| Show arn ar N D 0 OCTAVUS ROY COHEN A ar A ts SERVICE y R 11 1 T C SYNOPSIS beautiful young kay forrest has been employed by christine maynard photographer to pose tor for a series of pictures the background of which will be exquisite cathedral gardens famous southern resort resorts unknown to them one jeff butler mean unscrupulous swamp angel has led a friend to spy on the two women kay of necessity Is scantily clad while posing for or the camera studies kay frequently stays with mrs ruth hamilton her son bar ney of whom kay is very fond and her daughter margaret mrs hamilton a Q i remarkable woman conceived the idea of the gardens following the death of y her husband one night after a local dance kirk reynolds a neer do well gambler of beverly a resort town and kay go for a ride kirks car collides with that of harvey jackson and during the ensuing argument kirk whips out a gun and kills the young popular engineer kay is completely stunned by the tragedy kirk threatens to drag her into to the thing if she tells even her father terror stricken she agrees to remain silent however the next time she goes out with barney he realizes something Is wrong she tries to reassure him but tells him nothing mrs emma forrest kays mother looks upon herself as being completely righteous she is is firm positive and demanding her father Is exactly the opposite kindly and unassuming CHAPTER IV continued 5 the good upper middle class housewives of the town admired emma forrest they admired her sterling qualities her goodness of heart her efficient management of her household her success in having molded her twenty two year old son andy into a stalwart masculine edition of herself and they wondered why a thoughtless providence had inflicted upon her such a daughter ral OSs as kay ashes wild what she is in spite of everything her mother has tried to do for her they said shell come to no good end mark my words they said its a pity kay have turned out to be a fine girl emma deserve to have that sort of daughter by that beverly did not mean to infer that kay forrest was immoral although there were some few who without particular conviction hinted that they be so terribly surprised to learn that she was this morning the family had finished breakfast they were waiting mrs forrest and andy rather rathe r grim and pious andrew forrest who by original selection and biological chance had become nominal head of the household uncertain and ill at ease he knew that kay was to be greeted with a barrage of criticism and inasmuch as there existed between him and his nine nineteen teen year yea rold r old daughter a bond of friendship and sympathy and understanding which was beyond the comprehension of the virtuous emma he waited gallantly to give such meager support as lay within his power they saw kay step out of barney hamiltons little car they saw her move up the walk cross the veranda they saw her come through ugh the front door and approach the dining room mrs forrest greeted her with a remark which was not unobvious mrs forrest said weve been waiting for you katherine kay caught an almost imperceptible warning flicker of her fathers right eyelid therefore she answered meekly yes maam mrs forrest found it necessary to make her point more impressively andy gone to work yet kay glanced without particular enthusiasm ei at the sturdy figure of waher ner brother he was clad in the habiliments of a garage mechanic but she merely said 1 I see he sit down my dear we wish to talk to you emmas requests were always unmistakably commands kay seated herself but not comfortably fort ably she was grateful for the presence of her father however unable he was to render assistance si in this domestic crisis do you realize inquired mrs forrest that this is supposed to be your home yes maam then why dont you stay here instead of gallivanting all over the country all the time 1 I gallivanting mother ive been staying with the hamiltons and driving out every night with what ehat worthless barney hamilton she said barneis barneys Bar all right he work interjected indy virtuously just plays around ive got no use for these fellows that think so elegant mrs forrest was not to be diverted beverly is talking about you katherine nothing new and its not new that youre not ashamed of it why should I 1 be ive never done anything wrong you went to one of those terrible orgies at the hotel you kay was battling for self control 1 I dont see anything wrong with that mother just dances 11 riffraff riff raff tourists no decent girl would be seen there now mother it was andrew speaking mrs forrest flashed her husband a hostile glance she said you keep out of this andrew CIO 5 you keep out of this andrew forrest forrest rest im mother and god knows I 1 get no help from you in trying to raise her as a lady 1 I was only going to say yay ay shrugged wearily keep out of 0 it dad you vou see mrs forresta For rests voice crescendo ed triumphantly theres your own daughter giving you orders telling you not to interfere in her upbringing as though you would anyway kay leaned forward she said suppose you stick to me mother such impertinence andrew are you going to let your daughter speak to her own mother in that thai fashion I 1 declare I 1 dont know what ive ever done that god should have given me such a child she was whipping herself into a fury of virtuous anger and you listen to me miss im not going to stand it any longer its time I 1 set my foot down from now on youre going to do as I 1 say andy spoke again you stay away from kirk reynolds sis kay was startled and if I 1 dont then ill have to take matters in my awn own hands she smiled slightly better not andy I 1 dont think you could scare kirk very easily mrs forrest had risen she was a purposeful and dominant lady overflowing with righteous indignation will you promise me never to talk to kirk reynolds again kay met her mothers eyes squarely no maam why not because I 1 dont make promises that I 1 cant keep cant cant you hear that andrew now mother arent you a trifle hard on kay nol no certainly not im only doing my duty as a mother t from outside came the insistent honking of an automobile horn four pairs of eyes quested through the window toward the curb mrs forrest said of all the nerve and andy gasped its kirk reynolds kay rose her face was white she walked from the room and onto the porch her voice came back to them clearly she called ill be with you in a minute kirk she walked up to her room not hearing or not noticing her mothers statement that she positively was not going riding with that ruffian she did hear faintly her mothers protests that this was more than any good woman should be called upon to stand she heard her mother stating to husband and son that the neighbors would talk that this was an unbearable disgrace her own daughter riding around in bright broad daylight with a professional fess ional gambler she called upon andrew forrest to do something about it and mr forrest glad enough