Show 1 prudence pru P d e n c s daughter D aug h ter apri by ETHEL HUESTON copyright by the bobbs bobba merrill co ahmoo CHAPTER X continued 17 she was nas late and nude mide haste to slip into a fresh dress brushing her hal powdering her creamy skin with her hei usual gentle care site she was very quiet during dinner and Pru dences eyes rested upon her ofte of ton n with tro troubled obaed unobtrusive sympathy and after dinner while her fattier father read the evening paper and while prudence worked with an absurd bit 0 f lace that was becoming a handkerchief to correspond with jerrys newest gown she sat al in a great chair under a stunted shaded lamp a magazine upon her lap and lured stured across it to the delicate pattern of the he oriental rug jerry was considering how to 0 o surrender the broken toy the sudden ringing of the doorbell doo ibell caused tier to start violently alti although ough she laughed immediately at the ab curdith of tier her nervous tension and when katie cattle came into the room and said in an awed voice its a policeman and lie wants to see miss Il hanner artner jerry was vas only amused curious hut but not concerned youve been speeding miss and you pay your own lines fines said jerrold bring hin in katie speeding good heavens I 1 crawled at a knalls pare paie slie she denied lightly and added aloi slowly ly most of the time as she remembered lie hie burst of speed with which she left locust street with the uslar easy club chubbiness biness of the fin f dinall in ill town and the middle west jerrold listed asked the officer whom lie hud had seen all and knew by name to sit down and offered litin him a cigar this is my he said pleasantly indicating jerry in tile the great hilr chida you ou wanted to see her yes if you vou dont mind the he legun legan there luiere llie re was tin an accident downtown today lint und if lie chap dies miss aliss laurmer maybe be deeded as a whether healier he dies or not he be may bring suit and then why I 1 see any accident protested jerry in some everyone was driving carefully because of the ice I 1 came through town but I 1 eyen even see a flat tire 1 the looked in tits his notebook note not book man run over A fellow named gril ton drove the car that did tile the damage vec got him locked up waiting to see it if the man dic dies s now he says lie he saw you ou right beside him a little in front ue ile says he has seen been you often knows know a you knows your car and oh I 1 assure you I 1 saw nothing jerry denied quietly lie ile swears the chap stood be beside side your car his foot on the running board talking to you and that you started off in a great rush jerry did not move did not speak sat as one turned to ice fee prudence prudenca got up quickly crossed to her chair sitting down lightly upon the great arm of it tier her firm soft tin gers lyang against jerrys frozen hand bund jerry ark d to smile at her to nod reassurance tile the attempt wrung her mothers inot lieis heart tile officer unnoticing had continued tits his narrative ni rathe started oft off very verv fast ast with a great jerk and swung the fellow back 1 ck so lie he slipped on the ice fee and arilton avils right behind you and ann over him before he knew he had bad fl flallen illen of course it the fellow was bot bothering bering you miss harmer he sug with the solicitous interest of tin an in a small city where tier her father wits a man of power lie ile was not Lo my daughter I 1 assure you iou prudence interrupted softly the llie young man Is a great friend of ours a very verv particular friend nothing he be could do would annoy my daughter in any way jerrold come came quickly to her assistance enlightened by Pru dences defence fen e his less agile imagination having followed through the situation more slowly ay my ily daughter drives fast ns as you probably h know now but site she is a good driver and a careful one slie site did not know there biad been an accident if abe is in any way to blime blame YOU vou may rest ti suied we shall not shirk our responsibility of course of course I 1 just wan w anted led to see if site she would back up Gril tons story jerry nodded her head oh yes acs jerrold went on quickly the man you vou mention mr Al lerlon I 1 believe did speak to her beside the lie cur car till illy daughter in a great hurry to get gel lining started stalled off very fast she did not 1 now lie he lind had fallen site she Is naturally very much upset over the whole thing she Is IB simply dorrit walt jintil I 1 to vim arii spit you ou morrow to give her i a chance toto to to recover oh my dear sir were not blaming miss Har hanner barnier nier it wits was this fellow gril ton did it and of course tile the other chap hla his name he consulted the not note e boo book k al lerton allerton he may not die anyhow and jerry winced pitifully tell us prudence hesitated to ask fearing the effect upon jerry who clung to tier hand ue he la Is hurt bow seriously oh you ou cant tell yet got him up at st josephs there way may be internal injuries cant tell yet let now dont you ou be upset about it miss flar mer nob odys blaming you but if lie he should happen to die you ou see liae have to estafy t at the inquest aud and be up to tile the mate t to prosecute euto jerry wis a stony graven image and jerrold hurriedly got