Show the mono honorable monorail uncle U acle ancy if 0 bobbi meryll co by ETHEL HUESTON service I 1 CHAPTER VII continued 10 even the grounds shared the campaign renovation the rarest and most treasured of small shrubs and plants were removed to the greenhouse which was padlocked stout grilled iron fences enclosed the flower gardens and bushes little rail ings shut off the place where visitors were not to walk cecil dodd joined them at shires on the fifth of july and an old roadster was turned over to him to travel about the state in meeting committees mit tees arranging rallies hobnob bing with the press and getting his bearings in general in july aunt olympia referring to her social activities list invited the ladies aid society in maysville to a garden party at shires tile the girls who thought they knew ladies aids were amazed at the quantity of refreshments she planned for this event dear me it must be a huge 0 aid said helen you have food enough for two hundred therell therel be two hundred said aunt olympia though its not a very large aid bring all their children and cousins and aunts by marriage take advantage of it being election year and invite all their out of town friends there were two hundred and fifty at the garden party most of ern em I 1 never saw before in my life and half of those I 1 have seen dont even belong to our church the senator had no real opposition in the primary and spent only enough time and money on it to strengthen the party machine and lay the groundwork for the real battle the preliminary activities of the campaign were of a mild sort more in the nature of social pleasantries pleasant ries than warfare there was frequent attendance at church suppers fish fries shore dinners club picnics and fir emens balls there were a few speeches to be made photographs to be posed for interviews given and disseminated the senator had figured that six weeks would suffice for the intensive swing of the state campaign but he had not reckoned with brother wilkie six weeks was not enough for the opposition in july while the senator was blissfully basking in a breathing spell the governor swung into action to take the edge off the senators homey old trailer he established the children the bel dame and len hardesty in a covered wagon and hit the trail CHAPTER VIII in august impelled by the gov erners aggressiveness the slop shire for re election campaign go got under way the old trailer after standing outdoors three or four days to become stained with dust and streaked with ra rain lr and dew was packed for travel the itinerary was planned to the ultimate minute the sound truck was loaded with papers files and baks the girls enjoyed campaigning aunt olympia hovered over them broodingly her solicitude not entirely attributable to their value as campaign material she saw to it as far as she was able that they had proper rest regular meals abundant exercise she decreed and saw that the decree was well publicized that the place chosen for them to pitch camp each night should provide some recreation for the girls tennis horseback riding or swimming for the health of our children far transcends a senatorial campaign olympia herself usually went about with a large sewing bag on her arm in chii she ghe carried fresh handkerchiefs a makeup make up box an impressive array of darning cottons needles and threads assembled by hilda and an old worn out pair of the senators socks on which she darned photographically with amazing patience the regular mending and laundry were sent back to hilda at shires without benefit of camera men the girls were frequently photographed in the act of washing or ironing a set of napkins poor adele is doing the laundry this morning aunt olympia would say apologetically to the newsmen leading them best view we ran short of linens Aun auntie tle auntie limpy remonstrated confidentially yc youre ure forgetting youre scotch we were re going to wear those napkins out if we keelon laundering them halt half a dozen times a day we use them at least once just to get our moneys worth out of them invariably they returned to shires for the sabbath to get a little rest and a few hot meals and always to attend church very much en famille the senator aunt olympia and the three girls the cynosure of all eyes when brother wilkie the governor reached maysville on a sabbath aunt olympia dinv inv invited him and his troupe to dinner she did it with penetrating heartiness too as the bemb members ers stood agape at the church door with brother wilkie shaking every hand 1 I want you and the children to come right up with us for sunday dinner she proclaimed clearly you may be our political opponent brother wilkie but in the house our board such as it is is your board len hardesty who was usually hard pressed about one thing or another on sunday morning had also attended divine worship in mays to ONO 7 sa f k 4 31 9 cap J va az t 0 there were two hundred and fifty at the garden party ville that morning occupying the corner of the pew directly opposite senator Slop shires and gazing gazin g uninterruptedly at adeles slightly flushed profile during the entire service he put nothing in the collection plate though olympia had not