| Show olt cynthia 1 NORMA KNIGHT P 01 t 6 P J CHAPTER ill III continued 4 when cary pre presently bently lost ills his job again beof threw himself heartily into a conspiracy of 0 silence against cynthia helped the boy rind find another position and smiled with triumph when cary made airy announcement no of the change cary was his lils devoted friend the captain liked him heartily MISS yona nona made no secret of her affection for him marguerite showed her back teeth in a vast grin when geoff tipped her lavishly only tenny held aloof it surprised geoff to find how wholeheartedly whole heartedly the child adored cynthia miss nona gave tier her the ten kenderest tend crest derest care captain cary was never too busy to take her on ills his lap and read to her cary played with her almost as though he were her own age slie she accepted geoffr own overtures with shy pleasure cut but it was to cynthia that she fhe gave her love cynthia never petted her seldom played with her for or told her stories she held tenny to a strict accounting of her day had she hung hun up her ter own nightgown and aired aire Flier her bed had she taken her cod liver oil after each meal tenny would nod in passionate assent to these questions she hung about the gate in the evening straining her eyes in the dusk for tile the first sight of cynthia when tile the slender figure appeared walking somewhat wearily these autumn nights the child would slip a hand in the older girls and stick to her like a little burr till bedtime came come here tenny geoff said one evening holding out his hand for her your face has looked like a little thundercloud all evening the matter slie she came not unwillingly but with no II 11 lightening lit ening of the gloom which envelo enveloped pd her 1 I dont like cynthia to work so hard she said her head ached this morning 1 I know it did dudl I 1 and now ashes telephoned she cant get home before I 1 go to bed its a shame darling miss nona said im worrying about cynthia too sites working far too hard stuff and nonsense her ber running that shop at all tile the captain said testily you should put your foot down nona P miss nona shook her head you know I 1 cant do anything with her rather father I 1 weve both talked to her did it do one bit of good she sighed and laid down her sewing it odd how dull the house seems without her geoff rather to his own surprise was experiencing the same sensation it must be lie he mused that he missed his dally daily tilts with cynthia they quarreled more and more frequently lately as geoff became a more intimate part of the family life and as Cynt hias weariness often expressed itself in tart speech the carys were like no other family geoff had over ever known reserve was a quality unknown to them they discussed their most private affairs as cheerfully before geoff as aa though he were one of them to be sure they often took for granted facts lie did not know and thus confused both him and themselves in a discussion only cynthia guarded her own affairs from discussion geoff was alternately amused and irritated by the manner in which a flash of her blue eyes put a stop to any conversation which touched upon her earlier life sometimes he informed her 1 I think you must have a past youre so secretive the long iong lashes lifted and she flung him a glance oh ob 1 I 1 havel have I 1 have a husband and sei seven 1 children in phoenix Pho enLy ariz and im so afraid find it outi out it would make no difference he assured her affably 1 I have no intention whatever of tailing falling in love with you the blue eyes lingered on him speculatively 1 I wonder vonder it would be an interesting experiment in emotional power but not 1201 im too busy to bother with you just now later perhaps go as far as you like lie he said the fairest maidens of new york have tried and failed lot hut perhaps a little colorado desperado 1 on second thought I 1 dont think ill bother with you it if I 1 failed it would bs be a terrible blow to my vanity and it if I 1 succeeded miss aliss nona would be heartbroken heart beart broken 11 meaning turn me down she nodded composedly ile he laughed but lie he was a little piqued for all that the only son eon 0 f john ensloe slated for an important position lu in his fathers firm esteemed la in his own right was not accas tomed to an indifference so obviously genuine that lie he could not regard it as assumed for the purpose of interesting him A few days later miss nona apol spoke e to him again about Cynt hias overworking wont you talk to her about it geoff im sure shell listen to you I 1 my dear MISS hiss nona less likely to listen to me than to anyone in denver you noticed that im unpopular with your daughter to say the least im the only I 1 son of my mother and life fire is still sweet to me id do a lot for you hiss nona dear but to put my head in Cynt hias jaws Is a job for a braver man than I 1 having taken this determined position it was a little disconcerting to find himself approaching cynthia on the subject after all ne ile did it on oil impulse one of the impulses over which his bis mother raised her eyebrows cynthia had come home late to dinner more than ordinarily tired does your head ache ag again maln cynthia asked tenny pityingly A k little tenny she and the little girl were alone in the