| Show l 11 th 4 i the ck y ade laurences lawrences wl lences ces afi M by kathleen norris copyright Pyrl tbt by rathleen kathleen norris service M SYNOPSIS the luck that brought the boston laurences lawrences ces to california at the beginning of 0 the gold rush has deserted the present generation prom from a acre ranch their holdings have shrunk to a small farm and the old family home in Clippers ville phil now twenty five has gone into the iron works gall to the public library and edith to the book department of Clippers villes largest store sam Is in school a and d seven teen toan year old ariel Is IB becoming a problem phil la id fascinated by that terrible 1 lily cass whose husband has deserted her young van murchison hlson S clon of L wealthy family returns from yale and gall gail has visions through marriage with him of the turning of the lawrence luck dick stebbins phils best friend has the tha run of the house arlel ariel la Is sneaking out of the house a at it night for joy rides phil suggests to his sisters consternation that they invite lily cass casa to the house gall gail goes nath van tor for a weekend week end with the chipps his uncle and aunt she la IS received coldly by lira chipps chapps and her guests at a roadhouse gall sees a rac coonc coon c coated abed man helping arlel ariel into a roadster CHAPTER V continued 10 she stopped fiercely as gall merely sat silent from vague worry and apprehension about arlel ariel suddenly the whole fearful danger had bad sprung upon her this morning it had bad been no more than fear now it was vas full knowledge you in san francisco with the camps then oh yes I 1 was wasl I 1 we went down from there where was mrs camp she had to go to san rafael Ila she left us at the fairmont just you two girls did she know you went out that night we tell her no there was a pause then gall said arlel ariel 1 I 1 cant believe it I 1 you were there arlel ariel offered accusingly cu oh I 1 know gall covered her face w with ith her hands for the first time the younger sister seemed a little impressed and she spoke in a lower tonea tone a tone that had some hint of huskiness or of apology in it alif if it makes it any ans better we all ti thought ought that was a horrible place and that wed never go there again I 1 you been there before arlel ariel could even laugh oh goodness not W we just happened we happened here ill tell you how it was I 1 she leaned forward locking her hands about her knees mrs camp and dorothy were going in to the city on the ten yesterday morning to do some shopping and stay overnight because mrs camp wanted to hear some one preaching at church this morning see so they asked me to go and sirs mrs camp was going to see her aunt in sari san rafael so she said that dot and I 1 could have lunch together and go see a movie well at about five we were back at the hotel cleaning up and she telephoned and said that her aunt was as so sick she was going to stay in san rafael andee and we could get four orpheum seats and ask two boys to go with us so we were sort of telephoning around for boys and we got buddy raisch and his roadster well that was about all there was to itt buddy said we could get a grand shore dinner at Mocker sons about ten if we went to the movie first but I 1 realize it was forty miles away and that it would be so foggy 11 the horror that had held gall in a vise since midnight of the night b before 0 began to loosen and fade she could breathe again so you went back to the F calr air mont certainly we did I 1 what time did you get there about ore one gall reflected a few minutes the heavy dark lawrence brows drawn together in a frown arlel ariel youre only seventeen do you think men i a girl who goes about with them at all hours of night to places like that dont you want men to respect you she asked 1 I want to have a good time arlel ariel said bald simply men arent looking for good pure womanly women these days and dont you fool yourself that they are gall I 1 men want girls to run around with them and not to be afraid of being kissed hissed stop you make we me elek 1 the older sister said sharply well its true how many men do you know who are going after girls like ede paying calls discussing ideals not one and you think gall began warming you you can builds lovely dignified married life on running aro around adio to places like no I 1 denv dont artil ariel responded promptly tn in the pause but I 1 say wa ita the only avay you can have hare a good time and 1 I want to live while im young I 1 the barne youre not right A arl pi el gall persisted honor to la what we well what it always was and dignity and set self f control if we ive turn ourselves into animals wo we only I 1 have anve to io work our way ay brick back to decency sooner 0 or r later gluttony alutto n y in food