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Show INSTAT.I.MFNT THIRTEEN The Stnrv So Far up her Job. Alec, who can't get a Job and Is running run-ning around with a flashy divorcee. On a bet. he dates Lou Knight, the town drunk's daughter. Shirley, engaged to Jaird Newsum, who is out of work since his father gave up his factory to stop losses. Ma New-sum New-sum wants him to marry Connie Mays, the banker's daughter. " with age, yet Shirley might have sat for the lovely sensitive girl who looked back at her from the narrow nar-row filagree frame. "She was rather remarkable, wasn't she, Mother?" Laura carefully did not look at her daughter. "She was a great belle back in Virginia. But she fell in love with Great-grandfather Ashe who had nothing except youth and a fiery heart to recommend him. Her parents par-ents promised to disinherit her if she married him. But she did. They had two saddle horses and a bag of cheap trinkets between them when they eloped to the West. He started a smalt trading post. She lived in the rear and clerked in the store. She bore him five children and her family never spoke to her again although al-though Great-grandfather built up one of the largest mercantile businesses busi-nesses in the Southwest and died a comparatively rich man. She spent her later years in a mansion. She always looked fragile and useless. But to the last she said she was happiest when she cooked and scrubbed for her man and sold flour and sugar and coffee between times over a counter." Shirley looked fixedly at her mother. moth-er. "Would you have let anything keep you from marrying Mike?" "Nothing short of sudden death," said Laura. Shirley turned away but she took the miniature with her. She fell asleep with it against her cheek. . Alec Maguire was down to breakfast break-fast with the rest the following This is the story of an American family fam-ily in the depression years. Laura Maguire, Ma-guire, wife of Mike, happy-go-lucky editor edi-tor and mayor of Covington, is mother of four children: Tom, whose real estate job in the big city nearby peters out and he returns to a smaller Job in Covington after separating sepa-rating from Mary Etta, his wife, secretary sec-retary to a big shot, who refuses to give CHAPTER XVIII Continued "Where do we go from here?" demanded Connie. The firs was no longer theatrical and Connie was ready to move on to something else. But Shirley had only one desire. To get away. Away from the sight of Connie Mays' thin predatory hands which were always touching Jaird caressingly. "I'm hungry," announced Lance Ferguson suddenly. Connie leaped at any excuse to prolong the evening. "So am I," she said. "I could eat a boiled cow." Shirley sighed. "There isn't a decent sandwich joint in town since Bill's place sold out," objected Jaird. . "You're telling us," gibed Connie. Shirley hesitated. "You can all come home with me if you like," she said wearily. "I can always find something in the old ice box." "Saved!" exclaimed Lance with enthusiasm. "Shirley's got the world beat at working up a snack." "Sure she has," agreed Jaird in a tired, cross voice. "And everybody's every-body's imposed on her that way for years. But I happen to know that Shirley has to wash up after the jamboree. And I don't suppose she enjoys having the dirty work pushed off on her any more than you would." "Sorry I can't ask you to our house," Connie declared coolly, "but cook simply blows a fuse if anybody messes around in her kitchen. And that's one thing Mother will not stand for. We can turn the hose on the grand piano and build a fire under the family portraits, but God help anyone who offends our cook!" "I guess it's up to you, Shirley," murmured Lance. "It is not," said Jaird sharply. "We'll try Joe's." "That dump!" objected Connie. "It's no worse than the rest." Only that wasn't saying much. Joe's Sandwich Shop was conveniently con-veniently located on the main highway high-way at the edge of town but it had little else to recommend it. Joe himself was a small wilted unhappy looking Italian who came hurriedly out of his living quarters at the rear where he had evidently been asleep. They sat down at stools before the long dingy counter because the tables ta-bles in the front were discouraging-ly discouraging-ly spotty. "Did you ever try putting your cold drinks on ice, Joe?" complained com-plained Connie with irritation. "Wow! This tastes like dish water." Joe again spread apathetic hands. "No make money. Glad sell