| Show F at it t son at EBY M A TV a I 1 Q antl copyright by the marrill co CHAPTER I 1 I 1 the cary house tills this must be 1 geoff enloe thought alighting from froin the taxi and stopping before the gate here was waa tile double pointed iron fence enclosing the large yard lard here were the two stone lions lins guarding the front steps lions on whose broad hacks backs mother und mid little son noni a cary till lux some thirty years ago there tit nt tile the left wits was tile the garden with the antlered deft one kneeling on in delicate forelegs fore legs the th other ot her standing haughtily erect time hid had been at work upon the impressive length of their anglers antlers hut but otherwise they were just ns as mrs ills ensloe had biad described hum illy ay iy georgel corgel i theres the Ident identical lent marble lady pouring water from the two handled jug on her shoulder 1 how flow I 1 loved to hear about that fountain when I 1 was six and had scarlet beverl ile he had reason to remember that illness since it gave gaie him more of his bis mothers attention than he find en joyed before or since airs ensloe was not ns as she herself frankly ad matted the maternal type of woman she loved her clever cleer husband hii with all al tier her heart and soul tin and as his profession of chemical engineer carried him to all parts of the world she had gone with him leaving geoff at first in the care of ills his grandmother then ns as ho he grew older nt at various schools and summer camps john ensloe was dead now ant and geoff was following in his fathers professional footsteps sirs airs ensloe however howe cr did not suggest accompanying him to denver deer where he was to spend a year in laboratory work before returning to take his fa lathero thero fat herc place in the new york firm instead she he settled down to finish the boole on properties and uses of hydrofluoric acid which tier her husband hall had begun and which his publishers considered could be completed satisfactorily by ills his widow you must look up the carys in denver she told neon geoff the ayles burys buris I 1 suppose I 1 should call them now only captain cary la Is left I 1 used to visit nona cary every summer when I 1 was a child her fattier father had large mining interests thero there and my fattier father had business with him 1 I know said geoff ellave you forgotten how you ou use used to tell me about the big house and tile the lions ions and the lady in the garden I 1 even know that there was a blackheart cherry tree back of the house and you ou and nona made yourselves sick one year eating them ills mother looked n mused id forgotten id told you fill all I 1 always intended to go buck back and see nona after I 1 marr married led or have hae tier her come on here I 1 always alwais remember to send cynthia a birthday gift each cacti year she ghe added hastily geoff grinned at her you kemem tier her I 1 who was tt it reminded you last month and went town down with you ou to select the gift A corking jade din tier ner ring it wast As an a godmother lie he reproached her you ou leave something to bo be desired desire As a mother too ton perhaps she said paid quietly though I 1 brust say youve youe rather thriven under neglect nona cary can now nona aylesbury alesbury I 1 mean will all your of nn an adoring maternal ma parent shell fuss over oer ou oi pet you worry about you ou if your little elneer riches she phe was a perfect little mother even when we were children together you talk as it if you expected me to live le with her geoff Int interested in tills this implication did not heed the faint bitterness in his mothers tone it might be a good thing for every lody concerned she answered 1 I rather imagine the Ales Ayles burys are anre having a hard time financially captain cary was never a business man ann he inherited ills his wenith wealth from his father who came from virginia and made a fortune in n his old age I 1 belleve Nonas husband put his own money in with the captains and when he lied died sir mr aylesbury alesbury I 1 mean lt it seems to me there was some sort of aln financial riceal crash your father and I 1 were tit in spain she stopped abruptly her eyes lark dark with memories geoff however was very much occupied with the present 1 I 1 hope you committed me to living with trem there was till alarm irm in ills hla voice the alarm of a young man who has hail had rueful experience with ambitious mothers of pretty young daughters she shrugged Is it youve managed your own affairs for a great many years now hut but I 1 know you hate hotels and boarding board lne houses and the gary cary place used to be delightful mrs airs aylesbury went back bach to it when her husband died oil she bhe never left it tier her rather father insisted that she and mr air aylesbury move right in with him sirs mrs gary had bad been dead for years and the he i house dhouge Is big enough to hold several families nona has two children a son about you age and cynthia ayn I 1 abias younger bile bikol nil ills mother lifted her heavy eve 1 brows 11 ware cynthia cynthian I 1 it she a like tier her mother sties pretty and appealing and learned to flirt in her cradle how flow ton long did you say he in denver eyebrows lifted in imitation of her own he fie had caught the trick from her