Show LE Q Q way my Q Q service copyright by the th babbs merrill co L J L CHAPTER V continued 5 ashes lying down and the cains asleep too can I 1 go slide geoff does miss bliss nona let you course she lets met me well be careful then and come back before cynthia gets home or ill catch thunder for telling letting you go go the young man admonished her he returned to his book and forgot all about the child presently the front door banged cary probably or tenny back from her sliding it was too early for cynthia Ijo however wever it was slie she geoff sprang to his feet and went forward to meet her anything wrong are you sick he be asked just tired elsie said shed hold the fort for the rest of the day and let me come home where is everi everybody body your mother Is upstairs lying down I 1 have it on good authority that the captain Is asleep tennys out sliding tennys 1 ennys out slie she paused in her task of removing her gloves who told her she might go how long has she been out has she her gallie galoshes galos hes on she inquired A sense of guilt began to pervade mind he remembered their talk at red rock take lake how bow tenny must be guarded from colds cynthia want to slay me for this I 1 told her she might go I 1 see any reason why she go every kid goes sliding when it snows P she wasted no words in discussion where did she say ray she was going she say oh what a dumbbell I 1 was not to hane ble asked her but the she was all wrapped up he be said eagerly she had on her heavy coat and red cap cal for answer cynthia went to the closet beri beneath cath the stairs and brought out tennys small galoshes galos hes this snow Is wet as wading in water she said in a frightened voice tenny had on those thin little slippers she wears in the house she slipped on the coat she ehe had just taken off and turned her hand baud on the doorknob door knob ill go south you yon go north look at all the side streets if you find her pick her up and carry her dont let her walk in this snow geoff dashed madly down the street in the direction cynthia had indicated ills his remorse knew no bounds shell probably get pneumonia and die he assured himself with exaggerated pessimism why I 1 think about galoshes galos hes why I 1 ask her where she was going why did I 1 let her go at all he scoured the neighborhood for blocks around without sal niall at last dis heartened by his bis failure he returned to the house the first sound be heard when he opened the front door was tennys laugh he bounded up the stairs and found the little girl glowing from a bath wrapped in a woolly robe and tucked into bed with an electric pad at her feet listening enraptured to gary cary who was telling one ot of his funniest stories youre a fine one hiss bliss montague geoff exclaimed his relief going to his head like wine where were you id like to know I 1 she laughed again 1 I know myself cynthia found me it was snowing so hard and I 1 got lost and the sled go at all and my feet were sopping and then cynthia came along and carried me home carried you youl I 1 CA cnthia anthia hla she came staggering in with this young lady over her shoulder like a bale ofray cary put in wheres cynthia geoff demanded straightening up the bathroom after the recent ablutions I 1 imagine cary answered geoff made his way rapidly down the hall to the bathroom through r ou 1 the pen apen conr lie he saw cynthia he lier r wet et skirts clinging to her stooping to pick up tennys small garments and she reeled a little as geoff watched her look here bere I 1 you must get those wet clothes off at once Is there no one in this house houe who looks after you he demanded roughly carrying Carril ng that heavy child heaven alone knows how far coming in and putting her to bed without changing your clothes cynthia you any sense at all I 1 slie she looked at him vaguely 1 I think thes all right now I 1 dont think shell take cold she answered for answer lie he pushed her down on a low chair and began removing her soaked shoes im going to turn the water on in that tub and if you dont want me to put you in lie he threatened all right ill do it myself she answered smiling but still with that new and alarming vagueness he went down to find miss migs nona and at once bhe was wag in a flutter of maternal anxiety slie she brought ayn thias bathrobe to her insisted that ole elie have harp her dinner in bed it was a dAnio titi arp irele met at dinner geoff had been asleep about two im m hen lie anas awakened bv bj it i swin l harsh hoarse culi cough ile he sat up thial thinking drig instantly THE STORY FROM THE OPENING CHAPTER business Busl nea taking him to denver geoffrey ensloe young chemical engineer takes take up his residence with bit bis mothers girlhood friends friend they teem a happy carefree f family capiali cary miss nona aylesbury the captains captain daughter cary thoughtless thought ler though likable youngster little tomay tenny montague yue motherless who lve lovon with the carys and cynthia geoff finds find himself very much at home though cynthia puzzles him she is apparently against the wih of her family running a gift shop hop and astonishes geoff by the suggestion that he pay board money to her unknown to her mother he though much mystified myall fied garys carys specialty seems em to be securing and losing jobs