Show L k AV op y y aw r 4 sissy ir by KATHLEEN NORRIS copyright right by X X norris U gerti K SYNOPSIS the luck that had bad brought the boston lawrences Lawren ces to california at the beginning of the gold rush has deserted the present generation from a acre ranch their holdings have shrunk to a small farm and the old family home in Clippers ville the death ol of their father forced the three eldest children to work woric so that sam and little ariel might continue their education phil now twenty five had gone nto into the iron works gall call io to the public library and edith to the book dep department art of Clippers villes largest store seven seventeen teen year old arlel ariel Is becoming a problem and phil Is fascinated by that terrible lily cass whose husband has deserted her young van murchison hlson scion of a wealthy family returns from yale vale and gall has visions through marriage with him of the turning of the lawrence luck dick stebbins phils best friend has the run of the house arlel ariel Is sneaking out of the house at night tor for joy rides phil suggests to the girls consternation that they invite lily cass to the house gall goes with van tor for a weekend week end with the chipps his uncle and aunt CHAPTER IV continued arlel ariel after some interested questions re regarding arding the days plans had bad said suddenly did you notice what happened to the challenge last night no gall had said with a puzzled expectant glance 1 I got rid of it III 1 arlel ariel had announced in a conspirators tone got rid of it what for because arlel ariel had murmured with a cautious glance about for possible eavesdroppers because it said that mr and mrs arthur chipp had gone down to their los gatos place on tuesday and were opening it for the summer oh 1 gall gail had stammered with a suddenly deepening color and a sickly laugh oh her voice had dropped flatly she the mentor the guide the example of this little sister had stood shamed and detected trying to find amusing what was a most painful and humiliating moment 1 I dont blame you arlel ariel had said A quick protective instinct to add lie to lie had shaken gall but she was too unused to falsehood she had stood silent presently saying in a troubled voice 1 I was sorry to to have to do that but it it as it if phil were my father he has no right and edith has no right neither of them 10 she had recommenced with a little difficulty neither of them understands how much how awfully one wants to go places do things phil who runs around with lily arlel ariel had helped her scornfully and the younger sister had bad given her a sudden passionate kiss 41 1 I love you gau gail P 1 ariel had said quickly but this rare demonstration from cool little arlel ariel had brought no responsive spon sive happiness to galls heart to have ariel protecting her abetting her in deceit dec eltI in dealing with what was not open and fair had given her a wretched sensation that the solid ground was falling failing k beneath her feet E even n the scornful reference to philip bad had alarmed her after all phil was the head of the family phil was sacred there was no law nor order anywhere it if phil was to be scorned 0 0 driving along the country roads that were smothered in spring beauty galls spirits rose nothing could prevent her from havid having a weekend week end in a los gatos country house now on sunday evening she would join the family at the dinner table on monday morning s she b e w would be back at work and everything would return to normal but she would have this wonderful memory as so much pure gain she was always in a gale of hl high h spirits when she was with van any anyway it was impossible to be otherwise he be was the gayest of the gay she questioned him as they drove along who else will be on this house party van on this souse party van responded cheerfully will be first mine host and his buxom wife dame martha they will draw the ale heap oaten oaken logs in the great fireplaces oh for heavens sake you idiot ills dig shout of joyous laughter no therell be the chipps he began again seriously and three or four good auction players they have to have those play all this evening all tomorrow morning all tomorrow night and all day sunday in between games eat drink an and d ask it if anyone wants to swim badly enough to take the bother of undressing then therell bo be lucia tevis ashes a cute kid ashes eighteen she goes tu vassar next nest fall miss mary tevis niece yep deep then theres mary spence ashes from boston visiting lucia sties a keen girl too and jim speedwell and fred hunter freds a polo man but he be broke his arm so hes resting and bill billings and maybe his sister and the duchess lenore phipps mrs airs