Show honorable uncle lem the a C y 0 dobbs merrill co by ETHEL HUESTON service I 1 THE STORY THUS PAR FAR left orphans by a tragic automobile accident which claimed the lives of 0 their mother and fattier father three sisters helen adele and limpy are visited by their aunt olympia politically minded wife ot of senator delaporte Slop shire she insists that the girls return with her to washington to make their home with them in addition to loving the girls aunt olympia knows they will be a terrific political asset senator Slop shire has as his political opponent one brother wilkie a minister whose political campaign Is furthered by seven unspeakable brats who sit on the rostrum with him while he makes speeches aunt olympia and the senator kind and loving nevertheless know that their three nieces will mean votes for the senator senator Slop shire a pleasantly foggy individual who depends on the astuteness ot of his bis wile wife prepares for their coming though limpy the youngest is 16 and helen the oldest is 21 the senator buys them all the toys and gifts he can find feeling that children should be occupied when they first meet their uncle lancy as he is to be known the girls take him to their united bosom soon adele most beautiful of the sisters meets len hardesty publicity man tor for brother wilkie though it is lens job to help defeat the senator he promptly falls in love with adele olympia buys an automobile house trailer which will accommodate the five of them and from which the senator will campaign then she decides to hire a publicity agent for the senator securing the services ot of dave cooper CHAPTER rv IV continued 7 we can get cecil said olympia ive already spoken to him just tentatively you understand asking why he get into the political end of it and he said he wanted to T but never got the breaks we can get him A happy smile her face wait till len hardesty hears this len hardesty was not long hearing it he dropped in on them the next night had to fly down he said cheerfully got to fly back too the governors going tightwad on me im glad you came len said olympia heartily almost fondly 1 I want to ask your advice about something A guarded expression settled over his face oh you do eh then youre up to something im against he braced himself to receive it all right lets have it its dead wrong and you know it olympia laughed happily oh its really nothing or I 1 be asking your advice its a mere detail its about a publicity man for the campaign you know those publicity gangsters better than we do len who had thought he was prepared pa for anything was genuinely surprised publicity man why you dumb cluck arent you having dave cooper it if youre not better get him and get him quick hes tops dont be silly len of course were having him for the senator but weve got to have an assistant you see theres going to be quite a cavalcade of us what with the trailer and the tent and the sound truck and three cars we dont want anybody to work day and night for us were not like some candidates who expect a poor publicity man to live move and have his being with seven brats and a trumpeting beldame bellame bel dame 1 I smell a rat said len hardesty you never gave me an assistant but were a much larger party this year you silly dunce no definitely I 1 am for you laboring classes and I 1 will not have poor old dave imposed on and worked to death not even for the senator but well expect his assistant chiefly to handle our end of it mine and the girls when the senator and dave are off on their flying junkets and were cooped up in the trailer well need someone rather young and fairly presentable dont you think so he can be a sort of companion to the girls when dancing and riding and swimming and you know yourself len that fairly presentable sen table publicity men are hard to get I 1 dont know that ive ever seen one im sorry I 1 spent the money to fly down he said grimly it if jm im 6 to pick out a man for you seems to me you ought to pay the bill out of your expense account unfortunately we a percentage club like the governor she disclaimed quickly besides darling I 1 dont expect you to pick him out what I 1 was afraid of he admitted gloomily now lets get this straight ollie you speak ot of yota cavalcade of cars it to be A campaign for reelection election re or a specially conducted young la dies tour with a presentable escort the election comes first of course but after all the senator uncle laney lancy and I 1 cannot overlook our responsibility to these poor dear children we must provide for them as best we can even in the exigencies of a campaign who would you suggest 1 I suggest anybody id suggest putting the girls in jail till I 1 get rid of the governor they dont need an escort dave cooper can handle them true hes no don juan hes forty and fat and married and chews tobacco but he can give you all the publicity you need and more than you merit 1 I was thinking of someone like well how about cecil dodd cecil dodd lord ouie ollie if you upholster your trailer in purple and silken cushions elect the governor cecil dodal ollie weve had our occasional cas ional differences but ive always admired you as a straight shooting shoulder should er to shoulder old trooper cecil dodd do you want to shatter a young mans fondest illusions cecil dodd youre not