Show UNCLE BILLY SERVES HIS PURPOSE 88 by howard wright D 1823 1933 mcclura McClur fl newspaper New ner syndicate service sw see tommy its this y way said vivian when the puffing dusty way train had bad pulled noisily out of tho the little littie mountain station and the slim young man had climbed in after his bis f luggage and taken his place by vivians side in her car 1 I wanted you yon here because I 1 thought yon would un ua der stand perhaps she gazed at him thoughtfully with her gray blue eyes tommy started and his brown cheeks checks reddened a little ile he had never thought of beling being in love with vivian that Is to say eay he had never thought of it for more than a few days at a time it was one of tom mys most winning characteristics that 1 he had thought of being in love with 11 almost every girl he knew As for vivian she had never tommy knew thought for more moie than three minutes of being in love with anyone in the world yet thought tommy it he had bad been mistaken and vivian had token taken his friendship for something more serious he would be game that was another of tommys tommas strong points lie ile had always resolved not to disappoint any girl who took him seriously cut but up to that sunshiny day in july in ills his twenty sixth year no DO girl ever had taken him seriously good for you viv said tommy pulling himself together with the air of a man who walks bravely to the hang mans noose if need be glad you sent for me nope I 1 can help you the trouble well I 1 need advice said vivian gravely 1 I wanted some one disinterested and that I 1 interested in a bit to give me the advice why I 1 asked you up for the two weeks of your vacation tommys tommas lately formed resolutions received a jolt but tommys tommas love lovd of adventure came to the rescue and tommy said gald guess im the right man vivian state your case abdill an and dIll k ill see what I 1 can make of it vivian sighed with relief you see she said the doctor ordered aunt sally up here for a complete rest and uncle billy asked me to come along to be company for them both aunt sallys better but I 1 dont dare say a word to her for tear fear it might upset her tommy vivian looked uneasily into the leafy forest to the right and left of the narrow winding road 1 I think uncle billys going crazy 1 I say im sorry to hear that said tommy in unfeigned alarm A nice place for you to be with an invalid aunt and a lunatic uncle and a few ignorant servants at least a hundred miles from any place in these infernally lonesome woods its an tion the woods are nice said vivian flakily lly ily but sometimes I 1 get awfully afraid it was good of you to come tommy there were tears in vivians wide eyes her wind blawn hair flickered across her pink cheeks leeks ci and her lips quivered wearily tommy decided then to see vivian through her troubles even if the decision meant spending his precious vacation playing tag with a lunatic what am I 1 to do vivian sort of oc og i watch him to see he get away oh no not that all you have to do is to humor him answer his questions tie lle asks questions from morning till night and such questions its been awfully hard 1 I should think so said tommy feelingly well stop worrying ill do my best to help you tommy was in no state of feeling when he saw vivians uncle billy coming up the path from the woods while he lounged on the veranda waiting for vivian to dress for dinner hello I 1 said uncle billy so youre tommy green are you glad to see you young man lope hope you can cheer vivian up a little she seems to be moping woods are too big I 1 guess or else she misses young company tommy looked stealthily from the corner of his eye murmured meaning less assent ne sent and noted that vivians vivian bacle uncle was a big healthy normal look ing sort of man for all his oddity ills white flannels set off his ruddy color to advantage and his color in turn contrasted pleasantly pleasent ly with his hia keen kindly blue eyes your business asked uncle billy as if no time could be lost law said tommy that wat the beginning before he went to bed that thai night uncle billy bad asked tommy what seemed like a hundred questions what was his favorite color ills favorite dessert what color did ho he like best for neckties and what color for girls evening dresses was ho he sentimental sentiment alt did he like girls who were efficient or girls who were just pretty what did he prefer golf or tennis did he like to swim could he consider marrying a girl much beneath him socially would he marry for money which would he rather havea have a big fortune if it meant all work and no play or just enough to live easily on and more leisure had lie he ambitions for great success did lie he believe in divorce and what about children and this new idea of companionate panl pani onate marriage before the two weeks were over tommy was as worried as vivian iles hes cuckoo all right he said to vivian on his last morning he asks questions and laughs at my answers or looks as solemn as an owl then scribbles in that little notebook he always carries around and then asks more questions lie ile asked me this morning before breakfast how I 1 thought club life compared with home life whether sentiment interfered with my appetite whether I 1 thought girls liked flowers better than candy for a gift and whether I 1 had my laundry done by the chinese or the steam process its hard bard for you tommy said vivian cut but it Is certainly good to have you here to share the responsibility again tommy had the sensation that he was being taken seriously but again vivian gave his conceit a jolt why I 1 think she we went nt on ive gained a couple of pounds since you came I 1 got rested up the weekend week end and ned groton was waa here too and nice egg ned groton said tommy trying not to feel a little jealous well he helped me a lot though I 1 tell any of the others worrying roe me excepting you you certainly been letting yourself get lonesome vivian part of uncles trouble you see he says hes awfully fond of young people and he asked me to have some of the boys up every weekend week end his idea not mine 1 I suppose said tommy suddenly wildly jealous im part of his idea 1 I wanted you too tommy not so much when you came but oh tommy dont leave me suddenly tears frank and childlike filled her eyes 1 I cant bear to think what be like when youre gone and im alone again tommy saw vivian in a new light not the girl hed always found such a good friend but the girl he wanted the one girl he be wanted for ills his wife vivian he said almost falteringly it was such a new idea to him vivian lets go away together you come with me today and well be married vivian I 1 adore you please say you like me a little and will marry me I 1 vivian looked up shyly well tommy she said 1 I suppose mostly the matter with me why I 1 dont want you to go I 1 suppose I 1 low you tommy vp up the path down which they had wandered came the slowly advancing figure of uncle billy tommy said vivian 1 I know what hes bes doing lie he told me a couple of days ago but I 1 was afraid it if you knew think it was so silly go home before tommy chuckled softly all right viv all right now dow id just as soon spend my life answering too fool questions about whether I 1 like my roast beef rare or brown if ive got you the matter with uncle lies iles been doing this to find out what young people think about lies iles writing a book dont laugh tommy its about modern youth and you see poor hilly billy never was married just lived with his sister falster all his life lies hes a darling really and were not sorry lorry for this two weeks are we tommy answered that question then he took vivian by the hand and they ran forward to meet the approaching pro aching figure uncle billy called tommy ask me what kind of a girl I 1 like best for a wife |