Show the lucky luck lawrences Lawren ces A AL my V V T by Kaff kathleen ileen norris copyright by kathleen norris borolo SYNOPSIS the boston Law laurences lawrences Lawren ces came to california at the beginning ot of the gold rush but the holdings of the family have bays shrunk to a small farm and the ha old family home in Clippers ville phil twenty five Is I 1 working in the iron iro a works gall in the public library and edith in the book department of a tore store sam Is in school and seventeen year old artel ariel Is I 1 becoming a problem phil to I 1 fascinated by that terrible lily cass whose husband has deserts deser teil her bar young toune van murchison Mure hlson scion of a wealthy family returns from tale and gall has visions through marriage with him of the turning of the lawrence I awrence luck dick stebbins phils friend has the run of the house gall goes foes with van tor for a weekend week end with the chipi i his uncle and aunt she Is received rec elved coldly at a roadhouse gall call zees seen arlel ariel at t midnight next day arlel ariel admits the he was at the place and displays no remorse A policeman brings arlel ariel home announcing that a child has been killed in an automobile smashup artel ariel was driving one of the cirs cars dick steb bins who has been admitted to the bar has the case against ariel dismissed gau gall suddenly realizes that she loves dick and not van stebbins and ariel lope elope according to a note left by the girl CHAPTER VIII continued 18 oh no use at all he told me that the cheapest place he be could move to with the three children and I 1 dare say another coming oh gall nol no 1 well I 1 be one bit surprised ile he told me that the only decent places he could find were sixty and seventy five and that he simply pay it they ran up a bill ot of more than two hundred at you know when lilys clothes were all burned up 1 I know invisible stockings and fourteen dollar hats edith said in the pause and now that joe cass Is dead and lily getting nothing from her people I 1 suppose phil cant afford it we never had any too much as it was and phils simply added four more persons to the list 11 think said edith in patient scorn that phil might have seen that coming I 1 1 I try I 1 really do try to be decent to lily gall gail said after awhile 1 I try to think up things that will interest her and be reasonable when ashes helping me in the kitchen but when I 1 hear bear athing like her telling san sam that phil has as much right in the house as we have another silence then gall added very low something rises up in my soul foul and I 1 fie feel that I 1 could murder herl her I 1 1 I wish we could get away gall you and L oh I 1 mean to I 1 if we could live in carmel I 1 01 1 I know and if we rented the cor rier ner for a gas station and you and I 1 had hat we could live there then that reconciles me to the gas station edith said fervently 1 I suppose gall call summarized it all somberly the only decent thing the only square thing Is to make the best of it its one of those things that would be so darned easy so picturesque in a bool book and its so hardy hard y the voice that to edith was always brave and gallant faltered a little but gall wanted no sympathy there was a scowl between her ier eyes a gruffness in her aspect that repudiated it this effort to make the best of it wont get us anywhere she said yet edith was quite keen enough to notice the courage with which gall carried the whole situation that night the atmosphere which in the three weeks since phils marriage had been charged with dangerous electricity cleared gall was not only nice to lily she seemed able with her own peculiar winning sweetness to put herself in lilys place it was as it if she had bad a part to play and was determined to play it to its utmost limits for the first time tonight she spoke of the marriage its suddenness and surprise if lily suspected some lingering trace of apology in this she gave no sign but she brightened visibly and the dinner table was more like its old self than it had bad been since the saturday of editha and galls gails return phil in the fatuous blindness of love was radiant with satisfaction and ealah felt that he would feel that they ahey could all go on living together indefinitely the happy family in which men are so pathetically eager to be bileve no KO he be wont do that said gall for im going to talk to him tomorrow and get everything definitely settled then well only have to work toward luward our goal enough money tor for the smallest overhead expenses we can manage and then you and ill get out out of Clippers vIlle forever 1 I love ClIppers ville edith said dreamily 1 I 1 dont think anyone could lou ime a clarp pl irp more I 1 always think of us the sec test place in the world the younger sister bister pursued just the same im going to get