Show i J avy V the B INNE T alk TT S A novel by henry kitchell webster M 9 service gic by the bobbs merrall co PRECEDING EVENTS in an effort to aid a neighbor ruth ingraham in a business way edward patterson cashler cashier of the chicago agency of a life insurance company Is wrongly suspected by his wile wife julia or of in infidelity delity iler her accusation unfit unfits a him for business and ho he takes a short va vacation on his return his daughter edith tells him hla big personal belongings are in the spare room having been removed from the room which wl ach I 1 lad hao been his and his cifes wife a bedroom patterson accepts the situation as proof 0 of his cifes belief in his guilt edith seventeen years old Is worried over the estrangement of her parents iler her mother only partly succeeds in her efforts to comfort her the son edward junior Is at college A business matter brings an inventor james jame mariner into pattersons Patter sons lire life mariner needs with which to push his invention an automobile autom abile choke and patterson after a brief investigation decides to go in with him without informing his family he resigns his position devoting his whole time to the pushing of tile the invention A few days later he tells his big wife ot of the change he ha has made though surprised she accepts the situation edith Is made aware of the alteration in the family fortunes tun e a by her mother telling her she has decided to part with the cook she and edith to do the housework edward ames from college for the holidays with him is roger morgan whom edith had known as a child her mother asks edith to leave her present private school chool and finish her studies nt at the public high school it will mean a saving of several hundred dollars and edith ed ill agrees CHAPTER IV continued 9 slie she was conscious of a passing render bronder whether ti he really was like that or whether he was just pretending he know that she had cried and run away he noticed that she had changed her dress ue he had lighted a cigarette and sat down to the cup of coffee she bid bad poured tor for him as if he had been dropping in for breakfast with her every morning tor for a week luckily thre was something she could be begin in talking about the party last night it must have been awfully jolly yes it was a nice party I 1 guess I 1 stay very long marthas ray my cousin you know so I 1 checked in and danced with her smoked a cigarette with ed when he happened not to be dancing and did a quiet fadeout fade out she thrilled at that if hed said he lef early because she there she have believed it the mere fact that he be say it made it possible tie he was talking with orly ocly half his mind anyway thinking about something else did you like the play she asked ed told me you were there again he frowned was that all he be told you 1 I guess ile he said you liked 14 it she admitted well theres a case of wasted eloquence for you I 1 he be said 1 I talked my head bead off to him tor for halt half an hour about how good you were it was probably just as well he be try to pass it on though 1 I was seared scared I 1 she told him well then he pronounced after a stare of surprise you must be a real actress all ive ite got to 11 say there was nothing s she he could say say to that so she buttered her second slice of toast lie he got up and began roaming up and down the room even so I 1 dont understand it he went on 1 I dont understand your being one of them martha and jane cole and isabel norris and the rest of the bunch dont they seem like kids to you I 1 should think that anybody well anybody who could play that screen play for instance the way you played it would find the rest of them awful awfully ly you young D g oh 1 dont know she said really she she the least idea what he meant about the screen scene but the next moment she heard herself saying anyhow im going to stop school im not going back next term ue lie nodded as if it surprise him very much but he be interrupt with any comment and somehow she had to go on she just stop herself 1 I made up my mind what to do exactly take a job I 1 guess at the sound of the words worda she was seized with a panic what would he say what would he do what would he think of her for blurting out a thing like that really its what id have expected you to do if id thought of it its a sporting proposition you see and anyone could tell you were a good sport from the wily way you played that part ue he took another turn across the room then what does ed think about it lie be asked ue H e know she told him lie he even know im going to stop school im glad you told me ine he said you sou see isee ive never oh ive got on a all n right with girls 1 I mean regular girls the kind you meet and I 1 like HL e to dance with them and BO on but they never seemed quite 1 M the real thin rit ill tell you what 1 I mean when my father died two years ago he had a secretary eliod been with him a good many years she was quite a lot older than I 1 was of course but she so very old at that I 1 mean it t age e that made the differ difference quee I 1 saw a lot of her at the time and she was uns different from any of the g girls I 1 knew she was perfectly real about everything I 1 thought she was perfectly great greal 1 I know now father always thought so well