can unlatch the gate yourself cant you I 1 have to jump all the way up to the front steps and I 1 have to be careful about cracks step on SV I 1 I 1 I 1 0 k D 11 ell ID r u 30 4 I 1 4 its not the house she panted its Cynt cynthia hial a crack and break your an others back only I 1 got any mother she said cheerfully too bad no it t she was growing short of breath and fadd her words came with short spaces between if I 1 did have id have to live with tier her geoff was quick to catch her meaning you like it so well here welt well I 1 rather like the looks of 0 the house myself the child shook tier her bead and the dark mop of 0 her hair swung forward to be ba impatiently swung back again geoff watched her a little anxiously it seemed a long tl tier her to keep up that jumping its not the house two usel I 1 she panted its cynthia look here berel I 1 lie he put an arresting hand on tier her small shoulder dont jump any more now W weve e ove come to the foot of the steps im going to jump up them its cay basyl I 1 she essayed the first one the rope and stumbled geoff caught her in his bib arms she I laughed and rested against him contentedly cynthia said sahl not to try them vown I 1 ins thred she ald to ailt alt wid take eni nhen N hen I 1 wis varich cynthia was right you may tell her I 1 said so he be remarked affably Cynt hias always right you dont tell me miss bliss jumping jill site she laughed joyously jumping till jill a lovely name 11 tell cynthia now watch me jump the steps the rope flashed in a quick are arc the childs slippers rose anil and fell geoff to be out of tier her way went up the eight steps which led to the porch and stood waiting for tier her there near the door stood a table and lie he had an opportunity for a quick survey surrey of what it held A bit of dainty sewing the needle quilted carefully into the filmy stuff a book on amateur photography its pages held field open by a half eaten apple a sample budget book issued by a national firm a line drawn through the printed figures and penciled ones substituted a roller skate with its strap broken a pair of tor tolse rimmed spectacles a fountain pen with its cap off and a handkerchief on which someone recently and very copiously had had nosebleed nose bleed the spectacles belong to captain cary geoff mused the skate and the handkerchief cause and effect v are the childs the sewing done by b y a pretty girl and the book indicates a camera complex on young garys carys part the budget book and the apple miss bliss jumping jill interrupted tills this exercise of his bis deductive powers she flung herself upon him again gasping but triumphant 1 I 1 did it I 1 miss a single one good for you geoff took out his it handkerchief and mopped her hot face what ayou say we call it a day on tills this jumping business run no walk wo wont wt you in and tell mrs aylesbury that geoff Ens loes come to call a funny name she said impersonally in P erso nally mines tenny tenny tenny Alon montague tague lie he held out his hand band and she slipped her own small one in it mighty glad to know you Tent tenny ly som 1 I 1 I mean im glad to know you ill go and tell miss bliss nona now you better walt wait here she hashed flashed into the house geoff could hear bear her feet crossing the parquet floor inside then dying away into silence geoff waiting for tenny to return lost himself in admiration of the glorious view it was his first visit to colorado and he found its heady air its dreamlike vistas its sharp contrasts interesting so enthralled was he with what he saw that it was with a start he realized that nearly ten minutes had elapsed since the child disappeared lie he rang the bell and though he could hear its tinkle far in the back of the house no one appeared to answer it at last he walked boldly around the porch to where the veranda ceased with two shallow steps down to the grass at a little distance a group of people were clustered beneath an apple tree the tall sweet faced gray haired woman must be nona aylesbury his mothers friend geoff thought the old man with the beautifully brushed white hair and the mustache and imperial was captain cary tenny was N as there also a negro woman they were all bending over something that lay on the ground geoffr footfalls were inaudible on the grass and lie he cleared tits his throat to make his presence known ENery everybody body turned in his direction and tenny ran forward remorsefully 1 I forgot I 1 went to find miss bliss nona and she was out here geoff interrupted her im geoff ensloe mrs aylesbury Ailes bury my lily mother lie he saw that there were tears eyes she brushed them away quiet unaffectedly and smiled at him eunice Hani son my dear boy welcome both her hands were held out to him film and nhen geoff took them she held up her face very simply tor for ills his kiss As he stooped his tall head bead a little glow warmed hla his heart here was a welcome Inde indeed eill 1 father tills this Is 19 eunice hamptons Ham boy you toil remember eunice eanice captain cary was equally cordial glad to see you boy 1 remember your mother I 1 should think I 1 do remember herl loved her ber almost as much as I 1 did my own daughter here I 1 what good fortune brings you to denver before lie could explain sirs mrs aylea bury touched his arm her eyes again filling with tears geoff see seel do you think you could do anything for him P on the grou ground irad and partly hidden by the stooping colored woman lay a cocker span spaniel lel the dogs throat was badly torn and geoltz experienced eyes told him that the little animal was near its end lie ile knelt and made a quick examination done for im afraid he salt said regretfully gret fully its a shame to lot let him suffer stiffer llla this have you a gun in the house she paled and hid her face in her hands geoff gealt heard a stilled stifled murmur or of clithia captain cary turned away tits his nose loudly on the white silk handkerchief he pulled from his pocket it was tenny her black eyes enormous to in her white face who answered geoff garys carys got a gun I 1 up in his room IU ill go get it not by a long shot he told her show me where it Is and ill get it IL lie paused to say significantly over his bla shoulder to the captain if take her around by the front sir P so geoff ensloe found himself entering the gary cary house for the first time by way of the kitchen following tenny through a maze ranze of pantries and halls and up tip the wide stairway to the second floor heres garys carys room his guide said flinging open a door ue lie keeps it la in liia ills dresser drawer ill show you geoff pocketed the gun stay up here for a little while tenny she swallowed im going to does does it just have to be done it has to be done its the kindest thing tenny he added she nodded and putting her hands to her ears ran away to her own loom A few minutes later when the little dogs troubles were over and geoff was digging beneath the apple tree with it a spade with which the cook had supplied him tenny red eyed but quiet appeared a handsome silk shawl hung over tier her arm miss bliss nona wants you to wrap hadji hadel up in this she said keeping tier her eyes averted from the tangle of black hair on the ground she says Cynt hias dog be buried without something to wrap him in Is it Cynt hias shawl geoff took the heavily fringed thing in his hands it seems rather a shame no its miss bliss nonas you see she thinks its her fault hadji got hurt theres a new police dog next nest door and cynthia said to keep hadji shut up while that dog was out and miss bliss nona forgot and let hadji out she says sties afraid of what cynthia will say when nhen she comes home i your cynthia appears to have the entire household pretty well in subjection jec tion was geoffr comment all right tenny run back into the house and ill he be with you in a afew few minutes minutes his bis hands in the old fashioned bathroom to which the coote cook showed him geoff joined the others in one of the double parlors below ills his eyes roved delightedly about the room old persian rugs lay upon the polished floor true the wallpaper was dingy and there were spots on the ceiling where water had leaked through the enamel of the woodwork had yellowed with age and the brocade cade curtains in front of the long iong windows showed many a skillful darn but geoff thought it all the more charming for these evidences of shabbiness they spelled permanency to him years ot of home life going on in one place rooms which had been the scene of laughter and tears hopes and the bitterness of defeat and disappointment im so grateful to you about mrs aylesbury said softly |