anny more expensive than tha n than developing appe ap pe titles for for other things I 1 1 I know what you mean me arlel ariel relieved her briefly surely surely no sane girl could think that the sort of marriage that goeff goas on now with jazzing janzing and fighting and divorce grill gall began eloquently surely no girl thinks that la Is worth while I 1 why gli gails Is like that are bur burned nad out tit nt twenty their lles lives are overt overl fit for nothing not hIngl 1 they go on for a few years arlel ariel at your age to go on as you are going on la Is simple ruin and if I 1 sit down at home then what Is it why gall arlel ariel said in a confident voice im no foot I 1 im not taking any chances taking any chances I 1 gall gail echoed rolling up her eyes etes there was vas a pause now listen gall arlel began again in deadly earnest you had to lie ile to get on off on tills this chipp party you gall was checked im not proud of it she said presently in a shamed voice why you be proud of it there was nothing wrong in that party part Y only you found out that it it depended upon a formal invitation from mrs i chapp you simply go you you phil my father after alap all gall offered hesitatingly unwillingly nor mine I 1 but gall arlel ariel went on more confidently aware that she was gaining ground we cant get away from it we cant have any tun fun here unless we take chances chanc esl nobody could get away with anything in this town I 1 just as soon as I 1 can im going to get out and I 1 advise you to tol I 1 why what does it matter she rushed on what does it matter what van murchison wants how much he wants to fool around how young a kid he be Is cn this man was far from thoughts of marriage iles hes rich lies h os going to take his wife east and abroad what do you care about the rest you dont want to change him you want to marry him let him be giddy phil said lie he was giddy let him be wasteful and frivolous if he wants to be I 1 what Is it to you lie he gets you out of CUppers ville and away from these gossiping ol 01 old busy bod bodies lesl the river of words dazed and terri fied gall this could not bei be delicate ethereal arlel ariel pouring out this coarse and dangerous cangero us philosophy of life or of j death ariel whom they had all thought young innocent protected confessing her hei determination to grab the first man mad she could and escape escape from ClIppers ville most terrible of all to gall call was her little sisters easy air of conspiracy her casual quick assumption that they were both in the same boat gall was frantic with alarm it she told philip prillip there would be domestic pandemonium und and if she did not she herself must assume a most appalling responsibility perhaps if she could get arlel ariel to promise pro n I 1 se to swear in the end there were no reproaches no threats she slid to her knees beside arkels bed and locked arkels hand in her own and after a long and solemn talk they promised each other that there should be no more deceiving no more clandestine parties everything open and above board between the two of thew at least gall felt oddly old exhausted with emotion tired from the confused impressions pres of these last brilliant novel days weak from the reaction from arkels revelations yet she was strangely deeply happy too somehow in the confession of their mutual adventures the acknowledgment of their mutual desires and dreams she seemed to have come very close to arlel ariel today the sense of her responsibility as arkels senior of her big sis ter ship lp was solemn upon her she S he loved its weight not one of them edith gall arlei ariel sam bain Is really self elf supporting thought phil and C cass ass sends lily nothing she even knoer lino w where h e re he ae is I 1 lily and the three k elds ids J buffy try and miles a and nd daniel if she came here biere if we were married mean there here were nine of us here eating three meals a day twenty seven meals a day G di d gall might raise the roof too she might get edith and arlel ariel to fight but what could they do ariel was not thinking but her mind was washing idly about among the he memories me morles of bf the thelast last 24 hours houri lad and tuddy buddy hla his nerve and that horrid hard kiss hiss thai had been plas against her delicate mouth when sloe she had go gotten aten out of the car at the fairmont in the drifting silent fogs of one this morning she determined ter mined to have nothing more to do with him roadster or no roadster but slie she could not go on living in clippers ville she hated tins this jay town and these jay people and this old house with vi ath a bitter hatred there must be a way edith told herself complacently that all this was very nice here wits was phil home at a time when he might have been with ft ath lily