| Show norris t illustrations if SYNOPSIS tho luck that had brought the boston laurences lawrences Law ces to california just at the beginning of the gold rush seems to have deserted the present generation prom from a acre ranch their holdings have shrunk to a a small email farm and the old family home in ClIppers ville phil twenty five Is in the iron works sam and seventeen year old arlel ariel are in school gall in the public library and edith in the book department of ClIppers vIlles largest store young van murchison hlson whose family owns cl a chain of flour mills returns from yale he and gall had bad been very close friends before he went away to college dick stebbins phils bast friend has the run of the house arlel ariel is in the habit babit of 0 sneaking out of the house at night tor for joy rides van has supper with the I law lw bences dancing later with gall at a roadhouse she feels she Is making no progress in gaining his affections regretfully concluding she Is not his bis type of 0 girl eirl CHAPTER ill continued 5 dicks car since when has he be it killing I 1 its quite decent looking too you know old een den stein ot of the second secondhand hand place down near the hill bill 1 I know the place yes tes and I 1 kind of 0 know the old man too well two cars collided out on the highway near there about three months ago it seems and old L uen len stein bought them they were wrecks for about fifteen dollars apiece so lie he sent for dick it seems and told him it if lied hed put the touring car in order he could have the roadster dick did ernsteins Deristel Een steins ns firsts first and lies hes been puttering over his own for about six weeks w eks so last night ile he drone croie it la in from stanislaus and put it in joe fosters garage and joe looked it oer and he says its perfect and he offered dick two tio hundred dollars for it dicks so darn admirable gall said indifferently opening her book that you expect him to break out rail splitting most any minute I 1 can just see him sweating over politics some day and being on the losing side eiery cery time I honest Ionest dick stebbins for gover governor norl 1 but I 1 like old dick oh so do 1 I 11 the younger sister agreed eagerly she vi ent away and gall call lay musing her open book in her hands the memory of her parting with van in the deep black night gloom at the gate kept returning to buzz about her like a midge and spoil spell all the other recollections why la Is it gall call asked herself savagely that I 1 can get along so beautifully with girls and act like such a fool with boys it if hed been a girl tonight I 1 would have gone on talking laughing putting orr off coming into the house I 1 would woula have kept saying listen I 1 have to go I 1 in oh well what difference does coes it 1 make I 1 well all be dead in a hundred years and so restlessly on off to sleep oddly baffled and dissatisfied after this is marvelous iuar day on which the dream had bad come true the next day she and edith had real trouble to think about and to discuss as they walked to work in the first firs t place sam bad told them at breakfast that be sam had been driving some boys boya car 11 without a license and had been fined fifteen dollars by adge gates oh phil paid it sam had said in ills his confident little brotherly manner mander I 1 how allow could phil pay it 4 oh he be worked overtime all last month you know ile he had something coming to him you to have done it sam youre such a fool I 1 the olden older sister said reproachfully affectionately sho she repeated the p phrase braise to phil when he came in late to report 10 his expedition with dick d you cant say that gall its ly natural for a kid to want to drive a car most host lids kids sams age phil had bad reminded her temperately lave have their own cars so reasonable so generous such a rock of 0 strength about a thin thing like tills this it had been staggering to olt his sisters to have him film add with little self ca a consciousness ido 1 I was nils thinking when we were having baving dick and van val murchison hlson to supper last night why nilly not ask lily some time ashes an awfully na sweet sleet little thing ashes had an awfully rough deal edith had felt every fiber of her being stiffen galls bands had be gun to nule as she bad said pleasantly co confusedly a fu sedly we well al of 0 course if 1 shed ILL like e it fa phil J IN why i she like it phil iad asked in a level challenging olce itolle no reason why I 1 except she rather young children yep rep she has three kids phil had been re tilling his coffee cup 1 I dont think shed come 1 gall had said uncomfortable but determined you might try phils voice had become level composed ue ile had bad returned to ills his newspaper with no further reference to the subject ills sisters in utter consternation had spoken since of little else ashes simply imply mesmerized him sill its just too horrible gall we ask her to the house 1 I dont think we could they parted on the dubious note deeply worried as they had been worried so many many times before about sam arlel ariel phil in turn about family finances social complications cat ions just when I 1 was sort of looking forward to sunday night suppers gall call offered sri in parting when nhen they came to the callo calle yes tes I 1 know