| Show if 44 the lucky lawrences Lawren ces v y y by kathleen norris nonis copyright by kathleen morris service SYNOPSIS the th luck that had brought the boston lawren laurences lawrences ces to california at the be ginning finning of the gold rush has deserted the present generation Kener atlon from a acre ranch their holdings have shrunk to a small mall farm and the old family horn home in Clippe raville the death of their poetic father forced the three oldest eldest children to work so ao that sam and little arlei ariel might continue their education phil now twenty five had tons cone into the iron work gall to the public library and edith to the book department of largest tore store seven seventeen teen year old arlel ariel Is becoming a problem and phil Is fascinated by that terrible lily cast cass whose husband has deserted her young van murchison hlson scion of a wealthy family returns from yale he e and gall had bad been close friends before he be went to college and gall has visions of the turning of the lawrence luck dick stebbins phils best friend has the run of the house ariel to Is sneaking out of the house bouse at night for joy rides CHAPTER III 5 the next nest day to all appearances was like all the other friday mornings of the year rear sam and phil got away first of all leaving a litter of coffee and cold toast on the kitchen table gall call rushed down next with her rich hair unwontedly flat and trim and a kitchen apron replacing the office dress the too often wore into the kitchen then arlel ariel looking tired and seeming nervous came down in a terrible hurry burry as usual As soon as she had departed tor for school gall call and edith agreed that she had cried herself to sleep the night before ashes uch such a baby I 1 edith said lovingly gall made no answer her patient level gaze went to far r spaces I 1 she mentally wrote and rewrote a suitably casual yet cordial note of thanks to the sender fender of the roses she stopped at stutters on her way downtown and bought a box of line fine notepaper cote note paper the note itself was written at the library a few minutes later at the end of the note she added it if you can come and have supper with Us ns vary very informally aily oh so very I 1 informally I 1 on sunday she thought of this all day long ions come and have bare supper with us ns in fOr bormay maY oh ob so Inform informally 1 but at three she had bad something else of which to think for the telephone in the library rang suddenly and the voice on the other end demanded miss hiss lawrence it was van cheerful and friendly what time was he to come to supper and why put it off until sunday this was friday what the heck beck are you doing tomorrow tomorrows my saturday at the library until nice gall gail could hardly bear the happy beating of her own heart as she hung up cp the receiver she thought she would suffocate with sheer felicity she went home on winged feet stopping to pick up edith to buy the dotted swiss dress gall hesitated long over colors finally deciding on a deep purple it would be practical and that shade was always lovely with the dull gold of the lawrence hair bair this was one of their happy evenings they strolled home through the shabby streets admiring gardens stopping at shop windows A block before they reached their own corner the lawrence girls took the footpath through the morrison Morr lson place their I 1 hands bands linked their voices murmuring along together with the easiness of lifetime intimacy should you be glad it if he was in love with you gall oh heavens ive only seen him once in five years 1 no but I 1 mean should you gall considered yes res I 1 think I 1 would 1 I dont know that I 1 want you to marry and go away from clippers ville ats it mean thaw that gall paused on the fresh grass that was thickly set with poppies and buttercups butter cups under the morrisons MorrI sons oaks she broke into laughter arent barent we idiots 1 to have it all settled but the wedding cayll day 1 yes but it sometimes comes as suddenly as that gall 1 I suppose it does her sister bister agreed 11 1 I was thinking she said after a pause that we might have dick oo on sunday oats mave one more man if we dance to the phonograph or have games tour four men to three ir girls WW and arlel ariel really count as a girt girl because because ashes ashes just a kid edith reminded h her approving this plan that night while edith sewed and ariel played idly with pen and paper gall played solitaire it bad been her custom to do tills this ever since her fathies fat herg deah an ai the she played she ehe kept up a sort of monologue sometimes it was in the torm form of an argument a dissertation often it was wai odd bits of poetry or remembered scenes scene from dickens or poe or stevenson recalled word tor for word most often of nil all it was improvised in the form of a story or of biography just bow she had begun this his she never could remember it was a family institution now