Show i 11 DAUGHTER I 1 CW it 1 I 1 by bv ethel etbel hueston i I 1 WU service I 1 j 17 copyright by the dobbs bobbs merrill co THE BIG IDEA SYNOPSIS PART onn ONE at a merry party in the studio apartment of carter blake new york jerry gereldine Gerald Geril dine lne harmer pru dencell daughter meets duane allerton wealthy idler lie he admires her tremendously and she likes him but allerton gets a bit with unfortunate results jerry resenting ht ahli assumption of familiarity leaves the party abruptly the I 1 he story turns turna to jerry jerri s childhood antl and youth at her home lit in des moines only child of a wealthy fattier father when she la Is twenty she feels the call of art and asks her par el los to let her go eo to new york f for r study with some misgiving they agree to her going in Nework new york jerry makes her homo home with a mrs delaney mimi an actress who with theresa a painter occupies the house jerry jeny takes an immediate to theresa theres a who Is talented and eccentric and the two become it 11 fi lends jerry now devotes herself to theresa who returns her liking jerry poses tor for ther asas masterpiece the ocean rider allerton calls on jerry the girl refuses to see him at a hotel dinner jerry sees duane and Is conscious of ahli admiration but refuses to change her attitude toward him jerry beco codies lies convinced the she has hag not the ability to become an artist at a party jerry again sees duane and will not recognize him theresa hints that jerry should go eo home borne and promises tier her a 1 present pr chent returning from froin an evening of gaiety gayety jerry Is shocked at hearing aiom allme she 1 also learis leans that alleif la Is theresaa The mother the present theresa had promised jerry pro ea to be her picture the ocean rider jerry decides to go EO homo home at home site alio la Is enthusiastically welcomed welcome by tier her adoring parents she ahe wins their with the stories of tier her now new york life alfo CHAPTER II 11 10 jerry comes into her own jerry seemed to settle again into the routine of everyday every day dav life in tier lier middle western home without change she alia shared r ed in I 1 n alie work of the house as slie site had doie before she went to new york brae practiced tier her music rend read a great deal dea oad and drove out very often in the lie little harmer which wits was her personal po possession I 1 sies slon her return was lulled will it great lavishness of celebration on the lie part of 0 tier her fir lends for slie site hod had long been a leader in tile the particular little set site claimed as hers immediately site elie was made the oc occasion caslon for a gny gay series of dances dinners and parties little flirtations inconsequent till lil aff alres which haid had faded away and died upon her departure struggled scrugg aled hack back into a semblance of rejuvenation on tier her return and althous 1 0 they failed to stir jerry to active interest lit at least they placed their part in whiling away tile the hours and helping to occupy her thoughts which ale eftie not happy ones for tile lie most part even with so much to amuse and engage tier her the days passed slowly and jerry for nil the demands on oil tier her time remained dist distrait rift and pled almost listless and prudence drove herself well nigh to distraction in tier her maternal mat ernil anxiety to bridge lie dangerous chasm between times past and times present lint but all in vain she blie racked tier her fertile brain for things to stimulate jerrys interest oil oft my lily dear you taught might me to ilance dance for nearly two years Is she it exclaimed one night in the extreme of desperation jerrold and jerry broke into laugh ter over tier her abject submission to in martyrdom for tier lier daughters sake finke for prudence found in dancing noth ing but punishment and tribulation married life for her lint lind been an intricate matter at best having baving as site she did the sacred shadow of methodism fora for or a t background the church itself had bud been the first shadow to cloud the heaven of their domestic bar harmony mony church to prudence meant methodist and jerrold in the ardor of tits his young love attended services with her in the beginning with some fair display of interest ills his enthus enthusiasm lasin however was waa for prudence only not for the church of her she irked hilti ted him how he be liked it tie he sold said oh very much to please prudence after n time growing suspicious dous as ai to the depth or of this interest site she pressed him further jerrold admitted at list that lint us as fur far as tie lie was con berned corned he considered it no church at all no real mil worship no divine service prudence was shocked into ness rut but jerrold jen old hard driven t tuck to his ground ile he said the lie w wily tile methodists ts clubbed about tile lie door and chatted tind and laughed was vasi ills ideis fleit of rank irreverence and foin foia preacher preach tr to get down on oil tits ills knees in iho pulpit and talk in that offhand and familiar fashion to the divine being instead of reading respectfully from froin a hook book lie he called it sacrilege lie ie was willing it 0 go to please prudence lie he wits was willing to shake hands fiands and discuss his