coupled with financial extravagance which cynthia openly resents geoff becomes prejudiced against the girl for her seeming penuriousness A talk with Cynt hias assistant isis taint at the gift shop the odds and ends end sets geoff wondering about the financial condition of the aylesbury family of tenny the child had caught cold after all alit how worried cynthia would be with the thought of cynthia came the realization that the sound which had waked him proceeded from Cynt hias room in a minute he had donned bathrobe and slippers and was tapping at her door when she did not answer he went in cynthia was tossing restlessly about on the pillows her checks were scarlet with fever now and then she gme gave that hoarse distressing cough it took tooh but a moment to wake ilass nona another to learn the name of the family doctor and summon him by telephone cary and the captain were aroused and came to offer their services it was geoff and miss nona however who carried out the doctors instructions geoff proved of such value alue as a nurse that when toward morning it became evident that cynthia was seriously ill it vas nas to him that doctor bigham confided the fact that she must be taken at once to a hog hospital pital 1 I could get nurses here of course the physician said thong thoughtfully lit fully but be easier to have bane her in the hos pital besides I 1 want to get her away from here ashes been under a terrific strain for two years why some of you see it he said irritably Is more than I 1 can understand for two years now ashes carried a load that would test the endurance of an ox you tou mean the gift shop geoff asked 1 I mean everything doctor bigham said largely look here ayn thias conscious or partly so and ashes worrying about something slie she calls her household budget ive promised take it oft off her hands run it the way she does that all right geoff gealt looked startled you tou must mean the shop miss nona looks after the house she does nothing of the kind ayn thias the purse holder in this family and with reason as soon find out now just step into her room he went on briskly and make her understand der stand that youre prepared to pay all bills order what needs to be ordered that kind of thin thing I 1 cant have her worried about such trifles geoff hesitatingly approaching ayn thias bed was startled at the change in her the blue eyes seemed sunk far hack back in her head her lips were fever dry she breathed with difficulty and when she saw geoff and tried to speak she began to cough dont talk he entreated 1 I just came in to say that be all right cynthia youre n not ot to worry ill keep track of expenses out of our own money she whispered you tou wont use any of your own to pay the bills 1 I wont use any of mine I 1 prom ho 3 for answer he pushed her down on a low chair and began removing her soaked shoes ise he told her wondering a little at this request she seemed satisfied and dozed oft off and geoff gealt tiptoed out put to consult the doctor look here I 1 you let me in for I 1 dont know anything about the Avles burys financial affairs I 1 dont know what their income Is elsie dunsmore can tell you doctor bigham said absently they live on what cynthia makes at the shop geoff stared at him doctor you must be mista mistaken keril the physic physicians lans quick ire rose 1 I must must I 1 I 1 suppose I 1 called when the captain lost not only all his own money but what was left of ayle burys 1 I suppose I 1 called to look after miss bliss nona then cynthis cynthia earn came home from college what I 1 of course cary and miss bliss nona between them had run through what little there was left cary wrote cynthia and she gave up her college work and came home borne opened the odds and ends with what her father left her with tennys board and yours I 1 suppose geoff nodded with that and the profits from rom the shop Cynt hias kept them all going somehow but the captains royalties mr estate geofry headway head was in his hands his eyes were haggard those royalties amount to about eight or ten dollars a month ayles burys estate cynthia keeps up a polite fiction that its invested in her shop but just to soothe miss bliss nonas feelings but she miss anna the captain too always talking as it if they wanted cynthia to give up the shop as it if it was a whim on her part of course its soothing to the captains pride to believe that he has plenty of money and that the gift shop is a fad of Cynt hias so he does believe it but miss bliss nona the doctor shrugged rugged sli money means nothing in her life A pretty sweet mannered woman but about as practical as a pink morning glory ile he rose the ambulance now im putting you in charge at this end of the line rem remember emberl 1 ill look after cynthia you look after Cynt hias family CHAPTER VI Cynt hias family 1 that sunday lingered in geolas memory for many a long day if I 1 gone sliding and I 1 slide because the snow was too wet would cynthia not have got sick tenny demanded her small face white with anxiety geoff took her on his lap and gave her a detailed explanation cynthia caught cold yesterday hunting you true he said but doctor elgham says it have hurt her it if she been so tired from working in the shop you tou to blame tenny the thing weve got to do Is to keep this house running till