phil never went out when gall started to play cards edith was wag her loyal prompter when gall forgot a date lo in some dramatic tale of english history or tried to remember the source from which some fantastic theory had sprung it was all heartening and happy and especially wonderful to have the evening end with them all wandering upstairs at once lights out below everyone at home safe and united gall call saw the roses still bright and fresh in her room and sat on the edge of her bed with one shoe ou on and the other in her hand for a long ion long time dreaming it was not imagination then van murchison had sent her those roses lle lie was coming to supper night after n nett ne e tt t t saturdays and wednesdays every other month gall call stayed at the library until it t closed at nine on these days edith always came down at about six with a big sandwich and an apple and gall and she repaired rep alred to the dressing room where gall gal devoured the collation powdered her nose exchanged changed the news of the day with her sister all in ten minutes time and returned to the desk refreshed alternate months she went home at noon on saturdays and wednesdays but was on duty all day sunday opening the lie library at ten and remaining at like lie desk until ove ore gall hated the sunday duty but the saturday nights were for some mysterious reason eternally exciting there was always a good deal of noise and traffic downtown the theaters were packed the streets gaily lighted and the quiet shadowy library seemed like a coign of vantage from which she watched wa ached the world on the particular saturday evening that followed his arrival in clippers ville van came in gall call was busily stamping and dating opening and shutting the covers or of books when a voice la in the line asked anxiously have you a good book about cock roaches she looked up on a wild rush ot of delight and there he was in dinner clothes with a light overcoat on but bareheaded they laughed soundlessly together and gall sedately disposed of a dozen claimants before she was tree free to murmur with him for a minute oh hello she smiled ayou want a book yes I 1 seem to need one low how about this one she grinned at little jusys cousin prudy 1 I think that would be about your number ill bet its bacyl ill bet theres considerable matter that go through the malls in this book I 1 oh sh sh sh sh i for they were both bubbling audibly with suppressed laughter well said van rm im going up to the speedwells Spee dwells for dinner who are they well corona baechl married a spence see and one ot of the spence girls married a speedwell see oh Burlin burlingame gameT burlingame and gosh how I 1 hate it I 1 you do ob lord yes besl I 1 he be regarded her curiously ayou mean to say like it gall gal composedly stamped a returned book smiled at a faded woman with bare gray hair and a wilted voile bolle dress and returned to the conversation 1 I imagine I 1 would she said you tou dont go to dinners 1 I much chance What ll you take to go to this one I 1 could do that I 1 could do what youre doing go to la my place Non nonsense t she laughed and shook her head bead van went away leaving her with a feeling of contentment and completeness a certain thrilled sense of being alive of being pleased with everything later reading in bed she told edith van had come in to see her gall he did I 1 oh yes he did oh gall gail exclaimed edith significant I 1 well she quite admit it but she drifted off to sleep on the rosiest roviest sea of hope and joy that ever a woman knows van came to supper the next night and everything was happy unpretentious and natural the kitchen was just what a kitchen should be when he ar arrived rivea a social place in which three pretty girls were busy and three rather clumsy men were trying to make themselves useful galls his bis cults culis were browned to a turn and the famous lawrence cheese and egg dish turned out perfectly they sat about the table until eight and then phil and dick af alter ter duly carrying handfuls of dishes into the kitchen departed arlel ariel began at the kitchen table her composition and edith generously forced gall and van away no please its ICs nothing ill leave them all until morning any anyway 1 protested edith you were going somewhere go on I 1 we were just going tor for a run we can perfectly well get these out ot of the way gall argued but the she did not insist somehow the dishes and the kitchen did look greasy and dull tonight a little domestic drudgery was all right but it would not do to disgust van with too much of it she caught up a coat and she and van went out in the dusk to his bin road ster and rolled smoothly away from dingy CUppers ville up up into tile hie fra f ra grant hills where alere twilight still lin ila with the sweet fuiell ot of dew un dust and of meadows wilted under tinder the long days sun eun how about old aunt marys mary IN what sort of a place Is it ive never been there oh highly respectable