Show ID D A 41 1 el 1 many SCHUMANN aa I 1 11 myers G CHAPTER XI continued 11 in spite ot of himself the 61 sight of 0 her flushed cheeks her strange shining eyes sent a tremor through his blood ile he rested his arm on the mantel 1 I had bad a profitable one she cogitated this meaning 1 what I 1 said very well if you wish to be enigmatic cruel pin points danced in her eyes are you going to ask me it if I 1 had a profitable time while you were away 1 I took it tor for granted she shrugged then said the house is cold better build a fire it if were going to stay here under his steady gaze her eyes dropped 1 I must have a talk with you he said slowly they went into the sun room with its wicker furniture form I 1 62 ON U 11 11 i 4 F yes dorrie im through ally hugh drew up a chair tor for her brought her coat and laid it around her shoulders he touched a match to the asbestos backed grate adjusted the flame then stood in silence dorrie looked into the fire her white hands were clasped around her knee she lifted her creamy eyelids going to tell me youre through he asked yes dorrie im through he thought she trembled a little and the discernment that she was in need of pity even as he battled with his resolution he stood watching her eyelashes flicker over her cheeks as she looked down hugh make it easy for or me certainly she relaxed in her chair a trifle its one of those thing which cant be helped at first I 1 was disappointed in him he act the way I 1 expected when you lound found out but when joan went off the deep end nothing seemed to stand in his way then except me her yes was small almost inaudible curling bronze hair white skin lovely face he must look his last upon them em even desire was forbidden the hate which surged up in him at her shallowness was almost as great as his desire something rose in his throat which made it difficult to speak he swallowed no need to prolong this Is there she started youre going you wont be afraid to stay alone tonight she gave a gesture of dissent ill be at mothers after you apply better go away a bit not far it was on his tongue to say near enough for him to see you occasionally keep him from other entanglements entangle ments but he checked it ile he turned and the room hugh went back to his mothers house to live occupied his old room in the south corner he spen some evenings at his club playing cards others reading in the company of 0 his mother or in long rambles margery and will were unobtrusively sympathetic when he met them kezia was crassly exultant what a we can have sage in our chicken dressing bowl corrle had disliked sage but if 11 kezia saw hughs annoyed look when the radio moaned out a love song the she usually shut it off ant dialed a different station she made an effort to be more thoughtful of her mother in his presence evidently wishing his approval once or twice she tried to discuss jerry with v ith him why do you give jerry a mere nod when you come in you could be civil say a few sentences now and then I 1 ten tell him that its just your way one of those big silent business men with the reconstruction of the nation on your shoulders but I 1 wish be decent its no go sis I 1 dont like him how can you say that you dont know him she was aggrieved he rattled his paper as a signal that he wanted her to take herself from the arm of his chair so that he might readi 1 think I 1 do their eyes met and a thwarted look crossed her face she flounced oft his chair with all drive me to something one of these days I 1 no one takes me seriously A few nights later he was sitting by the dying fire in the living room leaning forward staring at the embers when she came in a little after twelve up so late big brother ilow how come he turned from his introspective thoughts 10 lo kezzie I 1 waited up for you after midnight again ill have to look after you a bit if kezia was annoyed she restrained herself sorry if id known you were waiting id have come sooner jerry she nodded and tossed her beret in the air cau caught ht it chasing dewy adventure out ut at Brier lands did you catch up with it yes but found it rather dull after I 1 did I 1 used to have a better time I 1 hugh smiled you mean when things are new you get such a zip out of them when they are new she sighed but the boys look down on you unless you accept things with savoir faire so you learn to do it whether you feel that way inside or not presently that is the way you yop do feel the kick all gone to get nowhere follow the crowd quoted hugh id say you were missing youth kezzie when you sacrifice the kick but im an aged thirty not competent to judge kezia stood over him ran her fingers through his hair twisted a lock between her thumb and finger got the toothache hughle hughie she inquired softly no worse than usual A charred log broke in two sent up a blue flame for a moment around the whitened edges he rose put the screen around the fire time we were going to bed mother gone A couple ot of hours ago dont you want to sit here and talk to me his left eyebrow lifted you can be sweet at times his eyelids twitched a little as he gazed at the floor kezzie about mother she had a pain in her arm before she went to bed I 1 rubbed it with liniment im sure you could make things easier for her she look well this has been hard on her wont you look after her a bit see that she overdo your clothes for instance you really should see to them yourself yes I 1 will promised kezia and it if she could sleep late have her breakfast in bed you get up and attend to the ordering and running of the house she gave him a dazzling smile ill do anything you say darling I 1 know im careless but I 1 meant to be selfish she clasped her hands around his wrist leaned her cheek against his sleeve good said hugh relieved his opinion of kezia ran through such infinite modifications she was a so 0 incalculable never twice alike ile he felt a warming tender glow toward her and it if I 1 do that for you will you do something for me name it said hugh without thinking will you get jerry a decent job in your plant something with good pay and a future to it hugh gave a short laugh drew away from her please hughle hughie please so you were bargaining you concerned over your mother that mat goes without saying but this means such a lot to me you can manage ill A soft lob job with fat pay any lob job at all is scarce in a steel plant As soon as we can manage it we take back our old men whom we laid off kezia gave a deep sigh her eyes swam in mist oh hugh you arent going to let us down I 1 counted on you Us certainly dont you see sec hes using you to help himself along he wants you to ask me your brother for or a good position why he apply in the regular way go state his qualifications to kelly burns who has charge of that dont blame him I 1 thought of