Cass which proved that his affair with her was over gall was getting on splendidly with her new and wealthy friends and would undoubtedly b t marry van murchison hlson arlel ariel had had a lovely lettle girl time with dorothy everything was going beautifully ariel Is smart about boys bois gall gail was thinking her cheek flushed as she remembered what arlel ariel had said gall herself had vaguely observed some lack some essential thing missing in her f friendship ship with van but it had been left for arlel ariel to put it into merciless words was it true well no not entirely there was some truth in it of course but it if van murchison hlson happened to td be a lighthearted light hearted unthinking fun loving boy young for hla his years and it if gall lawrence was developed beyond hers matured by responsibility and experience that did not mean that they could not fall in loye with each other how could she demand more of him than he naturally gave what attitude on lier her part would create in him a soberer a more dependable mood on which a woman might base real hopes and plans thinking these thoughts she did not feel quite the usual thrill when he came into the library a day or two later and stood as lie h e often did with an elbow on the high desk watching her fim amusedly as she stamped and scribbled in the shabby old books have haie you a good reference book on the diseases of hawk parasites the ringing voice said joyfully when she was free ape there was no change in galls manner as she touched his big brown hand but deep underneath she was conscious of change in herself this man was fa far r from thoughts of marriage by what twist she wondered did a girl bring her man from such irresponsible gaiety as this to the definiteness of an engagement an engagement began to seem to her an achievement something quite extraordinary a triumph what a thing a girl accomplished when she could simply complacently tell her friends that she and toi tom so and so were going to be married van wanted gall to lun lunch eh with him today and she reached for the telephone extension and told edith that she would not come home as usual it meant a pang to edith but it could not be helped but immediately after this van suddenly turned scowling and gloomy and said that no hang it he be could not lunch with her after all ill tell you he said with his characteristic act chuckle 1 I promised a man at De Bercs resford ford that id go and look at a puppy 1 gall di did d not know quite what to say feeling as she did a little dashed and perplexed by the sudden change of plan she tried to feel fondly indulgent he was only a boy after all but she had a sense of futility there seemed no way of catching the slippery substance of him in her fingers im sorry he said oil oh all right 1 say lets go over and have lunch at santa cruz some sunday and swim can you swim 1 I love it yes we all swim mention of santa cruz reminded her ot of Mocker sons and she wondered what van would do ir she told him her anxieties about artel ariel would it develop anything new in him film responsibility gravity she could not do it now but she liked to think about it it ile he was gone he was hunting amusement somewhere that was all lie he wari wanted led van was like a child looking for some one with whom to play her thoughts were following him into the sunshiny june lay day what fun to be mrs white and cool and at leisure there on the tilted leather seat beside him and go and have lunch at the country club and watch tennis or perhaps play golf anyway anyway she reflected walking home to lunch she was a good deal nearer to that envied position than any other girl in Clippers vIllel 1 she had proved herself on that grilling weekend week end visit to los gatos quite the match of the women of vans set she had won them in spite of themselves edith was in the kitchen ecstatic over galls unexpected appearance appearance and the addition of strawberries to her humble little meal they laughed together gathering the dishes cups spoons into the dishpan dl brushing crumbs drawing shades did you make any date with him bin gall nothing definite but nothing could be more satisfying outwardly than his bis pursuit of her and gall bid to be content with that for awhile in a half halfhearted hearted highly unsatisfactory sort eort of way mrs chipp had asked askea gall to far niente again and this time everything had gone gloriously breathlessly there had been charades charales cha rades built on the lawrence formula there had bad been a hysterical game of sardines that lett left even the tha grownups grown ups spent and agonized with laughter some of these demigods demi gods had gone sa BO far as to torb remember member vans little friend from the library in ClIppers ville and hau baa been gracious to heri her TO I 1 |
