Show nl 1 LIZE 1 1 ahe ll llo U o ck at lawle e JIM es t by kathleen N norris OITIS copyright by kathleen norris service ai 1 t SYNOPSIS the luck that brought the boston lawren laurences lawrences ces to california at the beginning of the gold rush has deserted the present generation from F rom a ar 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 bo book ak department of ClIppers vIlles largest store sam Is in school and seven teen cearold arlel ariel Is becoming a problem phil Is in fascinated by that th at terrible lily cass whose husband has deserted her young van murchison hlson clon of a wea wealthy thy family returns from froin yale and gall has va visions through marriage with him of the turning of the lawrence luck dick stebbins phils best friend has the run of the house arlel ariel to Is sneaking out of the house at night tor for joy rides phil suggests to his sisters consternation that they invite lily cass to the house gall call goes with van for or a weekend week end with the chipps his uncle and aunt she Is received coldly by mrs chipps and her guests at a roadhouse gall call sees a rac coon coated man helping ariel into a roadster ariel admits she was at the place at night and displays no ro morse gall gal Is gloomy as she considers the fam ilys a outlook CHAPTER V continued 11 best of all had been the morning after a dance when waking in the big hotel on the hilltop hlll top gall had breakfasted in pajamas tho the silk pajamas edith had won when she won the hope chest at the catholic fair last year after breakfast the party had split and scattered gall going oft off with van in the roadster they had gone to the cliff house and apostrophized the seals that were barking harshly on the rocks behind the drifts of fog they had had tin types taken on the board walk and had tried all the swings and chutes they had come downtown again and lunched on a roof above old chinatown hearing the cars honking in the streets tre below and the fleshmen crying the their r wares ores they had bought i ginger and 11 chee nuts had lingered linger ed long at the theater doorway studying the cheap little photographs bursting into fresh laughter as they pretended to translate the hieroglyphics to io one another an idiot yes but van was a most lovable idiot the ideal idiot with whom to spend a silly day like this when ones senses were still dreamy and dulled with the excitement of a gala night and alen one olle had him to oneself not showing off not given any chance to be drawn awny away innocently to hurt ones feelings this day in chinatown was one to be marked with a ath a white stone for gall at four they had known they must tart start for home it would take almost awo two hours to drive to ClIppers ville gall gail had not dared prolong the fun too far van had bad landed her safely at her own gate at six and she had gone into the dim old brooding house that was close and dark tonight with a sudden realization of the limitations of the place the of home ive had the best time I 1 esq ever had in my lafel she ehe could tell them over and over again exhausted by sheer felicity she told them the jokes the situations the events in an inconsequential quent ial jumble edith had listened eagerly sympathetically phil was not at home ariel Arlel had listen listened ed too but with a inference if difference ference arlel ariel had an experience last night she he went out for a casual drive with 1 1 the camps after the movie edith ha bad 1 said and they broke a spring and it was nearly midnight when she got 1111 in phil and I 1 were terribly frightened gain ey eyes es and arlel I 1 s fiAd fla flashed shed together but even when they were alone arlel ariel had not been communicative you run your affairs and let me run mine ll 11 she had sald said not rudely very simply but it a broken spring I 1 arlel ariel A 4 1 I say it was gall had basen been too t 0 anxious andio s ut t back to her hei vw own ries to worry even about ark the day had bad had lis its marvelous moment m benl it had come at A four ewhen she and van laughing over the purchase of dragons bowls candlesticks and charms in the sandal scent ed opium scented interior of a dark little chinatown shop had been reluctantly luct antly forced to a consideration of the flying time yep so we cant stay in town we aint married betl yet 1 van had said with his wild laugh it much but it was enough for her to remember happily now it showed that he did think of it that it was nas in his mind we aint married yell it would have been a little better if he had bad not put it in the vernacular still it was sweet she went to sleep dreaming of ane trie r ws of a dewye few years iiri hence 1 heart was very tender bende toward van tonight ile he had been a charming companion today this big tweed clad man with the well filled wallet and the shining open car gall liked the memory of his smiling lean face grinning at her she liked his clothes ills his speech she liked his references to places and things that belonged to a world of leisure and luxury that she did not know almost every weekend week end was spent at the ranch in los gatos now and between the Alon mondays days find and fridays gall lived in but a dreamy half conscious ness of what went on at home the women of vans vand set had taken her up and when the chipps were back at home as they frequently were in midweek mary alary spence or lucia would come to to stay with lenore and they would all straggle into the library during the dull fore to report their shopping expeditions or to try to coax gall to come off with them to a country club luncheon life at this accelerated pace fairly burned her up tip the new pleasures enchanted her but never satisfied leaving her always straining for more w bach indeed was the position of them nil all lenore mary alary van fred to say nothing of their elders they went everywhere ery where anywhere they did anything and everything that might promise fun breakfast on the yacht for example life on the mac alac yacht had nothing to do with sailing or the water the yacht might ns fis well have been moored ten feet underground der ground in a coil coal mine for all its gay party ever saw of the sea yet there was something distinguished about being asked to spend a weekend on a real dachtl the glory s spread pread far ahead of it and far behind it gall call saw lier her name in uie the challenge more than once during this amazing summer listed among the guests at affairs whose distinction a few months back was beyond her wildest dreams slie she had a feverish reeling feeling sometimes of having lost edith lost phil and sam and arlel ariel lost touch with her work at the library and her duties at home one could not live two lives after all and vans very exactions were a delight an answer to her wild young ardent