when he was nn an adoring small boy und and had never lost it 1 I told you he said nil mildly lilly A beor perhaps longer it deli depends ends on in how well I 1 stick to business and learn what im there for less than a year then she said w with ith some dryness yu you work like a tiger I 1 wonder why chyl the idle question betray betrayed pd how little understanding ler standing slip she had flat of tile the fierce ambition ant bation which had whip whipped peti him along for years to be its as brilliantly r successful ns as ills his father had been to command 1 his mothers respect tier her nil ad mi ration to stand at last on till an even footing with her who had been the idol of ills his hoys boys heart this lind had been toward which he hd find been working through long months and years of study and now that lie he was within sight of that goal now that lint he had bat met inet his mother its as tin an adult instead of a child lie he asked himself uneasily it if it had find been worth while after all ilis ilia clear young eyes saw her now as she was a woman suddenly deprived ot of all that had made life worth while to lier her getting through the rest of her lays days as best slie she could having an affectionate interest in her son but never rising to those heights of companionship and understanding of which he had dreamed so long lone ile he was remembering this concersa conversation now ns as he stood outside the carys yard there was a little girl in there he saw jumping rope she had henry heavy lark dark hair cut in an egyptian bob big black binds eyes eves a thin little heart shaped face and long thin arms and legs leg gs she wore a handsome linen frock which was none too clean a pair of blue silk socks locks and patent leather slippers tier her bare kne knees a were scratched and gritt ly As geoff laid his hand ban on the gate she came toward him still juni jumping ping Illel hello lol he said with his friendly grin does mrs aylesbury live here the child nodded and cynthia and caan and marguerite geoff shook his head reprovingly never give out more information Inform atton than you have to he instructed her its extravagant and besides in tiles these e days of kidnapers she skipped closer and regarded him with interest are you a kidnaper 1 I dont know yet et ill tell you yon later when im hotter better acquainted with you Is mrs airs aylesbury at home she nodded never ceasing her rayth mical motion you can unlatch the gate yourself cant you I 1 have to jump all the way up to the front steps anil and I 1 have to be careful about cracks step on D 13 10 7 its lt not the housel she pant ed its cyntheal a crack and break your mothers bacel only I 1 divent got any mother site she said cheerfully too badt bad 1 no boit at V she was growing short of 0 breath anti and tier her words tame caine with short spaces between if I 1 did have ild id have to live with tier I 1 geoff was quick to catch tier lier meaning you like it so well here well I 1 rather like the looks of the house myself the child shook her head all and the dark mop ot of her hair swung forward to be impatiently swung buck back again geoff watched tier her a little anxiously it seemed a time for tier her to keep up that jumping its not the housel house 1 she printed panted its cynthia ill I 1 look here lie fie put an arresting hand on tier her small shoulder dont lump any more now weve come to the foot of tile the steps im going to jump up till them literal its easy ansyl I 1 site she mayea the first one missed the ropo rope and stumbled geoff caught her in ills hla arms she laughed und and rested against him cynthia said not to try thern them when I 1 was vw fired sho sli scald to lo wait and take eui em 41 arii I 1 it 11 cynthia was right you may tell her I 1 said so he remarked affably Cynt hias hlas always right you yon dont tell me miss jumping she laughed joyously jumping jill I 1 a lovely name ill tell ayn thin now watch tile me jump the steps I 1 the rope lashed flashed in a quick lire are the childs slippers rose and fell geoff to lie he out of nt tier her way went up tile the eight steps which le led d to in the porch and stood walling waiting for her there near tile the door stood a table able and lie he had an opportunity for a quick survey of want alint it held A hit bit of dainty sowing solving the needle quitted carefully into tile alie filmy stuff a book on oil amateur photography its anger held open hy by a half paten eaten natle a sample budget book issued hy by a national firm a n line drawn through the printed figures and pen died ones suh substituted a roller skate with its strap broken a pair of tor for tolse rimmed spectacles neles a fountain pen with its cap off and a handkerchief on which someone recently find very copiously had had nosebleed nose bleed the spectacles belong to captain cary geoff mused the alinte nail the handkerchief cause and effects are the he childs tile sewing lone done by a pretty girl and the book indicate a camera complex on young carys part the budget hook and the tip pt alp miss aliss jumping jill interrupted this exercise of his deductive powers she filing herself upon him again gasping but triumphant 1 I ill ald it I 1 miss a single or one e good fond for you youl I 1 geoff arenlt tools took out his handkerchief and