Show with th ban aa 0 emlue loring by EMILIE LORING service SYNOPSIS brooke p boke reyburn visits visit s the office ot of jed 1 bstewart es ct wart a lawyer to discus the terms of estate she has inherited from mrs mary i so armanda annanda dane unwittingly she overhears ted jed talking to mark trent a nephew of mrs dane who has been disinherited mrs dane had bad lived at lookout house a huge structure on the sea bunt built by her I 1 father ather I 1 and nd divided into two for her and marks father crooke had been a fashion expert and A tirs birs dane a shut in hearing her on the radio had invited her to call cal and developed a deep a affection tor for hir her mark ark discloses loses that mrs M dane had threatened to dishi disinherit berit him il if he married lola from whom he be Is now divorced he says he be does 1 I not trust henri and clotilde jacques mrs danes servants he says he Is not inter fi ested ted in an off offer r of brookes to share the C estate es te with ill him leaving her department as r store job rooke refuses an offer to go stepping ap pp g with jerry erry field a carefree I 1 young oung man an who wants ants to marry her at a family amily conference she learns leams she mus live i i t lookout house ouse alone since lucette her younger sister who is taking her job her brother sam P young playwright and her 1 1 f mother plan to stay in the city jed and hark are astounded when they hear bear from mrs gregory a family friend that she 1 tad bad witnessed a hitherto unknown will with f henri ebend and clotilde two weeks before mrs dane died brooke had arrived just as the she was leaving CHAPTER ill III continued 5 destroyed it but how could brooke reyburn have known what was in the first will perhaps your aunt had told her that she was to be residuary legatee it seem probable but women do fool things he grinned of course men never do weve got to get busy if it destroyed that will may be at lookout house youve never liked the jacques and you say that they hate you I 1 have an idea open your house live there get friendly with the girl 1 I would feel like a sneak to go there to spy on her you suspect that she may have influenced your aunt to make a will in her favor dont you 1 I do then give her a chance to prove that she take a couple of japs and go down and live next door 1 I wont commit myself to that proposition in a hurry if I 1 decide to do it will you come with me sure ive been hoping a ask sk me philo vance is my ml middle d dl nane name stewart picked up the note not lying on the desk better open the investigation by accepting this the fley keyburn burn girls invitation to dine on thanksgiving day I 1 would feel like a spy a traitor the tur key would choke me do you want the truth about this will you bet I 1 do then go dont write we never send a letter when we cat send a tasa phone the night before that you are coming shell have less time in which to think why you are accepting brooke reyburn tood in the door way of the living room at lookout s house behind her in the hall a t graceful circular stairway wound up and up she nodded approval the room was the perfect setting she had visualized for the duchess of argyle since the day she had known that her father had willed her the portrait the green of the walls and trim repeated the color of the satin gown gourn of the woman in the dull i gold frame which hung above the mantel of carved black italian mar me ble repeated also the shade of the feathers of the dozing parrot in a 14 gilded cage threw into relief dark polished surfaces of mahogany 4 she had had everything that she s thought belonged to his family stored ored in the apartment over the y garage curious that she had found so little silver she looked at the door which nary ary amanda dane had told her opened int the twin house somes semes thing uncanny about it whenever she was in the room it drew herb her eyes like a magnet mark trents arents house se was on the other side it had not ot been lived in for years year s what a waste had his wife refused to 1 I 1 t live there his wife she c t think k of hi him M as having had a wife why think of him at all she res resolutely switched her 11 thoughts to her surround surroundings n gs this was hj the same room in which she nad had first seen mrs dane in her r wheel 01 chair but how different then i it nad had been drab and heavy now it slowed glowed with soft color she would L 1 never forget the pathos in the wom S an ans s eyes as they ha had m met e t h hers e rs P nor t he 8 eagerness of I 1 her greet greeting ing she e ha ad d registered a passionate vow to make her lovely and attract 1 tive live in appropriate clothes that had been her job then and a thrilling job too to help women make the most of their good points how mary amanda dane had tooled her about money the crippled woman had kept her feet firmly on the ground when it came to spending spend mg planning inexpensive attractive clothes for her had been an exciting challenge she had succeeded the frocks had been charming and with her drab wardrobe the invalid had shed much of her crabbedness lovely clothe did that for a woman pity that more husbands realize the fact now she was gong gone and had left a small fortune behind her why had she denied herself so many of the luxuries of life brooke blinked long wet lashes and said aloud as she had said many times since she had come to live at lookout house thank you for everything mrs mary amanda thanks billions she swallowed the lump which rose in her throat whenever she thought of the womans comans incredible kindness hardly the time to go sentimental when at any moment the family might burst in on her laughing brooke dashed for the front door they were on their way to spend thanksgiving for the first time they would see the changes in the house she had postponed their coming until it should be in perfect order the honk honk of an automobile horn outside was followed by voices singing lustily over the river and through the wood trot fast my spring over the ground like a hunting hound for this is thanksgiving day the gay chorus was followed by laughter and vociferous cries whoa there stand still lightning whoa laughing brooke dashed for the front door it was so like the reyburn family to dramatize its arrival in a rush of cold air and excited greetings she piloted her mother and sister to the library the startled parrot shrieked stop look Lis listen terill boy you dont need a burglar alarm with that announcer you ought to loan him to a bank lucette made a gamin face at the parrot as she slipped out of her ocelot coat she dragged off her hat and patted the swirl of her dark hair brooke hugged her mother its wonderful to have you here celia reyburn and arent