phipps she was lenore murchison ashes your half sister yep stepsister step sister my mother married her dad when she was about oh well ashes a year younger than I 1 am but ashes lived mostly with her grandmother ashes getting a divorce III 1 they drove through los gatos sleepy in late afternoon sun and ringed with wooded hills and turned southwest on the boulevard that led to the ocean twenty six miles away the car mounted slopes rolled smoothly under mighty oaks left the paved highway for a comfortable dirt road few houses were visible now but the gates bore names el nido hill ways jackson farm road hidden paradise road the gate into which van at last turned the car was marked far niente 11 there were fruit trees here scattered in among the natural forest trees there was a tennis court dappled with shade and light and draped in a rose vine heavy with golden bloom flower scents were everywhere ery where beauty was everywhere under a loaded rose vine on one of the porches four persons were playing bridge gall as she and van approached pro ached recognized one of these as her hostess mrs chipp looked up at them sharply and without changing her position concentrated her cards in her ifft hand band and stretched a hand toward van oh hello dearl dear I 1 how ayou comiss do miss lawrence she said in a quick aside van all swimming and theres nobody here to excuse me just one second seconda dj huyer hilyer 1 t l she interrupted herself speaking to one of the players van she went on im not sure where the duchess has put miss miss lawrence but you take her up to the girls cottage and just let her park herself somewhere until the duchess explains will you do that like a darling resolutely gall would not let herself feel that it was rude that it left anything unsaid undone ill be all right she said with a smile and a nod walking oft off with van mrs chipp made no answer van led the way to one of the cabins a brown enchanting place with geraniums and lobella lobelia in the window boxes and a wide open door into a central sitting room take any of these rooms gosh gobb all full of suitcases van said peering tn in at doorways here heres here s one this must be you make your yourself ser comfortable are you going to swim 1 I think not not well maybe I 1 will she decided against the swimming and walked out to meet van ten m minutes later looking her prettiest in a white frock white shoes a white hat the boy lingering in the garden path waiting for her was trim in a black bathing suit with a towel across his shoulders boys and girls as wet and sleek as seals were sprawled in the late sunshine on the grassy ramp beside the pool they were drinking a pale yellow drink from tall tali ice fee filled glasses a cocktail shaker stood on the grass gras S gall found herself the only person who was not drinking in the group the circumstances seemed to alienate her from them she listened sint smiled led made herself appear at ease as a low toned conversation that had evidently been interrupted was begun again among the girls the men merely rolled in the sun yawned dawned and exchanged monosyllables monos syllables ables you did not 01 quit thakill that 1 say listen 1 I gall heard over and oyer over again the girls lucia mary and lenore murmured interestedly oh ob come on said the duchess suddenly when there had bad been a good deal of this well never get dres dressed 1 immediately they were lvere all running down the be path to the c cabin abi D G gall a 11 w with 1 th them the only one who took any notice of her was the boston girl named mary spence mary spoke riot now and then kindly to gall as they all beg began an a hurry flurry of dressing S sing for dinner they left their bedroom doors open and ran back and forth lightly ea clad ad or not clad at all lenore and lucia shed their bathing suits on the strip of lawn outside t the he cabin and slipped into thin cotton almonas kl monas brief and almost transparent to wander about brushing their hair rubbing themselves with towels and gathering garments and cosmetics gall who was not going to change sat on the upper porch step a few feet above the path and stared at ar the beauty and luxury of far niente as it lay on the slope below her and pretended to be satisfied an and d absorbed in what she sa saw w she knew now that all the vague shy fears she had felt in anticipating tills this visit were going to be more than justified she knew that mrs chipp waa not going to be nice to her that the girls were entirely indifferent to her and that she should riot not have come her clothes were not right her training was not right her back background round was not right she simply did not belong here and they were all more or less conscious of it