definitely included him in her invitation he tucked adele cozily into his small roadster and arrived at shires in advance of the main party you may as well lay a place for me too gustavus he told hilda cheerfully and dont put me next to the brats I 1 I 1 I 1 cant they wait till the second table or how about serving adele and me alone in the back yard even with the campaign well under way they continued to see a good deal of len hardesty too darn much aunt olympia said expressively pres he was constantly popping in on them unexpectedly both when they were on the trail and wh when en they were resting up at shires I 1 hum squab I 1 see he said one sunday making a note of it ill have a larger portion senator it if I 1 you dont mind I 1 I 1 I 1 so its squab eh I 1 I 1 I 1 and the governor and the brats and worse luck V I 1 dine on corned beet beef and cabbage he does that to appeal to the slaughterhouse vote said olympia ill bet he goes right upstairs afterward and fills up on caviar and fles and french pastry 1 I notice a very expensive radio youve got rigged up in your trailer len went on weve veve only got a secondhand second hand phonograph in the covered wagon to amuse the brats we had to get a good one to fol follow low the governors speeches sai said d aunt olympia he mo mouths buths his words so you cant understand him on anything less than the best not I 1 suppose figuring that it also enables your pretty wards to amuse themselves dancing on the greensward to new york nightclub night club music well wrong with dancing on the greensward its one of the most innocent and natural diversions go on ollie you forget who youre trying to kid I 1 I 1 I 1 or would it be whom during september the congressional hearings on un american and subversive activities almost took the limelight from the state campaigns the senator was almost childishly pro american in his convictions and followed the reports with morbid avidity some of his most ringing speeches were in hot defense of this suddenly jeopardized americanism and he received a very good press on it this obliged the governor to follow the same tack though he had no personal experience with subversive elements and thought them a good deal overrated still since subversive ele elements meats were definitely not popular with the orthodox he leaped gallantly to their denunciation one day the press reported that in the compulsory registration of foreign agents some known to be engaged in such activities had no not registered investigations were under way the next morning headlines screamed the news that three well known and popular washington socialites socializes socia lites had been arrested as spies one of these was gabriel ballotti dAl lotti that was exciting news for the orphans and adele and limpy had great fun teasing helen about it helen took it good no wonder gabriel knew more about things than I 1 do helen said id know things too if I 1 were paid a salary for learning them im afraid he the old palsy walsy I 1 thought him he tell me what he was finding out even aunt olympia thought it was amusing she said she it at all surprised she declared that half the ambassadors and all of the diplomats in washington were spies she said 1 I give you my word before I 1 go to an embassy reception I 1 take the safety pins out of th the e broken straps on my slip and have hilda sew them on im too proud to have foreign spies looking through me at those safety pins its an outrage said the senator bristling all over with americanism they ought to be shot not just for looking at a safety pin del surely said aunt olympia on the next sunday len hardesty arrived at shires too late for church but in ample time for dinner im supposed to be down in washington touching the committee for more funds he explained cheerfully were running short in fact were low we were reduced to hamburgers last night though I 1 see you have an abundance of fried chicken here parley farley must be doing all right py by you better get along down to washington said aunt olympia 0 o or r be reduced to canned dog food when dinner was over the sena tor begged to lu ue eXLUS Cd ne had important work on hand aunt olympia got up and walked off she was going to take a nap but whose business was it helen had letters to write and limpy lin apy took the box of nuts and the funny papers and went out to the porch adele and len hardesty thus considerately left alone wandered down through the garden and on out into the orchard where they selected a big apple tree far removed from the house and sheltered by a hedge and sat down for a long time they devoted themselves to the tender personal things natural to a young couple very much in love but eventually settled down to speak of other things of politics their daily activities their hopes their plans oh len adele cried suddenly it exciting about gabriel ballotti dAl lotti exciting I 1 dont see anything exciting about it but that they catch him months ago quote the lousy worm end quote but that he should turn out to be a spy we never dreamed of such a thing weve had no end of fun with helen about it with helen dont you remember gabriel ballotti dAl lotti was the man who spent all last spring studying