Show the honorable uncle lanc lancy by ETHEL HUESTON 0 co ilc CHAPTER XVI continued Con tinned VI aunt olympia was wai back in bed firs first whiling away the time with a little work on her unde under but the senator was not long behind her im not even going to shave he said laid cheerfully thank god irs oar over to tell the truth its lt a great relief to me del the she said laid bravely your business is ii your own and it if you wanted to be senator le why it was your say so but personally ive had enough and im glad to be out of it so we can live our ow life tor for a while wed better have some gome coffee said laid the senator hilda answered the ring with suspicious aja alacrity crIty on the tray with a big pot of coffee was fresh fruit and a small covered plate of hot muffins you may need she he said grimly she gave the senator a severe look mr allen alien came about two with a dozen more hungry politicians for me to feed and with blobs blabs of blood around his nose and a very black eye tor for which I 1 offered im not even going to shave him a beefsteak and he asked me to fry it please and took another of the same A bloody nose gasped the senator A black eyel ejaculated aunt olympia I 1 it seems he hit the leg of a bench as he went down but giving the senator the credit said hilda reprovingly anyhow they ate all the steaks and are now working on the ham and eggs beneath her arm in direct defiance of orders hilda bore a huge stack of morning papers olympia frowned at sight of them 1 I said coffee and nothing but coto fee and by all means none of f those filthy sheets that are a profanation to the holy sabbath hilda laid thi the papers on the foot of olympias bed and arran arranged ged the tray on a small table between them her expression disturbed aunt olympia in anybody else it would have been definitely pleasurable in hilda it was merely sardonic 1 I thought you might me like a look at the pictures anyhow she said and besides i I 1 had to get them out of my way downstairs cluttering things up with politicians oil all over the place how are the girls asked uncle laney lancy diplomatically they are all right what I 1 seen of them she added with dour significance ance you should have been at the rally said aunt olympia with a twinge that would have done justice to a toothache kayoud have seen plenty of them hilda moved toward the door 1 I got to go now she said 1 I been giving coffee and doughnuts and boiled eggs to reporters and camera men for tour four hours mr cooper and mr dodd and the boys worked all night nigh tand and the telephones been bingin steady since six and they sent to town tor for more stenographers to take the messages aunt olympia swallowed hard she looked at the senator he was gazing at his bis coffee obliged to say something she said faintly oh yes from the constituents from everybody I 1 ever heard of so tar far and some I 1 aint we aint opened the telegrams yet no ume time deput we put them in the potato basket im boiling the potatoes to make salad for everybody be coming before the days over im bolling boiling another ham too A aunt un t olympia groaned and closed her eyes she waved feebly tor for hilda togo to go away hilda paused once more seems as il if to me the girls did kii ill right tor for their selvis she remarked cryptically and closed the loor door behind her daunt aunt olympia did not open her eyes until she could hear hilda creaking tre aking downstairs after election im going to fire that idiot she said bitterly 1 I lont mind her not being able to speak peak english but the he might at least make a little sense in some lome langu language agel I 1 try one of these muffins muff ing my dear said laid the senator piping hotl hilda hildas muffins make sense in any language aunt olympia feeling dulled and bruised mechanically set her teeth into a muffin it was all right her eyes wandered to the pile of papers on the foot of th thy bed purposefully she forced them away and looked at the senator he was looking at the papers too rather sheepishly over the rim of his cup whoever gave a patent to the fool that invented should be strung up for treason treaso nl freedom of the press huh its freedom of the press makes cowardly slaves and craven knaves of otherwise good citizens you ought to get up a bill about it the press freedom is taxpayers polson poison she could have smiled at that she wished the girls had been there to hear bear it purely extemporaneous it was too but her eyes would not be kept away from the pile of papers she set her bar cup down with an impatient tient little crash oh well we may as well have a look at the pictures I 1 suppose she snapped not bowlegged bow legged one she reached for the papers and passed two or three from the top of the pile across to the senator who was reaching tor for them they settled back on the pillows suddenly 0 olympia gasped teh ten clucked the senator and kept on clucking olympia gazed across across at him wide eyed speechless he g gazed Z d at her well god bless my soul think of that bowl he said reverently then they fell desperately on the papers and silence hung bung between them except for the crinkle of paper occasional hissing sighs from olympia and an almost continuous