out. Anybody wanta buy nice sandwich joint reasonable?" "God forbid!" cried Connie, and Lance sniggered. "Money could be made in a place like this if it was run right," protested pro-tested Jaird. "Man and wife make living here if both work," contributed Joe. "Me, I do verra well before Margarita die." His black eyes looked suddenly sudden-ly tragic. "Since she go I no got heart to keep things right. I want to get away. Make fresh start. Two hundred dollars and I walk out door. Leave everything. Stove, stools, tables, ta-bles, ice box and good bed and shower bath in back room." "There's your chance, Jaird," giggled gig-gled Connie. "Provided that I had two hundred dollars, which I haven't," he said. "No buy?" inquired Joe with disappointment. dis-appointment. Connie and Lance laughed. Only Shirley didn't laugh. All the way home Connie was witty at Jaird's expense. She said if he bought Joe out he might some day become the Hamburger King of Covington. Kathleen, society editor on her father's fa-ther's paper, who thinks her father and Ritchie Graham, his assistant, are foolish fool-ish to invite Mays threat to break the paper. At a swimming party she is saved by Ritchie, who tells her he loves her. She says she hates him. At a fire in the tenement district. Alec sees the town drunk die rescuing a crippled boy. He takes Lou to his mother's home. fair thing to do with a homeless waif which one's son had dragged up on one's doorstep. Shirley gave hsr mother a strangely wistful look, but for once Laura was too preoccupied to notice. "Can't I make the beds upstairs, Mrs. Maguire?" inquired Lou timidly. tim-idly. "Yes of course, if you like," said Laura. Shirley turned away. She took the short cut across-the vacant lot. It was a warm May morning but Shirley's hands felt cold. The diamond dia-mond on her ring finger flashed in the sun. Shirley regarded it somberly. som-berly. The jeweler in the shop down town looked unhappy. "I'm sorry, but diamonds are very cheap right now. A drug on the market. I can't offer you a fourth of what the stone cost a few years back," he said. "How much?" asked Shirley. Her lips felt dry and stiff. She was taking a lot of things for granted. It was possible she was making a hideous hid-eous blunder. "Diamonds will come back as strong as ever some day. Are you sure you want to sell?" "How much?" "A hundred and a quarter." Shirley stared at him dully. It was not enough. She bit back a sob. What a fool she had been to think this might be the way out. She must have been mad last night. Then suddenly she thought of a girl in a miniature, a proud, lovely fastidious fas-tidious girl who had let nothing balk her of her birthright. "All right," said Shirley sharply, and tucked the crisp new bills into her hand-bag. Joe, the small mournful-eyed Italian, Ital-ian, glanced up quickly from the counter which he was listlessly wiping wip-ing with a grimy cloth. "You think maybe you buy me out?" he cried eagerly. "Gee, that swell! Man in here early this morning morn-ing see about same thing. But he no got money enough." Shirley's lips tightened. She didn't explain that she hadn't enough money mon-ey either. Joe was undoubtedly eager ea-ger to unload and people in a pinch have been known to take less. She let him show her around. But she did not pay a lot of attention to Joe's sales argument. She used her own eyes. The location was good. The small frame building stood just outside out-side the town on the busiest highway high-way and there was ample parking space. A big water oak made a graceful sunshade. A small spring, discouraged by rubbish, bubbled at the side. She had to admit that the interior of the place was depressing. Dingy, dirty and unattractive. But she had a stubborn conviction that a good scouring and a few buckets of paint would work miracles. The range was in good shape, only it too needed need-ed a thorough cleaning. The cooking cook-ing utensils were burned black, the china chipped and ugly, the glasses heavy and dull. Lank dispirited curtains flapped dejectedly at fly-specked fly-specked windows. The back room had evidently degenerated de-generated into a catchall for junk during Joe's sketchy term of housekeeping. house-keeping. But among the litter and dirt and confusion Shirley unearthed a good iron bed, a cheap pine dresser, dress-er, a couple of sturdy chairs and an unpainted kitchen table, to say nothing noth-ing of a convenient clothes closet now stuffed with old bottles and rags. Shirley