cifes health and tile the state fair and tile the corn crop nt at the ote dor door to please her he was willing to follow through countless intimate paragraphs of ertem prayer bill lie he did not call it church and it was not tits his idea of worship prudence wrote to her fattier father and tier her fattier father wrote back with that gentle imd and forbearing put lence which seems more rare and more divine in tile lie ministry than anywhere else that prudence must go with tier her husband we ve have learned lie he wrote that there sire are lessons in stones an and sern sermons ions in running bunding brooks broo kii so if jerrold blinds no religion in our church chinch it Is up to you lou to find it in tits his prudence swallowed hard but site she did ill it it was not as jerrold frankly admitted that lie cured cared particularly about tiny any church with it a painful 1 sinful degree of assiduity but bill when he lil hid church lie wanted church hiir ch and not a 1 sunday ni orning reception without re of course prudence hid had fill to learn to dunce dance having become an episco slip slie could not plead the melli aleth odist discipline in rebuttal and thus thiis unexpectedly torn lorn adrift from tier spiritual backbone site she agreed with jerrold ler rold rather faintly that it would be a shame for tier her to go through life sitting out every enticing en tiling waltz mid till luring one step site she must certainly learn to dince dance slie she encountered difficulties dIfficult les from the lie tart start A professional instructor was brought in to teach her ant and after many painful palti painstaking stakIng lessons lesson ine managed to get around very civi nivi amly ly till hut when prudence in fear and filing got gol on oil the floor with lily other oilier than the instructor she had it id trouble double it that I 1 don nt t hi slie she lold her husband huab md despairingly ilia but eager it in tier lier own on defense in the f fice of ills Is de don 1 I do lr tryl 1 I 1 put pill lily whole mind on it I 1 know exactly whit I 1 hill pd to do I 1 count every step and I 1 listen to a 11 word lily ii partner 9 ns ays and I 1 keep both eves slat till so I 1 wont bp be afraid of running into tile lie wall hut but I 1 cant keep keel orf oft ills fret I 1 vot nor from froin under them you laugh liu gli r for I 1 cant help belp it n jerry luid come of an na td to take 1 I 1 pors personal onal interest in tier ers liap lif and to it a personal onil I for her ber public appear an anac slip she shared this burden with tier her father and tit at regular intervals perhaps twice it a year the flip entire household was thrown into a tumultuous state of excitement with teaching prudence to da dance n ce why cant you dance why cant you on demanded jerry en rn mostly estly aunt fairy lances dances beautifully aunt contile connie dances dan cesi both tile the twin qunties aunties adore it they as enuch odist blood as you have hae why cant you ou learn 1 I dont know acknowledged tier her mother unhappily 1 I work haid enough to learn an ii tiling I 1 just cint cant and till all here Is to it when Prud prudence once therefore of tier her own i and without coercion froin anyone voluntarily brofft proffered red herself as a willing filing sacrifice to learn to dime again site she was driven to desperation to ro tier surprise to tier her great concern us ng well jerry only laughed ind and would not such stich martyrdom ot at tier fiands nonsense mother you cant dince ind and you ou dont want nant to why boisier boi lier bieter ati lust zt slick to wesley and vie itic evil devil and nil all its ills works bridge nr idge then pleaded prudence T Y you reilly really ought to teach leach tile me so m Kt thing hing you know aeiry consented to add a few final touches to lo a course in ili cards which gilld already ilic adv extended futilely over a I 1 of twenty years hut but she warned tier niftier to let no one ones In velde tier into placing ing for points for to do your level leel best mother you ran still lose tile the family fortune a great lea deal faster than fallier faher can call earn it if you ou go in for points the way you play it i anti so march blustered away aud and april came and may anil and in all these months jerry could not net fathom that hat great mystery mastery of what girls do who have hae nothing to do aud and go quite mail over doing lit it I 1 it 11 wits was a morning late in may alay when she was called tp to the telephone A girl of tier her acquaintance rae forsythe wn was going over to t 0 the other side of town to look at a house she asked jerry to go with her jerry who hail had driven her own car from the time she was fifteen years old was used to 10 these invitations to go 90 with wit her friends friend ont on eff errands linds to remote and places jerry understood it very well I 1 iut but IUT her wu ans quite without iiii liu she did wit not blounte thim she wis nus sine lf if slie hid had to no go a lon ion n i ay lay iy to a atrin ht cirame rin e patt nit or of town anil all had no ir of tier own in site she herself us for the occa un i sion moll kllc n mio lla full ll 11 hi so io i o in he tit ahr invitation very ury huttl su unil allot hild ill lu would stop still liy fly for lu in tile lie clr cir bout about eleven