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Show . v-V'" t'h M Kathleen Morris v! lltoA ww w I ni,en. I - CHAPTER X Continued hI 17 l . It was almost three years now , i since the memorable Christmas day before Ariel's eighteenth birthday, j when she and Dick had run away t from them all. Gall had had two w, 1 v communications from her since; the t 'A ' first was the scribbled note she had left ln her deserted bedroom, ' J the note they had all read with such amazement, and consternation; and the second bad come a few months after Edith's death, and had been postmarked Phoenix, Arizona: "Gall, dear, I am so horribly sorry about darling Ede, but Gail she was happy. She was too good for this world and only would have had trouble and disappointment. I am well and so Is Dick, and we are coming home soon to tell you all the news, so no more now except that ' I adore you." It had been signed simply "Ariel," ? and had borne neither date nor ad-77" ad-77" dress. s- One day Gall had driven Phil's -ur, full of small boys, out to the 5 Stanislaus ranch. It was prosperous prosper-ous f j T . ous now, and the Lawrence s money t Aef- troubles, preposterous and unexpect-jj," unexpect-jj," ed as the situation seemed, were aytBj over. Phil was doing well, Gail had had a raise, the oil station paid its hundred a month faithfully, and that money Phil handed over un-III un-III touched to his sister. The remains of the once magnificent magnifi-cent Lawrence estate were divided ; the old house was Phil's, the corner cor-ner had been surveyed and meas-ll meas-ll ure3 and Slven to Gail, the Stan-JI&l Stan-JI&l Islaus property was wholly for Sam and Ariel. Rent went monthly into the bank ln Ariel's maiden name. Sam paid his board to Lily. Gail looked at the old ranch wlst-IT wlst-IT fully. She had dreamed once a brief dream of coming there with Dick, of being mistress of these acres of orchard and pasture and wheat iQrrp fields. lUlK They . would have been happy there, living ln the moon-faced old farmhouse, under the great towering tower-ing oaks and "eucalyptus trees, sur- D rounded by a tangle of sheds and fences, corrals and pastures, barns , and fowl runs. They would have had children, would have driven into town ln the old car, stopped for mall, for feed, for needles and egg beaters and Ink at the five-and- ten. Dick would have had cases ln the big courthouse ln the shady -,., square, where scared little Ariel teS ulU j,a(j jeen summone( years ago, and nt Gull would have gone Into the 11- brary to ask the girl at the desk J" for the new novels. ' BACH And on Sundays they would have telephoned Phil and Lily to ask iADIES- wllnt tl'e chances were of a picnic up at the old dam. It was going to EAMU' be hot today, and the children would love to get near to the wa-1 wa-1 ter. Gull had cold chicken and tomatoes. If Lily would stop for cnke somewhere. . . . "I might have had a boy and a clrl by this time. But certainly I wouldn't have had time for any writing. There's that to think about! . . . Dick, I'd give up the chance of writing another Iliad to have had you love me, to have been Mrs. Dick Vr , Stebhlns these three years." Gall was twenty-seven now, and 0 d tlle blrtniliys were coming faster vA ' nd fastcr- Men had wanted her, T 6onie of them fine men, men who '' ,' could have given her at least the . (' position Dick's wife would have , , had. Hut Gall was barely con-it con-it Va eclons of t,lelr existence. She was ' ) j "'. ony vaguely regretful when she H luid to hurt or disappoint them. !i If J,,st did not seem to mean any-y any-y "ilng. marrying anyone else than , "Ick, and until It did, Gall would not consider It. W :,." Hut sometimes she did consider the strangeness of the situation should Dick and Ariel come back to j,.,' "'PPersvllle. They would never '. know that this brother-in-law was . shrined deep In Gall's heart. They A reed never know. P,ut it would be I f hnrd It would be hard to see htm. t0 hive him kiss her In fraternal - - faslilon, to hear Ariel complaining of his treatment of his new clothes and of the