it does he know youre asking me yc es cs he gave a shrug he want a soft job she hurried to say he wants something with a chance at advancement something hell never get where he is speak to this burns she coaxed just speak to him wont you do this tiny favor tor for me hugh he shook his head no kezia hes lucky to have work it if you ask me tell him to take good care of the job he has youre heartless she moaned rooan cd im going to ask uncle john ren ken shaw the monotonous days of november dragged by with a preponderance ot of leaden skies of chill ot of fog church and club activities started up orders slackened at the plant started up on rush bus business iness died down again dorrie applied for a divorce on the grounds of incompatibility hugh thought he was all braced for it but it came as a shock when the papers were served on him and again when he stared at the newspaper and saw their names linked together in the public admission of defeat his mother made cheerful con J y I 1 a I 1 n I 1 I 1 1111 I 1 I 1 I 1 v 7 and it if I 1 do that for you will you do something for me ile when he felt like talking served his favorite dishes at the table she accepted him naturally without reference to his wife just her son who had been away from home for a few years and had returned dorries domes name never crossed her ups lips instinctively she knew the throb which accompanies a name associated with fatality realized that hughs nerves had not grown the protective layer which would allow him to hear it without agitation she showed him some colored pictures of french villages in in a magazine one night 1 I have the wanderlust at heart and ive always wanted to see france notre dame the seine the place de la concorde the bois de Boulong ne and ive kept up my school french by reading anatole france and de Mau passant in the hope that I 1 might go there some day ive seen most of 0 my own country I 1 had hoped that europe would be my next adventure hugh examined the pictures not from interest but from the wish to respond its not impossible at all you and kezzie might go next summer shed like it she shook her head 1 I leave you nonsense why not satisfy your wanderlust Flu her eyes looked as if she were seeing distant things 1 I wont plan ahead time has taught me the tolly folly of that why not plan would it tempt you if I 1 said I 1 would try to come over and bring you home even that would be leaving you not seeing you for a while she paused her voice became almost inaudible these days are precious to me in a way you dont know about hugh CHAPTER XU you talked to him then beautiful kehias face assumed an expression ot of silken discontent mm nam mm no results none comments he crabbed about the men they laid oil at the plant and had to take on as work picked up he said you should go to kelly burns bums who hires them never mind I 1 expect you did the best you could providence wil willing lingl it Is or it shall we drive to brookline too far cold not much kezia shivered you might run up that window a bit there better your brother like me but that said jerry heroically keep me from seeing what a line fine fellow he is I 1 hear it on an all sides hugh marsh a prince ol of a chael chapi hugh is pretty swell cousin gavin probably would have taken you in his baril said kezia reflectively lizzie say he would once admitted jerry until I 1 threw the cat in the electric fan teased kezia woman cried jerry with vehemence he mence ill kiss you ile he suited the action to the word swiftly now will you be quiet like a mice she laughed and leaned possessively against his shoulder jerrys voice came to her with seductive sweetness above the roar of the noisy engine its you gorgeous im thinking of I 1 want to marry you but how can we do it on twenty five a week youre so practical A fellow has to stop and think occasionally I 1 adore you precious too much to tie you up to poverty sometimes I 1 think A premonitory shiver went through kezia what do you think that it might be better for us to break it off kezia sat bolt upright he would go back to ellen people would say he had thrown her over she had a feeling tor jerry that no one else had ever stirred he brought a swift challenge to her he was elusive he never satiated her with his dependence jerry guided the car to a bumpy pause on the shoulder of the road switched oil off the ignition come here he said gently he gathered her in his arms laid his check against hers she cares my little kezia cares he whispered she felt his lips tremble as they touched hers you want to give me up no angel no I 1 love you you know I 1 do youve been horrid he gave a despairing gesture it seems so hopeless we wont alolod it to be hopeless he was silent for a moment keeping his arms tightly about her no he questioned another long iong pause then he said have you anything to suggest we might t live with mother life was very dreary thought kezia when you have what you wanted and jerry was the liht right combination for her just the way his hair went back was invested with a certain quality of emotion the sulky fullness over his dark eyes sent warm waves up her arms into her shoulders she was caught up in that attribute of youth which drives tor for what it wants mistakes or not the imperious urge which cannot wait for wisdom yes we could live with mother she said a little more firmly the hesitation on jerrys face 1 deepened yes a thought to hold to have hugh patronize me he 1 I can see him wel welcoming comino me to the family circle big bothey bathey boy they had to keep his tone was rueful it would be for only a little while she coaxed get something good in a few months perhaps hugh would then do you think so his voice still uncertain was slig slightly gb aly yielding and uncle john renshaw not really my uncle but a cousin of mothers has a weakness for me I 1 think if I 1 went to him asked him very prettily told him how fond I 1 am of hirn him and of you hed try to help he might doi something said jerry thoughtfully no matter how good you are its pull and family that put a fellow up ive seen it happen too many times not to know and if I 1 alde just a little more say forty or fifty a week be willing to try it loveliness kezia nodded her eyes like stars ile he started the car they drove for a mile or so BO when the headlights swept a sign on a curve of the hill brookline marriage licenses no waiting kezia smiled to herself as she turned it over in her mind why it actually stood there as if it were suggesting a way for th them deml there might be advantages to it she chuckled a little and he turned to her inquiringly 1 I was thinking about that sign on the hill the one about marriage licenses what about it think Thin kl she commanded then tell me it if you are thin thinking ing the same thing I 1 am TO BE CONTINUED |