edith answered quickly what on earth can we do edith dlab if phil says anything more well have her I 1 sup suppose 1 but ashes simply ashes simply not respectable 1 I know 1 I mean everyone knows what those are and the cass boys are just gangsters 1 I know edith conceded again anxiously they went their ways galls thoughts went to van hoi however Never at intervals during that day bud and the next day slie she began the girl girls calendar its only one full day since I 1 saw him its only two full days its only the morning of the t thaid day CHAPTER IV T t BEGAN to seem like a dream I 1 IT to her that lie he and she had been laughing lu bang over the library counter last saturday night and that lie he had come to supper with the law bences and that she had gone down the highway beyond dumbarton bridge to old aunt marys tor for a late supper and dancing edith asked delicately lightly it if there had been any telephoning during the day and gall became expert in careless replies and then quietly indifferently oh yes van Al murchison was in it seems mrs chipp Is having a ho ise party down doin at their pa place ice in the santa cruz mountains a week from tills this weekend week end an and d she wants me to go wh what at 1 edith ejaculated incredulous oh gall gail arent you ex es cited gall call laughed a little but yes I 1 am she admitted honestly terribly excited but of course they only want me because van does ile probably asked his aunt to ask met oh for heavens sake arlel ariel said I 1 impatiently and unexpectedly in her husky busl y tones for heavens sake what would ym want her to ask you for because mamma was a n church member you know very well youre not an intimate friend of hers why should she ask you id much rather go a place because a boy wanted me than because bebau se ills mother did I 1 and laughing helplessly and a little shocked edith and gall call admitted that there was something in this view 1 I have everything gall call said 1 I have my blue velvet I 1 have my christmas slippers I 1 have hare my white hat ill do my old linen up myself 1 be fine tor for rough roughing lD w walking or anything arid and ill wash my sweater therell ri robly be tennis tenni sill arlel ariel suggested ing oh probably I 1 gall was deep in dinner preparations her tone sang did she come in gail call or did she write a note an instant chill then gall call said casually neither my dear she sent a message by van there was a silence edith stood distressed and disappointed in the center of the kitchen ariel looked up alertly from lier her book gall went W ent on busily with ith her cooking weil you wont think of accepting unless she does write gall my dear edith we are living in the twentieth century not in the good old days of pamela and evelina well im very much surprised at you I 1 edith said trembling din ner was served in a sulphurous silence phil hungry grimy gril my anil and tired noted at once that lillig vas wrong and Us ills first question brought the whole hole thing down upon him in nn an avalanche gali was flushed and angry edith reasonable and cool they talked at once and phil frowned faintly smiled faintly ns as he looked from one tace face to another pill phil it JS in this day and generation to expect a person to send you an engraved invitation 1 I say an engraved invitation I 1 because I 1 mean every things done so informally now and people telephone invitations to weddings I 1 no but listen phil weve a always held up our heads and been k known as girls who inho cheap who jazz we phil its all we have its us edith her eyes suddenly wet with tears went on shakily philip had championed gall gail all her life and she adored him as her unfailing authority it was therefore like a blow in her face to have him say judicially over his pipe im not so sure but what edes right gall call you arent vire that van hlson hes an awfully n nice kid and hes bes most amusing nice and all that and he means beti well enough but you arent sure that tills this kid ever spoke to ills his aunt at all ilow how do you know oil oh listen ll listen gall said managing a laugh but inwardly seething with fury lie ile ask me to go to chinal china 1 lie ile asked me to go for two nights to los gatos and im going coln I all there Is to it there was a full minute of dead silence d iring during which her angry voice hung in the air then arlel ariel expelled a long sighing breath and phil shrugged philosophically youre of age he said briefly nothing more the gir girls s as they cleared the table avoided each others eyes and presently began to talk lifelessly of other things phil went out without another glance or words for his favorite sister when gall call and arlel ariel I 1 I 1 alro I 1 rl P the excitement chanced to be for a minute alono alone in the kitchen arlel ariel seized the opportunity port unity to say aag eagerly gerly stick it out gaill if every one felt the way edith does no one would have any tun fun at all I 1 wed all be old maids arkels sympathy was very sweet beet but it did not have the value of editha approval on the contrary there was something disturbing in this suggestion of a general mutiny against the lawrence way of doing things arlel ariel had arranged with a boy friend that he should call her on the telephone at eight and she should answer anser