the officer out of the he room and away and then came lac bac tin and stood beside jerry on abe le other fide front from prudence two stal art bulwarks bulwa of love and pity jerry looked up tip tit at atheni and smiled mother slie site said bald 1 I love him I 1 loved till all the time little yes les I 1 1 know now sweetness prudence was brooding tenderness itself acet the car jurold jerrold and ask katle katie to bring our coats lie he he kissed me and lie he ans ft us drunk mother I 1 thought lie he felt just us its I 1 did and lie he was a only drunk I 1 dont even know if he remembers that lie kissed me kiltie katie dime cattle in ili with their coats and at a sign from prudence went out at once leaning tier alone with her daughter jerry stood up and tier lier mother put the great fur cloak about her shoulders very gently jerry lid did not know that she wits was trembling you tiu foe nice about it mother to know it was only that when you thought it was solli something ething else no sweetness I 1 like I 1 it V jeriold jeri jen old honked shrilly to them from the car outside the lie door and with her liand in prudenc Pru dences es jerry lt I 1 arsell led the way As they drove swiftly along toward the hospital no word was spoken jerry sat erect and motionless staring upon the ile snow which tit the lights of the city sprinkled with scintillating gems when jerrold after first helping prudence out telling her to be careful to mind me lie ice fee not to fall went back to assist jerry jeny lie he said a little awkwardly but determined that she must lave hae tits hla view of things at last jerry all men are fools sometimes you expect too much of ci any of us you know not all the alne at least jerry nodded her head trying to smile her appreciation of ills his effort to help there ore are a lot of fine things about ailin lie he went on determinedly had lint him stay up at the house with me die while you ou were ere in mount mark 1 I know it father jerrold shook tits head vaguely puzzled how flow women got on to thin the why way they did there was no knowing lie had covered at al hla his tracks so carefully that hint la Is why I 1 looked at you yon that night at tile the station tion she said in a subdued little voice to see it if you had anything an tiling against him not a thing he declared not 8 thing in the world I 1 like him film 1 I know it whispered jerry CHAPTER XI how jerry loved even hospital rules and regulations give ghe way to reason and romance in I 1 times of bitter stress ss and it took jerrold no more than three minutes to have hae lill all t alie lie red tape of st josephs crooked about ills his little linger finger and then they were taken very ery quickly very quietly to a little white room where dlaine lay and waited for jerry there was a nurse in the room but tit at a sign from the one who brought them she ache went out quickly smiling back bach over her shoulder should pr duane lay very CT still on the white bed ills eyes were closed the olive tan lan of tits skin was ivory hory white Prude prudence hee and jerrold stood t tack ack softly and jerry walked before them I 1 into the room moving as one in n dream her great shadowy eyes fastened almost hypnotically upon the white face on the pillow lie ile opened hla his eyes cies and a warm wann brightness flashed into them when he raw jerry beside him film lie ile smiled that w 11 lins leal tender smile whose gay effrontery had charmed and stirred her from the first jerry he be said and the tender voice was weak youve got ot to admit it was treating me pretty badly lie ile looked up at her not smiling now and jerry stood over him her eyes melting into ills his agonizingly intense suddenly site she wilted tears rushed into tier her eyes the proud little chin drooped and quivered she turned a crushed and broken figure toward her mother even in that hour of its renunciation the tender dream of tier lier youth dying hard within her and cried despairingly 1 I cant help it I 1 maybe it Is a different kind tile feeling Is just the sunn site she dropped on her knees beside the led bed the pain in tier face the he shadow in her eyes yielding viding to a joyous radl ance as the pressed tier her lips against tits his shoulder bh CHAPTER XII of dreams come true jerrys surrender was vas us as complete ns its her resistance lind been livgard less of the admonitions of the nurse and the restrictions of the tio hospital regardless of tile the presence of her father and mother who tried studiously to keep their eyes winy away froin tier her site le hung over dunne duane in tier her knees beside the lie white lied bed hissed mused him caressed d tits tila face weeping hitI vilY it was waa duan e hinn df elf with tits ills usual fucello fiu allous kindly courtesy ho intervened ni once in III it n while to stem the lite tide of af her tumultuous emotions now jerry lie sald agvan tage of a slight blight of tier her tears 0 d jerry he said youve got to ad alt it ift tt was waa treating me pretty badly have to marry me youve kessei lite ine and encouraged me ant and anade love loe to tile ine before witnesses jerry laughed tearfully all will slie site sald tremulously yet gladly and just its as soon as you like I 1 tomorrow if you iou say so BO prudence anil and jerrold turned to then them then anxiously