Show itile ithe luck VT laurences lawrences ces nl by kat kathleen hleen norris norri copyright by kathleen norris SYNOPSIS the luck that had brought the boston lawrences Lawren ces to california just as the beginning of the gold rush seems to have deserted the present generation prom a acre ranch their holdings have shrunk to a small farm and the old family home in Clippers ville the death of their poetic father forced the three eldist children to work BO so that sam and little arlel ariel might continue their education phil now twenty civo had bad gone into tho the iron works gall call to the public library nad and edith to the book department of largent at store CHAPTER II 11 she walk walked ed home in languid twilight all Clippers ville was relaxed and jaded after the fierce alerce unexpected heat af pf of the spring day gall thought that kummer would be upon the worl world dinno in no time now the hot dry inland summer of california edith would buy four yards of dark blue dotted sas as she always did and make herself arainty a dainty cool summer dress to wear with her lace collar and arlel ariel would get out her ber cheap little silk slips and striped frocks gall looked at a dress in window a blue organdy with thin orange ribbons hanging in a bunch from shoulder and waist turning away from the window she walked straight into the miracle 1 I beg your pardon I 1 she said lau laughing g h for she had bad really crashed into this man inexcusably gall lawrencel lawrence I 1 he said F for or a second she waa vas bewildered taken back then with her ownne own pecullar peculiar graciousness she es extended tended both hands bands and her round face lighted and her blue eyes i 1 1 van hlson I 1 well hel lo 10 lol I 1 he said delightedly but I 1 know you were in in town iown I 1 albut put I 1 I 1 althey Ad they both laughed ecstatically ab nb but se seriously r ilou sly van gall presently began in a delicious nutter flutter but with a sensible and businesslike air merlou seriously sl y when did you core come and why ind and how bow long are you going to io be here and what about yale seriously ly he answered dutifully alth although U h still visibly abrora with laugh ter and excitement seriously busly but are you walking home 1 I lim am my honest working day la Is done laughter van put his hand with delightful familiarity under her elbow they turned toward the lawrence bouse some three or four blocks away it amazing how the old place has well isn at it but youve not noi see been n it for five y years e irs van 1 1 and aie are r you all still living in house i ob what you used to call it tl P f what yail you called it it Y yes es were allief all there i gee gall aalf Van said SP simple fervor it makes h a difference to me having you son licefi el p i 4 4 i but tell me mc you told M mes me s t she ir turned ne her face to bleibe hani jahe sunset behind her tawny bead with goldi golde tell me roe what youre ZI here van U llie well ll I 1 went back to coll after aate r seea A t I 1 7 1 1 I eee i well and I 1 got a bu bug g Cough coughed id IL and nd pitted ue up and was arrul full 1 their joyous laughter suddenly ringing out was ani anything anichini but bilt suitable you mean lungs liftig ir A 1 pulmonary congestion so n now ow I 1 have tolle tolie imbed in bed drink milk ands and ret dropped out 01 of fc college ollege she was horrified my mv dear biall 1 yaa an said reprovingly 1 I d darn a r beai near dropped out I 1 you do di jo ote thin gall muse mused d studying i I 1 im fattening now and wb where ere are you sta staying ying at my aunt aint warth als mrs arthur caf chapp you know kaow its all been arranged ashes to ane audom and im to report to the doctor aery every week and ana i hes to keepin keep tn ton touch alth with thil the de dear r old guy 67 tit nt hom bond and Mo mothers theis to comenout come out in june to inspect alln me gall shabby gay and friendly looking up from under the of hta illg nigh shoulder gave him a smile of in finite friendliness im terribly tiT bly glad youre herel here I 1 she said eald simply etite listen n are freyou yov enga geil th thea e man engaged yep ta to he be mari married led oh heavens I 1 As it if id tell you lf if I 1 were era vans handsome rae fae assumed a pleading expression his voice was reproachful proa chrul ful rome brome on en now give mo the low d doi y low downly catle fae baca faca w ver tier eyes dancing I 1 mirttie Mirt sald she thought you yoa i i dick stebbins gallwas gall Pall was conscious cons cloua of not wanting to forget a word of all this she bhe had chad it a premonition tlorA that she bW would want to turn under her tongue the tidbit tid bit of his having already discussed her possible love affairs with his aunt aunt dont doht like him of course I 1 like him his mother molher rents our stanislaus place it