stream of clucks from the senator the election was as good as won the girls and the senator along with them had got a terrific priss press newspaper men all over the state had worked on the case all night they had covered the dastardly outrage in large caps from every possible angle public sentiment was aroused to the highest pitch public indignation was an inferno never had the widely publicized american standard of moral decency been so flagrantly betrayed the new york herald tribune came out with an editorial denunciation of tactical devices so contrary to pure republican principle and ideal id like to see len Harde face now said aunt olympia nap hap len hardesty publicly absolved the governor of all complicity and shouldered the blame for the debacle governor wilkle wilkie pleaded complete ignorance of the entire matter and d deplored e the incident but the newsmen did not let it re rest s t there they admitted that while the governor been smart enough to think it up he be had certainly been immoral enough to try gryto to reap the advantage of it they cited his prepared speech the use of his bis chauffeur the arrangement of floodlights flood lights lampys speech was quoted verbatim with helens anguished dont say brats in parenthesis aren thesis uncle lampys glasses fogged up so over lampys Lim pys speech that aunt olympia had bad to read it aloud to him now mow you see ouie ollie he said reproachfully hilda made good sense indeed very good sense seems as if they have did all right for 1 just as she said in the meantime hilda with all she had on hand that hectic day did not neglect to keep the secluded girls informed rung tor for their coffee now she said take em cm a good thirty minutes to get becom posed at the end of an hour she appeared again mr hardesty phoned have you any bad effects afterward and he feels the same and they ought to be composed by now if ever the girls got up at once a little frightened but determined shall we dress asked adele um no I 1 think not said lim py sagely wed better go as we are dont brush your hair adele dont be too slick we look more votes apperly in our bathrobes and a little tousled but not too tousled not tousled enough to be tough in bathrobes and slippers effectively tousled but not tough they slipped down the hall to that suddenly dread door keeping sharp lookout for cameras as they went limpy knocked bravely but her heart was heavy anybody but reporters can come in and wel welcome comel I 1 boomed aunt olympia joyously limpy opened the door aunt olympia and uncle laney lancy were sitting bolt upright in beds strewn with pages of the morning papers both were flushed with excitement beaming broadly aunt olympia held out her arms to them uncle laney jancy wiped his glasses oh hello bello said limpy taken lack back by the surprising cheerfulness of it the scene good morning said laid adele faintly come in you dear precious darlings cooed coded aunt olympia Olymp la ring tor for coffee my dearl sald ald the senator they look pale sit down girls iris nice legs youve got my dears the girls stopped short and looked at each other would you think maybe the campaign has gone to their lums alums asked limpy how adorable and rested you do looka said aunt Olymp olympia la you must have had a good nights sleep did we sleep adele adalet 11 1 1 I 1 dont ri remember member 11 we must be on guard though said limpy these seemingly simple cases often turn violent at a moments notice we must be armed to protect ourselves said adele we can use chairs if we have to keep close to a chair limpy I 1 oh by the way I 1 forgot to tell you 11 said limpy we have bad news tor for you bad oh did you catch cold walled aunt olympia in an immediate panic no be calm we catch anything limpas small face puck ered with a sudden sadness we lost something we lost J tish tish said the senator kindly dont give it a as thought ill buy you another whores wheres my checkbook you cant buy this said limpy feeling suddenly sad and forlorn and homesick it is something not for sale never tor for salet sale its helen 11 the smile faded from the senators face he glanced almo almost s t accusingly C cu at the shocked olympia Olymp la youve lost helenl she stammered my dear said the senator reproachfully fully you make sure we had them all with us in the car last night do you mean he went on becoming excited that one of our children is still running around at large among republicans in in a wet bathing suit limpy laughed tearfully oh we brought her home all lightf but well wel lyou you know this sacred franchise C franchise ejaculated aunt olympia Olymp la ashes she wants to buy a bus line not that kind of a franchise I 1 mean the vote helen got up this morning and took a plane out to iowa to vote when is she going demanded aunt olympia Olymp la ashes gone she went at six aunt olympia turned briskly to the senator del make a note of that call dave tell him to get it in all the monday papers the kind of citizens we arel after a night like eke last night we send one of our children by plane out to iowa just to cast her sacred vote did she take time to dress asked the senator oh yes she he dressed we helped her she looked lovely she took the windup wind up costume along