| Show 7 axa t 50 7 mg H sa SU N k L arri more SYNOPSIS jim fielding one 0 of the lost generation who had left college to in the depression and is unable to find a job arrives at glendale GIen dale to visit his friends the mac Pher sons mae mac had formerly been gardener at his late uncles estate and now works tor for T H vaughn of mea howbrook dow brook 11 jim Is tired fired ot of being supported by his married sister kay while he still can can marry lenore an attractive divorcee who la Is in love with him and have an easy we life because of 0 her wead wealth his mind rebels stopping at the village drug store for a sandwich he be meets dolly dillya a pretty toda soda fountain girl when he inquires about the vaughns she asks if he la is a friend of cecilya Cec ilys 11 she also entrusts a message to tommy young son of the family and tells him how to reach the vaughns estate approaching the house bouse jim encounters a tomboyish little girl fishing she la is startled and falls in the brook incensed at first she discovers she sha likes jim and he be learns leams that she is susan vaughn he discovers cecily la Is her older bister he sees tommy a youth of eighteen who imagines helo he is in love with douy dolly jim explains his impecunious position to the ons they tell him that mr vaughn is recovering from a nervous breakdown mrs mis mac pherson suggests that mae mac give jim is a job as handyman jim goes tor fora a walk to think it over and picks up a horse shoe cecily ik j lovey lovely young girl appears riding a limping horse jim scolds her when he be sees the animal has thrown a shoe there is an angry s scene c ene jims ire cools and he Is intrigued as he thinks about her he tells the ons he wants to stay and assumes his duties as handyman CHAPTER m W continued 5 ll nice peopled he remarked talking over his first day on the job with the ons at supper 1 I feel as though ive been in a nightmare most of the afternoon miss parker gave me the marketing list so late that when I 1 got back from the village the cook time to do the roast and was obliged to resort to salmon sited salad which accord ins in to her own sworn statement gives the nurse indigestion 1 I should think sol soil mrs macpherson remarked serving stewed chicken and dumplings dump lings with an air of complacency not unmixed A with scorn salmon out of a canal can the cook threatened to leave of course jim continued and wis was pacified only when miss parker made me promise to drive her herin in to thi the movies tonight question am I 1 expected to go into the show with he and hold her hand during the love scenes certainly botill not mrs macpherson exclaimed indignantly and macpherson eison listening with inter interest estl gave one of bf his rare low chuckles susan fell oft off the roof of the barn bam 11 jim cont continued limed between soot soothing attacks on the dumplings dump lings IT tommy ammy had an accident with the station wagon last night are such things daily occurrences or were they arranged especially to make me m e feel at honie home they want taking in hand mrs macpherson Mao Pherson said crisply obviously referring to the vaughns discipline 1 that miss parker is no more than a fly in a ball macpherson made no attempt to deny the statement the conversation veered momentarily from the vaughns half way through the cherry cobbler however jim asked a ne question stion there another vaughn he inquired casually 1 I thought you mentioned m an older daughter macpherson glanced at him quickly but jim with a bland and innocent expression was pouring cream on the cobbler cecily mrs macpherson replied ashes visit visiting irig friends yau see seel I 1 ll 11 macpherson appealed to jim sees all knows all where is miss cecily bessie cape cafe may mrs macpherson snapped ed justifying her husbands humorously expressed opinion of hit bis wile its a house party she added dd the house party at cape may extended well vell into jims second week at meadowbrook Meadow brook the girl he h had ad met in the drive was cecily beilly he lassure was sure of that there were photographs to of her scattered about the lower floor of the house the painting above the fireplace was more vivid the artist had captured a suggestion of her coloring the apricot bloom bloo m of her bei skin her sherry colored eyes her bright curling hair but the artist had given in her a gentle dreamy expression impression ix gentle expressions were vere charming na no doubt and indicated a pleasant disposition but jimi jim when he glanced at the portrait alt recalled the scornful glint in the red brown eyes eybs the arrogant tilt of the rounded chin the artist had not provoked her anger of i course oarie jim rather regretted that the painting lacked the spirit and vitality odthe of the girl on the chestnut mare the house party was a break bieak tor for him jim reflected eted it 14 cecily had discovered him filling wood boxes the day after the encounter in the drive she ehe would woul dino no doubt have ordered himoff him off the place by the time she returned rel umed he reasoned she would have forgotten the incident he learned by devious means a few scattered facts about cecily she dominated the hou ho since miss cecily here I 1 su suppose we can have corned beet beef hash for luncheon he heard miss mis s parker remark