u i c io loik 1 she knew hiir that lint 11 km no nas MIS going to ile ho carried in ili the he full fall nihl and that tier her father till annl given tier her ten dollars to at n baldal ill lital home le anti and expedition tion lon its as she blie surmised will vas tit in of a house slip she picked up ill tier frivold fri nd lit at the iho ue hour and turned tier her cur car buoyantly to the north side of tile the city kut but why wh go away out there ithell its a crazy place to look for n house ahouse slie she protested yes but iro property perty Is so much client er we vant to ret get house and fernl lure till nil for ten thousand you see and then grunt grant hns has bought a drug store out tit by b the lie university and it will ile ho much cilc nicer r for or him lie con can come home hoine for lun covon she it explained i taw pretty ary shyness of pre nuptial il anys Foll biln Ii ln ming nik imes directions jorry irmo slowly lo lv out ii lini central tive naime wit lind ind turned linned down don street Vilt ll they ili cattle came t ti the liol luiis lse slip illo stopp s d t I 1 lie cm clit all and both kills girls ianird it bout in I 1 lenir air seals hii looked ut tit it it 11 sis as nut not si sing sel en aioo fur far foi nil in ili it 11 limn it tile ali top ti of if it stoel ler verniev niev it anoil very cr very doiy nery ery lilli illk 11 1111 11 evord porch 1 cli iuis I 1 wIn ini doNNs the llie hole lit in lived of 11 lint will yon ii tell tile me jerry lively tl cl why lv lily in lown iest if sui li il lin liles he sali it wit ans a librn of it tl it IR it it ted lue isie hut ll it Is very lie he sald the real I 1 alite man I 1 nn ine in annl I 1 it could lie he entirely bafit over oer fur for 11 few thou ali and it lins has good pol tits a gabrige ni aie in the back whon wr wo get 1 et rih rich enough fur for it u car just ippo slip the lie little pirk p irk you jiu see on tile the ar line and quite quile nc ir the aind 1 I I 1 Cr Irn aills di brug lit store alore these points to lo its credit jerry erry folit followed mel tier dis lili fully up nil ill the steps sli is of the llie terrace tind still inore di lile fully full v on tile llie liinus lii ius bliff pach iiii ili li do they aliey di it ll it rite itne slit bin min alered stiff straight lustid inns us alie t ile doors the in dotts tin c 1 livy atit it little bic it in oin iloe e lu in a mille alle for ill alie bieu at 1 11 y cluty I luty Is very ery exi ensle k it line ilae lightly no nil wol wonder liler we nc all KO go off scum lit 1 re to california or to NW new york arl if thlu alii I 1 is the liesl best we c can do for om olves alv s leni jerry went nt on gloomily 1 I daiil lili inie us 18 fancy I 1 nn living in it 11 thin lile this not nia libil busl one olio outlier all ill the llie me n sl lac holljes lire are eai lly like it tin ille gipsies do heller better 11 in tints tents 1 oli I hot li ollier her the gypsies Op sies jorry come on in and liine u 0 look itne itile opened the door with the lie ley key which und had liean given tier lier an and led the lie wily sy inside where here they stared curiously about them a frowning disapproval on their two young fewes ances people cople 1 must fiust have lived in it some aline terry jerry they aliey died poor things I 1 dont vi ider the house was divided with lous IOUs exactness ill into to four sect sei dwi mon rioms lerry decided one inuss call etheln to llie ile left a stiff parlor le lendl adini ni to lo a stiff squar iii 1 I 1 1 I 1 1 ill heil d room to the lie rihl right it solemn dining room with a n solier softer ki dien lelien adjoining the stairs rose in ili it direct I 1 and 1 n 11 business lih e manner inner mi pre tense or artifice to the boond si dmd floor where there wits was another division of space a bedroom a imah to the left to bedrooms to lo the I ight jerry mared find stared you ou think they must lune hae died isie site asked naked it would he be lle HK liin icing in a cemetery it I 1 you ou think that sonie some tint lime one of livin bould hine have taken liken it a lini giannik ninor r to walls just to break ti ill the firidl con on anulty of the tiling thing poor I 1 dont blame you jou a bit I 1 thlick youre oure lucky title itne laughed at her you are funny jerry but it Is a horrid old 04 barn of 1 house it rut tin n tc 1114 v are only asking thirty five hundred fr for ll it cheap enough unless mit ling his to live in it murmured berty jerr I 1 hold it against the state rae ilae slie on in 1 I 1 almost wish I 1 had eliud bevia li i n horn lu ili arkansas or nevada or W WM rilin rinn dont blume blame the state prot eVed isae people eople I dont llave have to lie in ili this ills particular house unless they lie but the whole street Is like it ali and the neit next one Is worse ani I 1 lie file next still worse oh ob some few houses tire are nice enough I 1 suppose but in the maln main hope hopeless lessl 1 our own used to he be a funny up and doun don thing t too 00 we have pictures of it they built it over when I 1 was a baby no it la Is the state rae we get that straight up and dowD nest from the corn I 1 fancy rae intent upon her search for a home tor for herself and her ber young pharmacist paid slight attention to her friends plaintive ramblings she looked about her ber |