just as she did I 1 can un der stand bour our wanting to take a job yourself edith was luxuriating in the sound of his voice to in the tact fact that lie he was talking like this to her he be a mature man a senior in college she was vas thrilled through and through but she been exactly paying attention to the words he be said the consequence was that when lie he stopped talking rather suddenly I the silence was perfectly blank shed nothing ready to say and she think of anything except what a dumb fish she was not to be able to respond to him with a single word she was aware that lie he was snatching a look at his watch ive got to run he said ive stayed twice as long as id any business to I 1 told mother I 1 be gone but a minute ive got all my packing to do you know I 1 wish wed had this talk sooner so that have been time I 1 mean tor for us to have another before I 1 went away he came around now to her side of the table and shook hands with her 1 I wish you u all kinds of luck he went 0 on jj when vh I 1 come back in june ill come around here first thin thing and get you to tell me what the job Is like and how bow it see ns to have one she got up from her chair and followed him out into the ball he put on his overcoat picked up his hat and then turned and held out his hand band again well goodby good by he be said A desolating sense came over her that he was going now that hed be gone before she could possibly think of anything to say that would keep him from thinking of her as a perfectly dumb hopeless little fool she felt she bear to let him go like that involuntarily her hand tightened its grip on his she looked up at him and drew in her breath to speak hoping the words would come she found him looking at her right into her ile he mean to he going in to but he did ile he kissed her not exactly on tile the mouth just on the corner of it she fun funnily filly enough remember how bow the kiss felt at all it was the way hed looked when his face got back into focus surprised seared scared hed done it without knowing he was going to and yet vet riot not silly or sentimental a bit been a pucker of that adorable frown of his between his brows as he be turned away lots of people kissed you of course some because they were just naturally sappy and think of anything else and some to be smart to show that they could get away with il it this kiss had been sort of a detached thing that had hung between them palpably for a quarter of a second before it had happened and then chenin in evitable evit ably had happened like ilke a little explosion roger had had no more to do with it than she had bad only she wished she could remember how it bad felt 0 0 0 0 she was lying on her bed propped up op by an extra pillo pillow w or two reading her favorite sentimental novel the sound of the front door opening gave her a start but it mother it was ed she could tell by the way he slammed the door it worth while getting up op for him when he called upstairs mother she answered mother home but not loud enough to be sure he heard she rather hoped he then hed go out to the kiteli kitchen enget get something to eat and probably go away again she felt perfectly well disposed toward ed badat a grievance against him in the world only she feel like talking bilking to him nor to anybody why he be go over and see agatha she heard him coming up the stairs from the corridor he again called mother 1 and this time there was no getting out of IL it she home yet but I 1 think she will be pretty soon lie ile came straight on to her door and asked may I 1 come in its you I 1 wanted to talk to anyway surel sure I 1 she said come in im just lying down still feeling rotten he asked oh no not especially she said bald bravely no really im all right lie he came over and sat down on the euse of the bed undeterred by the fact that she move to make room for him you ton poor kid he said im horribly sorry edith you could see he meant it all right lie ile bent down over her and she realized that lie he meant to kiss her on an uncontrollable and perfectly automatic instinct she arl wriggled away from him deeply hurt he sat erect again she was sorry but not regretful rogers kiss was safe for a while longer anyway she sup supposed nosed shed have to wash her face tome come time and after that it matter put but until then oh the way you fed fec about labout me Is attl it ed asked no I 1 it t I 1 dont feel that way a bit only I 1 just happen to feel like being kissed she thought of something and yielded to a licentious impose impulse to say it IL go over and do it to agatha she said with a smile she wont mind ile he went the color of a boiled beet and sprang erect as if shed burned AJ 14 he said 11 1 I might have noticed that you and mother were doing all the work and done some of it myself but what he ha was sorest about was because I 1 come to se see his new shop him lie ile was perfectly speechless but he stood looking at her as if ft hed like to wring her neck 1 I mean any harm bythan by that she went on you ton do kiss her sometimes dont you we wont discuss her it if YOU yon please lie he said lelly icily 1 I thought you were her friend tier her best friend she thinks so well but I 1 I 1 am she protested im sorry ed I 1 mean anything I 1 take it back will you forche me oil its all right I 