Show 1 I u k k the lucky laurences lawrences ces ai L AL at V 4 by kathleen nouis norris by kathleen norris service fierT lo T T T T awo W 0 SYNOPSIS the luck that had brought the boston Law laurences lawrences ces to california at the beginning of the sold cold rush has deserted the present generation from a acre ranch their holdings have shrunk to a small farm and the old family home in ClIppe raville the death of their father forced the three eldest children to w work 0 rk so that bat sam and d little ariel arial m might ight continue nue their elin u atlon phil now twenty alve had gone into the iron works gall to the public library and edith to the book department of Clipper avIlles largest store bove seventeen rites n year old arlel ariel Is becoming becoming a problem and phil Is fascinated by ehst terrible lily cass whose husband has deserted her young van bl hlson scion of a wealthy family returns from yale and gall has visions through marriage with him of the turning of the lawrence luck dick stebbins phils best beat friend has the run of the house artal ariel Is sneaking out of the house homo at night for loy joy rides van continues his social attentions to gall but the carl feels she Is making no progress in graining gaining his affections phil sug bests to the girls consternation that they invite lily cass to the house hous van asks aks gall to go with him tor for a weekend with the chipps his bis uncle and aunt CHAPTER IV continued 7 urn um hum gall affirmed nodding she was grateful to edith for taking it as a matter settled dick continued to regard her with an odd an almost contemptuous smile you like all that sort of thing dont you he be now asked well I 1 dont know that I 1 like it especially I 1 dont know much about it gall answered slightly nettled never having been on a house party of this sorts sort I 1 say I 1 liked it or like it she went on pointedly meaning that I 1 dont know what rm talking about dick asked with a not quite good natured laugh well gall said gald with a shrug which indicated that he was at liberty to put pot that interpretation upon her words it if he would the man laughed and sprawled a placating great hand across the table aw dont be mad gall im not mad yes tes you are I 1 but what do you care what I 1 think of the murchison hlson outfit they dont 1 1 I I only think when you dont know a person and that person has never done one thing against you the girl commenced stiffly its only that I 1 get such a kick out of it dick murmured subsiding gall tried her best to feel sorry for him later she told edith positively that she would not go to the chipps house party unless she heard directly from mrs chipp oh I 1 am so ao relieved dear dearest estl edith breathed gratefully no its not worth while gall said she grew a little bitter thinking about it it would be the best time I 1 ever had bad and if mamma had lived or papa I 1 should take all this sort of thing as a matter of course she said with dignified resentment however I 1 cant as phil said I 1 cant put myself in a false position I 1 gall she will telephone you I 1 edith predicted fervently 1 I dont know gall call was tired and blue they were still talking at one when phil came upstairs 1 I put the lights out everyone in be asked the ats sisters exchanged a look arlel ariel must bel she went with the gang down to dobbins at about nine gall stammered she said you said she could philli 1 said if shed be back early I 1 phil exclaimed he crossed the hall opened a door and returned with an anxious and angry face where Is she ayou suppose he be asked wall she must be oh this Is perfectly ler terrible phil I 1 she must be still down there we could telephone olisten listen she cant get away with this thial I 1 phil interrupted its after twelve dobbins closes at ait midnight maybe one of the boys started to drive her home maybe she decided to stay at the Love laces I 1 tut tut tut tut gall began on a weary note hinging flinging the bedclothes aside as phil ran downstairs to the telephone and edith fled to her room for more clothing gall was all but dressed and phil returning from downstairs three minutes later when ariel appeared in the upper hallway clad in pajamas and an old japanese jacket of brilliantly colored cotton with a pillow dangling in her hand and her soft taffy talTy yellow hair lit in confusion the excitement slie she de manlel looking like anything in the world rather than a girl who had been tearing scared und and chilly across open country roads in a u madister exactly three mIl lutes li ii vas lio ln I 1 id lii ivell li i in the ade lir 11 tin MIH hill 1111 ll 11 ir 41 fly fl y ter reproaches she should have told them I 1 arlel ariel looking sleepy warn warm beall bewildered vanished loto into her room with a yawn nobody followed her to discover the clothes flung wildly here and there just as they had fallen when she had bad torn the them ol oft or to kiss IN the cheek that was still so cold from night wind indeed among the three elders in galls room there was even a feel in ink that injustice had been done little arlel ariel who had run down to the drug store so innocently for a soda after her lessons were done and who had been home and in bed for almost three hours dilill produced two small round well wrapped rapped cakes of violet soap and presented eadi bac girl with one peace offering olT erIng hii he said humbly but with a little laugh in the corner of his eyes 1 I was sort of oh rotten about galls visit he be sold said my dear old girl ede and id trust you to go with anyone you like to china you know that why we depend on you youre the thing that has held us together all these years youre the guardian angel of the lucky law bences 1 galls heart swelled to bursting she could not speak she made up her mind that she would not consider the los gatos weekend week end unless some formal recognition of the invitation came from mrs chipp but this heroic mood oozed away when friday passed and saturday passed and there was no sight of van and no word from him gall bore it as long as she could and then telephoned suddenly reluctantly on sunday morning to the chipp house bouse to ask for mr murchison hlson A wo homans womans roans voice slightly amused slightly surprised very sophisticated answered her van murchison hlson wa was with friends in burlingame and who was this please gall call dared not reveal her identity it was mrs chipp herself she suspected it might have been the solution of her whole problem if she had been able to ask easily cheerfully are you expecting me on OD that house party next week mrs chipp 1 but she could not do it instead she mumbled something that might have been a name and might not and hung bung up the telephone with her heart pound ir the excitement ing and her cheeks red moving about the quiet sunday kitchen busy with the eternal dishes and chairs chabra bread box and pudding bowls she raged at herself for her cowardice you foell how I 1 hate youl you poor fool I 1 she gathered the dishes expertly