was one of the lawrences Lawren ces talking her head was up ills his mother rents our stanislaus place said gall and I 1 see him on business bust nesa how now and then aunt martha talking about business low prevaricator they both laughed again they were wera at the gate now the last beams of the sun suh struck flame from the windows odthe of the shabby aldhouse oldhouse old house hidden behind him galls heart did not falter falier it was not 01 tha in benour hour it was indeed not the place into which to introduce a yale i college ma man n yv whose ose father owned a chain of flour wills but hospitality deep rooted and instinctive blotted out all lesser r considerations i youre coming in ln anvan van no honest I 1 cant I 1 you know how things are atthe at chipps people coming to dinner er a lot of fuss soon wen then soon but when can isee jo you 47 antjie at the library any time at the library and say listen well we I 1 I 1 go to dinner well go off places end and eata da spaghetti spag hett what I 1 oh grand I 1 then he was gone andrall And Gall turned in at the gate her heart singing oh what a spring night and what a abl it was w a s to be twenty three thice and to t 6 live 1 in adorable romantic edith was in the kitchen phil had not yet jet come honi home 1 gall said sad edith U adith anc hancq eurchl I 1 t so sons ns back 14 consumption and and hes up at the chapp sa s1 yes I 1 knowd know I 1 met him I 1 does he look awatif no gall answered with a wholesome laugle hela pys perfectly fine gall Gi ill they want me to be bd lady beazle ariel an announced 0 what I 1 the lead what miss potter sail said ill 1111 be rotten allej arle predicted gloomily oh arlel ariel 1 I 1 think be simply grandl grand 1 gall enthusiastically edeo did you hear that aricks going to be lady beazle IP 1 11 1 I thought Alleen fernald would edith observed interested I 1 calleen alleen arlel planned e her red toy I 1 A I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 91 listen I 1 ste n are you engaged the 06 s man demanded suddenly lips twisting to a sneer said that maybe her mother mathers was going to 0 take her earb east f f phil came ln in before dinner I 1 ready grinned at his sisters and went upstairs rs he came down th in afew maa min ut esto sit in 16 the tha kitchen kitch enand and wearily kindly h join jn in the general conversation phil yas was the quiet quietest est member of the family as befitted its iti head bead the man whose shoulders beav heavy response had falle fo llenin boyhood boy bood and who saw life through agh sober sensible eyes gall gail yo you goolt a awfully pretty tonight 1 he said watching her ber T 1 in this ol old drag rag f perhaps van murchisons sons return hag 1 something to do with galls gall r ince ance edlah amith suggested archly 1 r oh Is he bd back 1 I met him in the calle gall sald rendered absolutely apathetic by editha merrily ay ra manner I 1 if th theres drei a fied beau in town 4 edith continued 0 3 t aed ral aph cj h ti up I 1 gall wanted to say rudely but sh she controlled herself dinner wis was served phil sat minded and gentle at the head of the board 8 a a brown study studs 16 to J g give 1 ve 1 sam gravy or deall e carrots i tor far himself f the matter with artel he hf I 1 I 1 presently asked I 1 A r c why a loti them are goings to k the Stin standard dard and aird i I 1 feel gall began reluctantly with a glance U at ihrma ih her 61 i tors mutinous face 1 I feel that on il a school night wh ata showing ariel olf oh I 1 nothing ip I 1 arlel ariel answered impatiently savagely i 1 it seems to me on ala a chool night it i ait it was anything special I 1 gall pleaded eagerly ea ge ali 4 s phil dedi lils his youngest bisters drooping atter ater cup gold head head syma other girls mothers let I 1 them go io arlell ariel v 1 1 they dont ask themi them I 1 ariel answered briefly bitterly 1 1 l k 1 not your sort ot of girl philip decided with a rather doubtful glance at gall f hotem sam barn contributed contribute contri but e d slin simply lili they are no not i I 1 arlel ariel flamed well whether they are or not you yon dont want awfully to goido godo you dar ilag hog the oldest pleaded arlel ariel made co ao answer and emeal th tb proceeded philip would go down to night school at eight but it was barely seven beven now now and a general sense of pleasant relaxation and case care held i the group edithe thoughts tb were busy with a favorite subject some sort of utopia where women wore robes i and sandals ianda ls and an d long tables under unde r trees were s se with buns and grapes and milk for all 11 comers by laughing tine crowned girls i and nd boys 1 arlel ariel gulped and sniffed she hated them itil all gall was thinking about friendly van mu rafi lson and phil wo ws twenty five and deeply in love I 1 ile he had left lily at a quarter to