to escape plodded up the stairs after kay andrew forrest was a meek per son albeit a gentle and kindly one by profession he was a lawyer a keen student who was consulted on intricate matters by his less learned contemporaries his practice was arduous and not very remunerative munera tive he was short and slight and on the verge of baldness his eyes were gentle and not too strong he was a student and a philosopher a man of scrupulous integrity both of thought and deed he came now into his daughters room and touched her shoulder affectionately he said must you kay she nodded yes dad im sorry your mother entirely wrong you know kirk is bad medicine and you still feel yes dad just this once id rather not but I 1 cant help it his eyes clouded something serious yes and you cant tell me 1 I wish I 1 could he smiled bravely dont forget were buddies kay she kiss kissea el him hard on the lips you know how much I 1 love you dont you dad 1 I know he patted her shoulder gently watch yourself kay and dont forget youre mighty young she walked downstairs swiftly purposefully mrs forrest made a last desperate stand 1 I order you not to go out with that man kays glance was unyielding im sorry mother she passed through the front door climbed into the little coupe beside kirk reynolds and rolled west on chicora chleora avenue her lips were tight set kay said you sent tor for me kirk wrong and he answered plenty they rode in silence kays eyes cloudy with trouble kirks face inscrutable the sapphire s sky ky was i brilliantly clear the april sun bright and warm yet kay shivered A car approached them coming from chicora the driver saw kay as they passed and her face flushed it was a brief passing a quick rec ignition tion yet kay knew without looking around that the driver of the other car had been startled and that he had turned to look after her she said somewhat bitterly it would be that way kirk said in a flat voice who was it barney hamilton the lad whose mother owns the gardens yes they reached the intersection of the concrete federal highway and kirk swung to the right his voice was toneless almost disinterested the setup there kay where between you and that hamilton guy what difference does it make none I 1 just asked his eyes did not leave the broad ribbon of road which unwound under their wheels kay said 1 I like him a lot so I 1 imagined what made you think so your expression when we passed him that faint mocking smile passed briefly across kirks lips has he gone for you 1 I dont know okay but he has kays body felt uncomfortably warm id rather not talk about barney to me you mean yes her own voice had become edged and I 1 might as well tell you something else kirk this is my last ride with you that so yes people are talking his voice was sharp who everybody my family and what are they saying that youre not the sort of person a nice girl should be going with he laughed mirthlessly im not then after a brief pause are they saying anything else 1 I dont know 1 I mean about the last time we were out together she shrank away from him please kirk they will he remarked acidly sooner or later she said 1 I know it why im not going out with you any more he answer that his toot foot depressed the accelerator ever so slightly and the speedometer moved ahead to forty five the road was broad and smooth cars buzzed by farm cars and trucks and several big sedans headed toward beverly and cathedral gardens kirk said dryly your boy friends mother has done quite a job please kirk she has really the town was dead until she came into the picture id rather not why did you send tor for me reasons Kea sons nothing wrong is there yes you mean find out she pressed her lips together please take me back not now but its getting late not noon yet where are you taking me Sp ringdale to Sp ringdale but kirk I 1 cant yes you cah can you can do exactly what I 1 say she glanced at his face it was like granite hard unconscionably hard and dangerous she asked why are you taking me there there was no emotion in his voice he made a flat statement he said you and I 1 are going to get married kirk reynolds drove on in silence he might have said the weather is pleasant just so casual kays hazel eyes were wide and frightened unconscious of the gesture she pressed one hand against her lips she even ask whether he was serious kirk was not addicted to making statements which he did not mean but she did say 1 I dont love you and he answered tersely that has nothing to do with it words were a relief its impossible she declared and he smiled again that mirthless mocking smile he said 1 I dont think so then she asked but why do DC you think that you care tor for me no and yet oh birkl youre joking surely not exactly heres the license he tossed it into her lap it had been issued in Sp ringdale that prosperous agricultural county which adjoined beauregard on the north the names stared up at her kirk reynolds age 28 katherine Kather lne forrest age 19 well be married by a magistrate or a preacher its your wedding take your choice the thing was too startling too bewildering she said without conviction vic tion 1 I wont do it yes you will but why because I 1 say so 1 I cant she cried desperately it possible I 1 im in love with someone else t he shrugged that makes no difference he turned his cold eyes snap out of it kay upon her perhaps youve forgotten that night no I 1 forget that then try to remember exactly what happened perhaps then understand whether im fooling she turned frightened eyes upon him Is it really necessary kirk his explanation was to him sufficient fici ent it was made without interest a mere cold statement of fact in this state said kirk reynolds a wife cannot be compelled to testify against her husband the preacher a rather gaunt and unkempt individual pronounced kirk reynolds and katherine forrest man and wife then gratuitously he intoned a long and sonorous prayer during the course of which kay kept her eyes fixed upon the ministers wife a nondescript person in a long coat which had been donned hurriedly in the present emergency to cover an wrapper behind her stood a grinning impressed into service as a second witness kay had ceased to think she had ceased to feel she knew that something terrible was happening something of awful finality she knew the same cold fear which had paralyzed her that night on the road when a gun had spoken harshly from kirks hand and now she sensed rather than saw kirk produce a wallet and press a bill into the far from un willing unwilling palm of the preacher she wanted to laugh or to cry she was audience and actor it was as though slid she were preparing to leave the movie theater in beverly after having suffered through a dreadful and unreal tragedy she heard the whispered surprised comment of the portly bollal dont look as it hes even gwine kiss the bride when they gerein the car ar again headed home kirk drove slowly once he even smiled thinly as he said snap out of it kay TO BE CONTINUED |
