Show the lucky lawrences laurences Lawren ces by KATHLEEN NORRIS by kathleen norris earvine SYNOPSIS the luck that had brought the boton booton boon bon n Law lawrence to california just as a the beginning of the ROM gold rush cem BOOM to have deserted the present generation from a acre ranch their holdings have shrunk to a small mall farm arm and the tt old family borne bome in Clippe raville CHAPTER I 1 continued 2 the widowed elderly father did the best he could for them all until but 11 his oldest son was nearly eighteen and gall a ba capable pable bustling house bouse manager two years younger then the big guns began to boom across the water the service flags flashed in answer upon many a quiet flag pole in Clippers ville and patterson lawrence fifty eight years old put a copy or of keats in one pocket and a copy of shelley to in the other and hurried oft off to dle die of flu in overcrowded washington lust just as sure as his loyal children were sure that he be was helping his country and doing the patriotic thing then phit phil and gall had to shoulder the burden gall lawrence was supremely the girl for the job she was squarely built womanly at sixteen brimming with interests activities ambitions bit ions lons and enthusiasms enthusiasm by this time the once lucky law bences had almost no money phil had all but finished high school and all the friends relatives and neighbors said that certainly a bright fine boy like that ought to complete his course but as phil and gall quite simply agreed meals were more important than education so phil stopped his schooling and went to work at the iron works and gall upon being offered a job in the public library accepted it gratefully they scrambled along in the disreputable old house very happily they were always laughing sID singing gIng going on pleni picnics cs they were passionately devoted to each other and everyone was sure that they would get along splendidly were they not the last of the lucky lawrences laurences Lawren ces surest of all was gall the resolute undaunted optimistic mother and sister cook nurse and lawmaker in one life had been a story to gall for a few years and she had turned a fresh page eagerly every day she and edith were going to marry delightful men and phil should marry too and sammy should live in editha house and ariel la in galls and ariel should write wonderful poetry there would be plenty of money for everything as there always had been soon but somehow it had not worked out that way gall had grown a little more sober a little thinner as the years had bad slipped by they had all grown shabbier even to her poverty began to seem a serious matter phil to her concern had never quite seen the joke of being poor and being orphaned lie ile had always been brief worried and unresponsive when gall had bad tried to drag him into her dreams and edith hated poverty too it hurt her pride she had bad grown quieter bookish intellectual something of a recluse sammy had done nothing except slide through his shoes and get ID U minus marks in his studies and arlel ariel was completely spoiled they had bad all hailed balled her as a poet before she could fairly write she did write poetry and that was enough for clip pers ville Clippers ville was not critical ical the challenge published everything ariel wrote and arlel ariel was discontented proud and unmanageable altogether the outlook was discouraging and promised to grow more so there were moments when even gall call could not quite believe in the luck lock of 0 the lawrences laurences Lawren ces her awen twenty ty third birthday found her a quick witted eager capable girl secretly a little bit scared and doubtful doubt tul but outwardly way say irresponsible and pleasant to look at like ilke all the law bences even the boys never seemed to go through lumpy or spotty phases but were clean skinned and bright eyed through boyhood as through babyhood the older four had tawny thick hair which had tumbled all over their heads as children but which on occasions could be made to take more fitting positions arlel ariel was different frail pink cheeked checked che eked and cream skinned with frightened big hazel eyes and a small mouth arkels hair was cornsilk corn silk gold phil worked in the iron works tor for eighty dollars a month gall call was paid half that monthly tor for a seven day week in the public library edith made thirty dollars a month as absi assistant stant in the book department of big store sammy was supplementing his bis school career at nineteen with eager labors as errand boy and general office help on the challenge and arlel ariel was supposed to be in high school artel arlel was now a fairylike seventeen and gall was twenty three today she had presents at the breakfast table in the good old lawrence fashion nobody knew where they came from or who paid for them but the law bences always managed to give each other presents on anniversaries then gall and edith rushed the breakfast paraphernalia into the sink arlel ariel was olt off to s school phil had disappeared sammy had gone first of all the two girls scrambled through gli the necessary kitchen work with a speed born of long practice the big kitchen was shaded was in order the cold water faucet dribbled suddenly audibly in the silence as gall and edith breathless and hot paused at the hall ball door edith crossed tile the splintery floor to turn off the tap then gall and edith went upstairs passing the open front door on their way they hesitated a minute looking into the jungle of garden there was a hush bush of spring green grass contraband daisies and a burst of untidy bridal wreath down by the old fence look I ook at the pear tree gall gaill 1 it just take your breath away they shut the door and went upstairs gall saying of the unmade beds lets hap flap em editha face clouded a little she hated compromise and slovenliness she hated the hard conditions of her life that made some truce with them necessary the clock on tile the landing struck once for the halt half hour after eight she was due at the department store and gall at the library at nine well faveto ha have veto to slie she conceded briefly I 1 Y sighing til ril bet you they flap em in the most expensive bot hotels elst I 1 gall stated dauntlessly 1 I have worn my office dress to breakfast the older sister observed glancing at her cuffs she got a bottle of some cleaning extract and began to dabble at spots eggl egg I 1 she said disgustedly disgusted ly her glance approved of edith that looks better on you than it ever did on mary tevis she observed edith studied herself in the mirror dispassionately 17 1 I never would have gotten it she ili said L id 1 I dont like dots but it certainly has come in usefully the worst of mary tevis Is shell glye give you a bunch of things one time and then forget you tor for seven years I 1 gall having made herself comparatively presentable said briskly now when im rich I 1 shall have a list of girls