out edith lawrencer lawrence I 1 and lust just the same im going with you abigail I 1 this on a monday the last of september on the tuesday on the wednesday gall looked for her chance to talk to phil in vain on thursday gall went home to lunch to find edith and lily in a glory of house housecleaning cleaning they appeared to be working together harmoniously enough and gall walked back to the library at one mor aliling in her own soul upon the desirability sir ability of making the best of things in this curious world putting up with what could not be changed enduring what could not be cured the only way to get past certain things in life Is to plunge right through h them like efiem or pretend you did learn fr from orn them and go on to other lessons the early october day was somber and overcast without rain but equally without sun leaves were turning restlessly in the gardens other leaves heaps of them were being raked into damp somber plies piles that smoked in the lifeless ominous air and scented the world with autumn A strange hush lay jay ofer over the town something was expected something was drawing nearer and nearer across the great range of the eastern mountains and under the pale cool sky edith and gall call almost always walked home together but edith was not downtown today and gall had bad no need to stop at book department as usual it was the third the night they called the houses birthday and gall reflecting rather ungraciously that they might as well break lily into some of the customs of the lawrence household since the poor little creature appeared to be only too anxious to copy her new fam ilys ways and ideas stopped at the hardware store and bought twelve new drinking glasses did you wish them wrapped as a gift miss lawrence well yes gall said with a whimsical twist to the corners of her mouth wrap them as a gift we given pull phil and lily anything she thought as she walked on well they give us any warning perhaps edith and ill make some gesture some day before we leave and arlel ariel mothers poet I 1 to have no wedding no fun no beauty and not to have loved us she have loved us to walk out that christmas night and send us no word never to write its a funny world things seem to happen to us lawrences Lawren ces but such queer things and in such funny ways the two older cass casa boys they were to be lawrence boys soon for phil in his bis gentle way adored his stepsons stetsons step sons and was eager to have them take his name the two older cass boys were digging contentedly down at the end of the garden where the grass was sprouting green and pale in the shadow of the heavy evergreen fence gall waved at them as she followed the uneven discolored flags of the path to the side door and then phil in the kitchen chopping ice chopping lee ice 7 and lily flying down the back stairway with a terrible face a terrible face gaill edith was hurt edith I 1 she fell she struck her head this was lily she gestured with an arm gall ran edith was unconscious on the couch her eyes closed her soft tawny hair was damp her forehead wet A girl mary was there white and concerned not touching edith 1 I thought you were the doctor gall mary said in a still voice we took off her shoes she added inconsequentially gall was breathing in great spent breaths she could not speak her ups lips moved soundlessly she fell V asked the silent moving lips no phil was beside his sister his arm about her she leaned against him suddenly spent no it was the statue the neapolitan boy he said one of the kids danny ran against against it mary and edith were just going out and ede leaned over and caught at the pedestal and it toppled and struck her bow long ago ten minutes we telephoned you doctor hes on his way phil phil she whispered swallowing 1 I dont know gall call we dont know lily says that one of her brothers lily knelt beside edith and with her gentle common stubby little hands fitted an improvised ice fee bag on editha head bead ah lovely ballf edith said unexpectedly in a clear low happy voice are we swimming breen green green green water like emeralds wet emeralds she lapsed into silence again sighing contentedly ashes coming out of it it was only a shock phil said frowning with a reassuring nod and glance for gall gall was not conscious of the passing of time she was conscious 0 of f but one thing edith she must hold edith here bythe bythe sheer power of that sisterly love that was the strongest love in her life doctor peters was here and doctor reynolds they wanted another opinion a man from san francisco concussion cus sion slop undoubtedly and possibly fracture but it might be that both were slight in undertones under tones la in the hall old doctor peters told phil of other cases cases from which one never would have supposed that little boys could recover but they had doctor Rem bremsinger