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Show GINGER. ! : ELLA by Ethel Hueston Illustration by Irwin Myers ) dinner. Don't you want to com along? When It comefc to running (hint:, you ran put It over tlie whole board. If yoa ask nie." -Oh, Mr. Westbury, what an Ideal It's aire of you to Invite me. but I can't come tonight 1 have tome per onal business to attend to." From his olfiee. Ginger plunged Into ao utter orgy of buying. Fur the drat time In ber life, she abandoned herself to reckless spending. She bought an alligator pear. There were only two In town, and she nought one of them. She bad never tasted an alllgntnr pear, hut slit knew It was something elegant. 8 lie bought Jar of ripe olives. Itlpe olives were not common In Iowa, hut sh bad seen tbein advertised ad-vertised In her systematic stndy of the magazines. She bought salted almonds and after-dinner mints. She bought an angel food cake. In tbe furniture store, she bought two small rose-cot ored lamps for tbe living room. In the dry-goods store, she bought two pairs of white silk stockings, silk-to-thetop. Miriam didn't really neeJ them, of course, but one could not well show partiality between twins. Then she went swiftly nome, and Into the kitchen, where she rolled op her sleeves sod went to work. She had to notion of announdig anticipated antici-pated event until the two ministers were well ont of the house, and dinner was ready. She realized that she could easily fool the men witb this most timely Invitation out, but ber sisters would certainly suspect her of connivance. So she postponed her announcement, and in tbe meanwhile, she worked. At Ave o'clock, she sought out ber father and Hlntni, deep In a dlscu clon of recent progress In the mastery , Jig But when she was as? ored that theli departure was final, sbe flew instalii to the room where ber sisters' were In rttistrlously sewing Kce opon bits ol silk, to accord with the very latest fashions In lingerie. "Girls, burry and get dolled op. she said. "Father and Hiram have gone out to dinner to Jop West's and Eddy Jackson Is coming In. and I'm doing all the work myself, so we're going to pretend It's a party Just for us." "Put It off till tomorrow night." snld Marjory, "so father will be here." "Can't Eddy bac Borne kid from some place old school friend, or somethingand some-thingand he wants something to do wltb him, so they are coming here Come on now, let's have a good time Look, I bought you each a present sllkto-the-top." She brandished the stockings before the in. "A sale. Good ones." Marjory's eyes were wistful. "They are Just lovely," sb said, "but I shan't waste them on Eddy Jackson and that child from some place. I'll keep them till tomorrow when father Is here. "Since when has father shown sucb fondness for silk stockings? And If you don't put the on this very minute, min-ute, I'm going to wear them myself. Aw, Margie, be a sport Show Eddy a good time for once. Think bow good he was lo rather." F.lther the pleading or the threat was to good effect Marjory hastily pulled off ber shoes and stockings, and tried on the new sllks-to-the-top. The shlmmery whiteness of them, the silken softness, seemed to Inspire her. to Inspire Miriam, also, who quickly emulated ber example, and Inciting each other to further effort by this brave beginning, they entered Joyously Joy-ously Into the spirit of the affair They brought out their entire wardrobe ward-robe to make selections that would match the charm of the silk stockings treasured bits of ribbons and lace, modest pieces of Inexpensive Jewelry They tried things on. rearranged, experimented. ex-perimented. They admired bizarre effects, offered criticisms, suggestions, helped to arrange eacb other's balr Ginger, meanwhile, flew distractedly back and forth, between kitchen, dining din-ing room and bedroom, urging them on, praising tbe results. It was five minutes before seven when they pronounced themselves perfect beyond the power of their pos sessions to Improve one lota. And then they looked at Ulnger. flushed, perspiring Ulnger, witb tumbled hair and Starr eyes, a Ginger adorned In a trim, cheap, flaming red smock. "Mercy, Ginger, you are u sight. Tou'd better dress. They'll be here." But Ginger had no Intention of dressing. dress-ing. She was going to make this a real party, two nnd two. en tete-a-tete. Site would waft on the table, passing back and forth as service wat needed. As the girls. Indeed, often took turns In waiting upon the table when there were guests, they quickly acquiesced, for as Ginger said, she was entirely too hot, and too tired, and too excited ex-cited to dress. She atralghtened ber disordered bnlr, puffed her flusned face with a whisk of powder, and smoothed down the flaming smock. Beside the twins In their delicate coolness, their shlmmery shlm-mery silken whiteness, she was like a hot and seething little Are. At the sound of tbe siren at the gate, she ran toward the kitchen, while the twins, eacb witb an arm around the other's waist, sauntered slowly down the stairs, softly singing, as the two men came briskly up tbe flagstone path. But Ginger bad oot gone to the kitchen. Not all the way. She planted herself Just beyond the base of the circular staircase, out of sight, but where a mirror on the opposite wall reflected the veranda entrance. Ginger Gin-ger was not one to miss the approach of a romantic figure. These things happen too seldom lo be taken wltb nonchalance. And as. In the mirror, reflecting the doorway, she saw that brisk approach up the flagstone path, black horror darkened her eyes, white anger paled ber flushed cheeks. Tbe twins, cool, white and smiling, had descended to tbe bottom-most step. And In the open doorway, laugh Ing, stood Eddy Jackson. And beside be-side him Miriam withdrew ... herself impetuously impetu-ously from Marjory's light clasp, and flung her arms about bim. "Oh, Alex ob, you darling