Show 14 a 0 IL 11 A RRY I 1 MC CLURE e installment FIVE the story so far kathleen maguire la is peeved her man kathleen had been kissed by a and the arrive another broth mother li Is giving a dinner tor for the new young stranger who ho fixed a flat tire tor for er alee alec out of a lob job because of 0 the urns sums whose son jaird la Is engaged to kier her ile he Is a newspaper man out ot of a depression phones he wont come then shirley her sister mrs however job her lather father Is 1 a happy go lucky to cap the climax the father brings the would like him to marry connie editor and mayor of 0 covington tom stranger ritchie graham to the dinner mays daughter of the towns town richest her brother and his wile mary etta kathleen Is annoyed CHAPTER VI continued fathers here kathleen whispered to her mother and hang on for dear life he brought a guest laura looked as if she were going to faint so kathleen added hastily but its not so bad as it sounds alee alec coming to dinner he got caught with a flat tire or something and cant make it laura did not say a word but it seemed to kathleen that for a moment her mothers face looked stricken it was too bad ot of alee alec kathleena Kath leens hands itched ditched to get at her brother she been sure that laura knew how he was wasting his time but mothers have an instinct at least laura had hello everybody mike stood on the threshold he had changed into the white linen suit laura had laid out for him and he looked as exuberant as a cowboy at his first rodeo kathleen was torn between resentment and admiration at the way he captured the citadel without even trying no one could resist mikes charm when it was hitting on all twelve cylinders he nattered flattered belle until her pudgy face lost its dour look he gave laura a grin that chased the little pucker which alee alec had left between her eyes he told tom that business was undoubtedly on the upswing and for the first time toms thin brown face lost its strained grimace even mary ettas bristles relaxed when mike assured her that she looked more like a black and white etching than ever he slipped his arm around shirley while he talked to jaird and shirley leaned against her father gratefully as if she needed steadying he complimented ted blake on being one of the few men who had known when to come in out of the economic rain furious as she was with him kathleen had to grin at the way mike simply wound them all up and made them dance to his tune he priceless whispered laura kathleen nodded helplessly mike regarded her with a cocked eyebrow he was perfectly well aware of her displeasure but bu t he also felt entirely equal to it ka kathleen th never had been able to nurse a lean grievance against her father and he knew it nevertheless she did not return the debonair grin with which he approached her still sore kits she looked away because it was difficult to glower when mike want you to j yes slie sh e said shortly he chuckled hes a little bit of au all right that graham says youl you snapped kathleen glaring across the room where tom and ritchie were enthusiastically conden condemning ining any big city as the most awful place on earth to live while mary etta looked scornful personally she observed id rather die of frazzled nerves from traffic jams than rust to death in a poky country town yes said tom you would you and nine hundred thousand other speed and jazz maniacs ritchie glanced from one to the other 1 I could bear it if I 1 never heard another street car he admitted but then I 1 just happen to prefer crickets to night club crooners and im fed up with being elbowed id even like to watch the moon rise once without being told by some flat footed policeman to step on it and then hulda announced that dinner was served and mike presented his arm to mrs with a flourish that brought a pleased simper to her pursed mouth kathleen realized that she was practically forced on ritchie graham for a dinner partner he had until then ignored her and even aft after er they were seated at the table he continued his heated argument with mary etta kathleen had been prepared to squelch him the moment he opened his mouth but it was a little littie unsettling when he appeared to have forgotten her existence she talked elaborately to blake and fumed inwardly and wished she were less aware of the arrogant black head of the man to her left it help her temper any that the rest obviously found hini him attractive even laura smiled when he told about being ordered to move on by a dumb traffic cop the day he stopped in st louis to view the sphinx on the top of the civil courts building which he had driven tour four hundred miles to see 1 I tell you he insisted the big city is death to individuality or initiative tia tive kids grow up warned to keep off the grass forbidden to touch the flowers in the park herded like cattle in pens on the way to the slaughterhouse and at twenty or younger they develop into first class gangsters and thugs my god how can they help it sixteen years ago said mike 1 I told the editor of a chicago newspaper he could take his old job and jump into the lake with it because I 1 was done with being pulled about like a monkey on a chain ritchie gave him a frankly envious glance do you know the last newspaper assignment I 1 had the one that made me finally decide to cut all holds they wanted me me as had thought I 1 was a red blood hemans he mans reporter to go out to a society horse show and report on the sort of riding breeches the local debutantes were wearing riding breeches I 1 ask you especially those belonging to the knock kneed daughter of the local beer baron he spends a million a year advertising ver get the picture I 1 wrote up the damned show and I 1 put in the beer barons daughter knock knees and all and I 1 slipped it by the city editors desk and got it printed just the way I 1 wrote it I 1 called her the pretzel legged princess of suda and then I 1 jumped town before the earthquake mike roared it was exactly the sort of thing he might have done mikes laughter was always contagious everybody shared in his mirth everybody but kathleen she surveyed the young man beside her with disdainful eyes that were as red brown as her rebellious curls and so now youre touring the wide open spaces