Show LAWREN lop ames aw by KAT HLEEN copyright by kathleen norela norr Is whis service alc tlc SYNOPSIS the luck that had bad brought the DOS ton lawrences laurences Lawren ces to california at the beginning of the gold rush has deserted the tha present generation from a acre ranch their holdings have shrunk to a small farm and the old family home in Clippers ville the death of their father forced the three eldest children to work so eo that sam and little ariel might continue their education phil now twenty five had gone into the iron works gall call to the public library and edith to the book department of Clippers villes largest store seventeen year old ariel is becoming a problem and phil is fascinated by that terrible lily cass whose husband has deser deserter terl her young van murchison hlson scion of a wealthy family isturis from yale and gall call has visions through marriage with him of the turning of the lawrence luck dick stebbins phils best friend has the run of the bouse ho ariel Is sneaking out of the house at night for joy rides phil suggests to the girls consternation that they invite lily cass to the house gail goes with van for a weekend week end with the chipps his uncle and aunt she Is received coldly coldly by mrs chipps and her guests CHAPTER IV continued 9 for a moment gall could not see the point then it came upon her with sickening force and she felt choked and a little nauseated tb the e men roared the girls laughed briefly and lenore said jim dont be so revolting you low swine lucia tevis who was eighteen years old added affectionately tiona tely well what can you do gall asked herself fiercely she shame van by getting up and walking away from the group her face burned wretchedly for halt half an hour she would not give in she slept waked breakfasted went to luncheon at some club in whose chintzy dressing room the girls were notably rude 70 to her watched her first polo game she would not give in fight fight fight she made herself pretty she made herself amusing amusin she fought back the constant impulse to say oh van take me home P no no no this was her chance she would not lose it she grew almost feverish her clear skin unusually pale her blue eyes unusually bright and was the prettier for it van saw nothing he was in great spirits rushing from one thing to another cocktails bridge tennis swimming polo golf at breakneck speed by saturday night might all these were exhausted radio and had dene their worst and it was decided that Mocker sons offered the only possible amusement this was at about nine into cars they all accordingly piled and off into the ni they went A dreary dressing room after the cold run and the girls powdering their noses reddening their lips again another bleak looking table with a limp spotty cloth on it they were all so tired they almost laid their heads beads on the cloth and gall was seared scared when she saw the hip flasks flacks and the red wine again van had bad driven like a crazy man on those steep circuitous roads coming over he certainly would not be in a condition to drive more carefully going back of course they would get back to the ranch somehow but it was frightening F funny anny to think of herself as home again tomorrow night playing solitaire weli well one thin thing was sure if she ever married van murchison or anyone like him she would cure him of this sort of craziness Mocker sons was as dull as ditch water tonight there were parties in the curtained alcoves shouting and singing but the main room was empty A heavy fog wa was 1 s rolling in from the sea the motor cars that went by made a muffled sound in the dark night youre awful cute van said affect tlona tiona tely covering galls galla hand with his own A noisy party stumbled out of an alcove and scattered wearily toward dressing rooms for wraps we ought to be going too lenore decided this Is too awful 1 they stumbled up in their turn staggered up the smelly unpainted stairs to the odorous damp bleak dressing room its window on this raw night was wide open the salty rally air blowing in deliciously cold and fresh this wont lot lol call said bald going to ea close ose it standing beside it ft both hands raised to the center rill she looked down at a pool of bright light from the tavern doorway below come here duchess the color hair I 1 mean lucia said suddenly at balls elbow also looking down ash blond and a real one too look gail looked too looked down at the b bareheaded arch e abed loudly laughing girl a bis big raccoon coated man was helping into a roadster she recognized the ash blond hair the curve of soft cheek it was ariel CHAPTER V gall had a sick moment of bertl vertigo 0 of terror what she saw what it signified where she vvan was and where ariel was everything rushed together in a complete demoralization of mind and ana senses after a while she turned and dazedly reached for her brown coat and buttoned its belt about her she followed the other girls downstairs not knowing where she was nor what she was d doing she was next to van on the drive home the cars shot away into the i fog foggy 9 y ni night ht the big ennes en engines 1 nes throbbed on the grade when they reached the top of the long rise and the machines could run quietly cautiously through the enveloping chick mists gall gail spoke for the first time van you saw those men and the two girls giris the ones who were making r so 0 o much noise notice ern cm specially why van shouted oh nothing gall gail actually writhing saying tho soundless boundless words ot of prayers with trembling lips added no more but her soul was sick ariel 1 oh my G d not yet eighteen then nl night ait and fog and the exploring lights of the car and her own sick heavy heartbeats again it was like a horrible dream she was miles miles from home from phil and edith and security and goodness t and help the need to be at home gnawed at her flesh like teeth her face burned she could not breathe van how far are we from home from los gatos a lets see no from Clippers ville 11 oh ob Clippers ville vilIe oh well about seventy miles seventy miles I 1 they seemed to fall on her heart like so many separate blows was somebody driving ariel seventy miles home td tonight night what was she doing away from home where aher e did phil and edith think she was perhaps phil and edith were dead perhaps they were scouring the town for arlel ariel telephoning dorothy telephoning the Love laces and she not there papa told us to take care of toe children and little arlel ariel that mother only stayed with four days I 1 and what does ariel know about danger nothing ashes a baby men think ashes pretty pretty and it amuses her she never dreams oh my G dl di where is she now it was impossible that 12 hours must pass before she could be home again and know the