| Show BEAUTYS DAUGHTER by KATHLEEN NORRIS 0 kathleen WIM service oo em SYNOPSIS victoria herrendeen a vivacious ut little 1 sirl had bad been too yo young ung to feel the a hock that c came me when her father keith herren harren ileen deen lost his fortune A gentle unobtrusive soul he Is now employed as i an obscure chemist in san francisco at 1 meager salary alary his wife magda cannot adjust herself to the change she Is a beautiful woman fond of pleasure and a magnet for mens attention magda and victoria have been down at a summer resort and nd keith joins them for the w weekend week eek end magda leaves tor for a bridge party elc excusing u sing herself for being such a runaway later that night victoria Is grief stricken when she bears her parents quarreling the herr herran en deens deeni return to their small san francisco 1 apartment rement keith does not approve of magdal 1 df mad social life and they quarrel frequently ly magda receives flowers bowers and a diamond from ferdy manners a wealthy man from argentina whom she had met les less than a week before manners arrives a few hours later magda shows him a valuable leable chinese shawl that has been in it the ha herrendeen family for many years vie vic Is ill shocked when she learns her mother had bad contemplated selling it magda tells manners a dealer bad offered her tor for the shawl magda takes victoria to nevada to visit a woman friend who has a daughter named earned catherine there the she tells her she Js Is going to get a divorce victoria soon Is tin boarding school with her friend catherine magda marries manners and they spend two years la in argentina CHAPTER n H continued victoria spent a somewhat bewildered mildered wil dered ed yet happy easter vacation there exploring all the garden paths end and all the big rooms she came back to california at another easter time eighteen years old and ready to graduate with her class her mother met her in new I 1 york and they made the tran scon itin tin trip together ten weeks later victorias handsome isome bags were packed again and she went down to the chalmers illace for the summer the beautiful chalmers house was open to summer breezes and filled with summer flowers the ch chinese inese butler discreet in his purple and blue silks motioned moti ored her upstairs another oriental took her bags her mothers maid who had crossed ithe ithe continent with them a few weeks before met her at the top of the stairs vie vic asked to see her mother magda was in her magnificent bedroom a large airy apartment flanked by an enormous bath by a complete dressing room by an awn ringed upper balcony victoria found her mother stretched on a couch by a window she ehe was not reading the magazine she held and her eyes were absent and reddened a little from recent tears at the sight of the girl she began to cry again and they clasped each other closely my darling youre home at bastl bif you knew if you knew how ive wanted youl magda sobbed she in instantly st antly regained control of herself and smiled with trembling lips straightening the collar of victorias alouse as the girl knelt beside her was it au all wonderful she said it was perfect and at the end awe w e all cried because wt w all going to be back in Sept september emberl victoria laughed but mother dearest youre not well ive been feeling wretchedly something mrs manners said hesitantly something rather horrid id happened last night and ferdy was arrested her eyes filled again she straightened the collar again it was all rather horrid end and all be forgotten this time m next at week she said cheerfully g so lets not talk about it arrested victoria echoed echoe d aghast why what happened there was an accident I 1 dont know just what happened magda said baid her eyes watering it was all so horrible he had bad been drink ug of course and he was driving thay ainee home they were both in the car asleep right near where the smash was who were it if it had been anyone but may of magda sighed however they say the poor fellows fellow fello wU 11 get well and ferdy can stand the damages he was all smashed up the man they ran into and its a miracle they all killed but if hed be been en with anyone but mayl chos she oh ashes a cheap little idiot I 1 used to know years ago may smith she married tony feeney and divorced him and spent a few weeks in paris so now ashes madame dame ainee and she can hardly Te remember member an english word and does ferdy like her magda looked at her daughter ruminatively answered mildly rather hather and of course ashes making passes at ferdy oh vicky said it was the old atmosphere again 1 or rather at the manners money ey which is very stupid for me magda ended the subject cheerfully stupid what it is for ferdye I never look at anyone like clayt and now dow tell me more about today did you say grace peacock was there ashes margery kings mother 1 I know she is and I 1 know she went all over europe trying to get a priest to marry her to joe peacock and margerye Mar gerys nice vicky said slowly and youre adorable only you have those herrendeen eyes that you must remember to keep open magda said lovingly did you get yourself some lovely things in paris some not expensive but I 1 got one yes I 1 have two or three love have you had it waved vie vic my hair no just brushing and setting convent bred and with an instinctive distaste for ferdy and for fer dys world yet she knew that she must either meet him halfway with flattery and flirtatiousness submit to kisses and embraces concede him confidences and little harmless intimacies cies or he would not like her at all on the very first evening magda told him good that he must stop carrying on with her daughter the idle days began to go by victoria wondered what she was to do with the endless line of them that stretched ahead for a week she enjoyed the new life lazily then quite suddenly the whole thing began to pall magda had her own beautiful suite of rooms ferdy had his they lived entirely separated lives some times they saw each other during 7 V J I 1 jil 03 pj I 1 victoria spent a somewhat bewildered wil dered yet happy easter vacation there the course of the day and sometimes not quite often they dined at the same house but the dinners were large and ferdy went to them before magda did explaining perhaps haps to a servant that he was meeting some friend first at the club for preliminary cocktails and magda always went late in great state in her beautiful car with her own driver so that even then they had no moment together CHAPTER III her mother was not happy gallant and smiling keeping a