D n such a shoe lacel Abl abigail pil you ought not say that get arlel ariel saying it gall mended her lace looked up with a flushed face you think arlel ariel was beautiful at breakfast eder ede oh yes she really Is do you think this may all be my 12 I 1 I 1 we are stuck in nobody knows weve were alive imagination but do you think ashes interested te in boys already their eyes flashed together consciously ly oh yes I 1 know she Is lal I 1 edith answered unhesitatingly ashes only seventeen well said edith who combined a recluses sensitiveness and temperament with an occasional lash flash of daring 1 I was fond of the boys at sixteen edith pretty as she was had never had a beau and gall knew it but it was waa the unwritten law of 0 sisterhood not dot to say bay so gall merely said perfunctorily oh well yes so was I 1 II 11 I 1 but edith there seems to be something dIl different lerent in the way arlel ariel Is the younger sisters quick keen gaze was lifted editha serious look met galls calls consciously secretive she offered well yes gall answered on a nervous laugh arlel ariel will get married before either one of us because we happen to be a little more particular 1 edith pronounced noun ced with her little air of old snobbery when edith said bald things like that it vaguely irritated gall she left edith at montalvo boulevard and turned up the calle to the plaza where the library stood heavenly day I 1 gall said to ri francis wilcox the librarian fine what about those slips mr wilcox answered without punctuation here the day had begun call the street door and the usual waiting group of stragglers came in miss bliss foster clumped clamped the new newspapers shapers into their holders little rose hose cahill wheeled wire crates full of books to the different cases and gall took them from the barrows and filed them away t in 1 their places acea the dim aim 6 big ig rooms roomi saw law various noiseless activities s afoot gall all thought of her youngest sister an ag the he dreamy dim hours in the he library began to slip by arlel ariel was less fitted than any of the other lawrences Lawren ces tor for the struggle of life she was only an innocent bewildered child she wanted in fact all of them wanted leisure and beauty and luxury in life arlel ariel seemed to want it more than the others somehow or in some indefinably different way she seemed made for bea beautiful LU ticul gardens beautiful porches spacious luxurious rooms she pined she drooped in the atmosphere of poverty griminess dullness thinking of all this gall abstractedly stamped and scribbled and tossed the books about when the whistles droned dronek noon and a sudden responsive pang of hunger stabbed her she put on her blue hat and walked up the street to Mul lees to meet edith edith neat meat cool and clean lifted an ecstatic look to gall as she decorously finished the sale of seven novels to a passing motorist the girls idolized and idealized each other and were proud of their friendship all the passion of the younger sisters rather cold nature was in the look this was one of her awaited moments every day when her flushed adored tousled gall came in and they went to lunch together they went in at the side door to the home kitchen and let up the shade and began their preparations for lunch the kettle was boiling over a bead of gas for arlel ariel always came in promptly at twelve and had her lunch and was gone before the older girls arrived edith sat wearily luxuriously over rolls honey and tea her eyes absent arseal her hand idly stirring the cup gall I 1 was thinking that we ought to learn some more poetry as we do the beds member how we used to rattle it off when we were little girls oh do 17 I 1 the lady of Sha lott and grandmothers story of bunker hill and the lost leader and camei whitcomb we ought to do it again I 1 it was lots of fun id like to learn noyes highwayman and some of Hodg sona sons poems eve and the old bull ede do you suppose thing sll ever be any easier for us do you suppose well have clothes and a car some day and belong to a country club edith pondered it 1 I dont really know she said at last hesitatingly 1 I mean gall fumbled along wast fully poor people people who have a hard start do yes I 1 know they do dol 11 edith I 1 could stand anything for myself but it worries me about phil and arlel ariel 1 I dont think phil minds being poor so much not since hes been going elih fth lily cass edith offered off offered ereo well I 1 think I 1 want him to mind I 1 I 1 dont think phil la Is ambitious gall countered with an anxious little laugh maybe were foolish ourselves edith said suddenly gloomy maybo maybe our lucks changed fooling oling ourselves yes do you think we are 1 I dont think I 1 quite understand you gall said uncomfortably oh yes you dol edith answered with a laugh you mean gall said soberly after a space that we arent getting anywhere well are we we are stuck in Clippers ville edith summarized it it nobody knows were alive were not in debt because the doctors and dentists wont send us bills but we ought to be we any clothes tiny any social standing oh we have that ede well it if we have it if we are the lucky lawrences laurences Lawren ces it if we were one of the most important families in california once what are we now chos going to marry us who Is there here for us to marry anyway to prevent our living on and on here old maids scraping along as best we can phil marrying that horrible mrs airs cass sam getting a job somewhere and going away arlel ariel committing suicide I 1 suppose oh edith edithl edith 1 gall call protested horrified dont talk like that thail I 1 youre blue youre juba tired today or its ita spring or something I 1 why darling nobody knows where changes are coming from or when were having our hard times now instead of later all I 1 well have dresses and country clubs and trips aldand and and fun theaters I 1 mean and everything one of these days I 1 editha grave intellectual face was doubtful youre twenty y three she suggested significantly 1 I dont think I 1 mind for myself I 1 mind for you edith said as they walked back to work you ought to be having good times you ought to be dancing and going to little restaurants and and everything and so ought youl gall answered cheerfully although she felt a knife in her heart oh I 1 I 1 edith dismissed herself lightly and immediately fell into that silly strain for which gall could find no better expression than old maldy 1 I have a feeling edith went on complacently unit tivit arill I 1 will meet my husband and be married to him all in a very short time you know that fortune teller that was at mabels 1 I wish she talk that way I 1 gall thought suddenly hot irritable and discouraged slie she felt more weary and discouraged 6 she h 0 went on her way the inas long afternoon in the library dragged she felt bored A sense of injustice oppressed her twenty three and she might lust just as well have been fifty three TO BE |