1 anything to forgive I 1 can see how you must have felt about me you must have hated bated me hated you she echoed sitting up dont be silly I 1 I 1 anything of the kind well you have anything on me it if you did not last night after my talk with dad I 1 found him sitting up and waiting tor for me when I 1 came home from Al marthas arthas party ne lie told me all about things gosh I 1 all about what every everything th ad g he said now how hard up we are because of the new business and about how you and he be and mother are doing without things and saving every cent you possibly could and how they were going to send you to the high school because they afford to keep you on in the old school ne lie toi told d me enough all right I 1 felt like a mangy pup in the dog pound before he got through with me ile he said I 1 might have noticed that you and mother were doing all the work and done some of it myself but what he be was sorest about was because I 1 come down to see his new shop ile said hed wanted my advice about the thing its the first time I 1 ever knew he be cared anything about that only I 1 wish hed asked me about it before he went in was that where you went this morning she asked it look you think it was oh come out all right I 1 guess I 1 see him lie fie was out you go down with him th then en no I 1 went somewhere else first to try to get a job stop college you mean she cried ed you do that its just what he be want you to do oil oh I 1 got talked out of it he admitted 1 I went to sir mr willara Wll Wil lard larL ne ile promised me a job last summer whenever I 1 wanted it but today he gave me the big chin about how necessary it was tor for a man who was going to be an engineer to have a college education ile he was awfully nice about it iles one white man all right I 1 promised id do what lit he said ill go back to tn college he went on but im not going to take one more cent of fathers money for it IL there are two things that are settled and one how are you going to get it she asked the question easily enough but as the answer suggested itself she caught her breath you mean work your way through tending furnaces and shoveling snow and ad things like that oh ob ed that would be perfectly horrible ne ile laughed and patted her hand ill earn it he said but not that way what I 1 think ill try for first is a student agency for radio stuff I 1 know I 1 could sell a raft of that mr willards Wll lards going to back me gee but hes a peach edithl edith I 1 she nodded in full agreement but there was something else on her mind that she want to forget about aboul you said there were two things settled what was the other one the other thing Is that youre going right straight along to your regular school just as if not nothing hing had happened 1 I dont see how I 1 can she objected dad simply got the money no but I 1 have ed said ive got five hundred dollars right here in the savings bank if mother gets home in time ill draw it out today give her three hundred of it for you and keep the other two to get myself started you dont have to worry about that blied flied she answered its not fixed 1 and when he reiterated that it was she told him coady that she going in back to school shed made up her own mind about that independently she go back if dad had bad all the money in the world not to that th at school the matter with wit h the school he be wanted to know 1 I thought you were crazy about it about your crowd and all well im not she said oh all right in their way of course but awfully young and silly and inexperienced its not the real thin thing somehow and pin im going to well anyway im not going back to school ive got other plans I 1 let you do it anyway she want to be asked what the plans were so she went on hastily and besides youre going to work your way through college need all that money yourself every cent of it who did you see at the office today what did you think of the place dads oh its all right I 1 guess I 1 met his partner mariner he looks to me like a washout good bit of a fake id say lie ile tried to make me think there was something mysterious and secret about the metal they used for that spiral spring I 1 hope dad let him get by with that every thermo static device uses it in one form or another dont boil you think its any good at all she asked oh I 1 dont say that I 1 agree ee with mr willard its probably a good novelty from the selling point of lew she changed the subject Is that boy still there an awful boy with pimples who worked the typewriter ed nodded glumly 1 I guess so 1 notice him much A sulky young brute with dirty ears edith laughed its tunny funny about that about why they have him I 1 mean me a n its because of mrs mariner ashes so jealous she wont let her husband have a woman stenographer not an ordinary one I 1 mean cut but it if she be goes away to california I 1 guess change ashes tb the most awful woman I 1 ever saw they heard the front door open theres mother I 1 guess ed said on a sudden compunction she thought she let him go like that you are a pea peach C h E ed d slie she told him but let me ma do this tiling roy my own way wont you you wont try to make them stop me I 1 mean because they cant anyhow no I 1 wont butt in he be sald said its all right of course 0 0 0 0 0 0 it was a bright crisp day |