mopped tier her hot face what ayou say we call it a day on this jumping business run no walk wont you in anti and tell epli mrs airs aylesbury that geoff engines come to call Thil ts a funny name she sold said impersonally pers anally All mines nes tenny tenny tenny montague Alon tague tip HP held out his hand ban and she filie slipped her own small one in it mighty glad to know you tennye Tenn som 1 I 1 I menn im glad to know you ill go and tell miss nona now mow you better watt wait here she flashed into the house geoff could hear her eyed feet fr crossing the parquet floor inside then dying away into silence geoff waiting for tenny to return lost himself in admiration of the glorious view it was his first visit to colorado and he found its heady air its dreamlike vistas its ita sharp contrasts interesting so enthralled was he with what he be saw that it was with a start he realized that nearly ten minutes had elapsed since the child disappeared he fie rang the bell and though he be could hear its tinkle far in the back of it the house no one appeared to answer it at last he walked boldly around the porch to where the veranda ceased with two sli shallow steps down to the grass at a little distance a agrout group of people were clustered beneath an apple tree the tall sweet faced gray haired woman must be nona aylesbury his mothers friend G geoff eoff thought the old man with the beautifully brushed white hair and the mustache and imperial was captain cary tenny was there also a negro woman they were all heading bending over something that lay on the ground geoffr footfalls were inaudible on tile the grass and lie he cleared ills his throat to make his presence known everybody turned in his direction and tenny ran forward remorsefully 1 I 1 forgot I 1 I 1 went to find hilss nona and she was out here geoff interrupted her im geoff kinsloe mrs aylesbury my ally mother lie he saw that there were tears in her eyes she brushed them away quiet unaffectedly and smiled at him Eur eunice ilce soni son my dear boy wel welcome comel 1 hoth both her hands were held out to him film and when geoff took them she held up her face very simply for ills kiss As he stooped ills his tall head a little glow warmed his heart here was a welcome Inde indeed cill I 1 father this Is 19 hamptons Ham boy you remember eunice captain gary cary was equally cord cordial lal olad glad to see you hoyt remember your mother nin ther I 1 should think I 1 do remember herl her I 1 loved her almost tip an much na as I 1 lid did roy my own daughter daug liter herel here what good fortune brings you to denver before he could explain sirs airs aylesbury touched his arm her eyes again filling with tears geoff seel sect do you think you could do anything for him j on oil the ground and partly hidden by tile stooping colored woman lay iny a cocker spaniel the dogs throat hront was badly torn and experienced eyes lot told him that tile the little animal was near its end ite fie knelt and made a quick examination ione done for im afraid he said regretfully gret fullY its a 8 shame to let him dufft r like tills this have you a gun in tile lie ste bl vale paled and hid bid her face in I 1 her hand geoff heard a stifled murmur marmur bof of I 1 captain gary cary turned awa tl owns his biose loudly on the white silk handkerchief he be pulled from his pocket it was tenny her black eyes enormous in her white face who answered geoff carys got a gun I 1 up op in his room ill go get it not by a long shot he told her show me where it Is and ill get IV it lie ile paused to bay significantly over his bh to the captain it if take her around by the front sir so gautt ensloe round found himself entering tile the fury cary house for tile the first time by way of tile kitchen following tenny through it maze of 0 pantries lind and halls and up the wide stairway to the second floor I heres feres garys carys room ills his guide said open a door lie ile keeps it in his dresser drawer ill show you I 1 geoff pocketed the gun stay up here for it little while tenny she swallowed im going to does does it just have to be lone done it has to be done its the mildest kindest thing tenny lie he added she nodded and putting her hands to tier her ears ran tway to her own room loom A few minutes later when the little dogs troubles were over and geoff wan digging beneath the apple tree with a spade with which the cook had find supplied him tenny red eyed but quiet appeared a handsome silk shawl hung over tier her arm miss aless nona wants you to wrap up tip in this slie she said keeping her eyes averted from the tangle ot of black hair on the ground she says Cynt hias dog be hurled buried without something to wrap him in Is it Cynt hias shawl geoff took the heavily fringed thing in his hands it seems rather a shame P no its miss No nonas tins you see sec she thinks its her fault got hurt theres a new police dog next door and cynthia said to keep shut up tip while that dog was out and miss aliss nona forgot and let out she says ashes afraid ot of what cynthia will say whet when she comes home your cynthia appears to have the entire hou household sebold pretty well in subjection jec tion was geoffr comment all right tenny 1 run kun back into the house and ill be with you in a few minutes ten minutes later having washed |