where a man can 1117 1 I 1 p Z ar ff L she surveyed the young man beside her with disdainful eyes be his own man she observed in a low and decidedly acid voice ritchie graham regarded her through narrowed lazy gray eyes 1 I was touring he amended her heart missed a beat you dont mean youre settling here why not its a nice little town small enough 6 for a fellow to have a few hon honest est to god friends big enough not to starve to death looking for a restaurant we bachelors have to eat you know you looked dad up because I 1 said id never see you again you wrong me A guy in new york gave me a letter to your father he seemed to think mike would be swell for what ails me sorry to prick the bubble of your conceit he drawled you are calling me conc conceited conceita eite dl gasped kathleen she was conscious conscious again of a devastating desire to puncture his abominable cocksureness listen she said passionately you may look like dark clark gable and maybe a thousand girls have told you so but you dont register with me you from the first and anyway she added what could you do for a living here or are you rich as well as handsome and a lady killer he flushed no im not rich and im not a lady killer believe it or not women and I 1 get along swell apart and my face is not my fortune thank god if you must know im free lancing doing a series of articles which ill probably never sell doing them exactly as I 1 please and your fathers giving me desk space in his office for a negligible sum and the stimulation of my society I 1 understand you come down every day to do the society column so ill be seeing you 1 I dont believe be happy here she said in a funny quiver voice dont you kathleen her name was like music on his lips A wild sweet song that strained at her heart A little blindly kathleen turned away from the urgency 0 of f his eyes no she said very distinctly CHAPTER VII at the other end of the table laura regarded her younger daughter she thought kathleen had never looked prettier there was a flame in her cheeks and stars in her eyes and something new in the curve of her mouth something shy and uncertain of itself lauras heart gave an odd knock and she leaned a little forward for a better view of the young man whom mike had brought to dinner at first laura had been inclined to think him too handsome if anything it had not been her experience that beauty in the male is always an asset but on closer inspection spec tion she decided that ritchie graham did not take his good looks very seriously he had a trick of drawing down the corners of his wide mouth in a derisive grin which no man ever acquired from practice before a mirror she suspected he was vainer of his principles than of his disturbing gray eyes but they were disturbing laura glanced again at kathleen it came to the mother with a pang that her baby was growing up tip its only that ashes so vulnerable laura excused herself such an intense inflammable impulsive young thing so completely at the mercy of her emotions you work dont you mrs maguire laura came to herself with a start belle had flung the question at mary etta with a supercilious smile laura suppressed a groan it was like belle to discover something to be hoity doity about tom went a little white but mary etta accepted the challenge with enthusiasm she always carried a chip on her shoulder and welcomed any opportunity to defend it yes mrs she said in her clear high strung voice im one of these working wives you hear so much about my mother thought a womans comans place was in the home so she bore five children and washed and cooked and scrubbed and died at thirty one because she was too tired to go on living and my father married again a young woman who hated us kids so he let hr her push us out to take care of ourselves as soon as possible I 1 made up my mind then id never be submerged by any man tom stared fixedly at his plate of course bridled mrs ive always said a man has no right to a wife he cannot afford she looked at jaird who was gazing at shirley but shirleys shirleye Shir leys lovely reserved face did not change in expression tom was looking at mary etta almost as if he hated her good heavens thought laura with a constricted strict ed heart they say things like that to each other words leave wounds wounds which laura feared neither of them would ever get over 1 I can understand a woman demanding more out of life than just a share in some mans possible failure put in jaird suddenly he smiled wryly 1 I guess we men have a crust to expect women to hang around the edges of things waiting for a guy who will probably in in the end turn out to be just another crumb his mother gave him a fond smile darling she said indulgently it if you are referring to the fact you as yet made any startling progress toward a future you must remember how young you are jairis clean cut profile sharpened and his blue eyes looked a little haggard im old enough to hate being wet nursed he muttered under his breath but shirley heard she did not lift her eyes she could however see jairis clenched hand quiver on the edge of the table beside her it was no news to shirley that jaird was goaded almost to the breaking point it seems to me announced kathleen in dogmatic tones that if a woman has any sense she will pick her a desirable husband first and fall fail in love with him afterward mike sniggered ered and kathleen scowled at him Is that how you intend to do it inquired ritchie graham with an amused laugh yes said kathleen thickly if you ask me its all phooey chooey this love racket and letting it make a screaming idiot of you im sure id hate being some mans domestic slave just for the sake of a few kisses they always seem to dry up after the honeymoon you noticed and then where are you for a gob of romance only the romance has gone to seed or petered out or som something ething but youve got to go on slaving slav ing i for friend husband because its a life sentence not necessarily remarked tom dryly and looked at mary etta theres always reno 1 I laura felt as it if the words hatli had bruised her but mary etta merely shrugged thank heaven chuckled mike 1 I pay for a divorce it if laura wanted one its just another one of these newfangled gadgets have to do without old lady TO BE CONTINUED |