the american system with helen I 1 told you about it len who had just started to light a cigarette paused suddenly his hand in midair the american system with hep hel en he repeated oh it was perfectly all right she said hastily there was nothing flirtatious about it helen is dead serious about being engaged engage to brick you know I 1 I 1 I 1 sh I 1 its a surprise for aunt olympia I 1 I 1 I 1 gabriel said he was gathering material for a book on the american picture and he got helen to help him though she says he knew more about it than she didi did they used to argue for hours about and armaments and military preparedness pa redness and all that why he even warned her against canada in an indirect way we call her the first assistant spy len lit his cigarette slowly did she see much of him I 1 oh he was was hardly ever out of our sight he went every place we did not with us he just met us there by accident the way you do he came t to 0 the house three or four times a week afternoons mostly 1 I see len stood up well beautiful ive got to be a flying myself down to washington so dont sit there blinking your lashes and looking lonesome trying to get my mind off the salvation of the nation according to the papers sl sloppy OP is taking a few days off to rest his corns will you be here the rest of the week till thursday it for uncle landys laneys corns its so hilda can get us mended and laundered and fed its terrible cooking in that trailer we all ali have to work at once you know for the sake of the photos and theres not room for three our digestions pay the penalty ill be over before thursday thank ollie for the chicken hamburgers and to think if it been for the shortsightedness the hopeless inefficiency of old sloppy id be with you on fried chicken instead of over there with the brats on hamburger aunt olympia shrewd as she was could not understand cecil dodd in the beginning though she had certainly made it clear that ats s assistant director of publicity he was chiefly to take care of the woman angle he had flung himself into the campaign with such assiduity that she could hardly get hold of him long enough to take the girls horseback horse back riding dave cooper assured her the kid was do ingall doing all right that there wa was real stuff stud back of his gentle smile smil e but aunt olympia felt that her plan had been somewhat of a failure now suddenly all this was changed cecil had become ubiquitous constantly underfoot as olympia complained when dave who had come to rely on him flatly ordered him off on certain missions he went but with reluctance hes beginning to miss the sofas I 1 said the senator sympathetic I 1 cally the worst thing about cushions they become habitual oh I 1 knew he keep it up grumbled aunt olympia these fireworks that go off with the biggest explosion always sputter out first still dave assured her once he was dragged away from the insidious comforts of shires or the clubby attractions ol of the trailer entourage he worked both hard and well like a dog dave said and does what hes told on saturday when the cavalcade returned to shires tor for rest and renovation dave said he and cece would go to town and do some intensive groundwork at headquarters cece objected objected ge gently but firmly lie he said he needed rest and renovation as much as anybody call up headquarters and tell em were coming said dave firm 4 1 46 J I 1 aa ill be over before thursday thank ollie for the chicken ly aunt olympia gave him his hat on sunday except for the visit of len hardesty which they had come to expect the day was restfully calm and quiet and then on monday evening as they were having coffee in the cool of the east veranda hilda announced disapprovingly its mr dodd on the phone and he wants miss limpy you could have knocked aunt olympia down with a feather she said so herself at least a hundred times in the days that followed she open her mouth she just sat as if she had indeed been knocked there limpy ran back from the telephone oh aunt olympia cece says the young democrats are getting up a dance rally at the fire ho house use and if he comes and gets me and drives carefully and brings me back early may I 1 go aunt olympia still suffering from the feather blow speak would you like to go gir girls Is asked the senator mildly did he invite all of us limpy asked adele significantly urn um ah well ah perhaps not specifically ill go and ask him shall I 1 he only mentioned me a small party I 1 believe aunt olympia came to you cant go she said in a strangled voice you cant go a step and you say aw uncle laney lancy for im running this nursery and you cant go he says all right announced limpy he care about the dance he says hell come over g and make a report to the senator gi you call him right up del and va tell him to stay where he is and not interrupt our rest with any reports you tell him to stay where he is and do as dave tells him here I 1 am just getting somewhere with my extemporaneous speech and now getting all upset about limpy you call him right up del tell him when we want him well send for him aunt olympia tried to still the under chin with a few fierce jabs with a feather feath er she mut feebly TO BE CONTINUED |