to nora as ho he waited respectfully hat in hand to drive her to the village cecily was popular the telephone rang and cars filled with young people raced in and out ot of the drive ce cecily cil y was wa 8 in interested teres te d in 8 someone who didiot did not meet with her fathers approval he could scarcely avoid hearing snatches of a conversation between miss parker and a friend from a neighboring estate he was trimming vines outside uie lie living room window at the time and the neighbor obligingly was a little deaf he learn a great deal however ev er me merely re ly that the object of cec ilys interest was artistic that might mean anything of course though later he heard something about a summer theater and the w word 0 rd bohemian pronounced by miss parker with alth fastidious distaste hi he 16 learned arnd too that mr vaughn had dor forbidden bidden cecily to have anything todo to do with the undesirable young man under pain of penalties hinted but not detailed he reviewed dolly a references to a mythical rival in the light of the conversation he had overheard was the that guy to whom dolly had scathingly alluded the artistic whom miss parker had mentioned what cecily sees lia in him perhaps ledbetter hedi hed better stop in at the drugstore drug store when in town he seen dolly since the afternoon of his arrival he delivered her message massage to tommy the storm breaking at twilight had canceled its irn importance he had an idea that dolly would not be offended by his negligence his desultory acquaintance with tommy convinced him that the affair with dol ly if there was an affair ivas was important only to tory tommy dolly however bore no malice when jim went into the drugstore drug store one morning to have ii a prescription filled for mr vaughn she phe greeted him with a jaunty hello 11 jim birr assumed an engaging air of f contrition no he said with a slow somewhat sheepish smile im the extra man in and about the house dollys dallys eyes narrowed and crinkled youre jim she said returning his smile the new man out at the vaughns 11 how did you know tommy told me she perched on a stool behind the fountain pert as jim had remembered her friendly amusing its funny she continued the day you came in here I 1 thought you were a friend of the vaughns you looked P id just had a haircut hair cut jim caun countered dolly considered for a moment then she leaned toward him across the fountain and asked ina in a confidential undertone the idea mister Is it a bet jim shook his head dont you read the papers theres a depression he said ohl oh her expression changed im sorry she said slowly its none of my business anyway again her eyes glinted teasingly between thickly masca raed lashes are you a good hired man she asked im improving jim replied and by th themay the eway way im indebted to you tor for the job to me to you jim replied you sent me outto out to the vaughn place with his name the speed demon with the sandy hair herbert she smiled youre responsible what are you going toldo to do about it I 1 must ido I 1 do anything you must let ine me pay my debt at least whit what evenings are you free mondays and fridays to you gooda ill arrange something she smiled okay misted Ml sterl but what about tommy jim asked perhaps ill be risking my job ohl oh Tom she grimaced laughingly he the man about town towal hes cut though she added and useful sometimes I 1 c can an dodge tommy he thinks I 1 spend impend my evenings reading customers claimed her attention then jim promised himself the pleasure of spending an evening with dolly at some undetermined date in the immediate future future meanwhile hedi be devoted voted his bis attention toa to his assorted arted duties he discovered discover cd sur BUT as he fie became accustomed to the vagaries of the household that he be was happy at IM meadow brook he wired kay to send his clothes she responded ded with an avalanche of telegrams ranging from a mildly face facetious tiou s come home all Is forgiven to persistent demands lor for information he wrote her a letter being careful to give her no idea of at the nature of his bis position shed turn up sometime of course he wrote to lenore the letter gave him a great deal of difficulty he destroyed a quantity of stationery sitting bitting at ons desk in the living room of the cottage at intervals he swore well he had submitted to it it he no use kidding himself lenore wass was attractive he liked her then what at any rate he had bad no intention of making a definite break this was a temporary arrangement he would write of his position amusingly lenore would understand would she the question recurring at intervals was a source of annoyance to jim lenore had glorified the memory of his bis youthful devotion n during the years of her unhappy marriage hed never been able to tell her that his feeling tor for her had changed chafi ged she should have sensed the difference perhaps she had but admit it women had a devastating capacity for or deceiving themselves ohl oh well he wrote to her finally the lett letter er was not satisfactory it lacked entirely the touch he thought it should have what was the difference he probably ably be permitted to remain at meadow brook when the tha princess returned that imperious young lady named cecily shed probably see to it