singer from san francisco la Is coming phil told gall when site she emerged white and dazed from the sitting room at ten heu hell be here about three and dr peters says boys that ir if edith goes goe on au all right until this time tomorrow ashes got a good chancel chance the weary yes eyes were raised raise then the only thing to do Is lalive alve until tills this time tomorrow lily brought her warm wrapper her slippers downstairs set a cup of hot coffee before her oh thank thanh you lily gall said with the fir first st honestly look she ehe had ever given her little sister in law oh gall it if it been dannyl lily said weeping poor dannyl gall murmured with a steady dry eyed shadow of her old smile she went back to her post sitting in the low chair that had been mothers rocker tor for twenty five years old doctor peters came and went in the quiet room lily was up tip all night phil and sam kept vig vigil 11 in the kitchen sometimes edith murmured at about two she opened her eyes looked straight at gall call and said in her own smiling way ill tell you gall ill go first and get the cottage ready and be waiting for youl you I 1 all right my darling galls gails trembling tender voice answered put that comforter over her feet will you lily she feel any too warm lily had been kneeling but she was on her feet now and as she brought the comforter a strange expression came into her face lets say some prayers gaill she said suddenly in a frightened tone ali ah as it if I 1 I 1 and she did too gall call whispered back we said our prayers together just as we used to a little while ago and she seemed so sensible just hungry for them doctor bremsinger Rem singer Is here phu phil announced in the doorway phill phil 1 lily aid quickly running to her husband catching him importunately by the arm take gall away phil take gall echoed she got to her feet looked dazedly from phil to the doctor the san francisco physician was beside edith ile he had bad straightened up had said something to doctor peters they were trying to make her leave edith and she would not go she looked from face to face led then she was conscious of choking and of seizing phil with both frantic hands bands and of trying to scream then the room rocked and the world rocked and there was nothing but blackness everywhere CHAPTER IX gall went to the strange country of grief she saw the sunlight changed and sickly the trees brassy and dead the country town where all her life had been spent was a pasteboard town now a place of emptiness every one was kind to her she we was 3 amazed at the kindness at the pains pain these good folk took to help her through the echoing queer days she thanked them absently came suddenly to consciousness confusedly thanking them again letters brought her beautiful messages she found other beautiful words in books blessed are they that mourn lor for they shall be comforted 10 grandma polk foremost la in suffrage and prohibition and social work generally for half a century copied out a poem for her in a trembling beautifully clear old hand band I 1 shall so go gently never fear give little warning warn lne say not goodnight good night but in some aiom happier sphere bid you good bood morning old man whitman who had known stevenson sent her the exquisite verses that genius bad written tor for one in grief he Is IB not dead this friend not dead but in the path we mortals tread got some few ew trifling steps ahead and nearer to the end so that you too once past the bond bend shall meet again us as face to face this athla trend you fancy dead push gaily on strong hearal the while you travel forward mile by mile ile he I 1 loiters aiters with a backward smile till you you can overtake over tako and strains strain b hi is eyes eye 0 to o search learch his hi wake or whittling whistling as he sees you through the brake walt waits on a tile stile the dove finding no place to rest her foot returned to him in the ark said the ariett gravely at editha funeral and browsing among the books to which she turned with the sure sura instinct of the living creature that must fight for its life gall thought in lines of music oh lyric love halt half angel and halt half bird she whispered whisper ed walking alone to the library in the cool winter mornings oh edith edith come back to me beloved or I 1 die alel I 1 miss mary tevis the rich eccentric old maid who had bad once given edith dresses and hats bats took gall with her to santa barbara for christmas they drove down in the big tevis car and stayed at an enormous hotel saw movie queens entertaining hilarious friends at dinner spent whole mornings swimming idling on the sand they went to a big inter collegiate game to in pasadena and came back to Clippers ville feeling that somehow they had bad cheated the year and that there had bad been no christmas at all TO BE BB CONTINUED |