Show 0 ala ir ir CY N H IA Q CHAPTER VI continued 6 a it can be put in scenario narlo form wild party boy and girt girl out for a lark secret marriage girls folks raising cain divorce and me stuck for fifty a month alimony and have hae you paid it regularly or perhaps I 1 should put it geoff continued with sarcasm has it been paid regularly youre roure darned right its ita been paid was garys carys convincing reply its that or elsel else I 1 1 I suppose cynthia helps you out cary nodded that girl can squeeze blood from a turnip bless herl her how flow about the fifty bucks he inquired and you make me mad it it turned out to be a hundred geoff thought rapidly A loan to cary did not come under tho the letter of his promise to cynthia at any rate the boys alimony must be paid lest word of it reach ver tier ile he wrote a chock check and handed it to gary cary Than thanks kd old man I 1 ill pay you ou lack back out of my farst months salary two days afterward cary sought him out after dinner and handed him a carefully wrapped small parcel token of appreciation for favors extended lie he said airily 1 I got a new job today geoff stared helplessly at the silver cigarette lighter in its his hand A recollection of cynthia looking forlornly at t a mass of flowers she had freed from their wrapping came back to him film this was how she had felt then angry clear to her fingertips but held field to silence by the gay generosity of the giver geoff had a passionate desire to dash out to the hospital and go down on his knees in apology to cynthia 1 I I 1 I 1 he stammered dont mention it cary said 1 I had something left of your hundred and with payday pay day coming next nest saturday I 1 could afford to let myself go a little just before he crawled into bed that night geoff made an emphatic prom ise to himself when that girl comes home im going to treat her so BO handsomely shell think ive experienced religion or something 1 CHAPTER VII cynthia thinks doctor bigham had told cynthia that morning that she might go home in a few days das to go hornet homel usually those words incon to a hospital patient a foretaste of heaven if I 1 could just go home ill 1 but cynthia was the exception to the rule she clung to each day in the hospital as though it were a from danger she dreaded to go home dreaded indescribably t to 0 take up he her life again she longed to prolong her convalescence indefinitely safe from marguerites Margue rites notebook and pencil from the monthly struggle with bills from important decisions to be made at the odds and ends orange juice said the nurse coming in with a small tray on which was it frosted glass and a plate of sweet crackers cynthia smiled at her orange juice between breakfast and dinner milk between dinner and supper soon have mo me wadd waddling lingl you can stand a good many pounds end and still not be overweight was the ine somewhat dry answer the girl was far too thin doctor knew what he be was talking about when he be ordered raw eggs beaten up tip in cream end and other nourishing foods the nurse withdrew with the empty glass she was not a spec special lal cynthia had passed the necessity of this luxury some days ago she lay back on her pillows and went back to her thoughts so many worries awaited awalter her at hornet homel cary and his alimony and lila its talent for getting and losing jobs tho the girl in whose company comp anny he had been teen been so often of late miss nona whose innocent inroads on the monthly income pinned havoc with Cynt hias plans the caan who believed that smoking did not hurt him because he wanted to believe it she had find a hazy hayy recollection of having turned over oer tier her job to geoff of making him promise to pay all expenses out of her own money but it was a recollection she had pushed down every time it showed signs of coming coining to the top of her mind cynthia writhed as she realized that fly by now geoff knew all the disgraceful secrets she had worked so desperately to conceal from him iles hes probably sold all the family skeletons to a medical college for what they would bring she told her peir oil why did he have to come tut out to denver this yearl and why did I 1 have to fall ill she hid bid her laco face in the pillow there came to her the memory of the day she left college she had been so happy therel it had find been a dream to which she had looked forward for years dad and she had talked college since she was twelve two perfect years of it the beginning of it third and then had come parys carys letter aliat letter lad changed ti cynthia overnight from a gitl whose only concern with money had been to see sec that she he had find plenty of it in her purse when she went to new york for tier her int into 0 a woman rack racked 24 with financial anxieties sep remembered yet ct that thai terrible journey across half the continent she had bad wept for her lost college years and for her family alternately she blamed herself bitterly she had bad known what gary cary was charming and loving and lovable but ns as little to be relied upon as a weather weathervane vane and miss nona was like a child when it came to handling money she found things even worse than she had feared miss nona had ample credit in the city and she had drawn upon it to the limit there had bad been