wandering back and forth between sink and dresser she put them one by one into a shining line on the shelf soliloquizing as she did so burlingame eh I 1 imagine id hate it how can I 1 say that I 1 dont know anything about it I 1 but I 1 imagine or r rather I 1 should think a boy would hate it IL I 1 wish I 1 telephoned site she know who I 1 was thought I 1 well why I 1 telephone her no harm done suppose she does tell him some girl telephoned and he suspects its me what of it everybody Is telephoning everybody else all the time edith came in flushed and pretty from church its boiling out its going to be a marvelous day what a day for a picnic nihill 1 with a long sigh as they wandered through the great dim dial front hallway and looked through the opened front door into the mellow greenness of the garden 1 I 1 know gall sighed too they were halfway upstairs loitering A voice spoke from the doorway behind them any swill this morning ladles ladies and instantly the day burst into bloom edith tactfully retreated to the upper regions gall came out on the front steps in her dark blue kitchen apron van stood there grIn grinning aIng up at her he seat seated ed himself on the steps gall in a wicker rocker had bad her elbows on her knees her hands over her face it was heaven sitting out in the shade ath this big tweed clad young man the violence of last weeks hopes and tears fears had all faded away it was enough to sit here together without past or future no golf today oh I 1 could have played but I 1 dont PIRY very well the other fellers were all too good besides my aunt wanted me my cousins from sacramento hie are hi e here be rotten gall all lauchard unsympathetically we VP inight take our supper and go 10 tn in the old dain nt at cabin iziver she salo eq i to herself at as to ollir how ayou get there I 1 i end of the trolley line and the walk he stayed about an hour and thea the laughed continuously so go joyous sc unstrained was this particular meet meeting till that gall call presently could gay this house party next weekend week end oh the usual thing 1 down at the chipps place 1 yep up in the santa cruz mountains back of los 1037 gates 11 how many will there be van oh about aboud a dozen slie she somehow bring him film to anything definite about the invitation ile he seemed to feel fee that that was settled but gall wah was in wild spirits 3 when he went away none the less ile he had said 1 1 I I take you in reference to the house party his aunt must be perfectly cognizant of that and she gall GAIL had talked to him easily unaffectedly in her old ging gingham liam and he ha had d wanted to come and find her and her jealousy of his burlingame friends had been silly and everything was all right again dick stebbins turned up with his reconstructed roadster and the picnic suddenly became a glittering reality edith and gall as they so loved to do plunged into a glory of preparations eggs boiling frantically blackened old coffee pot dot stored stared with small packages of sugar matches mustard pepper and salt cream poured back into a fat bottle and secured with a thick cap of paper and a rubber bond band when albil ahll came in the usual picnic uproar set in iii they all go in dicks car obviously but those that rode going could walk and trolley back phil thought he might borrow jim slakes car it was an awful looking old thing but it did move gall flew up and downstairs in and out of doors tying strings wiping oily fingers tying dingy old tin cups on a string at four they were all off they picnicked on the grassy plateau two hundred feet from the dam looking down at the world listening to the ripple and chuckle of the creek hidden in the redwoods behind them the gross grass smelt of dew and pungent tarweed tar weed the redwoods were vere caught in solemn shade gall sat with her back braced squarely against a massive oak phil lay jay stretched with his bead against her knee jhb others were still eating in a desultory protestant manner suddenly from where he lay uke like a dead body in the grass sams young boyish voice rose pure and strong theres a long long trill trail k ii they all aft snug sang even ariel cutting herself off in the middle of a word to join they sang for halt half an hour and when they got back to the dark old close odorous house at ten there was a message pinned on the kitchen door it read crooks Crook sl why you wait tor for me it was signed V M so that this was one of galls completely ely happy evenings the day had been full of pleasantness and content everything was exactly as it should be monday passed no word from van no sign of van gall began to hope fervently that the weekend week end party would be postponed her brain her heart were sick odthe of the constant surging back and forth of hope and fear that night edith asked lightly delicately any lews of our swain today and quite suddenly gall gail told the desired lie ile yes res he and airs chipp came in just for a minute oh gall darling 1 gall felt her heart turn a little sick as she saw her sisters generous pleasure oh that makes it all right said edith i she say about the weekend week end well just just that she expected me after all they might do just exactly that thing tomorrow van and his aunt gall reflected uncomfortably they might easily make the lie ile merely an an anticipation she tried meanwhile to minimize it they only stayed for a second he had probably parked the car right across the middle of the streett street I 1 arlel ariel coming in edith instantly communicated munica ted the news and the then 0 gall knew it was too late to retreat innocent as the deception had seemed at first it began to gather size and momentum like a rolling snowball she felt ashamed of herself all evening jumpy whenever the telephone rang nervous whenever the casual family conversation came back bach to her brilliant prospects tor for tomorrow the next afternoon van stopped hla his flat open racy looking roadster at the library at tour four and gall descended the steps she looked charming in her old brown coat the fox skin mary tevis had given edith her own brown hat arkels best blouse with the trill frill and new chamois seln gloves charged that day at van leaped out to take her suitcase they were laughing delighted to be together again as they stowed it in the rumble then gall was where every girl loves to be sunk into the comfortable for table slanted seat beside the man she likes off tor for a holiday one thing had especially disturbed her among ma many ny small disturbances it had not been a happy day there had been the consciousness of her untruth is about the invitation to begin with there had been the allied disappointment of the fact that mrs chipp had not neutralized the lie ile by coming into the library or sending a note but these were minor considerations consideration when compared to the disquieting effect of a conversation ariel aale had had with her older sister just before ariel had gone off to school that morning TO BE BB CONTINUED CONTINUE IX |