this nice mary spence herself a stranger in the group was being cordial merely on general principles it was nothing to her that these californians had social distinctions between themselves they were all the same to mary spence 1 I shall have to forkl gall told herself grimly she must work talking smiling keeping herself occupied for all this endless evening and all tomorrow and most of sunday it sounded like an eternity suddenly she noted two of her companions in the cottage lucia and lenore walking with two boys named r ill be all right she said with a smile and a nod bill and jim down the path to the house they must have left tie fhe cottage by the back door which faced toward the mens cabin perhaps the boys had called them that left only mary in the house and if she ehe also slipped away gall would have to go down to dinner at some spot unknown all alone her heart began to beat hard bard in luer nervous anticipation presently a middle aged woman came up the path toward her her and with a not half smile for gall stood still a few feet away calling maryl mary 1 gall recognized her as one of the card players yes mrs billin billins billings s mary called putting her head out ut of the porch door mary you know what I 1 asked you to do the woman said oh yes besl I 1 mary answered will you do it now derr dear oh ob yes instantly said mary running out of the cabin sho she and mrs B billings conferring went rapidly down the path together gall swallowed once with a dry throat then she got up and began to saunter slowly after them she encountered the boy named fred hunter in the path and fell upon him with all the boldness of desperation she laughed with him narrowed her blue eyes in their thick black lashes at him and when he said somewhat nervously that he had been going u up P to the cabin to wake van whose aunt felt sure he be had fallen asleep gall said gaily that sh she e would go too they a wakened awakened the drowsy surprised van and they all laughed together and gall gail still holding firmly to the now mana manageable beable fred waited for van on the porch of the mens cabin she walked down to the house between the two of them disposing of vans good natured attempts to shake young mr hunter by a determined if light hold upon the batters lat arm at dinner which began immediately sho she was between the two young men so tar far so gool good but it was work endless work it was bitter all at IQ non anywhere 0 she va wat I 1 antl 0 teka carrying the girls a h heavy eavy handicap hand cara were nil all ignored her th they ey looked loo against er TV s she he spoke bored vj they the deliberately deU berate conversation into S ert she channels 1 must be III at 1 ease gan gall and fought on 11 her her blue eyes sh shone shea r selous ness of V a all as e lost a e a she was for beginning t to care car beauty of the place a and t th night of the a novelty of 0 afa with these I 1 fashionable folet aik oik all ah a blur II 11 through terni ter mined hied to hold which her ich gh A a F them 0 ora all k when lenore at the end meal during which they had baa of tat k drunk and smoked in too tau 1 e k provocatively to to van needing him n 1 I 1 to 0 conspire with nth something that bert would suran 1 others gall co countered by she arid and mr hunter ballor wasted wanted to a charade what they call it mn dow one of the boys said gald and galt gal jo in the loud laughter the in hunter was by this time incapably inca any emotion even surprise and am he gall went down to a marble b the lawn where she held WM him U as she could Il listening to ills bla ft ti 1 vague words and laugh laughing in g and at i 1 ing him laughing as if 1 it wert 1 greatest tun fun in the world li aters annexed bill billings and fell ell 11 deep toned conference with ll 11 airmen and air records pretend irl be so absorbed in the conre reat when van came to get her W ti dm she had to call a few last to her shoulder to bill 4 they were dancing on oil a sort a PY I 1 form with vines trailed up OTO ticen top the moon shone dal d di i tween the leaves the radio drolla da choked and droned dronek again gail call well and loved dancing and amt awu in py for a few minutes suddenly they were an footing to whether they should play N go down to Mocker sons mod X em was a roadhouse over on the bay road sixty miles away come on lets go dance ata it at er sons maybe the pl acell lie a i 1 I am the captain ot of my is faa a 9 I 1 am the master of my observed rising with a affine his hands bands in the fell clotil clid cum stances what daou ayou think I 1 wince or cry dont ile he was hauled down well do we go to modie listen lets not and say we well ill tell you a atol speedwell said told it TO BE CO ensued in sUED |