brave front to the world magdas soul was trying to feed itself on husks what she told victoria of the last few years was a s tory story of disillusionment and loneliness in a setting of luxury travel extravagance biarritz Biar ritz had been dull london dull paris dreadful rosarios down in buenos aires where berdys spanish motherland mot herand spanish sisters lived had been insufferable perhaps I 1 to tell you this vicky but the beginning of it all going wrong was of course that there were always other women his wife was only to wear the jewels and be introduced to all the business friends big german and spanish cattle men scores of the wife is a figurehead after the first year it if she has sons and keeps the peace with his family and forgives him everything the man is pleased with her if she gets temperamental pe tries to assert heisele hei self he is annoyed but he goes his own way just the same victoria looked thoughtful 1 her fine dark brows drawn together r you to stay here where magda asked simply ought we go the summer idled itse itself lf into autumn and victoria and magda went down to the shore again this time they had the smartest cottage at the lodge and the beautiful mrs manners was much admired and entertained mr manners she explained to everyone with a flash of white teeth was fishing for steelhead up in the klamath every hostess told victorias mother that she had a wonderful man for her as a dinner or bridge partner but victoria noticed that magda found none of them really wonderful in october ferdy went off on yacht for six weeks he seemed a little guilty about it and gave victoria a large check to waste in new york later she suspected that his twinges of conscience were because the yachting trip that he had mentioned as involving only a few fellers actually included the owners wife another woman and the ubiquitous may magda did not know that or victoria believed and hoped she did not they came back to california in december and ferdy came back for christmas little was said of the feminine element on the yachting trip and the three spent the holidays in a splendid suite in the fairmont hotel up at the top of the hill with the green iron balconies of their breakfast room hanging over the he fascinating jumble of masts and stacks and long pier roofs on the embarcadero ferdy now said that he thought he must go back to rosarios for a few months he thought magda would be a great fool to go it would be hot traveling and she hated the place anyway al ai unusually long period of affection and placation resulted in april in magdas decision to go with ferdy to south america victoria told her mother she was 90 going ing to stay in california well because catherine and mrs brock were going up to the lake again and wanted her well and because she really would like it like it better she might come down to ro barios later all by herself but but really she would like it better this way now magda was gently hurt puzzled ferdy smiled but vicky knew that he was furious she held her ground good natured and affectionate but not to be moved in the end they left without her and vicky and catherine went up to the lake A week later when she and catherine were sitting down on the lake shore one day victoria told her th the e reason catherine cross your h heart e art and hope to die if you ever tell anyone this I 1 1 I do said catherine solemnly suiting the action to the word it was he victoria said who your stepfather my stepfather not nothing hingl 1 vicky echoed repudiating the relationship he catherine if you ever tell anyone this ill never speak to you again he followed me into the sitting room one night wed all just come home from a movie and kissed me and crushed me against him victoria was at the dock in the fine soft november fog to see the big ship come in the empress of panama was on time at exactly one minute before eleven she drew up alongside and all the excitement of landing began then mother and daughter were in each others arms and victoria was laughing and hows ferdy 7 ferdy mrs manners glance returned from the luggage and fixed its itself elf upon victoria ferdy is just the sam same as ever and when does he ge get t here or does he go to paris you were so vague I 1 no here when the loughboro boughs yacht does whenever that is mrs manners said in the same tone of pleasant indifference and now is a car here and did you reserve my rooms she demanded gayly as the customs formalities were concluded and she could pick the pekinese kinese Pe from victorias arms again and accompany her along the pier dont tell me its going to be freezing like this its been actually hot until today this is just fog victoria explained p pla bained ined maid dog parrot bags they got into a large waiting car at the em tar cadero mrs manners talking as is the custom of returned travelers of the amusing steward on the boat the races at havana of everything unimportant and inconsequential they were driven r rapidly ap up the steep hills to the big hotel everything going with the smoothness of custom victorias mother had been arriving and departing in just this manner ever since her second marriage five years earlier soon victoria and her mother settled at luncheon beside the fire well this is funt said magda then and now we can talk you look so well vie vic and youre really handsome really you arel are what have you been doing with yourself tell me everything you got my W wires resa youre the one with the news she said smilingly nothing has happened here miss butler put me ma on night duty last night only the second time and im dead I 1 I 1 had breakfast at the hospital at semen seven and had to clean up three bathrooms rooms s and stopped on my wa way downtown to leave my bag here the ho hospital magda echoed aghast not hearing the rest youve been ill victorias smile was reassuring her color was beginning to come back now as she fell with vigor upon a three inch steak and there was revived light in her eyes im in with catherine she explained pla ined student nurses mrs manners sat back and regarded her with puzzled eyes mummy youre such fun its such fun to be talking to you again end and its the best food I 1 ever tasted I 1 but darling victoria pleaded 1 I 1 had to do something I 1 just take a room somewhere and wait for you you were with ferdy way down in south america and I 1 was absolutely on the loose but you were with anna and C catherine atherine aunt anna got a most flattering offer from a school in cleveland we go with her and kittsy was going to be a nurse so I 1 went along to the hospital with her TO BE CONTINUED |
