Show BY 1 0 L 5 kalt 1 or 1 A AMM OKI T UGH f CHAPTER VII 14 in jerrys citadel jerry announced a sudden desire to tier her twin ovin aunts in mount blount mark dona in the southeastern part of the state sod Prud prudence enre with her usual gentle a III dingness to please acquiesced it once though with secret reluctance for jerrold Jerro lil sold said lie he could not possibly accompany them and pleaded business as a reason in all the years of their marriage age prudence had never left him without reluctance nor returned to him without joy from the hours of her earliest recollection jerry lind bad a solemn share chare of her mothers responsibility for all the aunts and for their husbands and their children childr erf their home bootee and their bank accounts had not tier mother brought them cupl up prudence had accepted jerrold jen old and jerry as it a bountiful beautiful dl aspen atlan of a generous and loving providence and in them felt only an implicit confidence and joy cut but her sisters were a fa ea cred trust accepted in all solemnity and retained with unfaltering fidelity and jerry in all things part and parcel of tier her mothers life shared deeply in that obligation almost before she could talk so when jerry said briskly by the way mother wed tetter run ran down to blount mark hark and see what those twin aunts are up to prudence could only yield carol was jerrys favorite a fact slip tried with kindly intention to conceal from the general knowledge of the family site she loved the quiet hush of carols life and found a thrill of exaltation al in the knowledge of the gentle wIdow widowhood bood that followed the riotous youth of the merriest and most mischievous ch of all the aunts the tender immersion of her entire life in that of lier her orphaned baby julia after the frivolous vanities of tier her gay girlhood seemed to terry a thing divine rally julia herself now nov grown to a moody misty eyed dream pirl girl of fourteen had bad fascinated jerry from the first and never more than at thi kimt in the it light bt of tier her new wisdom and understanding jerry looked at her keenly noted the faraway far tar away tone of tier her voice remarked the subtle depths of her dreamy eyes she shook her head ominously you keep an eye on that girl aunt carol she said warningly you xou keep an eye on julia and when carol laughed at her telling her that julia had never given her an n anxious moment in all her life that she could read her inmost soul like a printed page jerry grew only more anxious urn the kind she said bald the thing you think Is her inmost boul soul at all its just a little borrowed cloud put on to hide bide going on inside like a smoke screen jerry not nice protested julias mother julia has nothing to hide bide from anyone she Is the most honest child the least deceitful the oil it fault jerry interposed ter posed quickly dont think I 1 am criticizing julia by any means she know what going on inside her any more than you to do shell be us its touch much surprised as anybody an body one of these days and later she sold said perhaps after nil all I 1 m just born to be a gorgon lady with snaky locks to feed the fires of somebody alses talent and when her ter aunt aid not unde dundei stand and said slie she did not enjoy rid dies the she explained incomprehensibly offer this maurier maur ncr ver 1 I think mies got it poor child the divine spark I 1 it will burn tier her up prudence what in the world Is slie she talking about abou till carol turned to her ter biliter for enlightenment t eclus lien lus went on jerry moo moodily dlly ashes the he only one of the tribe that wit haa the earmarks but it sticks out all over her find and believe me aunt carol I 1 linow now tiie the syrup symptoms toms such a pretty girl too it a shame of course she Is a genius said I 1 carol complacently everybody says po BO why othes been writing rI tIng ond books avid and plays even tra tragedies gedles here everybody dies end and commits sul sill dili ever einck site she could hold it a penell 1 I 1 knew I 1 said jerry despondently 1 I relt felt it the minute I 1 looked at tier her id rattler rather have love the measles myself will well juit have to make the best of it aunt carol so try not dot tor worry abdat it if it proves too touch much for you ill back you and then site she arild nn il 1 I learned one thing the godi goda oteen to scatter their good drifts rifts with a rree free onil anil lavish land hand but I 1 tell you they payment in full for every genius a human sacrifice blood 1 I 1 tot you hearts blood I 1 A mother a over nver a somebody has to be api ed up on the altar of every talent orel looked nt at Prude prudence nep thes sues let poor child yen 7 aught lu io do 60 tonn thuie hutc tee bee bee jerry laughed dont worry about me im no genius and thank god for it im lust just a commonplace arker over of other peoples houses bouses and im glad of it and making money into the bargain but I 1 know what im talking about to keep a genius going a human buman heart must feed the sacrificial ores fires and it if im not much mistaken poor dear little julia will be calling for kindling one of these days carol and julia went with them to the country to visit lark and jim on their lovely iowa form farm larks three children jerry inspected with