worst hours hours they proved to be the longest through which she had ever lived vaguely secondary things penetrated the flaming wall of thought that shut her in she realized alone in her comfortable cabin room that she was not going to sleep arlell ariel ariell ariel arlel ariel she walked out under the redwoods just as dawn be began bean 7 an to paint the western face of tb the e canyon with streaks of vermilion then she must have gone back and flung herself on her bed and fallen asleep for she was awakened by the other girls laughter and voices at ten and roused herself and half sick with heavy eyes and chilled wet feet she crept down to the main cabin tor for breakfast only anxious to avoid notice to secure the earliest possible escape for home they were all going up to san mateo for it appeared that van was to take the place of a missing polo player every one was very much excited about the game but she was in a fever to get home vans arguments his pleading fell on deaf ears arlel ariel perhaps murdered phil and edith crushed with terror and doubt and they wanted her to go to san mateo and applaud the chuk kers of a polo game garnet I 1 in the end she had her way and was established in the roomy empty back of a big closed car van saw her off reproachfully you piker 1 I know it she smiled a sickly smile at the handsome boy why dont you stay and swim anyway its noon cook driving home through the valley 11 1 I 1 cant I 1 promised arlel ariel 11 oh arlel ariel nothing listen I 1 got one good look at your little sister and I 1 want to tell you something she can manage her own affairs her face already pale with heat and emotion grew whiter how ayou mean you you saw arlel ariel why P he looked at her in puzzled surprise why she was at your house that sunday night two weeks ago he had not seen her at Mocker sons then gall sank back come on have a change of heart and lets swim and then well go up to san mateo his laughter the grip ot of his big brown hand would have been irresistible twenty four hours ago but gall was hardly conscious of them now absently apologetically she persisted said her farewells the world that was all pleasure swimming bridge polo tennis frocks trips closed behind her as a pool closes over a stone she would be home before three she must be patient she would be rushing into the old house hous and what a haven of rest and coolness and ease it would be at three she would find phil there haggard and wild edith stricken sam making frightful suggestions about dragging the river and notifying the police we lawrences laurences Lawren ces can never hold up our heads after this again she thought not that it mattered matter edif if arlel ariel frightened 1 and sobered were home were safe thirty miles more her face was burned by the hot wind and her head splitting twenty miles ten miles the big gas tank came into view the red 1 1 4 f ash blond and a real one look mills the canneries and finally the swimming treetops of Clippers ville from which dazzling lines arose like hairs of white fire galls heart was suffocating her she said only incoherent farewells as she descended from the back seat into the heavenly green shadiness of the old garden and catching up her heavy suitcase ran for the side door on the threshold of the quiet shaded kitchen she stopped short edith was sharing a light refection of art artichokes and bread pudding with a book martin 11 ariel dainty and cool was sitting at the other end of the kitchen table cleaning gloves in gasoline for a moment revulsion of feeling made gall feel actually dizzy and weak but if arlel ariel saw anything amiss her smile of surprise and welcome gave no sign of it and editha dell delight ht covered all other emotions fo for r a space oh gall we expect you until imel oh ob darling did you have a good time was it tun fun ive been tb thinking InkIng and thin thinking hIng but youve not had lu lunch edith was in her arms was racing about the kitchen eagerly mixing iced tea taking rolls from the old black japanned bread box arlel ariel got up from the table tabe to come and bestow one of her strange kisses gall seated her hat pushed off her damp pale forehead felt that she was still in the dream and that things had shifted themselves about on all sides strangely as they did in dreams but tell us tell us tell edith pleaded and you do last night gall could finally ask when the B swimming pool the frocks and ta the ie general excitement of par far clente pretty generally reviewed b arlel ariel was with 1 dorothi the boys ana I 1 orothy COM f b bad a to D other 1 sole 44 gall gave ariel her big bie g sa s1 i k ariy ter pathetic C smile riy 7 im am was that 1 fun tuny she 1 that it was asked fee somebody els else e 1 it t w was a s all ft a part in T talking 0 of f th their air sunday night a charade via IIA I IA 04 ti fun I 1 they stayed at mont the th F said the eager edith ON oh did you baby W we e went to a movie plied e d ariel then tb then n the girl at mockers arlel ariel or else impulse to tell her sisters M hensl IM of 0 her ness and fright die died d away md she dind i not risk that yet peace and shadiness held the ea toa en arlel ariel was expecting some L friend for supper edith walk wy over to mrs appleb Appleby 8 it nr fa to ask about the fiesta drea ft sam was working phil had wd aid iia he must go 90 to the office 4 which 1 I shrewdly swat thomas ruefully S street tr e et hill hilll 1 edith li home the infinite u 1 u e si it 1 gall looking at ariel arie could c 0 a 1 d ut believe that her feverish suspicions of last night had any buli whatever this was all Bri if soothing I 1 it was not believable that this sa IM cent child of seventeen in the yv organdy had upon her mind any sm km as disgraceful as a midnight at Mocker sons J but as soon as they had an ohp to speak to each othet other j ite gall went straight to the point I 1 arl ariel el did you ever hear bear ot of I 1 mj house called Mocker the blond head with its drift dai away gold hair came up eke ala I 1 and gall knew ariel shrugged slightly wary eye eya on galls gails face yep she admitted briefly then there was a long glenca ari M els eyes met her sisters some of us went over from W tt chipp ranch gall said clr steady gaze what were YOU yoi da there arlel ariel the tone was dispassionate 0 A 1 dut but galls breast rose and felloni fell 1 on a heavy sigh I 1 1 I what what you were jf yon ton ra 0 4 there and saw me I 1 suppose w blurted in a tone that was meant be bold and turned out merely re bling and frightened gall gail took the shock wa without phout 1411 i going on patiently f who were you with dearr dear oh dont dear me it 1 protest protested edVA W in sudden ugliness YOU lou in think im a lost soul and iona r ing to tell phil and stir up BOA ab if of trouble TO BE |