dining room the others having finished the meal before cynthia came geoff returning for the cigarette lighter lie he had bad left on the table suddenly flared into angry speech youre a fool to work yourself to death like you tou worry your mother youre hurting your health what do you gain by it what does it matter whether your silly shop does ten cents more or less business in a days time it if it was necessary for you to work like this geoff heard his own voice speaking hotly 1 I 1 say a word cut but merely for a whim to satisfy some idiotic idea of self cypres slon sion she lifted the coffee cup to her lips and swallowed the last drops of tile the hot fluid Is that what you think I 1 do it tor ford what else she shrugged her shoulders oh excitement perhaps change 0 or r it be that I 1 want a more useful life than baking a cake now and then anil and helping miss nona arrange the lowers ile he moved impatiently she was treating him with tile the same tolerance she gave gary cary and tenny he thought so far as she was concerned lie he was just one more friend of miss nona whom she was obliged to treat with civility ue he admitted presently that he appeared to have lave a talent for presenting himself in the midst of domestic disagreements a fact which probably contributed to Cynt hias bored disapproval of him ile he came down stairs one evening in time to hear fear her say to her mother mr Mont agues check was made out to me miss nona i you dut have cash cashed ed it darling I 1 put by N C aylesbury on it as plain as anything all and d T tenny e tiny rea really I 1 ly if needed e e ded so some in e new clothes P 1 there was a preg pregnant silence within the room geoff dared neither to enter nor to go back up the polished stairs then cynthia spoke all right honey it upsets my plans terribly but it cant be helped now low only promise me that next month Cynt cynthia hla of coursel course 1 im truly sorry dear if you wanted tile money tor for the shop but after all we have to consider tenny first dont we at that geoff went back to his room making no effort to soften the sound of his footsteps was there no limit to Cynt hias rapacity lie ile wondered it if the girl had got herself into some sort of financial tangle and la in desperation was trying to buy her way out geoffr own board was due the next nest day lie ile told himself that it was concern tor for miss nona that dictated it but in reality it was a desire to force Cynt hias hand to shatter her maddening indifference toward him ne ile wrote out the usual check for sixty dollars and after dinner approached pro proa ached clied miss nona smiling at her ingratiatingly ile he saw Cynt hias quick glance go to the slip of paper in his hand saw her involuntary gesture of protest but he ignored both 1 MISS nona he began coaxingly ive ve been your guest now for weeks and weeks from this day forward im going to pay a little something an absurdly inadequate something toward the expense ive bun been putting you to youre not to refuse please dear miss nonal nona 1 because if you do ill have to move to some smelly boarding house or uncomfortable hotel and a n d wish I 1 was back with avith you her soft brown eyes filled geoff you mu 1 your mothers son lie ile tool took out ills his own handkerchief and touched it to tier lier eyes you can gle give it to charity if you like or throw it into tile the waste bas ket or buy soula some more tulip bulbs for those long iong beds under the windows ADY anything thing just so you let me feel fe el im paying a little something tor for all you do for me lie ile tucked the paper into her hand closed her fingers over it and smiled at her when marguerite came to announce dinner he stood aside to allow her and cynthia to pass As she went through the door the girl raised her lashes and gave him one brief glance all ills his boyish triumph evaporated under tinder the force of that gaze lie ile tossed for hours after he had gone to bed it there had been be neither reproach nor anger in it but something strangely like despair until long iong after midnight he lay hating himself for the unfairness of his action to be sure cynthia herself had been unfair about these checks she was robbing the family purse to stave oft off some sort of crisis in her shop it W was as his absolute duty to turn over his board money to the mistress of the house nevertheless geoff was haunted by a pair of desperate eyes in a small brown face a little figure that drooped forlornly all through throng 11 tile the meal a low rather husky voice that carefully avoided addressing him unless it was absolutely absolu fely necessary baryl I 1 CHAPTER IV odds and ends EOFF had never visited the GEOFF gift shop though he knew of course where it was when he happened to find himself in its aleigh boyhood during his lunch hour one day he yielded to an impulse of ap V I 1 t ay geoff judged that this was the dish faced elsie dunsmore curiosity and hunted it up cynthia he knew would not be in this was her day out at this time it was a tiny place little more than a wedge between two more pretentious shops there was the usual collection of chains pins small lacquer trays candlesticks powder boxes gift boxes of fine tea traveling clocks all the ornamental litter with which he was so familiar cut but in the rear of