solicitous interest pronounced them very nice very healthy find and quite human thank god and washed her ber hands of them but she die hovered constantly over julia with a passionate pity which sent the aunts olt into peals of merry laughter and exasperated julja julia herself into seething fury it was pleasant to be in mount blount mark among the old friends la in the old home discussing old days daya and deeds with the mischievous members of 0 the parsonage family they talked of fairy und and gene they talked of connie and prince and their miraculously golden in oil the twins said bald it seemed strange that connie had remained away when jerry was in new york that she had gone so go suddenly and remained so long and when ulten she was alone with her sisters prudence sold said slowly vly you think connie was tie neglecting jerry girls in any way you see they had been talking of making that trip anyhow so I 1 just wrote and begged them to go at once and to linger as long as possible the twins stared then laughed then lightly shrugged their shoulders we might have known it was what they said but prudence protested lark when she had bad thought it over she could have made it so pleasant for jerry jerry go to be pleasant prudence defended herself she went to be free and she said herself she be free if we put her in connies condes care besides if tier lier life lay there she would have found it but if there was nothing for her in new york 1 I wonted wanted her back and ni one but jerry could find that out prudence and jerry had left des moines on the early morning train about half past six or seven at halt half past nine that same morning jerrold called duane into the office hows business he asked cheerfully fine im learning the trade from fro rn the ground up I 1 picked up four tools and a can of oil yesterday said duane prudence and jerry have gone down to mount blount mark the aunts and cousins how would you like to come up to the house find and stay with roe me in their absence I 1 can only admit with all due modesty that we have a good cook duane flushed with pleasure id like it it youre sure I 1 wont be I 1 in a the way he said with great eagerness not a bit im glad to have you the house is like a morgue without thern them they talk so much you know I 1 dont really know jerry very aery well duane explained cautious iv IF im only to in love with her all youre siye of that are you sure its not just a little infatuation that lingers on tron plane because she remains 3 recalcitrant duane shook his head im ture sure su surer than death since I 1 met pro iru dence and then on a sudden thought lie sold said you you are sure prudence will not mind t prudence suggested it my boy prudence suggested it and he added dryly when youre youie known prudence its as long as reave know that she has a nasty habit of thinking of things first they went over to the hotel at once and got duane deanea a bags and then drove out the lovely avenue toward the great house showing broad and white among the bare maples that hedged it on every title side jerrold led the way into the living room where duane had sat onee once before fore u with ith prudence and called katle katie were coin to have mr Aller allerton tun with us ug while the fam faint ilys lys away lie explained amiably NOW look after min nicely y and 11 make him comfortable and i tell uary idary ive been bragging about tier her eDri coding king mr allerton Is a a pars know nicular friend OI of ml bliss jerrys jerry you katie frilled broadly to ally 1 I know she said with the respectful friendly fa mil mili arity of long find and devoted service I 1 heard her tell you about him over the telephone both bo all ulen men laughed aue hed and duane blushed boyishly well iles lie a friend of mine any how bow SO 10 be good to him sa bald ld jerrold and mind you yon say may nothing to anyone oh no BO mr Fl armer I 1 she smiled toward duane with pleasant sympathy and curious interest jerrold took duanes bags and led the way up the wide comfortable stairs this den in the end of the hall ball Is 1 jerrys idea ha be explained indicating di the beautiful lounge at the head of the stairs she says ays it seems so ao sordid just to divide a house with a ball so presto a lounge weve built the house bouse over three times on jerrys account when she was born to make her a Dur nursery gery when she grew up to set get rid of it and the last time when somebody gave her the house beautiful for a christmas present to make the magazine look like thirty cents she says saya she did everything that the magazine made fun of just to show allow it up this Is where we hang out ne ile led the way across to the wide bright charming room he shared with prudence and duane looked about it with pleasure but jerrold frowned women are well women are certainly sometimes I 1 think I 1 dont know prudence very well but then what can you expect weve been married only twenty years dunne duane watched him laughing said nothing while jerrold stalked grimly out into jerrys stairway lounge and returned dragging with him a heavy bronze smoking ad 1 I have many bad habits jerrold went on gloomily one la Is that I 1 will smoke every morning before I 1 get up prudence approve of it so very every morning in the twenty two years A Z fri CIA to I 1 to in the