care of his children! Once, after Edith's death, Gall hid written a simple, friendly letter to Dick's mother, trusting the post office to forward It to her ln Oregon, Ore-gon, whore site lived now with a widowed daughter. Did Mrs. Pteb-1'lns Pteb-1'lns know Just where Dick win "ow? call had asked. She, Gall, -l'ad a book that he had wanted and so nnni so pn And Mrs. Stobhins had answered. In a painful hand, on ruled paper, that IH.'k was Just about the worst letter writer that ever was; he had I'con some In L. A. .snd after that jP to I.as Vegas, and lut she heard ne wrr.i in Phoenix for three weeks, but he was coming home, according to what he wrote, and Just as soon as he did Mrs. Stebbins would see he wrote Gail. Seemed like he had lost sight of his old friends. There was no mention of Ariel or Dick's marriage In either letter. Gail had not dared risk the secret, and either Mrs. Stebbins had been equally cautious, or Dick had not taken his mother Into his confidence. Gall suspected, as the months wore along, that there was but one adequate explanation of Dick's and Ariel's silence. They were not happy; hap-py; the impulsive marriage that had found her so young had proved a mistake. They were quarreling, perhapa already separated. The secret se-cret would remain always a secret no one would ever know. And perhaps Ariel would come home some day, bitter and disillusioned, and take her old unhappy place In Ollppersville society. "Poor Ariel, poor Dick, poor all of us !" Gail would think. "It's hard to clasp air and kiss the wind forever for-ever ! I can be a writer, I suppose. I certainly mean to make myself one, If work and trying will do It. But it would have been wonderful-wonderful, wonderful-wonderful, to be a wife!" . CHAPTER XI ONE rainy October afternoon Lily and the three older chil dren were delayed at her mother's house down on Thomas Street hill, the shabby cabin light-hearted Gail and Edith and Ariel Lawrence had once so despised, and Gail found herself writing alone In the big house with the tiny Gall. Sam traveled up and down the coast now, doing press-agent work for a string of vaudeville theaters, and was as often ln Portland or in Los Angeles as at home in Clippers-vllle. Clippers-vllle. Tonight Gail half expected him, and half expected that when Phil discovered his family's absence he would drive at once to the Wibser house and bring ttiem all back. Meanwhile, In a rainy twilight that made the lights and shadows of the old kitchen more than usually pleasant, pleas-ant, she fussed away contentedly with preparations for her own supper sup-per tray, for although the clock said only half-past five, this was a special night at the library, and she had to go back for a directors' meeting. Suddenly she heard a motor car on the old side drive, and heard the engine stop and a ear door slam. Then there were footsteps on the porch, and the handle of the kitchen door turned. A second later, as Gail turned an Inquiring glance that way and said aloud, "Phil?" the door swung open, and the dimly lighted aperture framed a woman's slender figure. A young woman In a furred coat spattered lightly with rain, with a small hat drawn down over drifting flyaway golden hair. Ariel. Gall stood, stricken, motionless for a moment. Then Ariel came, "Oh, My Darling My Darling!" with a bird's flight, across the kitchen kitch-en nnd Hung her arms tightly about Gall. "Oh, my darling my darling!" Gale whispered, her wet cheek against Ariel's wet cheek. "You're back !" "Gail!" Ariel sobbed. "(Hi, dearest dearest !" There was no bitterness, no memory, mem-ory, now. It was Ariel, the adored youngster, here against her heart iigain, living, loving, sorry, eager to be forgiven; there was nothing in (Jail's feeling hut one great ache of joy and pain and love. "Gail, I've wanted you so !"' "And I you 1" They drew apart, hands linked, and looked at each other. "You look older, Ariel. Tou I hardly knew you !" The exquisite transparent skin flushed; Ariel shrugged In the old Indifferent way. "Oh, well" "Oil. well, naturally!" Gail finished