prayers of last spring nothing mattered but that she should please him film should keep heep close to him she grew wittier quicker gayer us as the weeks went by their talk together was merely a quick cross fire of repartee one night in late august she and van walked home from a movie in Clippers vIlle the night was insufferably hot and the audience was glad enough to straggle out into the black darkness of the calle where the air was some degrees cooler that was frightful gall breathed turning her bared head up A he might easily have put his arm about her to the stars shaking back her tawny mane this Is a snort erIll 1 van com commented mente d alos los gatos tomorrow hey and into the pool the moon had not yet risen but there was an odd ll 11 light glit in the world at nine whitewashed surfaces and the adobe walls walla of the oldest buildings wore an odd pale glimmer of white the upper branc branches libs of the great trees ov over er the calle rustled wear lly fly in a hot wind maybe well go over to the beach sunday van said 1 I wish we were there now I 1 take you in a minute ill I 1 he offered eagerly the girl laughed A hundred miles she said and wed get so hot going over and be so tired coming back that we ve gain much ice cream at dobbins he suggested kind of mussy but she turned toward the drug store none the less the opportunity to be seen by all the town having soda isoda at dobbins with van murchison hlson must not be overlooked all Clippers ville came in and 0 out ut of dobbins on a hot summer evening and she kept wheeling about on tier her high stool to greet library acquaintances and neighbors and friends how do miss aliss lawrence Il hello lello gall illow how do gall call good evening miss lawrence 1 they all saw that she was with van murchison hlson ariel came in and put tier her slim arms about sail call from behind and kissed the bright hii w of tawny tim ny hair over gulls galls ear take our claves gall sald said getting down if lone she walked alcolm lion valt ain lical lic nl y q in th iroll 1411 kil k pi ill 1 l glubt ir sir I 1 III t 1 I ditl ll 11 t 1 ute somehow it jarred tonight gall broke across it suddenly tho the reason I 1 wanted to come away was my brother phil was in dobbins there your brother phil mill wast yes way over in the corner in one of the twosomes two somes why did nt we yell at it him van asked simply she had to havo have sympathy she had to test him with a sudden letting down of the bars she said because his girl was with him and dont you like her van demanded with his delighted air of discovering something amusing 1 I despise herl gall ansbe answered rad som berly not really yi 1 he fie exclaimed ecstatically what phils girl ashes not a girl really and its very serious gall said determined to sober him ashes a divorced woman and she has three little boys about three and two and one oh I 1 love itil it I 1 van said with relish phill phil old sober sides t I 1 adore im crazy about idill it van how can you say so sol gall reproached him hurt ashes a terrible girl she comes from thomas street hill she was one of the oh I 1 think its perfectly grandt grand van said with his raw joyous laugh think of the trouble and expense saved lils ills family all ready madel made 1 but suddenly perceiving that she was not amused and that a genuine mood of anger and disappointment was keeping tier her silent he changed his tone and said ral lightly why what do you care who your brother marr marries lesl 1 you dont have to marry herl her I 1 its his funeral 1 I suppose so gall conceded after a moment wearily want to jump into the car and rush ore off somewhere and get cool it would take too long nod and im too tired and I 1 promised edith to be home early she gets nervous the car was parked a hundred feet from the lawrence gate gall gail went to the fence that had once been their meadow fence and leaned on the bars and stared into the night that was now lighted by the moon tells ills marrying would simply wreck our home she said reverting to the topic deliberately desperately oh forget it 1 lie ile wont marry her van an assured her easily 1 I think she began a little thickly 11 1 1 I 1 think what worries me Is ariel ashes proud ashes so sensitive 1 shucks Shuck sl 1 she any prouder or more sensitive than you arel anro van said hated to be serious gall knew ile iio was hating it now the thing about arlel ariel Is gall pursued resolutely that she Is running around with that buddy halscy Ital sell crowd of oe course they may be a perfectly decent crowd underneath tl why ashes nothing but a school child I 1 van isaid said in distaste and displeasure well ashes not such a school child but what she lets buddy raisch halsch take her out in his roadster oh I 1 love itt I 1 think its priceless 1 van exclaimed laughing as galls troubled voice fell still 1 I dont know what to do about it gall began again ill 1 I was wondering she added timidly what you yon would think I 1 ought to do van 0 ue ile was interested now but in on an annoyed reluctant sort of way he said quickly 17 for heavens sake what should I 1 know about it it seems to me it if ashes such a fool she likes to run round with a bounder like that why let her do it ill but you dont understand van gall said patiently sties only seventeen she wont he be eighteen until next christmas that no hindrance to the late miss juliet capulet I 1 van reminded her joyously gall laughed faintly and was silent ill come for you early tomorrow van presently said hows nine that gets us to the ranch at noon easy the girl felt cold unresponsive heavy they were standing close together at the old fence rail he might easily have put his arm about her but he never attempted that sort of thing gall wondered sometimes it if it were some queer lack in her that prevented him or some missing quality in law going into the house she determined that she would not go down to los gatos at all tomorrow and felt a great relief in the thought if they wanted her they could make a special overture next nest week she wandered away to her own room returned in pajamas brushing her thick mop of tawny gold hair phil was at dobbins tonight she said suddenly with lily edith opened her lips to speak made no sound they stared at each other alile he I 1 edith whispered after IM anclle hile he was at dobbins I 1 in one of the twosomes two somes the alcoves oil gall gail ill 1 edith walled 1 I know its awful iles hes crazy the younger sister said darkly they brooded blooded upon it in sl lence gall felt tired and blue discourager about phil about ariel about her owr OWE hopes and plans concerning van A sense of futility of helplessness wat wa heavy upon her as slip went alowis downstairs and slowly moved abola the kitchen pressing tier her white alti linen n dirr printed TO BE CONTINUED |