that he was discharged at once that was why he thought of her at intervals why he wondered when she was coming home ile he had no warning of her arrival it if he be had gone to the garage that morning he would have seen her roadster there between the sedan and the station wagon ile he did not go to the garage after breakfast he went about his task of sweeping the terrace jim thought of how pleasant the early morning was when one had become accustomed to rising at half past six birds were singing cobwebs sparkled on the grass the wind was cool and fragrant the screen door opened and there r she he was slender and trim in whipcord c 0 rd jodhpurs and a shirt of heavy IN im the extra man blan in and about the house c ream cream colored silk jim glanced at her fleetingly from the far end of the terrace and hastily turned his bis back good morning she called in a clear gay voice jim did not reply he whistled loudly and made mada swishing sounds with the broom will you saddle lady for me she asked pleasantly ill hip in and have some breakfast jim felt that the request demanded a reply he turned she looked at him for a moment her expression was puzzled then she recognized him ohl she said not quite so gaily its the S P C AX al good morning miss cecily jims manner was deferential he saw that her eyes were flashing good by to independence he thought goodby to meadow brook when she spoke her voice was crisp and cool 1 I thought you were the stable man she said hes been doing this who are you jim he replied the new extra man and he resist adding in and about the house ohl she appeared to deliberate for a moment she said nothing and turned toward the door jim ventured a question shall I 1 saddle the mare tor for you he asked no thank you youl she stood at the door her hands in her pockets her chin lifted her eyes flickering over jim sq so youre the new man M an she said at length youri youre more decorative than the last one I 1 wonder how long stay CHAPTER R IV the mental picture of his employer which jim had drawn was correct in only one particular he was querulous to an in extreme in other respects however jamn imagination had erred mr vaughn discounting the traces of recent au M ness was a rather handsome man and not beyond the early fifties he had graying dark hair keen hazel bazel eyes attractive clear cut features jim found him settled inan in an arm chair in the living room one morn ing as he be came in with the mail mr vaughn wore a dressing gown of maroon colored silk mr vaughn glanced up from the magazine mall mail he asked b briefly yes sir 11 herell herel the voice was impatient jim walked across the room to the arm chair mr vaughn took the letters ruffled through them ran a searching glance over the table beside the chair wheres the paper knife he asked irritably yn where ere is miss parker miss parker is in the garden jim replied shall I 1 cau call her never mind find the paper knife maybe itson its on the desk the knife was on the desk would you like me to open the letters jim asked when ho he had returned to the chair mr vaughn glanced up at him lie he was obviously surprised it if you please he said a shade more amiably youre the new man arent you yes sir jim replied macpherson oa told me he had bad engaged one your name jim jim fielding how long have you been here two weeks usually the limit mr vaughn said dryly getting on all right 1 I think so goedl mr vaughns attention turned to the letters and jim feeling himself dismissed went out of the room after the first morning opening the letters for mr vaughn became a part of the duties of the day mr vaughn frequently detained jim for conversation in iii the courie course of time jim r received e cel an unexpected promotion can you use a typewriter mr vaughn asked one morning when the mail had been especially heavy not expertly by any means jim replied ive made an attempt now and then have a try at it will you im not permitted to have a secretary from the office suppose we steal a march on the doctor mr vaughn smiled with a conspirators guile at jim lets see how it goes A movable office was estaba established dished in the game room on threatening days in fair weather on the side veranda rooted roofed thickly with vines mr vaughn attempted to dictate slowly enough for jim to take the letters in longhand long hand the process was irksome 1 I think I 1 could write without dictation jim suggested it if give me the information mr vaughn glanced at him quickly appraisingly no harm trying he conceded the first letter was moderately successful stul not bad mr vaughn conceded so for an hour or two each morning mornin in jim the extra man became jim the secretary he judged that the letters he wrote were not extremely important the real bustness business of the financing corporation of which his employer was president was transacted by the office in philadelphia this pretense of activity was merely a form of diversion mr vaughn missed the office and the normal routine to which he was accustomed mrs macpherson was delighted when jim told her of his part time promotion you seel see she said addressing her husband 1 I told you jim was smart theres no telling what it may lead to I 1 jim laughed and mcpherson Ic Pherson said mildly now bessie dont start to romance mrs macpherson bridled why not id |