fin-ished it for her with a laugh. Ariel saw the basket and the baby; she gave Gail a frightened glance. "Gail !" "Oh, no, no. That's Phil's baby. Lily's baby." Ariel's proud mouth curled In the old haughty way. "I heard he had married her," she said, displeased. "That horrible hor-rible Wibser!" in an impatient tone. Suddenly they were back in their old relationship, and there was reproof in the voice ln which Gail said : "Be careful, Ariel! She isn't here, but Phil may be any minute." "Theyre living here!" "They have been, from the first." "But this Is our house!" Ariel exclaimed, head In air. "Oh, Ariel dear " Gail pleaded, patiently. "Do you mean to tell me that Joe Cass' divorced wife " "Joe Cass died, Ariel. And they were here," Gall said, as the other voice stopped on an Indignant note "they were here when Edith And they've been here ever since," she added, after another pause. "I see," Ariel said, In a gentle, lowered tone. The old hoarse, boyish boy-ish voice, and the old penitent look ln the hazel eyes how they brought back the days of long ago! "Is Dick with you, Ariel?" "Dick? Oh, yes! He's coming In with the bags." "And are you going to stay in Clippersvllle?" "Are we ? Oh, heavens, no!" Ariel said expressively. "But are you happy, darling?" "Nothing to cable home about, collect," Ariel answered drily. Something seemed to shrivel in Gail's heart at the tone. "Can we announce your marriage now, Ariel?" Instead of answering Ariel fastened fas-tened bright curious eyes on her sister. "Do you mean to say that nobody's no-body's ever suspected?" "Nobody." "Oh, come now, Gall!" "Well, It surprised me. Of course I told Lily. But she never told even her mother. And people have all taken it for granted that you were down ln Los Angeles with Aunt Annie An-nie Ralston's family. Anyway, if anyone has ever connected your name with Dick Stebbins' I never heard it. His mother never did. Or If she did she was as mum as I was about it." "I've often wondered," Ariel said, listening attentively. "Not," she added, with her own little favorite air of arrogance "not that it made any difference to niel But I've often wondered what the old ladies in town were thinking about It." There was a moment's silence, for Gail sensed something unexpressed unex-pressed in her sister's tone and waited, puzzled, for an explanation. "I'm terribly glad " Ariel began be-gan hesitatingly. "Gail !" she added, suddenly, on a more definite note. "I've got to tell you something It's going to surprise you." She fell silent. "You must have known that there was something funny about all this?" she Interrupted the pause to ask Irrelevantly. There was a sound behind Gail at the kitchen doorway. She turned and faced Dick Stebbins.. Bigger, browner, with more of that sweet, homely, kindly air than ever. Some quality, reliable, trustworthy, trust-worthy, restful, seemed to emanate from him; there was infinite strength for Gall in the mere touch of his big hand. He kissed her, very simply, and looked beyond her to Ariel. Gail, blue-aproned, tawny of hair, her thick eyebrows drawn together questlonlngly, her sapphire eyes and the disciplined sweet wide mouth accenting her feeling of bewilderment be-wilderment and non-comprehension, sent her glance from one face to the other. "Had your talk?" Dick asked, and the remembered voice sent waves of thrilling weakness and Joy and pain through Gail's whole being. "Not yet," Ariel said. "Tell her. Tell her the truth, Dick." Dick had brought two rain-spattered suitcases Into the kitchen. Now Ariel glanced from them to her sister's face. "First," she said, "you can put me up, Gall?" "Put you up !" Gall echoed, In an almost shocked tone. "But, darling, this Is home I Papa's old room is the guest room, nnywny. You and Dick ran have the guest room all to your selves." "I'd ralher double up with you." Ariel said, without embarrassment, but with an appealing little touch of shyness. Well " Gall colored to her forehead, fore-head, laughing again, and sending Dick an apologetic glance. "If you don't mind." she sniil. "Of course