they went accordingly to old aunt marys a low wooden shack on the peninsula highway with a greasy dance floor in the center and greasy bare tables table s all about it the air was thick with grease for aunt marys big frying kettles were right in full nil view aunt clary and her colored assistants were also greasy out but the music was good and the floor good and the whole scene so novel to gall that she found it delightful she and van talked flippantly and with much laughter as young persons who are just making each others acquaintance usually do van even laughed when a chance question from gall gail brought the conversation about to his bis own condition but ought you be up so late you be in bed brinki drinking ng acido philus milk or something gall demanded as the clocks hands bands moved to half past nine van crushed out his cigarette smiled down at his own lingers fingers smiled up with a glance into her face sly illy dear child theres no more the matter with my lungs than with yours I 1 theres what gall demanded blankly blackly 1 I got con van reiterated 1 I 1 flunked out of college at easter that was alit or no he remembered conscientiously 11 1 I did have a heavy chest cold coughing all that thal that was part of it you see I 1 had to stay home a week at a christmas and what nt not 11 in his incorrigibly gay manner be finished the sentence with a shrug youre not sick at allt alit gall call said in so disappointed a tone that they both laughed outright hL they sat on watching the dancers against the low open pine crossbeams cross beams otiose roof cigarette smoke was rising blue and opaque the music droned dronek on the saxophone whining above the other instruments the crowd was thinning now some of the tables were empty when the clock struck ten gall gail said she must go home van made no protest he seemed tired too willing to say goodnight good night they were laughing again driving home in the starlight but at the lawrence gate gall was conscious that somehow their parting was going to be a little stiff and sat flat some minutes before they arrived she began to dread it it would be stiff it would lay a heavy bar upon the frothy gaiety of the evening but she could not save herself she could not be suddenly flirtatious amorous slie she did not know bow did he expect her to let him kiss her goodnight did be even want to kiss her she did not know suddenly she felt like ao an innocent awkward little girl A sense ot of helplessness smote her this happy ere evening must end on a high note she must be equal to it IL she must not say goodnight good night dight like edith saying goodnight to one of the girls from the store like a nice old lady saying goodnight good night to a idear old friend but somehow she could not carry it the wild thought of leaning above him for a second when she moved to leave the car and of putting a butterfly kiss on his bis bared head crossed her flurried mind but that would be idiotic that was not the way girls kissed boys nowadays they sank against the boys their bodies limp their painted mouths plastered against the boys mouths such a girl at this moment would have her head bead on vans shoulder while she confusedly considered it they had bad reached the gate and she was out of the car van making no movement to get down gall gal went about to his side of the automobile and stood looking up dp at him for a moment van ive had a perfectly delicious time he be moved the gas control idly to and fro on the wheel sure it was fun his own voice seemed GAL bat gall tried desperately for the hilarity of the earlier evening As for or your consumption I 1 shant get over that tor for a long time I 1 my what he be asked dully your fake consumption 11 it was no use perhaps they were both too tired tor for talk gall thought A pause brief but much too long then gall said well goodnight good night 1 see you soon oh surel sure I 1 he said and goodnight 1 and he be was gone into the dark the girl made faces at herself as she ehe went up op the steps she ehe was conscious of a shamed sort of feeling of anticlimax anti antl climax it was as it if she had bad sold her birthright somehow actually she had bad not compromised there had not been a word or a glance all a evening that might not have been exchanged by the most decorous ot of friends but that was part of the troubled lel or else she vas tired maybe that was it the front door was open a bead of gas wavering in ID the hot odorous hallway edith came out from her doorway like ao an angel cool and fragrant froni from a bath she welcomed gall as if from the wars darling darling Dg did you have a good tine time it was heavenly we drove around for awhile and then we went down to old aunt marys gall lawrencej lawrence was it wild on sunday nighal yo no it was as caan caln as a mill pond there were two there ano and a lot of nice college boas annie of the girls booked ratler well ell ord oell nary but bui it was ury ery ollian ol liln rough TO BE i |
