Show BEGGARS CAN CHOO E THE STORY renewing a childhood attachment ernestine Dr iceland of a wealthy family la is attracted by will todd newspaper artist artlan her sister elster lill lillian laii urges her to break oft off t the e affair but ernestine refuses A runaway marriage follows loring hamilton wins lit glanb consent to become his wife dianis wit will and nd ernestine begin their married life tn in humble surround inga Ing sJohn john poole wills will a best friend elves s birthday party tor for ernestine at ruby Pa castanos stanos a report ernestine Ernest lna and will have their first quarrel a ats a resu wilts will a father adles sudden suddenly I 1 Y lillian lililan and lorans are married CHAPTER VII 7 the baby for passenger lilllan lillian wa in europe mamma and papa and grandmother had gone to laugley lake for ali the mouth of august ernestine entered ibao a period of waiting of bf passing through days of 0 unreality ind and nights night of patient endurance ance sometimes waking after she had slept she looked about the walls of the little room with a feeling of enormous enor enormous moui surprise was this really she ehe ernestine Erdest lne briceland la irl this dim room with the curtains pinned back to adroit admit any any vagrant breeze listening with her heart suddenly quick in n the still night for her husbands footsteps mr poole came often to visit them Him ernestine estIne began bean to took forham for tit ni tor for late sunday breakfast and the pas tanos tanoa biere were kindness itself their shining car with the swart grinning chauffeur was often at the door pie one day as ernestine sat reading aloud wills mother laid a swollen creased cresien hand out over oer the book and ernestine looking up at her smiled quickly and kissed her what Is it mother cis I 1 they talked a little about the com t lag ng baby and the plans E ernestine rn estine and will had made 01 it Is hard for your mother said mrs ilis todd with a smile 1 I think perhaps it Is as great a mistake to be stIff necked about favors as it la Is be greedy areedy perhaps admitted ernestine it ls Is hard to be exactly balanced one must choose a direction in which to leant lean ay T they h y fell e into nto a friendly silence r a I 1 little t e wills mother pressed e es Is hand n d IV will I 1 she h said and best r netlie tip heart beat a kit t he will you are r will T will inc tie ilance between your ald s childishness your just ju ti love V him ome come c home E ernestine re r e ti n k n a answer but the words ord fell foli lattwin I 1 tito into li 11 heart eart as though there were more more signi fleance to them than their stereotyped importance for an hour or more they sat in silence ernestine dreaming of mrs todd remembering hlll M mrs ri todd lived just long enough to see eee her grandson and to kiss hiss his fits poppy silk ellk cheek will laid him in the hot hoi low of her arms but after a moment with a ord of entreaty slie she naked hint him to take the baby away he did so go and calling the nurse to his mother who seemed to be swooning he took the little one back to ernestine and so the parlor of the littlehorse little house ehouse was a bower for death the gray coffin 5 the room filled with flowers the worn out shell of the woman ernestine had understood so little will accepted ills his mothers death with more inore philosophy than ernestine had expected of him the long waiting the clinging had been larder haider for him than the final separation besides the new little life cuddled against ernes tines heart was so ao much more than any loss losa lt it was such an appropriate compensation the baby had bad finally established ernestine among her new neighbors slowly but surely they had come to respect her and now with peter in her arms with her house clean and by her own efforts she found mrs and mrs pryor and others showing her real affection which she bhe appreciated slid and respected in full ernestine felt that all sacrifice was justified and they entered into a new phase of 0 ll life feIn in their own on small home will at the oars ernestine at tha 1 beamand bel helm mand and the baby tor for passenger 1 1 lowas it was harder to maintain the high f level of contentment after lillian ra returned from europe and established herself in lipi new home on the road out near loyola will went across acro with ern ernestine one noon shortly after their return mamma was there 1 lillian lililan was charming to 0 o will kissing him when she ole greeted ernestine and q the baby bab yand and flattering him skillfully fully after will had left for the suntha suna the three women followed one another about the house passed the baby back bach and handforth forth bettl between len them ano and talked talked taik ed talked dall all at the same time all listening and talking all intent on catching up the old intimacy it was charming cha ernestine could not ie remember when she had spent suoi such a happy afternoon there was no one i like mamma no onet one t ve ive sot got to go because papa la Is bringing a now new stone merger man blome with him for dinner I 1 am going gok to upp appt t roe rock k powder in the coffee P 11 mamma amma kiss kissed ed them all goodby y with fifi tears in tier her eyes 13 ernestine rn estine looked at LI lillian illan and realized