you hateful thing Why didn't you tell me? Margie, It's Alex 1" It was the can grocer. (TO BB) CONTINUED) Coprrllht, tr Bobba Utrrtll Ca. WNU erlo CHAPTER X Continued 17- "Certalnly not It wouldn't look well. He knows there's quite fain lly of you, so It would be too pointed Just to throw bim headlong at Mar jory's complexion, as you might say. No, you'd better bave Miriam on band, too." Ginger leaped to ber plans with young enthusiasm. "Now, we must rush the thing tbrougb wltb a tot of nap," she cried. "Sweep him right off bis feet and sweep tlargle off too. For you know Walt till I see if anybody's around I Too know. Eddy, she's awfully gone on Vou know who Treacher I Walt till I close the door 1 Tes, he's nice, but be can console himself wltb Miriam. Sucb a sensible girl ought to be great consolation to religion, Eddy's Invitation foi them to come out to Bay Dirt for dinner at tbe farm she negatived after a moment's consideration. con-sideration. "No. Too prosaic, tour mother Is to practical. She and Miriam would be sure to talk of canning fruit, or trying chickens, or what not No, yon bring bim here. I don't know how In tbe world I'll get rid of Hiram, but I will. I'll get rid of father, too, for be'd be sure to give It sway, he's so bonest Make It rather late the furniture fur-niture doesn't show up so well I mean so badly when It Is dark. Come for dinner, but oot too early. Come In tbe gloaming." "AH right Wbat time Is tbe gloaming?" gloam-ing?" asked Eddy. Ginger bung up tbe receiver. Then sbe went straight to the attic. This was opportunity tapping at their door. Tapping? Why, It was fairly screaming scream-ing for admittance. A cool million Eddy was right hot million would be better, a fiery million, a boiling million, mil-lion, a skyrocket million. She unlocked un-locked the doll's trunk. The precious cache bad been rifled often, and pretty thoroughly, In the last three weeks, but s steady stream trickled into it every day. And this was -o be an event In the lives of every one of them, a thing tc remember forever, as long as they lived. Singer, wltb that springing Imagination Imagina-tion of hers, could already see Marjory, Mar-jory, with softly silvered balr and the delicate rose flush of old age on ber peach-bloom cheeks, recounting to tbe grandchildren clustered at ber knee beautiful children, all wltb golden curls and dimpled elbows, and all about the same size, clustered together like the cherubs In old religious paintings paint-ings "and this party was plnnned.and paid for, for my sake, by my dear little sister Ginger Ella. And there met" She filled her shabby purse with money, all dimes, and went down town. There was buying to be done, much buying. But there was one small detail that required uer first attention. At the dry goods store she went Into tbe private olllce of the president to pay ber Methodist respects re-spects to Joplln Westbury. "Hello, how's everybody?" he greeted greet-ed her cheerfully. "Oh, Just One, thanks. Father's getting a double chin. The twins are fine, too. They go to college In Just ten days now. I'm floe, too." "How's our young preacher?" "I don't know. I don't see much of bim. I tbink be's blue or lonesome, lone-some, or something. Tou see, he feels that be's sort of out of things, be- "It's Nice of You to Invite Ms, but i Can't Come Tonight." of the air, and Informed them ttint rtiey hud been Invited out to dinner most Importantly, and that Joplln Westbury expected them very early. Illram Buckworth seemed anything but pleased at this hospitable overture. over-ture. "But, see here 1 can't go. I told Marjory 1 would 1 think I'll call blra up" . "Oh, It Is too late. Why, bis wife bas dinner all ready for you." "Why didn't you tell us sooner?" be demanded Impatiently. "Well, I didn't get borne until very late, and you were upstairs, i hated to disturb you. And I supposed of course you would like to go." "Well, of course, I would like It some time but tonight " "Ue said to be there before six, because they eat early, and he likes his food hot." she said. "Come, father. I'll brush you off a bit" And she persisted In ber assiduous kindness nut II she finally saw her fa tber walking off In tbe unwilling hands of Hiram Buckworth. "1 can't And Marjory," he whispered, dejectedly. "Vou tell her tow it was will yea? And tell ber I'll break away as soon as I decently can." "Oh. don't do that. Marjory won't mind she can wait until tomorrow night for whatever you were going to do tonight" And she stood grimly on the veranda and watched until they disapieared from sight "For It would be Just like bim to drop poor father tight In tbe middle of tbe street and come bounding hack for a last look at tho root that shel ters her tbe base pretender," she said Indignantly. cause be's not a regular preacher. I dare say he thinks the members sort of snub bim on thai account and leave him out of their church talk, and alt" "Why, that's too bad. 1 suppose he doesn't want to Intrude with ynut father there, and all We like bim first-rate." "But yoa never do have him come to your house to talk church the way you used to do wltb father, do you?" "Well, you tell him to come around and see me. Tell bim I especlall asked for him. I'll pretend be's been neglecting me, and put It off on hi m. Tou tell bim I want to know why be never coj a around tc talk church I" "When? Tonight?" "Well yes. Tonight." "He'll be pleased," said Ginger gently. "He's so young. Ue Just loves to go about wltb father, and bob. nob with tbe old pillars, and feel you are all salt of the earth together." "Maybe your father would like to come along.'' "He'd love It If you really want hini." "Of course 1 want him. 1 want both of them. They've teen making me run everything myself, and I don't like It" "Early this evening? Right after dinner?" "Tell them to come for dinner. I'll call my wife right op. and tell her we're having tll the preachets tor |