to vote in said adele helpfully maybe she can get us our groceries at wholesale from this on said aunt olympia philosophically philosophical ica I 1 will she be back after the el election ec ti on asked uncle laney lancy th the faint familiar flicker flashed between the girls urn um well I 1 rather doubt it said bald adele not tor for a while at least said limpy ashes not going to send for or y you ou girls to come out there Is she quavered aunt olympia Olymp la urn well I 1 rather doubt it it said adele not for or a while anyhow said limpy ill have her mail stopped declared aunt olympia Olymp la ill hire a detective I 1 said she could go when she liked and sho she can go it if she likes but if 11 she tries to get you away ill sue her she wont try to get us said bald adele soothingly shell have hav aher her hands full without us and she may be back you know for a while at least added limpy my dear said the senator suddenly ring for or hilda tell her to call the highest official of that me line and tell him to report to me every hour how the plane goes through this is a murky day for flying tears came to limpas eyes she went over and sat down beside him on the bed and kissed the rosy bald spot on top of his head bead uncle laney lancy she said humbly 1 im I m really just sick about disgracing you the way I 1 did I 1 lost my temper and help it but theres one thing youve got to say about my speech I 1 told the truth and not many campaigners can say as much I 1 said you were a swell guy and you are a swell guyll guyl you disgrace him said aunt olympia jealously sit down adele sit here by me even hilda realizes you seem to have did all right for yourselves you seen the papers the girls covered their eyes with their hands they groaned nol no plea iel no papers I 1 anything but pa hersl oh have a heart dont rub it W binl why you silly little dun cesI mean darlings roared aunt olympia fondly Eve Every things lovelys Every things jakel in fact hunky doryl they liked 10 it they liked what asked adele timidly hn A d ay 1 y you 0 U said laid the senator an all of I 1 you outraged outrage dl furious busl its it an insult to the nation their national sense of decency Is cut to the corel core 1 I dont blame them the m 11 faltered limpy no no not youl the appos after all the publics seen plenty of legs legs are nothing though a gors gods blessing good legs I 1 its brother wilkie curse cursing even the white house called up Is jg Is it in the papers asked limpy feebly certainly it Is in the papers the papers are full of III it oh they are are they did anybody mention my speech they rhey say it was the best speech made in any campaign this year they print it in full even to helens reminding you about the brats it was a great speech limpy I 1 wish id made it I 1 just wish 11 I 1 could see len Hardest Harde yi face bowl limpy blushing faintly reached for a paper oh ob adele she cried how sweet how proud you look look at this one of you limpy look where you come out of the truck see what it says AMERICAS LITTLEST stateswoman i TAKES A BOW that ll 11 look ook at this one of brother wilkle a standing on the platform with his bis mouth open said the senator look at this one of len hardes ty standing there like a snake in the grass beside the truck as you pass byl did did anybody hear what he said asked adele nervously no it just says he be was muttering r angrily what did he say adele oh he lust just said oh he say anything he just muttered said adele look at this one on of the senator wrapping limpy in his coati th that at the noblest picture you ever 5 t 1 A air A they liked what asked adele timidly saw of the senator he look like a real napoleon standing there with his arms full wed better save these pictures and send them to helen said limpy she was so BO embarrassed shell feel bitter better when she sees they arent so bad we dont show halt half as much leg as girdle and stocking ads ad shell see them said aunt olympia everybody ll see them she mopped tears of joy from her eyes these pictures have swept the country swept the world ill bet the king of england is looking at these pictures this morning look at this one of me adele its not very flattering but it just shows how upset and motherly iam I 1 am pull the wom an vote hilda appeared once more theres an awful lot of people on their way here about one thing and another and theres plenty downstairs now in my opinion eating us out of house and home and mr allen alien says bygones is bygones the senator coughed deprecatingly hilda he reproved her gently the young ladies are present we can dispense with the gory details and the came camera men are waiting to get a picture of you and him and his bloody nose with your arms around each other and mr parley farley says you call him as soon as you wake up and whatever you need you can have and that ambassador to england says you can have your pick of his nine to get them in training tor for future and someone whose name we rightly get phoned from iowa and says will miss limpy he said limpy be his campaign manager in 40 and would you like more coffee and mr hardesty phones have you any symptoms and he feels the same my dear said the senator 1 I think id better shave TO BE CONTINUED |