taking him to play politics youre taking him to gum up my w works arks he writes very beautiful and touching articles len hardesty and you cant deny it but I 1 admit I 1 want him especially as a sort of a companion a sort of chaperon for the girls when they do their playing I 1 cant keep my mind on them every minute and run this campaign at the same time 1 no 0 so ayou you salve your calloused conscience by giving them this this silk pariah as a watchdog well if what youre up to you count adele out she cant go I 1 put my foot down on that you can sick him onto your innocent helen and trusting little limpy if you like it if your idea of christian Christi arf duty to young orphans but ive got kings X on adele and she cant go well im glad you approve said olympia beamingly have a drink len your seal of approval relieves me a lot I 1 quite sure about it in my own mind but youve settled my doubts aw ollie be a sport give a fellow a break wont you remember what pals weve always been remember the life im going to lead with the brats and the trumpet yawping yawning at me from every angelel how can I 1 drum up votes for the governor continued len it if im going to be upset over the opposition all summer do you want to nip the budding career of a rising young genius id love to if you consider yourself a budding genius which most people dont thanks len ill call him first thing in the morning call him you called him you cinched cincher it thanks for that my darling old dragon he said a ray of light breaking over his face ill land him first I 1 know every sofa he sits on tough luck old dear the governors hiring an escort tor for the brats if he has to add an extra per cent to jo pay tor for him goodby good by dear beautiful angel he said to adele for your sake I 1 tear myself away to corral that menace the girls sat quite motionless until he had dashed from the room aunt olympia contentedly lighted a cigarette are you going to let him get away with it gasped adele my dear said aunt olympia I 1 in politics you never allow grass to grow where the opposition is going to plant his foot I 1 tried to get cecil this morning but he is up in new york writing up that model murder case for the tabloids if len hardesty knows every sofa in manhattan hes had entirely too much experience to associate with you my dears CHAPTER V on the next morning at eleven aunt olympia received cecil dodd in the sitting room she received him alone having with difficulty hardened her heart to the girls importunities for they eager curiosity doubly whetted by the united opposition of uncle laney lancy and len hardesty and by aunt olympias defense were eager for a 4 do you want to shatter a young mans fondest illusions glimpse of him aunt olympia for the only time withstood their pleas even lampys aw aunt olympia did not move her ive been thinking of our talk the other day she began at once did I 1 understand you to say you would like to try your hand at campaigning im crazy to he said boyishly ive applied tor for a job every place under the sun but nobody will take me because I 1 have no experience and how the deuce can I 1 get experience when nobody will try me out maybe you could give me a recommendation he suggested no I 1 cant do that she said flatly 1 I dont know whether youre any good or not and im careful about my recommendations but maybe I 1 could give you a job a very small job of course but it would be a starter cecil dodd was so surprised he say a word refuse a recommendation ommen dation and give him a job it seemed almost unethical experience is worth more than money he murmured devoutly not to us she admitted anyhow be something and well pay your expenses and it if anybody can teach you the racket dave cooper can with some help from me you see cece this like the usual campaign weve got our young nieces with us and were going to take them along those girls are going to be our best asset in this campaign and we want someone not quite so hard boiled as dave to do full justice to their vote appeal and since e the girls will be around constantly wed like someone of agreeable disposition and some social experience to be a sort of companion to them and we think do all right take orders from dave of course and do what he tells you and go where youre sent but your main job will be handling our end of the game cecil dodd was boyishly delighted when the first moment of reverent and worshipful awe had passed he found voice again mrs Slop shire he said earnestly ill work like a dog ill work day and night having come to this amicable agreement aunt olympia asked him to stay and meet the girls he accepted the invitation gratefully but aunt olympia could see that his mind was less on them than on the great opportunity which a bounteous heaven had bad so surprisingly bestowed upon him he responded courteously to the introductions but seemed not even to notice adeles eyes not as good a reporter as len hardesty thought aunt olympia len overlooked a lash the girls considerably to their surprise found him pleasant even likable and a decided contrast to the explosively verbose len hardesty he was slight in build not tall but lithe with a suggestion of muscular strength in his easy movements his voice was low almost diffident his smile boyishly winsome he dressed with that studied and