Show the honorable uncle kniche lanc lancy iw F by ETHEL HUESTON service 0 bobbs merrill co I 1 CHAPTER I 1 aunt olympia the senators wife mrs delaporte Slop shire properly but rarely pronounced SI Sl upshur went to iowa for or the funeral even in their sorrow the three girls tragically orphaned in the double bereavement took plaintive pleasure in that it was no more than she should have done being their mothers own and only sister still she was a senators wile wife and young as they were and little as they had seen of her the girls had learned that senators wives even more than officeholders themselves make unlimited use of the safe alibi of bills pending this was an important session too it being election year aunt olympia flew out from washington this added definite importance to her coming although aunt olympia was a senators wife not by any imaginative flight could political significance be attached to her attendance at the funeral the senator had no constituents to be placated there iowa was not his state brother a deacon in the church that had been their fathers drove over to meet her at the airport in iowa city their own car would never run again it lay in the garage of bill blakely one of their members a twisted and charred mass of metal from the collision with a drunken driver at the corner of north square and main on prayer meeting night it had happened the three girls helen twenty one adele nineteen and limpy named for aunt olympia three years younger felt tearful sorrow even shame that they had not gone to prayer meeting with their parents on that fateful night when they went to prayer meeting if even one of them went their father always stopped at karls karis kandy kitchen for an ice cream sundae on the way home reward of merit he called it baksheesh the girls said it was having gleefully adopted d the word from the lecture of a returned missionary trying to raise funds for the further evangelization of heathen near easterners on that terrible wednesday night if even one of them had gone the half hour spent over the sundaes sundnes at the kandy kitchen would have delayed their parents arrival at the corner of north square and main and there would have been no collision with the big car careening madly along the icy streets with poor bob saunders drunk at the wheel but that night only their father and mother had gone and now they lay together in a double c casket in the allan funeral parlor awaiting burial on the morrow both had been instantly killed in the crash poor bob had bad been tossed through the door and flung across thirty feet of ice and snow and had incurred only a broken wrist and a bruised brow the girls watching from the window of the parsonage saw deacon drive carefully up to their curb bringing aunt olympia from the airport they did not as in n normal times run happily down the the steps to greet her but bat waited decorously inside the door while the deacon assisted her up the icy a ash sh strewn steps aunt olympia who had turned violently red and at the sight of the sheaf of wheat and frozen mies lilies on the front door broke into open sobs in the presence of the three girls they looked pale and young and frightened in their sli slim in black black gowns adele both in mourning n g and out was the beauty of the f family amily but helens quiet dignity and maternal gentleness were appealing and the quivering eagerness of lampys youth half brave half terrified carried her straight to aunt olympias heaving bosom aunt olympia had a series of emotional expressions with which the girls later became amusedly familiar and to which in time they accorded the dignity of statistical numbers the first of these the one that swept over her at sight of the wheat and lilies on the parsonage door manifested itself in a sud den quiver of 0 what would have been a double chin had it not been for the vigorous hundred strokes waged upon it three times a day by the indefatigable de olympia this trembling of the under chin was followed by a deep flush that descended swiftly from the roots of her hair out of sight below the neckline of her dress accompanied by a hissing suction of the lips which she miriall finally y brought under control by catching the left corner of her mouth between very strong white teeth on rare occasions of absolutely uncontrollable troll able emotion as now this expression spent itself in explosive sobs aunt olympia never surrendered long to emotion one after another she drew the girls to her in a passionate embrace and began divesting herself of her furs with a bustling show of energy aunt olympia take her eyes off limpy limpy had fairly taken her breath away aunt olympia a very clear idea of what she had expected limpy to be S sometimes ome times she had thought of her as the child being spanked tor for her mischief and then remembering the years had reminded herself that limpy was a young lady about like helen perhaps and here she found that limpy was neither the one nor t the he oth other er but poised ex expectantly between the two with eyes turned alternately one way and the other how old are you limpy she demanded suddenly oh about seventeen said limpy sixteen by the family bible corrected adele seventeen minus a small fraction insisted limpy sixteen plus and not a very big plus either argued adele oh well sixteen plus Is 17 minus according to the mathematics I 1 flunked last year I 1 prefer minuses callers came to the door almost constantly the women kissed the girls all round one raised tentative lips to aunt olympia but was deterred by a sudden tightening tigh of the full flushed face funny thing she remarked later late in her resounding whispers whisper how kissing seems to go neck and neck with bereavements in my opinion a kiss is not a bit more sympathetic than a hearty handshake and not halt as hygienic dr ainslie brother ainslie the girls called him the district super in nten dent of their conference came too 00 oo and as if by prearranged agreement the neighbors trooped in from all over the house from kitchen and dining room and from up 7 how about the future stairs where they were interestedly interest effly unpacking aunt olympias bag and tidying up drawers and closets with that fond license bereavement so blessedly accords dr ainslie shook hands bands with everyone murmuring words of sympathy couched in biblical phra ogy agy as tar far as possible and then said shall we pray all ali dropped to their knees beside their chairs they had gone through many bereavements and knew what was expected of them helen glanced rather uneasily toward aunt olympia and was relieved to see her kneeling with the he t rest though not without some trouble in her smart gray skirt which had not been fitted for prayer dr ainslie went into a detailed exposition of th the e tragic event and dwelt at ardent length on the rare virtues of the deceased parents and the pathetic estate of the three sweet girls until he had them all in tears aunt olympia cried too she help it il but when he reached the final and prolonged amen she rose as hastily as she could in her tight skirt and left the room without a word please excuse me ill go with auntie said helen wiping her eyes she followed aunt olympia silently up the stairs the upper hallway wide and old fashioned spotlessly clean kindly neighbors had even freshly laundered the hall curtains showed tour four doors three standing invitingly