confident assurance of the joyous eyes he saw jerry of our connubial bliss she has lugged my smoking stand out in the lounge where site she says it belongs and every night clug I 1 lug it back before I 1 go to bed twenty two years of it I 1 duane laughed in keen enjoyment last thin she did before she left was to trot that stand out of the bedroom knowing all the time the minute I 1 got home rd id trot it back prudence does not I 1 infer jerry elther either here bere said jerrold quickly Bl mostly the nice women dont here it seem to take in the middle west jerry did in college a few times owes for fun nil all the girls do and she told us she smoked a great deal in new york but she here we tell her not to mind you prudence says even daughters are free souls when they prow grow up ashes got a stunning little stand that some sculptor made for tier her in new york a beauty uses it tor for pins ping and then with ith that gentleness of instinct that ninde made jerrold harmer the man that prudence could adore throughout tier her life he said jerrys room across the hall go on over and have hae a look while title I 1 tell mary about dinner its very cute do do you mind blind not a bit its worth seeing we did it over to suit tier her you know in opposition to tile house beautiful ill be up in n a minute and lie he struck oil off downstairs hi blithely duane waited until a door closed behind him somewhere below and then he ie crossed quick 0 o jerrys room involuntarily lie he smiled how could ie haie bate tailed failed to 0 o recognize the incongruity of tier her gaudy black and orange surroundings in Re reillys Itell illys lys alley this room breathed of her ter it sang of her soft and warm subtly frag fragrant rant with sonie some elusive per perfume futile tie he knew instantly in spite of the presence of the two maids that jerry was expected to do her own room the wastebasket had not been emptied and lying union among the silken cushions of the day bed lay a a soft rumpled bit of lavender anti anil lace a handkerchief idly tossed and carelessly left there lie he walked talked up the three steps that led to the day bed a pretty throne like dais with inith hangings hannings hang ings of royal blue velvet and he stood beside the silk and velvet couch that served ns as a bed tor for jerry at night looking down at it lie lifted the bit of linen and lace and touched it to his lips find and smiled at his own folly telling himself he was getting to bt b it a sentimental fool there were but two photographs in the room of prudence pi and jerrold handsomely trained framed in tine and gold no countless snapshots no schoolgirl chums no penciled sketches lust just the two pictured faces he loved the best among the nuttier amber and golden articles article on oil her dres dresslar slag table lay a strand of crystal beads lightly dropped there was waa only one picture upon th clr delicately tinted walls and tola this bar ir him representing as it did the thought ot of one who bad studied art it was a great green and white ocean giant waves lushing lashing themselves into foam and spray there were built in book shelves all over the room and hundreds of books fairy tales poetry philosophy love stories wild adventures tie he smiled bt at the breadth of interest displayed by the assortment and aad looking more closely he be saw that it represented epochs new shelves having been added to accommodate conin the changing taste of increasing years there was a book of 0 poems in the window seat lying open face down ile he smiled broiled again when lie he noticed among those on the shelves tin an occasional protruding bit ot of lace or delicately colored linen obviously it was a favorite trick of jerrys to mark her place in a book with the handkerchief she was using duane was wag boyishly pleased to have discovered this trait of hers alone and unaided in her absence turning about suddenly he be lifted his eyes and started violently lie he was directly opposite the biotin rI rioting otIn ocean of green and white and saw it clearly for the first time ile ho felt abashed as though it were jerry herself white unashamed who rode the waves tetora him lie he looked away curiously confused embarrassed and then went back to it ue he stared at it studied it the slim white figure high and untrammeled on the highest wave in the confident assurance of the joyous eyes he daiv jerry jerry as he had seen tier her first firs as she stood with almee aimee glordan in carter blakes studio with the warm welcome of her youth in tier her eyes jerry thirst athirst a for adventure tor for romance ahou he be heard beard jerrold whistling on the bt airway again lie he went out quickly and closed the door that same afternoon jerrold took him out to see jerrys houses duane duana was fascinated with this phase of jerrys life ile he had bad never dreamed she could do a thing so BO clever he marveled at it rejoiced over her success as though he be were tn in some way responsible for her skill ile he asked a thousand questions about it the management the financing the profits that settles it for me he said decidedly cid edly im going to turn la in on iowa real estate ill buy up old wrecks of houses tor for a song turn them over to jerry to gild cheru with her fairy wand and well both sit back on the |