his call with a pleasant dutiful oh ies miss hemmet emmet II miss bliss eemmet was her mathematics teacher she would then say to gall gall gail im going over to miss I 1 leemets nem lem mets and abe then im going to meet the crowd at the corner and go down to sticky dobbins for some ice cream I 1 asked phil and he be said all right it was a risky game she was playing but after all it was a game edith was playing no game at all and gall was demonstrating more forcefully every instant how little she knew of the rules the telephone rang take it freshman fresh maril I 1 gall said to her younger sister but arlel ariel needed no prompting she was already halfway to the hall oh thank you miss Tl emmet I 1 will her sisters heard her say she came back to her work with her transparent skin exquisitely flushed and her strange eyes alight 1111 gilt gall miss klemmet wants me to come over and phil said we could go to dobbins afterward 11 oh nil all right go alle ahead adl 1 gall said absently arlel ariel faded from sight sl ait silently was gom later dick stebbins looked in at the kitchen door phils gone gall said ill folea him up but dick came in instead call escaped into the dining room and sp secured her little playing cards silo she came back to the kitchen table and began to play the gas sang hang and dick stood up and lowered it galls calls thoughts rocked to and fro deliciously she was writing a story A woman very beautiful but entirely unprincipled carrying on a love affair 1 under her husbands very eyes I 1 galla going down to the chipp place in 1 Us as gatos next wee weekend week end 1 edith said out of a silence sat so dick asked loang up urn uni lium hum gall call nodding she was grateful to edith for tak ing it as a matter settled dik dick continued to regard her with an odd an almost contemptuous snail smile you rou like all that sort of thin thing dont you he asked well I 1 dont know that I 1 like it especially I 1 dont know much about it gall call answered slightly nettled never having hating been on n house party of this sort I 1 say I 1 liked it or like it she went on pointedly Il meaning leaning that I 1 dont know what im talking about did dick asked with a not quite good natured laugh well gall said with a shrug which indicated that he was at liberty to put that interpretation upon her words if he would the man laughed and sprawled a placating great hand across the table aw dont be mad gall gail im not mad I 1 only think when you dont know a person and that person has never done one thin thing against you the girl commence commenced stiffly its only that I 1 get such a of it dick murmured subsiding gall call tried her best to feel sorry for him later she told edith posit hely ely that ab she e won would d not go to the ch chipps ipps house party unless she heard directly from sirs mrs chipp oil oh I 1 am so relieved dearest edith breathed gratefully no its no not t worth while gall said she grew a little bitter thinking about it it would be the best time I 1 ever had and it mamma had lived or papa I 1 should take all this sort of thing as a matter of course she said with dignified resentment sent ment Ilo however wever I 1 cant as phil said I 1 cant put myself in a false position P gall she will telephone you edith predicted fervently 1 I dont know gall was tired and blue they were still talking at one when phil came upstairs 1 I put the I 1 lights ats out every one in he aked the sisters exchanged a look arlel ariel must be she vent ment with the gang down to dobbins at about ulav nine gall gail stammered she said you said she could phil 1 I said 1 if shed be back early phil exclaimed ne ile crossed the hall opened a door and returned with an anxious and angry face where Is she ayou sup suppose he asked well she must be oh this Is perfectly terrible phil she must be still down there we could telephone y listen she cant get away with tills this phil interrupted its after twelve dobbins closes at midnight tut tut tut tut gall call began on a weary note dote flinging the bedclothes aside as phil ran downsi downstairs airs to the telephone and edith fled to her room for more clothing gall was all but dressed and phil returning from down downstairs stair s three minutes later when ariel appeared in the upper hallway clad in pajamas and an old japanese jacket of brilliantly colored cotton with a pillow dangling dan glin in n her hand and her soft taffy yellow hair in confusion the excitement she ile demanded looking like anything in the world rather than a girl who his has been tearing seared scared and chilly across open pall C country roads in a roadster exactly three minutes before it was so hot I 1 thought id sleep down on the side porch on ti the ae old sofa kut but its so lumpy they all broke into excited laughter reproaches she should have told them 1 arlel ariel looking sleepy warm bewildered wil Il vanished into her room with a yawn nobody followed her to discover the clothes flung wildly here and there just as they had fallen when she had torn them off or to kiss the cheek that was still so cold from night wind indeed among the three elders in galls room there was even a feeling that injustice had been done little art ariel who had run down to the drug store so innocently for a soda after he her lessons were done and who |