stood for a long time or the rear step. Was she insane? She didn't know. But she had an idea everyone would think so. Joe insisted that if a man and his wife both worked, they could make a living in the place. Shirley thought of her Great-grandmother Ashe who had clerked in a store and made a home behind it. Somehow Some-how Shirley felt that she too could pioneer if only Jaird agreed. Bui would he? Her throat ached. Had he rather go on as they were going? Tortured, miserable, frustrated! Burning up their love with futility. She did not know. He might sneer at this solution to their problem. Ht might prefer to be a parasite or his father the rest of his life. Jaird was not lazy. But he was proud and sensitive. And peddling hamburgers with his wife's assistance assist-ance was a far cry from the roTe he had meant to play in life. Then there was Connie Mays who asked nothing but a chance to marry Jaird and convulse him with luxury. Connie's Con-nie's husband would automatically become vice president of her father's fa-ther's bank or something equal, y scintillating. Shirley's slim throai locked. Was she a fool to thir.k Jaird might prefer her to all that? In the front room she heard Joe exclaiming excitedly, "Back again? Maybe you raise the money." "I couldn't." Shirley could not see the speaker, but she recognized the voice and her heart backed up. It was Jaird. (TO BE C0TIWEDJ The girl was anything but laughable. morning. Laura found him at the table when she and Shirley brought in the toast. Tom and Mike were eagerly discussing the small model homes Tom hoped to build and sell in Covington. Apparently Alec was absorbed in their conversation. Actually Ac-tually he was listening painfully for a step on the stairs. Laura saw him go quite white when he heard Lou's voice. They all did their best to put Lou at her ease. But she answered only in monosyllables and rarely raised her eyes from her plate. Even Mike could not charm a smile to her small wan face. She never looked at Alec and he was unusually silent. But Laura felt him watching them all fiercely as if he was afraid someone would laugh. Laura's heart ached. The girl was anything but laughable. laugh-able. Kathleen and Tom and Mike went off to work together. Laura thought Tom looked ghastly, as if he hadn't slept. Lou timidly offered to help clear the table. It was Laura's instinct in-stinct to refuse. Everything in her resented the girl. But Alec's eyes glared at her with feverish pleading, plead-ing, and so Laura swallowed hard and said of course Lou could assist with the dishes. Alec snatched up his hat and announced he had to see a man about a dog. He vanished toward town. Lou's eyes followed him out of sight as if she longed to run after him and beg him not to desert her. Laura sighed. It was impossible not to feel sorry for the poor child. She was so painfully shy. so fearful fear-ful of arousing displeasure. Every time Laura spoke. Lou started. Once she dropped a cheap teacup and broke it. Her distress was embarrassing. embar-rassing. Laura was not used to being be-ing treated like an ogre. But it was plain that Lou was terrified of her. She wanted to help with the housework, but she was too nervous to be anything but awkward. Laura began to feel a little distracted. "I'm going to town. Mother." said Shirley when they had finished with the kitchen. Laura nodded absently. She was wondering what on earth was the CHAPTER XIX It was like Connie to maneuver so as to drop Shirley before she did the others. Her lovely face was white when she walked into the living liv-ing room. Laura was waiting up for Mike. She explained almost curtly about Lou. Shirley stared at her. "Alec's been running around with her. Oh, Mother." j Laura's eyebrows puckered. 'I hope by morning I can think it's ; funny," she said, grimly, j Shirley sighed. "You must get terribly tired of us sometimes, al-!ways al-!ways stirring up a fresh batch of 'trouble for you to worry over." Laura glanced at her curiously. "It's better to live with diflicully Lhan stagnate." ( "Yes, oh, yes!" cried the girl in n stilled voice. She turned away, but not before Laura had seen her eyes, j "You do remind me of Great randmothr Ashe." said Laura sud-I sud-I ienly. I She walked over to the old-fash-j oned desk in one corner and. open-1 open-1 ng a drawer, took out a small faded niniature. It had originally been .-orn on a gold chain. But the frail nks had loni; since been broken .nd lost. The painting was blurred |