the shop was something that interested him two camf comfortable ort able chairs were pulled up to a long table on which lay various magazines A low bookcase overflowed with volumes whose titles brought a look of surprise to good geoff there was late fiction that was t to be expected but there was also a modest collect collection io n of technical books several of which geoff had sought for in vain in the book book shops toward one of these he be stretched out his hand eagerly fifteen minutes later some one spoke to him film from abe fact that she wore no hat bat and seemed to be entirely at home geoff judged that this was the dish faced elsie dunsmore how do you do she said pleasantly 1 I think youre a stranger to the odds and ends I 1 hope lope youve found something that interests you P I 1 1 I have Inde indeed edl 1 ile he held up the book may I 1 ask how you happen to have a book like this in your stock miss aylesbury chose it you see eliy we have these chairs this case of books so that shoppers like yourself may drop in tor for a few minutes to read and rest miss aylesbury tries to cater to all tastes see there are books on architecture on gard gardening tiling on mining on child welfare geoff nodded ills thoughts were busy with a certain morning when lie he had told at the breakfast table of 0 his una unavailing for or this particular book wily why had cynthia not mentioned she had it in the shop was it because she resented his disapproval of 0 her business or had she geoff would have liked to believe this but somehow he had she known k D own where here V to buy it and done so because ho he had spoken of it both explanations afforded little satisfaction to the tall soung man who stood gripping the volume and staring vacantly at Cynt hias clerk ile ho came out of his trance presently restored the book to its place and went forward resignedly to justify ills his presence by a pur burch clIse ase elsie was busy lie he was glad to too loo busy to wait on him film that spoke well tor for the business of 0 the shop are you always as busy as this he asked when she was free f ree to attend to him she shook her head its the final spurt of the tourist season people on their way home stop in to buy souvenirs im just a clerk here C 0 owns the shop C ctr 0 cynthia gary cary aylesbury we used to call her C 0 in high school youre toure a schoolmate of hers then oh yes I 1 even planned to go east to college colleg e with her but t things happened and I 1 and poor cynthia had 11 ad to come home herself in her junior year had to I 1 thought she came because she was tired of it I 1 elsie looked belligerent cynthia never gives things up because ashes tired 1 it if she did shed give this store up in a hurry the way that girl works she caught herself up abruptly realizing how freely she had been discussing her employer with it a stranger all right geoff reassured sure d her im a friend of her mother tell me more about the shop it if you dont mind im deeply interested why you see cynthia wanted to do something when she came back from colle college collee e so she started the odds and ead ends she had a little littie money left tier her by her father she put it all into this shop at first she did everything herself had her lunch brought in went without dinner until after shed closed up then business picked up and pretty soon she asked me it if I 1 like to help her you bet I 1 did too said elsie with convincing simplicity there much I 1 do for cynthia if it comes to that so the shop really pays for itself she gave him an odd look it has to she said briefly it if you know cynthia you know its a live or ordie die proposition with her she go into anything lightly 1 I should say not 1 I geoff declared weve got to make enough she chattered on to see us through the dull season that comes between the tourist trade and the christmas sales november is a total loss as far as gift shops are concerned iier her eyes traveled to a banjo clock that ticked on the wall be back any minute now and shell tell you anything you want to know about the shop geoff sold sald guiltily that he wait selected a particularly hideous and expensive desk set and escaped with it before Cin thias lilas return ills purchase gave him some little trouble before he finally prevailed on a waitress at the cafe where lie he ate ills his lunch to accept it ills dis visit to the shop had cleared up one thing that was beginning to trouble him A dim idea that the family might be in some manner dependent upon the profits from the odds and ends had haunted him for several days but several things contradicted that theory every month for example captain cary slit a certain gray envelope and extracted a check royalties from a little patent of 0 mine he always said with open pride sometimes he handed it to his daughter and bade her buy herself something pretty with it sometimes he tucked it away in his wallet then too miss aliss nona sometimes carelessly referred to her husbands estate that word ord meant to geoff the large holdings which had come to his mother and himself from his father there was no evidence of want in the house where lie he lived miss nona wore the prettiest of clothes the food was abundant it if somewhat plain garys carys lightheart light heart ed indifference to ills his jobs did not |