something like a family row when cynthia had decided on tho the gift shop miss nonas idea was that cynthia should use the money her father left her to pay oft off these worrying bills its so unpleasant having people call about them I 1 the captains idea was similar to that cynthia had pointed out patiently that if she used tier her money to pay the bills there would be nothing for them to live on she had rented the little shop naming it the odds and ends in a moment of grim discouragement it seemed to tier her that was all that was loft left to her of the beautiful life she had planned for herself just odds and ends of courage and happiness and ambition and the will to carry on the store had prospered little by little she had begun to pay off that staggering debt then tenny came but mr air montague SIon tague although belonging to miss nonas generation had no nonsensical ideas about wholesale hospitality pita pit lity allty lie ile sent a check with businesslike bustnes nes regularity each month and cynthia soothed tier her conscience by the realization that very nearly all of it was spent on tenny after all all be to do over again she thought tossing restlessly on her pillows once released the worries began to swarm about her like buzzing gnats the biggest gnat the one that stung as well as buzzed was called geoff ensloe what must geoff think of us by this time I 1 when miss bliss nona came the next afternoon she handed cynthia a square gray envelope I 1 from that new york man she said smiling ng 1 I thought you two had stopped writing to each other so we had cynthia answered composedly perhaps hes going to be married again and this Is an announcement no she read ben suttons letter not once but several times at last she laid it down and spoke to her mother somewhat thoughtfully ben wants can you guess what he wants miss nona to marry you I 1 suppose sup 1 cynthia fingered the gray envelope it amounts to that I 1 suppose you knew I 1 refused him when r T was in college you told me I 1 dont wonder A widower with a boy eight years old an and d you only twenty two 1 but go on dearl what does lie he say lie ile wants to come out here ayn thin answered slowly ile he says he needs a vacation yn ya catlon cation and hes never been in denver ill read the letter to you lie ile sounds like a charming person miss nona commented after the reading hes nice cynthia selected the word after some hesitation young looking with nice gray eyes and just anouch a touch of gray at his temples he has money loads of it like to go east to live miss nona her mother patted her hand band tenderly id like whatever makes you happy my little girl dont marry this mister mister 11 sutton yes this mr sutton unless you love him cynthia the only important thing that you should love the man you marry all that matters 1 I could be happy enough with him the girl said cary would be looked after ben sutton would know how to bring out the best in him you and the captain would be comfortable for life its a temptation miss bliss nonal not one of those things matters dear unless you love him she rose and bent to kiss her daughter 1 I must go now darling in a few days be home with that wonderful after her early supper and before she fell asleep cynthia thought a great deal about ben sutton button all he asked was to be allowed to tome come to see her ills visit would commit tier her to nothing but how blessed the relief of dropping on to his broad shoulders the heavy load she carried I 1 in addition to the warm liking she had bad always had bad for him there was now the glamour gla glit nour mour of his great wealth money meant everything in the world to her now she thought caryl she whispered to herself 1 I could get him away from that silly looking girl hes hen gong going about with bliss nona how she would love having a lot of money again I 1 tenny I 1 would insist on having tenny with norima knight copyright by the dobbs bobbi co aryles met inel she smiled nt at the somewhat varied earled family with which she would present tier lier suitor it she ehe decided to accept him it will be two weeks before I 1 can go back to the shop she reflected ill write ben to come on nt at once so I 1 can have some time to show him the city ill remind him that im not c committing om myself mi self to an thing slie she tell fell asleep CHAPTER VIII geoff falls in love cynthea was coming home I 1 the cary house hummed with prep for tier her arrival geoff had preparations of lilt own to make the first was the prideful arrangement of a small pile of bills lie ile positively swelled with triumph every time he be looked nt at those bills not cynthia Cynt liia herself could have done bet ter lie he thought lie ile considered that if anybody ever deserved the commendation commend men mend atlon dation well done thou good ind and faithful servant lie he did lie ile hurried home from the labora tory that night in response to his eager question miss hilss nona nom told him he might go up tip and see cynthia Cynt hla she lay on the old dulse longue which had belonged to tier her grand mother she wore a sit silk and lace negligee her hair was tied back with a ribbon giving her a little girl look which touched him inexpressibly her blue eyes were fixed on something he could not see something happened to