open one closed aunt olympia took one look at the closed door and turned quickly away dabbing furiously at her eyes you are to have my room aunt olympia at the end of 0 the hall he helen len said gently 1 I moved in here with adele lampys room its so tiny theres hardly room even for one there was no need tor for her to say they could not not yet bear to put anybody not even aunt olympia in that room behind the closed door their room it had been their fathers and mothers mothers room they had always called it though shared by both on the day of the funeral aunt olympia was strangely quiet her voice when she did speak was soft almost tremulous her oddly keen pale blue eyes were gentle though she watched everything that went 0 on n about her she made no comment she objected to nothing she broadcast no scathing whispers for the most part she watched the girls all ot of them together and each ot of them separately limpy in particular she noticed their mannerisms their movements not even the intonation of their voices escaped her she scrutinized their clothes and the cordial and sisterly understanding between them and did not overlook the very apparent affection shown them by everyone who came to their door whether on errand ot of business or sympathy the church was packed for the funeral it was their fathers own church the biggest church in town and both the minister and his wife had been warmly loved the suddenness de the tragic of the manner of their passing the double bereavement even the double casket and the double interment first in the history of the town attracted the morbid interest even of strangers the district superintendent conducted the service they would have had the bishop but he was away with his secretary making a tour of the holy land gathering material tor for a report on the state of the armenians Armen ians their own church choir sang even in their sadness the girls in somber black felt satisfaction that aunt olympia the senators wife was with them she also in respectable but more expensive black As they p passed ss ed down the aisle they could hear among the stifled sobs of their friends among the tender murmurs those poor dear children sweet girls the darlings other words that hat gave them a sad pleasure the senators wife their aunt flew out from washington aunt olympia displayed a proper customary sorrow during the services frequently patting her eyes under her veil with a very fin fina perfumed handkerchief when li limpy shivered suddenly and was seized with a spasm of nervous trembling aunt olympia put her arm around her and stroked the slim black clad knee with tender sympathy until the tremor had passed the parsonage was in quiet readiness for their sad return sister achard and mrs cox faint family y friends had remained away from the funeral in order to attend to those final domestic rites the extra chairs borrowed from neighbor ing houses for the influx of visitors had been returned to their owners pieces ot of furn furniture iture had been restored to their r original position in the room A cheerful fire had been set blazing in the tha grate and a bowl of roses bri brightened the low table in the living room food had been prepared and the table laid for their evening meal when they had finished their dinner and sat distraught and ill ili at ease case the tour four ot of them before the fire helen had freshly stirred to life aunt olympia said with some abruptness how about the future H have ave you got any ideas made any plans worked anything out in your minds about what adu you want to do from this on only a slight quiver of 0 the curving under chin betrayed her passionate interest in their answer theres only one thing we can do said helen bravely the insurance will carry us nicely until the girls have finished school father let me teach this year though I 1 finished college last yeat year and have my state license because he thought I 1 should get a good rest atter after my operation for appendicitis but I 1 get a good deal of 0 substitute work here in town and next year I 1 ill 11 t take ke a school of my own and settle down to business adele will finish college of course LI limpy ampy will finish high school next month whoever heard of 0 finishing school in the middle ol of the winter said aunt olympia A poor way to run a school in my opinion doret dont blame the school said adele smiling rather blame young seventeen year old minuses who simply will not study math and flunk it consistently year alter after year dont you think it is very incongruous auntie said limpy in her own defense de tense that the highest in I 1 Q s should be the lowest in geometry and algebra you cant help thinking theres something wrong either with the school or the teacher there just be anything wrong with the pupil said adele well naturally hotl look at my I 1 Q QI I 1 anyhow limpy finishes high school next month said helen then college that was the way we had planned and well just car ry on maybe we can get a small house somewhere or a floor ot of housekeeping rooms and use our own furniture even it 11 I 1 take a school away from here next year adele and limpy can go right ahead and I 1 will come home week ends well have to give up the parsonage right away of 0 course aunt olympia drew a full breath and opened her lips but tor for once in in her we life someone spoke ahead ot of her it was adele helen she said 1 I dont want to go on through college I 1 dont want to teach school and we ought not to use up that insurance money as we go along we ought to keep it for for emergencies last week it never occurred to any of us that sudden and terrible things could happen to us upset our plans now we know they can happen we must save as much of that money as we can for just such unexpected crises I 1 want to take a business course helen I 1 always did want to it wont cost much either and wont take long id so much rather go into business than teach school aunt olympia started to speak and then wisely thought better of it this was the girls business busi nesa pot ot hers she closed her lips so tightly that only a pale blue line remained of 0 their fullness 1 I dont want to go to college either said limpy suddenly you know father always admitted he was going to have trouble with me you can see I 1 very verv well teach school when I 1 cant even graduate on time I 1 want to take my share of the insurance money and go to a big city and take some kind of an exciting course in something and what kind of an exciting course asked aunt olympia who had hung on lampys every word 1 I dont know exactly admitted limpy but the more exciting the better stage setting or dress designing or acting or play writing have you any talent tor for any of those things demanded aunt olympia 1 I dont think so said limpy honestly but everyone says they are very exciting and I 1 may discover some lat latent ent talent not yet suspected even by me anyhow I 1 wont go to college and I 1 wont teach school and you wont get a share of the insurance till youre eighteen limpy T m helen said uneasily brother wilton will have charge of that you know well if he wont give me the money tor for an exciting course in something ill take a business course persisted limpy 11 you must go to college limpy sa said id helen and adele must finish and then decide what she wants she will be older then and will know better what she really wants TO BE CONTINUED |