with a shock hott low changed she was in the six months since alier marriage she was satisfied with tier her lot and herself there was almost danger a challenge to fitte fate in her complacency ency slie she was gentle and kind to ernestine but subtly patronizing it was especially noticeable since mamma had gong gone for mamma kept L lillian ilion in check but if lillian lilliah was changed loring lorang was startlingly so BO he seemed to ernestine bigger handsomer his 1118 blond strength was now set in a robust vitality which was vcr very different from wills volatile excitability he kissed ernestine told tier her she looked well and admired the anby mamma had find trained a maid for lillian lililan and she served in silent competence an excellent dinner but the bright vivacity of the afternoon was gone the interwoven volubility of th ethree three women their constant interruption of one another their exclamations and cries of astonishment or sympathy now disappeared and loring talked and the two girls listened ile he assumed ernestine linew knew all about their european journey over there he said lie he had got a new slant on things lings ti it was a good thing for a man to I 1 aft t away front from his fits desk for ll a while now lie he had decided to forego the idea of the bench and go in for crime they laughed and ho he twinkled ut them but all the same he insisted he meant it the judiciary qualities tire excellent but not remunerative unless one becomes a corrupt judge from which i fate heaven deliver met the crim trial inal lawyer Is tile the important lawyer of today he Is the man with power in the courts it will be a new lind kind of litigation for our office but if I 1 can get the business I 1 can handle it it I 1 went to see that greek char chap castano this afternoon and recalled to him our acquaintanceship and our mutual friends ile ho remembered roe me perfectly and asked about you ile he seems much interested in you and will lies hes the man to see torn tom kelly told me at the city hall ile he has the say about nil all that dark clark street colony theres no end of money there and im fm going to dig some of it out for us Erne stines face was flushed she could not deny her anger but it seems inconsistent to me she said quickly for you to take advantage of ills his friendship tor for will when you disapprove so of our knowing him I 1 dont understand anat has friendship gotto do with business loring asked and his own face flushed with resentment 1 I tell you ive got to make new contacts if 1 were to bring a different kind of clientele into the ola olac e besides I 1 disapprove of will knowing him it 11 was only his taking yon yoi to that dive do you think I 1 would mix lillian UD on with that crowd 1 I cant see any grand difference retorted ernestine lillian a baby ashes your wife anyhow besides the castanos Pa stanos are all right all 0 of f them I 1 know them well and the two girls are as fine as any I 1 have met theres not a month passes that we wd dont visit them or they dont call mr castano admires will he once hurt my feelings and hes been making it up ever since weve been friends without asking about his political activities or how bow he be makes his money its bit all very well for you to take an attitude with me declared loring but ive come home with the dete determination r mi to make moncy mone yand and a lot of it ii chicago Is rich I 1 may as well take some of it as others and if an acquaintance with a powerful man like castano falls tomy to my luck ill pursue it will would want me to 11 will would admitted ernestine but bet her aier looks were cold youve changed loring you used not be so ambitious ive acquired et a new sense of values he ha admitted of course im not saying at all that a man should stick at nothing to make money i a mistake and no good anyhow but ive I 1 ve been around 1 I saw one thing everywhere it Is the passion far faff the possession of money ar aa much as a man can lay hands on dont be silly loring said his wife mildly look haw happy E ernestine anes la is and ashes as broke as aa broke 1 I 1 am happy declared ernestine yes admitted loring but that Is because your capacity for happiness Is great your plea pleasure suri in your marriage andybur and your child be spoiled at all by diore more comforts i dont want avant anything changed not kot now liow not at this moment but tf if be honest with yourself find that one reason for your contentment Is your jour great expectations for you teel feel that your condition Is only temporary come now ernestine that so you are confident that there will be money for you yon and will when peter grows older and wills work develops into more lin importance beang poor can be a eatna ame lt alta only an interlude ant if you yoi blind ahad to look forward to nothing else I 1 the truth of his logic hurt ernestine unbearably 1 I care whether will ever makes money or not site she declared passionately almost In tears you think you dont sald bald loring inexorably but will sai bay that every man wants money every eer woman wants tier her man mohave to have it its a of power it will betit liell hell feelo that lies hes balled your confidence in him by MARGARET WEYMOUTH JACKSON 00 by bobba co service ernestine found herself trembling trembling lillian picked the