Show I 1 ante L by ethel hueston by bp bobbs co illustrations by irwin invin myers CHAPTER VI 12 life Is no bawor of rosea for the schemer of df schemes elleu ellen tolliver Toll lver was not the fit aist st to make that discovery in actual experience there could be no possible question tint but that hut she had figured the family future along the most moat pleasant as well tr ir profit able lines and yet it grew increasing ly difficult to hold tier her subjects to tile ofas take the sensible twin for in stance frivol frivoling ing away the prec precious lons hours of her life out at pay dirt in the company of a were mere cn can grocer and it was not merely that thai she those things she enjoyed tile doing that was the side of tile lip situ atlon and there was marjory Mur Alar jory hiram duckworth buckworth remained a and comradely member ol 01 the household cheerfully paying ten of his bis fifteen dollars into the general colter coffer every i week and obviously counting this not so much a hardship as it privilege miss bliss jenkins llod him sir mr tolliver Toll lver liked him the members of the church liked him all the young daughters of alt all the influential members developed a assiduity along lines of religious activity on the surface things seemed to pro progress with a sweet serenity which should have been highly satisfactory to everybody concerned but ginger ella casting about tier her with keen eyes that saw everything and a keen mind that suspected even more knew intuitively that thai all was out not well not no to in the whore where were heard beard vague in deli nite suggestions and were seen strange nil baid significant looks looka nor in the personage itself ali where re hiram duckworth buckworth looked too often and too long upon the slender white hands of Alar marjory jory tolliver Toll lver this was a had bad sign one of tile very verb worst hiram duckworth was good looking marjory bad always been nitin man mad the situ aaion held all sorts of of horrible possibilities bili ties ginger renewed her vigilance duckworth good looking brilliant young student had find dell bellber ber abely chosen the ministry as his bis life work she tossed olin a scant respect for that choice which although 7 it accorded him film a high mark for character lb ih no way entitled him to a permanent place in tier her plans for the fam fun ilys illys future being a sem seminary loary man with special study at oxford he would begin perhaps at a thousand dollars or twelve bundred if he was lucky and would progress upward slowly perhaps as far as two iwo thousand twenty live five hundred possibly be was so very good looking if he worried married he would instantly according to time honored parsonage t statistics as figured v y ginger become possessed of a minimum of three children small good would lie li one of his es tate to 10 the impoverished and needy Tol livers encouraging litin was as a deliberate throwing tin owing uway away of their one resource it wits the willful choking of their oil welt well it was the burning of their liberty bonds ginger re connol cereo enre carefully fully site she did more than ree rec on omi olter she hounded she was nil all present all pervasive all observing it if marjory und and the young minister inclined for a stroll in the moonlight ginger inclined also if they sat in tile the shade oi 01 the ramblers on tile the veranda ginger sat with them bored hut but unyielding lind had she washed dishes all these years merely to save the fair hands of Alar marjory jory for the dishes of hirant hiram duckworth buckworth and a minimum ot of three the attic saw little A elleu ellen tolliver Toll lver during these days she met the post man thanked him warmly for the letters lie he gave her and flew to the attic the dimes cibek bed into tile tho dolls trunk and ginger returned to tier her veranda vigil in a way considerable disappoint attended the jf af funda for the blind rarely did ahk ah receive more than live contributions in u 4 day 1 ay a stingy fifty cents ludy lovely daughters daug liters cannot be sent petit to finishing schools shabby personages parsonages nages cannot he be little done over sur suffering eyes cannot be operated on oil by expensive surgeons upon a paltry five dimes a day not that flint ginger frowned upon her re far from it IL it 11 was only that slip had hillsen so roen fly in the three weeks ot it mr roi voiliver liver idleness in tile lie country he had acquired a thick coat 0 of unaccustomed tun tan and five full fall pounds in weight with such on an Inc increase reuse ot strength enthusiasm thusia sm ind and ambition that lie he was inclined to feel ashamed of his continued idleness idlene a word from froin town that a special committee from the ol 01 board wished to meet him at ai tile the par conage on thursday evening tor for a ilia cession of import abot church mutters motters gave him film real pleasure eddy jackson drove aim in with AlIr miriam lain and feeling with ws uia usual tact that the alie family bould like to he be alone for a few hours ot of Ini finitte re union he pleaded important business nuri left anem tnt m bilsing to io return rot foi them heiti fit at eleven alit AIK altri their modest supper they gui dt the three earia and welt their fat fattier tiet lo in the 1 pleasant beasant old living room and waited for the corning coming of tile atie committee they wani didt eliut last two thousand raised suld their rattier father smIl lag and so do L hu but I 1 ran mil sure the people will wilk contribute it of the own tree free will in gratl ludi on lift lay day of the dedication chitue djuplin westbury alone 11 at ease cube but obviously a mau inno with lily ithe mind made up well veil brother 1 bauver ill lver he be said its kod to see you you are booling N frei kyes eyes any stron stronger gerl 1 I 1 think so yes I 1 mu aw sure ol 01 ll it J feel much mm h better what hour was ap pointed fur for the lite meeting the rest of tile the intel well ns as a mutter maiter of enet the rest of tile the is a n r coming broth er dawes was out of town on business lute inte tills this afternoon and brother la Is in n bed with an attack of ovine indigestion not that I 1 believe a word of it myself they lust just barked bar ked out ill all Is the meeting postponed theu then well no you see I 1 was the chairman anyhow and I 1 can do as well without the committee well lust just have it out by ourselves the girls rose quickly well run upstairs if you will excuse us said miriam