geoff while he stood there at her he had experienced many emotions where cynthia was concerned disapproval resentment downright dislike then dismay remorse ardent admiration for her courage and cleverness now all these feelings were swept away or rather were merged into a love which shook him by its intensity what a little girl she was to carry so many burdens burden sl 1 wrath against her family who permitted this sacrifice filled him was succeeded by humble gratitude that he could lift those burdens slipped in turn into a love and longing that must have reached cynthia for she turned her head and saw him smiled lie ile crossed the room in a few steps took one of her hands la in both of his and held it gently orand grand to have you homel home grand to be hume home again s she he answered politely stupid banal falkl underneath it her heart wag asking an agonized question do you ou utterly despise us now that youve learned nil all our horrid secrets and his heart was saying darling 1 sweetheart 1 I 1 love loie you better than all the world 1 cynthia broke the silence abruptly about the household bills geoff ile he shook his head youre not to ta talk ik business today the use of putting it off she demanded id rather know the worst nt at once so I 1 can begin to plan indignation seized him what ayou mean the worst theres Sh ereg no worst about it every bill la Is paid then you did pay them out of your own money I 1 1 I did no such thing I 1 lie ile rose and stood towering above her you ask me to promise not to and I 1 promise in spite of his new tenderness for cynthia in spite of the fact that he knew for the first time what love meant the old faint hostility was rising between them when Cynt hias weakness pulled at his heartstrings heart strings when he would gladly have rushed out and died to save her pain he was snapping nt at her in exactly the old quarrelsome way nor had illness quenched Cynt hias smoldering humor are you trying to tell me that you have run this house 1 I most certainly havel have 1 he Ile slapped the little pile of bills down before her grocery bill receipted in full milk ditto tennys coat ditto datto she fingered the rubber band that held the rec receipts opts im afraid to look loo at these I 1 cant believe youve done all that without wl without thou I 1 1 I give you my word I 1 spent a dollar of my own money he be assured her its all ome come out of nf your own funds its been an education to me learning the prim prices of things so valuable to a chemical engl neer she taunted him why not cooking as I 1 see it Is after all ot a wholly chemical process take for instance he be began in an oratorical tone the effect of heat beat on vitamins in cooking to tomatoes matties cynthia whose look of bewilderment had given away to mirth laughed until tears ran down her cheeks you and tomatoes she gasped caught eight ot of his dark iro frown and went off into a series of weak little shrieks own geoff youve done mo me a lot of good win will you come in tomorrow and tell me more about the chemistry lessons 1 for a week the plessant est of relationships tion ships prevailed between the two geoff congratulated himself upon having learned to manage cynthia lie ile grew a little arrogant over his present success and thus prepared himself tor for the fall which Is destined for the haughty ill take over the budget tomorrow cynthia said one evening im quite strong enough now the new sweetness and gratefulness of tier her manner persisted 1 geoffr heart was singing it if lie ho could just hold himself in check for a little while longer until he had regained some of 0 the alio ground lie he had lost with tier her nt at first I 1 ive just got the liang hang of the thing lie he urged now cow lot let me keep on with it until after christmas at least ive discovered that im lots better nt at tills this job than you are arc for instance youve been buying what marguerite calls stables in the smallest possible quantities all wrong by buying in quantity P Cynt hias sweetness and gratefulness vanished that shows how much you know about colored help I 1 if I 1 bought lard in ten pound buckets marguerite would simply riot in deep frying As for soap it if there was any way 1 I could buy bay halt a cake at a time id do it I 1 geoff listen to me met I 1 im grateful to you for taking charge ot of things while I 1 was ill terribly grateful but that give you the right to dictate to roe me about things you cant possibly understand geoff realized that this interview going quite ns as hed planned but lie he stuck stubbornly to his guns listen cynthia I 1 lie ile bent forwark forward persuasively just let me try running things for you till christmas well until after thanksgiving anyway youre not strong yet you yon ought to take things easy suddenly she yielded with a sweetness and docility which should have warned him very well geoff 1 have it your way she looked pensively into the fire im having a guest from new york next week and give me more time to bo be with him the man that wants to marry you tasked asked tenny yes tenny the haip man that wants to marry me she gave geoff a glance of friendly malice 1 I hope do your best to give us nice meals while lies hes here res hes a wealthy man used to every luxury geoff went upstairs to his room in a state which |