six 1 l and a half ngot left her physically that is in spirit he was still witcher with her still feeling her bei thin e eager i hands thin eager ilan whis on hla oh shi she e was everything they said she I 1 was one of the shiftless mar r ruedi ed to oni one of the disreputable cass casa boys common uneducated hopelessly not la a lady hopelessly not knot an intel lee but brutshe obe she was lily phils be 1 loved she se gentlest Ift tle ething im she was twenty four and she had been demo demonstrating ever since her fifteenth birth day i her entire agnor i 1 ance of the world and her unfitness to cope with it Clippers ville thought it knew why lily had gone u p xo san F ranc laco to take a position when she was but fifteen they might have known they told one another i that she would turn up again vague as to her business career and more i reckless ss than thae ever eve r about her con conduct dilt a year or ortho two later they might have haie known that shi she would pick one or the worthless cass boys tor for her mate maie and bear him three weak wet whining little babies in succession before he and she ap pp parted ed forever they might have known that those casses and would have aa a shooting affray and that lilys par nicular cass would disappear giving lily an appo opportunity instantly instants ato to claim state aid and sue for a divorce on the ground of desertion even then ob she never enever would would say an unkind word of joe cass lily never said an unkind word of anyone hers here was the most loving heart alive to phil she was as pure as the maid of astolas for whom her mother had bad named he her r she li lived vedin aln the squalid jumble of cabins that aba t decorated thomas street hill philip lawrence stopped at her broken hinged gate every night the world worl d know knew now that at abe had got him as women won n like lily do get fine men and felt sorry for those lovely sisters 61 his who were still so entirely in the dark i without money without even sufficient clothing with this dim old decaying mansion on his bands with gall edith and arlel ariel to settle in life philip 1 was nevertheless dreaming of lily love with lily in a litile spanish house with a breakfast patio this was all phil lawrence wanted in life H he lived in the exquisite dream of it paying only a gentle and abstracted attention tent lon aba w habas avas going on around film in jhc thc the d dreary reary old ola shabby dining i bythe lethey they could barely seli sea their awn hands gonei or one others an face th there cr was hiis a sudden interruption and alck stebbins lbs came unceremoniously through ithe kitchen and sam jumped I 1 up to highl the gas and thir flushed fiu shed sleepy faces liti laugh glied ed at one 0 ne another in the sickly light eaten yourselves dizzy eha said the newcomer sitting down between pill land and ariel end and drawing the de plated i cookies toward film 1 were all lowly plowdy dying gall said did s with ith aa nod of greeting 1 I thought you might come to sup supper ferdl dick ck she 1 I 1 I 1 added 1 I gotkoff got joff air early and rushed out to see mother he sat easily easley among them a big rough looking young man with bushy bu ay dark hair and adf an indian looking looking skin he was i ranch bred and looked it al though the big hands were and fine enough land his big mouth firm now how Is your mother dick edith asked politely nat N q it so good goad ah well ashes pretty good ile lighted a cigarette phil lighted another saro sam suddenly hoarse with eagerness asked ifor a smoke knothe older brother tossed tie little packet over t 0 asted steady y loba they all ll knew k ste ani well he was perhaps the only oril man md ceri ei i the only unwar unmarried ried one bone jhb gadth arun n odthe house th the e girls elther dis lilee delili can 1 or for any goo reikai HO WR was s ir not i important he na waa s merely the thea ion afi of i thage homely i barnier far nier olar ano rentina rented the lawrence wah an q 11 ick bad iwo two aisters 6 clever ever 1 garls alic h D hj hid taught satio or d married baring ule V M hb theay e k Y baly boy they m fit kv ahlm secrete secret 1 ato y to think le he was a youria J 6 male ae sh e had bad considered hini s ja a husband more than once gottha not thai he paid alq any attention or 16 to aarde anyone y he worked hard he atul ed nothing at twenty six be had already graduated from blaw college he be was was going tomake s oin afe ufe t r 0 he regarded the frivolity ind and gaiety 0 01 o the laurences lawrences ces alth assort fur fr 1 po poll Ph philbe irbe he cher fibel th tb at al deep de ep wordless s devotion that terlsa between a clun clumsy jay older man and a quick spoken autocratic younger young er one there were beti only mouths months between them but deckwas was far older than his bis years yeam TO |