ariam no dont go said joplin westbury quickly evidently not at all desiring to be left alone with his gentle unseeing lin you stay right here its a family matter as all you might say and well just have it all right out in the open mr air tolliver sat very still a rigid figure against the faded blue velvet of tile big choir chair his head bent forward wa rd you see sec we had et a meeting of the official iclal off hoard board monday night you did I 1 why I 1 could have come in for it well we just had find it by ourselves in fact weve sad and several well theres no use beating about the bush continued the embarrassed official you see sec brother tolliver Toll lver that while till all our people like you and like your work like ilke your whole family I 1 in n fact still well you can see that a blind man cant run a church not rightly not a one new church tike like tills this one of ours now that weve put so much money into this new church weve got to get in the crowds to ali it up and help pay the expenses and a blind man mr tolliver Toll lver did not move yes brother westbury go on he said sal i gently well you see how it Is and since the have started to hold meetings of their own in the odd follows fellows hall taken about a dozen of our good payers and weve got to get in others to take their places now you see how were fixed we like you arst rate raie but weve got to work for the church first and lasi iasi well weil we waited and hoped yon you would get over it IL we wrote to the doctors and they say any youve youre not got much chanc chanca not one in a hundred youre nil run down and you need a long resl resi maybe a year maybe two years to build you up but perhaps an operation per atlon it would be expensive but we asked about the operation they just talked about that to cheer beer c you up an operation do any good your eyes are just plain worn out all worn out the straight of it IL 1 I see well we talked it over with the district superintendent and he a word to say against you brother nor any of us either for that matter but you see how it la Is the new church and all so OB ne said ie ae would fix it up at tie me conference this rail fall and retire you according to the books I 1 dont know just how bow it Is but they pay you right along and its nil down to in the discipline and get gei a good long rest real and well get to la some fresh young chop to draw the crowds and nil fill up the new church but but its fu fathers the new church Is gasped singer ginger unable LO 10 endure file he deed silence that thai hung bung so blackly over the III little tie group joplin westbury turned on tier ber sharply shur ply evidently glad of a chance to switch the tide or of his talk from the stricken min minister no ellen it ita 9 not cot your cut fathers hers church we ita not our church its ita gods ginger wilted suddenly yes tea 1 she assented yes of course I 1 wish WA could let god run IV it ellen reproved hex her father gently im sorry 1 mean she aha stammered nervously yes never mind we know you meant nothing wrong you ure tire quite right of course brother westbury it la Is nil all true A blind man would eniy y be an eu cumbrance ln in a new church like that I 1 should have resigned med before but I 1 kept hoping I 1 would recover and I 1 had my oh be taken care of brother tolliver Toll lver dont you worry yoa wont he be allowed to suffer you nor your family either cither just you kemem her icat its nil down in the discipline ci the conference will take care of you how poon noon when do you v well now brother we figured we would just keep beep you right along until conference on full salary and everything and you yon can just rest up in the country and let this young buck worth do the preaching we ike him first rate and we want you to preach the dedication were absolutely unanimous on that nobody but you for the dedication for as you might say I 1 ita ts your church that ts Is you understand you raised the money and all yes I 1 see thank you very much awkwardly the trustee made his good bys bya end and hurried away he did not look back miriam walked with him to the door shook hands bonds with him she even smiled then she slipped back and joined the hushed bushed little group 17 F father begged ginger in an anguished tone dont be shocked please dont remember what the doctors said ho he put out his bis hand band to her with h a sad smile and she crushed it between both of hers you see sec there la Is no hope he said they were only pretending that I 1 had bad a chance I 1 no father contradicted miriam sweetly no they were not pretend ing they said you had a chance and they meant it they wd hald the oly oali way was for you to become so and well that your eyes also would grow strong and well they did not deceive you you did have bave you have got a chance I 1 asked them a dozen times and they told me honestly and as far as aa money goes cried ginger more cheerily 1 11 I have quite a few little secrets of my own tt it if a two months till conference by that thai alme tine old darling I 1 shall probably be able to take care of you myself he smiled at her again dear ellen he said gently if only these slim little hands could carry out the kindly projects of that hat eager little heart we should never want tor for muck in this world oh but this time I 1 really mean it 1 mean I 1 am quite sure tile the disclosure of her hopes trembled at the tip of her tongue her eyes grew rapt and luminous but her sisters so BO used to lo her daring dr dreams eanis and her extravagant promises paid small heed their thoughts were upon tho th sordid reality of the present moment and its disappointment its a good thing the wedding to t over said marjory helen would never have gone it if she bad suspected tills boarding mr air buckworth will help out quite a little said miriam As aa for us as long as we ve stay at pay dirt were simply gorging ourselves among the fleshpots flesh pots of egypt ginger shook the rapture from her eyes closed her teeth firmly upon her secret the time had not come for her triumphal pronouncement well as old jop says she began ellen el I 1 en I 1 1 I mean brother westbury West burr eddy jackson calls him old jop well as ho he says the conference will take care of us what will we get father where la Is the discipline lets took look it up 11 she ran upstairs for the book 1 I should have resigned said eald her father drearily 1 I knew I 1 could no minister to them properly pru perly but I 1 did keep hoping TO BID BE CONTINUED j |