we have to talk all night," "l here's a man in town I have to see. anyway," Dick answered immediately. "But not tonight!" "Well, I thoucrht I'd go down to the Knip!ro and telephone him, anyway. any-way. Wiihmzhhy he's t'i attorney attor-ney for the ship people," l!k explained. ex-plained. "Oh. yes. I know li'm. i : -i tor's father. But he's quite sick, Dick she was telUng me yester day In the library. He's ln the hos pital." "I know he Is. But you see." Dick persisted uncomfortably, with a red face, "it'll be better for me to be at the hotel, because then If he gets better we've been working on this case together " "But, my dear." Gail said in her big sisterly tone, "you can't go to the Empire, and leave Ariel here! You know what Clippersville is; there'd be any amount of talk ! What does the illness of a casual stranger like Mr. Willoughby matter?" mat-ter?" There was a pause. Then Ariel, balanced on the edge of the kitchen kitch-en table In the old fashion, said explanatorily, ex-planatorily, "Mr. Willoughby and Dick have been working on this case together. And if he goes to London, Dick'll probably go, too!" "But tell me before the others come ln before anything else," Gall said, "you're going to announce your marriage now, aren't you?" Something odd in their silence bewildered be-wildered her, and she turned sharply sharp-ly to Ariel. "Aren't you going to announce It even now," she demanded. de-manded. "Immediately," Ariel agreed briefly. brief-ly. "Well, then ! Surely Dick ought to stay here !" Gail argued. Her "You Have Your Talk," He Said, "And I'll Be Back." keen look moved from face to face. "There isn't any trouble?" she asked quickly. "No, dear, there's no trouble," Dick said reassuringly. "You have your talk and I'll be back. Of course I want to see Phil. You don't know what It is to get home. I can't wait to start talking."' When the kitchen door was shut and the car in the side yard had chugged away, Gail turned toward Ariel. "What's queer?" she asked. "Nothing's queer," Ariel said in her proud faintly hoarse voice. "But your cramming me and Dick into one room was rather funny," she said slowly, airily, "because we aren't married, not the way you think not any more. We never cared for each other that way." "You and Dick Stebbins aren't married !" "I said we weren't, Gail." "Then then " Gail stopped short, and there was utter silence in the kitchen. "Divorced," she said. "Then who's been supporting you all these years, Ariel?" she demanded de-manded seizing at random the first of a hundred questions. "Dick," the other girl said airily. Gail's honest face reddened ; she spoke sharply. "What are you talking about!" "Oh, not what you think, and what all Clippersville would gladly think !" Ariel answered. "He never put a finger tip on me," she said proudly. "He despises me, I think. Not not that I carel" "Tell me, dear," Gall said patiently. pa-tiently. Ariel softened suddenly. She spoke coldly, with a sort of proud reluctance and on a long sigh. "What you never knew, Gall, and Ede never knew was that I had fallen ln love with Van Murchison 1" "You mean " "Yes. While you and he were going go-ing about together. I couldn't help it ; In fact I didn't know It," Ariel confessed dispassionately, her hazel eyes narrowed. "I Just went nutty gaga about him !" she said. "Did he know it?" "Walt." Arial paused. "Do you remember a Saturday," she began again suddenly "a Saturday when you were going over to Los Gatos with Van, nnd you'd sort of maneuvered maneu-vered to get away from the library?" Remember it ! How often, with shame and regret, Gall had remembered remem-bered that old unclignifie . Jugglin with business and home obligations. Just to get free for thos-e exciting, unsatisfying week-ends with Van! "Yes, I remember. It was hot. And you came down to the car and said good-by to us." "Well, while you were ln the house he kissed me," Ariel said. The Indignant color blazed In Gail's face. "He didn't!" "Oh, imhtd he did.'" Ariel reflected reflect-ed for a second, and then added, "I made him." to r,s coNTiNi rrx |