and duanes eyes ees searched their heir pleading faces H uv f drew jerry closer in his arm tills prudence of yours toll told me lie he said with a tender smile to aipolo cle ize for ills use of that sacred name naine ahe t lie ald fold mo me that if that first warin wa wakening lening up tip stops short on better ne nc quain tunce it Is nothing but if it goes on and on it Is love at first sight lots lets wait walt a little jerry and give ours a chance to go on and on just ft B litt little lel Pru dences slender blonder figure which had stifT stiffened ened into anxious rigidity tit nt jerrys offer relaxed softly and tears csira of grateful pleasure came to tier her eyes jerry drooped contentedly against ills arm crooning cpr happiness A c curious calculating look took tile the alae of the tender brilliance of her e P 4 unless father especially needs you at the factory she sat sill carefully wording her delicate thoughts yon vou can be a great help to me in my building and I 1 know enough about it now so BO that we can easily make a good living for both of us an exquisite flush suffused her face dunne dunae and jerrold exchanged electrical questioning glances after all jerry was still very greatly in the dark about many things jerrold Jc Jet irold rold with tile lila unfailing generosity stepped into the breach I 1 A good idea jerry he said bald 1 I tont tant say eny I 1 consider duane particularly born under a mech mechanical aident star you ton shall have him film at a great sacrifice on my part of course out but I 1 can only tell you in fal fairness that your young moo map will not be dependent on ou and your houses lie ile bud enough left out of tile the wreckage to tide him over and he thinks of going into iowa rea estate on tits hu own account count your interests will dovet dovetail nit very neatly along aloiau that line wont they 7 jerrold flushed with pleasure over the warmth of admiration fur for ills effort truthe that i be met in the eyes of duane and of prudence who whispered proudly that slit she haye have lone done it better belter herself but jerry turned breut greut ei eat questioning byeis eyes upon dunne duane then you were not oni ly ruined us as the papers said not completely then why did you come herer here duane laughed held her to him kissed tier lier hair then after all you really till did a little she began liggan eagerly unatie to voice tile he hope that was almost a 0 prayer prater within tier her heart oil oh jerry a very cry great deal he be whimpered 0 0 0 0 jerry felt she could not possibly know it a greater happiness than ilie fihe felt in showing dinnie tier her houses a few weeks tiller inter when lie he wits out of tile lie hosid tal and quite lil nw I under his interest lim rest lilt ills admiration ills his unbounded L pride in her abc acc i client slie site cloned with it 11 glad delight it int I nt really the lie work ork tin she explained pla ined leaning buck against the lie banister of it u anuar Inu ar staircase aich which had ell cost st her two hundred dollars more ilian tier her figures hall had al allow lowal ail it it Is just like piny with something to show lor for it besides two filings to show for it a sweet little place for someone to live and set till an emi to lite lie neighborhood bo ho in the I 1 lie first arst place sho pam ed impressively and in ili tile HIP second blare e duane tier reaching n almost ns as by habit for her enger expressive youtie liamos ills cati feasting upon the radl linein of her bellucy ant am in ili tit lie second chice the hank IK lecount count of balry I 1 alry vr aldine io do 1 ou cm know diat lii 1 Is going to sound tit alic sweetest thing it in the ina world one ol of dars lie aslica very soft lv very pry soberly draing her to 0 o him film ile he whispered tile lie rest jerry jerry jan t deeply tin and lier her bril bill liina eyes es e s gle gave idin it 11 sizzling Lizz ling glince bel leath 1111 tile lolley dy hilles all airs conic dy and see sec the ho rust rest of tile lie house lio iise slie site hag led 0 there were other brooding harassed middle estern fathers lio iio foresaw III results for tile lie entire rollic prairie land in Jel jerrys rys joyous romance mince ro it wits irvin iraln weatherly Vea herly who voiced this fear to lo jerrold im surprised loud permit such a thing lie he said plaintively youre setting a had bad example for till all the he girls in town you ought ough tto to talk to jerry jeri jerrold jeriold old did not understand why till all lie be setting OR to sew york to study art lie ho pm tested tile the towns full of it every place ion oil go they talk or nothing else art art art and till nil dabbing at dishes and drawing figures on table lollis aud sp rigging floi lowers ers on good mirrors minors the place Is alive with walli it queer luver sold bild jerrys father 1 11 I cant I 1 ever noticed we hud had aih such a passion for art dinong its well I 1 reckon they liry lure fidure lo 10 0 o do 10 as lorry jerry did site she bring hi lug iff tile anny it ny art to fecak of but sho bucins pretty at well s chii what site did bring li ln and its ita catching harmer its catch ins now an aal own not often jerry I 1 ilerd to lo divine of art just orre orce in a while site 1 ald id softly 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