baby up and da dan n died him and spoke quietly to loring you tire are disturbing ernestine and it a hit bit nice ut you all this shouting in makes me wonder if you doubt your own ability she took the baby and put him in his mothers arms loring apologized its a had bad habit I 1 have arranging my own thought in an argument it moan mean a thing sophistry pure and simple I 1 know you are sincere Emi ernestine estine dont pay any attention to me the talk felt ell into safer lines but ernestine was no longer happy loring got out his fits car and with lillian and ernestine in the back seat with the sleeping baby he drove to her home they left herb her now as they bad left her in Erl erie estreet street disrupted unhappy and at odds with will she was awake when will came in and she fixed a light supper supper for him she was satisfied with her lot and herself Hera elf f and told him all that loring had said with some small editing hes a capable lawyer I 1 suppose will said paid and it if ruby wants to give him work to do and loring wants to do it the difference hes not the only lawyer that would like to get his fingers fl ners into Pa ri stanos pie but anyhow ive got something to tell you going to new york and tuckers to be head bead or of the ahe art room ernestine felt a a cruel shock of disappointment she knew wilt will had expected this had bad hoped for the job himself but Tuc kera so young shearo she protested it that hes bes capable rm im glad he got it said will ernestine thought of what this job might have meant the pay was nearly double they could have rented this house bouse and with the rent and the increase moved into an apartment in ravenswood Ravens wood ob she cried to will aghast abbasi at her own mental processes its ita so hard not to consider money not to wantI tl not to caret I 1 dont want to be greedy and gramby crabby I 1 dont want to to crave success but I 1 hm am 1 I do it horrible ile he looked at her with some humor bomor you arent greedy and grubby sweetheart and ni ab for or sue success gess theres a legitimate way to want that not for the muney money but for the work I 1 dont think this has any effect affect on oil my future its really an executive position and iro im a solitary worker id be no good ut tit bossing its an editorial job und and tommy has an editorial slant on things lies iles fitted for it A few days later he came home with a shining fare fafe im to be pooles assistant he said do you r realize what this means to me its worth ten thousand in cash sit to work under him if a person went to him and offered a hundred dollars a lesson he tench teach him to draw but would curse him out of the office and hell teach nip me and ill be paid for it it means no more night work ten till six I 1 do detail in the alie art room until mr poole cornea comes in and then I 1 work for him nil all afternoon ile does a copy tor for a new york syndicate every day and theres always work to plan ahead and sketches to lily lay out hes been boozy a at lot lately and I 1 think Al mcdermott cDermott feels that it if he has somebody to help him hell keep ahead and not run so close to publication wiston want to send me in there but poole insisted on me ile he sighed with happiness and added as an afterthought it means another five dollar raise maybe mayba more later ile he was so thrilled and excited that ernestine commanded tier her heart t to 0 yield its disappointment over tommy tommas I 1 8 job but she could not see any real future for will in losing himself in the great mans shadow 1 I d dont nt want maman to know ernestine said im afraid she wont go to europe besides you know what a tusa fuss therell be then dont tell her said will in his simplicity it really any one alses business Is it ernestine sighed you dont know how take it of course its their business have enough to say and I 1 feel embarrassed with mamma shell wonder why I 1 tell her will kissed her cheerfully and went away to blu alu beloved job he was radiantly happy and his happiness seemed to affect tier her inversely every day was an adventure to him tommy ilves gives deplenty me plenty to do he admitted one evening tommys tommas Tom mys a good boss he keeps us till oil humping and gives every fellow the kind of job he can do best but its tile the work for mr air poole that makes up for any chores ernestine I 1 tell you he Is a great man he comes in there sometimes times he know whether hes eaten or not hut but as soon as he gets in that little office which fits around him like a glove about a hand ho he begins to function the way his mind Is always ra surprise the matter honey youre not eating ernestine leaned on her band and her eyes filled with tears 1 I hate to have mamma go awa away y now she said wills methods were infantile then tell her you know she shed d stay in a minute go on talking about the office please so I 1 can think will laughed ile he took a half dollar from his pocket and spun it on the kitchen tablecloth 1 11 I won me fifty cents shooting I 1 crops craps at the office he said we can go to the movies s U ernestine rn estine plucked the fifty cent piece from ills his fingers and he made a c pretense at regaining it now toy ruy thinking process Is en if rely disrupted 11 she told him 1 I thought mr wiston was going to tire tile the next il |