cynthia Is well again chos going to plan the meals tenny was a practical child meals why miss nona of course good heavens you dont mean cynthia always plans em cm and she gives marguerite just enough money to pay for the days supplies because if you buy things in quantity for a colored person they waste em cm 11 geoff could detect all too clearly ayn thias pronouncement in this echo ills his fears proved to be well grounded marguerite appeared soon after dinner notebook note book and pencil in hand miss nona say you gwine run the house mist geoff she remarked miss cynthia she plan monday meals ton foh I 1 go oft off on sunday afternoon good lord loidl I 1 geoff recoiled from the task presented to him cant miss nona look after that part of it marguerite shook her head dolefully miss bliss cynthia say not dot we all git in debt head over heels libels when miss nona housekeep well you do it then miss cintala say I 1 aint got no sease sense atall a tall bout ordering well geoff took a turn up and down the dining room hands bands to in his bis trousers pockets lill ill tell you he suggested brightly have just the same tomorrow that lou aou did today and let me see the bills give me a little idea of what things cost chicken today cause hits sunday gunday we all dont have chicken on weekday s 11 oh the devil geoff glared at marguerite and she looked back at him highly diverted very well ile he drew a chair up to the table squared his elbows and applied himself to the notebook ill name all the varieties of meat I 1 ever heard of and you can advance objections it if any to them cutlets veal or lamb ile he sighed there were N wheels heels N within ith wheels in this meal ineal planning business no wonder Cynt hias eyes wore a faraway far away look most of the time lamb he said at a venture marguerite offering no objection to lamb cutlets he continued all right were started at any rate now about vegetables an dessert he was reminded an lunch an stables stables yes sir allstar geon geoff flour an soap an lard an sich she added kindly by the time his task was wag done and marguerite had departed with her notebook note book geoff was thoroughly exhausted moreover he realized that this was not a single heroic task taik to be performed but one which would occur dally daily and I 1 used to wonder what made cynthia so worn out he mused as lie went upstairs in search of cary look here he said without preamble 1 I suppose you know what doctor bluham has let me in for I 1 its darned good of aou QU too gary cary said warmly 1 I dont know what vied ned have done if you volunteered 1 I volunteer not so notice it was the grim response but since I 1 seem to be let in tor for it ill have to get the lowdown low down on the facts how much does cynthia run this house on you ton cant prove it by me C cary ary said stretching a languid hand for his package of cigarettes have one you see she takes a certain sum each month from the shops earnings and with your board and tennys she pays cash for everything haie to watch miss nona he be went on a affably fra bly if site she gets half a chance shell charge things what N hat balled us up while cynthia was at college we had a housekeeper before dad died then everything went to smash except his insurance and the money he left cn thin and me ile he left you something then sure each of us five thousand dollars miss nona had the insurance enough to live on the rest of her life too he added thoughtfully what happened to it well you see miss bliss nona simply ran riot shed never had that much money to spend before when the ready cash was gone she began charging things and the first thing I 1 kne know IV collectors were clustered thick as flies files on the doorsteps it was a dickens of a mess I 1 geoffr expression was rather grim then what 1 I wrote cynthia and she took the first train home gave up her college cary rolled astonished eyes at him what else was nias there for her to do I 1 know anything about running the house 1 I see geoff thought he was beginning to see indeed and what did cynthia do when she came back started the shop it seemed to me a lot simpler for her to use her money to pay the bills and quiet things down her money what about yours cary grinned ayou think I 1 could hold on to five thousand for more than two years man it went so fast I 1 hardly got a glimpse of it as it passed from my hand to others cynthia started the odds and ends and she went to miss nonas creditors and explained that shed pay something every month if give her time you believe how nearly ashes out of debt he finished complacently garys carys casual aloof air of detachment from his mothers financial problems was staggering to geoff little by little his first picture of the aylesbury family was changing in that cynthia a tyrannical penurious little figure had ha d been etched sharply against a background of kindly gentle charming people ale who bo loed her in spite of her difference from themselves ies now he saw her as a care careworn worn sworn girl spending her youth in an effort to discharge her foolish mothers debts kee keeping P ing sharp watch of the irresponsible cary exacting board from visitors who planned to stay a year endeavoring deavo ring to put mr Mont Blont agues check to the best use uc before miss nona spent it tor for |