expensive carelessness that is so revealing to the practiced eye well you may as well begin now as anytime said aunt olympia take a memorandum will you he hastened to comply drawing out his fountain pen and a small elegant date book in limp leather remind the senator or re remind mind me to remind him to be sure to write up and tell the farmer at shires our place up home to have an extra suit of farm clothes for the senator to borrow when he speaks at the granges the girls talked him over when he had gone they agreed that len hardesty had been unjustly prejudiced and that cecil was a nice boy and they could stand having him around they thought his eager enthusiasm thusia sm for the job rather pathetic yes its pathetic assented aunt olympia cece is all right the trouble is that hes always been able to do what he wanted to instead of what he had to he has enough money to live on so hes never had to file his nose on the grindstone it takes grindstone to make a newspaper man hes really what you yot would call a sweet child helen wrote to brick landis he seems so young and so unspoiled and yet aunt olympia says hes had his own way all his life and had everything he has ever wanted he is taking this job with such deadly seriousness that she is beginning to fear he will neither amuse us nor drive len hardesty mad which was her main object he began bringing up huge volumes on politics to get aunt olympias opinion of them but she stopped that she said he could get his opinions from her and dave cooper he has bought a new perfectly gorgeous simply huge brief case and a new portable typewriter and whenever he is not sitting raptly in the senate gallery gazing down at his candidate and taking notes of every breath he draws he is dt at the press club trying to make contacts I 1 just wonder brick if you take politics seriously enough you pay thirty dollars for a brief case and buy a new typewriter aunt olympia went with helen and adele one afternoon to a large cocktail party the invitations had said tea it was at the home of an outstanding republican senator they remembered that later with some bitterness adele left alone for a few minutes was approached by a man comparatively young quite handsome whom adele instinctively labeled a foreigner of some sort 1 I 1 met you just after you came in miss rutherford he said pleasantly 1 I am gabriel ballotti dAU dAl otti lotti I 1 I 1 possibly expect you to remember me in that crowd and that confusion but by the same token you could not possibly expect me not to remember you in any crowd or any confusion you are unforgettable adele smiled pleasantly but she remembered len Harde warning beware of embassies and attaches ta ches are you with one of the e embassies she asked alas no I 1 have no such I 1 laj tance I 1 am just a young man trying to get along but I 1 know the embassy crowd and have friends among them so I 1 get around may I 1 bring you a drink not now thanks to tell the truth I 1 am one of about a million foreigners trying to get the true american picture I 1 do free lance correspondence tor for a few foreign papers and magazines and naturally I 1 am collecting my impressions for a book on america if you get the american picture you see better than I 1 do she admitted it looks a hodgepodge to me like modern painting you cant tell whether that pink splash is a ladys arm or a platter of tried fried liver with onions and then it turns out to be a bunch of grapes 5 he laughed appreciatively 0 V d the same difficulty both with art and with america but I 1 am young and brave I 1 shall die struggling do you like washington oh very much of course you get the right slant on it he conceded it helps a good deal to be on the inside looking out and around instead of as I 1 am on the outside waiting my turn at the knothole oh but my trouble im on the outside too you cant be far outside in the home of senator Slop shire ile he knows his america I 1 have often wondered about your senators do they act at home as they do on the floor um something the same uncle laney lancy wipes his glasses and blushes through his thinning hair when he is flattered but what does he talk about does he merely say as I 1 would how very beautiful you are does he complain about the eggs being overdone does he read his speeches to you adele laughed he reads them to helen but she asked for it she admitted helen is trying to learn politics from the ground up she is my older sister dear me Is she going to run for something maybe anyhow she made up her mind to learn it she goes to co committees m m ittzes and reads the congressional record and at night they go to the library and argue for hours over how many air defense guns are required here and there and whether peace is preserved b acre e armaments or by disarming dis disarming armin ir md d which end of a boat is the p raper r place to put guns and how many times time s the new destroyers can be torpedoed before they blow up all that sort of thing dear me it sounds quite horrifying he expound it all to you too oh no I 1 dont listen limpy and I 1 dont care for that sort of thing we just pick out the best nuts and think of other thin things s simply profound of you I 1 should say more afore important things like wheres your yellow basket oh nothing half as profound as that if we lost our yellow |