you devastating in that eel gray ensemble not as devastating as you are in that white daughter it brings out the copper lights in your hair brooke laughed we are like two diplomats exchanging compliments the difference is t that h at ou ours rs come from the heart wheres sam dont tell me sam coming Is lucette held a lighter to a cigarette with a faint hint of bravado dont cry darling sam cam came e you recognize his voice singing as if his little heart would burst from joy as we approached this baronial baroni al hall doubtless he is kissing his peachy con convertible good night in your garage he hes s crazy about that coupe you gave him brooke he has named it light ning and can it gol go chos the tall gent with the undertaker expression who pulled our bags from the car as if he were extracting upper and lower molars henri he and his wife clotilde worked for years for mrs dane I 1 kept them on to help me settle they take a lot of handling be believe ii eve I 1 i or not 1 I believe it this room looks like part of a house beautiful exhibit its corking wait till you see the rest of the house lucette heres sam I 1 would recognize his bang of a door if I 1 heard it in timbuctoo welcome to lookout house sammy 1 its wonderful that the theater closed just at this time yeah its all in the point of view there are them who think otherwise however im not kicking he caught brooke in a bear bearlin lil hug he kept his arm about her as he looked around the room swell joint youve got here I 1 like the greenhouses green housey smell from those plants say lis listen iten weve missed you like the dickens we mother we have sam celia reyburn steadied her voice wed better stop emotionalizing emotional izing and get ready for dinner I 1 have kept house years enough to know that promptness at meals helps to keep the homemakers ma kers lifes walk easy you would think of that mother it dinner to night I 1 planned a buff buffet et supper not being sure at what time my relatives from the big town would arrive come upstairs and ill show you your rooms A family might get on each others nerves as of course it did at times but there was nothing like it brooke concluded fervently as after supper on a floor cushion in front of the library fire she leaned against her mothers knees perhaps it was because she had been too absorbed in her own concerns before to notice but sam and lucette seemed to have grown older to have changed seemed also to have something weighty on their minds what was it what had happened As if she knew what she was thinking lucette burst out nervously if sam can stop that nut munch ing marathon perhaps hell announce ric tince the latest reyburn news flash brooke sat erect what news sam took careful aim at the parrots perch the nutshell struck its bullseye and roused the dozing bird hells bells he croaked and ruffled his feathers looks as if he were caught in a typhoon he the laughter in sm sams voice vani vanished shea mother has been invited to spend the winter in england with her friend lady jaffrey sam with the exclamation brooke was on her feet do you mean it how perfectly grand she lives in an old castle she hey pipe down brooke theres a in the woodpile wait till you hear the condition A condition in lady jeffreys Jaff reys invitation vi sam I 1 cant believe it be quiet children let me talk arms crossed on the back of the wing chair in which she had been sitting celia reyburn faced her family her cheeks were pink her eyes as blue as her sons were brilliant with excitement S she h e clasped her hands tightly as if to steady them the chair recognizes the lady from the big city sam encouraged with a grin the condition mother dont you want to go very very much brooke but I 1 enjoy a moment of the visit if I 1 left your brother and sister in that apartment alone perhaps im a selfish woman but I 1 would like to and will go if my mind is perfectly at ease about lucette and sam if they will some ome here to you and if you will have them have them mother dont be foolish I 1 have been rattling around in this big house like a dried coconut in a shell of course I 1 want them but will y i 11 they come chos being foolish now lucette flung her cigarette into the fire her cheeks were almost as led as her painted lips of course well come br brooke boke reyburn of course well play ball mothers way sam an and a I 1 arent cold blooded fish r if t taking to the sticks to be chap cloned by big sister will make mothers visit happier well settle down here with bells on ashes earned all the fun she can get shell have one grand time and mow those stiff Britis hers down in swaths and come home countess Who or I 1 miss my guess Lu lucette cettel celia reyburn protested indignantly dont mind her mother broke reassured by the time you return your younger daughter will have acquired all the social graces just a minute now I 1 make a condition I 1 come only if I 1 keep on with my job it would mean early and late commuting lucette ive thought that out in sams convertible we can make it but you and sam wont be coming down at the same time and dont be so sure brooke sam aim aimed ed a nutshell at the parrot the theater has closed permanently and im up against one of those simple economic problems wheres the n next ext job coming from ill go to new york to see off mother and t take ake my play now that producers have ave begun agun to sniff sn around for bargains I 1 may get my chance sam dear brooke attempted to lighten her dismayed voice bad enough for him to be out of work without having her turn sob sister find something I 1 read the other day that the theater is on the upgrade up grade if you dont oh sammy what a chance for you to write why not give your play a tryout try out here well do it for the towns welfare fund in the club house theater what a chance to try islands arise on the dog news flash the Rey burns stage a lucette cut in why not brooke persisted eagerly most of the summer homes are to be kept open during the winter and answer the phone will you sam take the message for me ive been pestered to death by and insurance agents wanting to sell me something tell them im out of town for the evening anything the silence of the room was broken only by the snap and hiss of the fire as sam reyburn put the receiver of the handset to his ear hullda Hu lloa yes miss rayburn is out of town for the evening sure shell be back tomorrow oh it is yes ill give her your message shell be pleased purple I 1 get you ill tell her bye he laid the phone on the stand who was it sam what will please me purple brooke demanded uneasily A party by the name of trent what did he want not much only to say that he accepted your invitation for thanksgiving dinner with pleasure TO BE CONTINUED |