Show 01 tr P byj 42 ANDA L SYNOPSIS the loss ot of their family fortune Is accepted stoically by the bristol family including professor bristol invalid ar che his daughter rosemary and simmons a family fixture the only property salvaged Is peppertree Pep inn a southern california hotel to settle their dilemma the Crl move to california to operate the inn rosemary experiences the hectic turmoil of an inskeep ers existence and Is grateful tor for the aid of bob elliot former temporary manager bob leaves when kent standish rosemaryy Rose marys childhood sweetheart arrives to take charge As soon as the inn Is running miming smoothly kent reveals plans for a string of similar ions inns CHAPTER XI kent looked at rosemary pityingly of course you think I 1 asked him here to play checkers ive got it all worked out in figures I 1 know just the sites I 1 want to buy think of it rosemary peppertree Pep inns strunk strung all up and down the coast like like a jeweled band or something how could you be sure be a peppertree pep handy she asked asked practically for the moment the car was forgotten there always is in california you cant walk a block without seeing one and if worst came to the worst we could always plant one they grow pretty fast she was surprised to find how the idea horrified herb her peppertree Pep inn this thia inn her inn was unique even kent had said sa she hated to think of its being duplicated in town after town kent moved restlessly in his chair dont you think its asplen did idea darling dont you think madre will fall for it 1 I dont know I 1 suppose she will have you talked to her about it no but im going to your car settles that it was all I 1 needed to know just that she was satisfied when you come right down to I 1 ita it I 1 believe id rather make madre proud of me than anything I 1 know ive never been able to forget how she looked at me when I 1 told her I 1 was going to be married of course I 1 realize now just how it seemed seemed to her her big lummox of a son expensively educated given everything his little heart desired and not so much as thinking whether he be could earn an honest dollar well I 1 to earn a good many dollars now he went on happily in the new inns well eliminate au all the bad features of this one and add some good ones which arent possible here well kee keep p all the quaint odds and ends we have here but well be a bit more modern in our initial plans for example the lobby theres far too much waste space out there but is it wasted kent the friday night dances take place once a week the rest of the time we could get along nicely with about half the room no well change au all that wait ill show you a blueprint you see this sp space acel his pencil paused above a large oblong its part theatre tor for movies you know and for amateur plays Cali fornias death on amateur acting and its part ballroom and it can be used tor for bridge in the daytime and look the pencil darted to the other side of the stiff paper to balance that well put a morning room on the opposite side right here like it a morning room its really a rest room for old people you know and semi invalids therell be lots of deep comfortable couches and chairs and plants standing about but we call it a tn orning room so the thought of sickness ick nesi wont upset lem em good heavens kent are you planning to build a lot of sanitariums just what im not the big reason why im calling them peppertree Pep inns not a suggestion of illness of any kind she burst out 1 I dont like it I 1 dont like the idea of a chain of inns I 1 dont like you to be an innkeeper all your life you said had an expensive education and you have Is this the best you can do with it build inns with rooms to dance inand to rest in rosemaryy Rose maryl he looked at her in astonishment 1 I thought be tickled pink I 1 thought realize what a lot of planning and thinking and figuring ive done on this thing in a short time theres a whole lot more to it than ive told you wait till you understand wait till ive talked it over with madre she nodded unhappily AU all right im probably being very foolish kent dont pay any attention to me mrs standish relents on wedding rosemary sat under the pepper tree gazing out at the ocean she had declined ellens invitation to drive to pasadena tor for lunch she had refused to pose for linton grahame who was making a series of sketches of her she had even evaded her father who wanted to discuss this new development with her she tilt felt that she had to be alone for an hour at least to gather up her straying ying thoughts and see ee exactly where she stood things had been happening a little too rapidly for her I 1 to begin with kent had won his I 1 mother over to the idea of a chain of peppertree Pep inns armed with his marked map his figures and estimates his voluminous correspondence with leading citizens of various towns he had spent an entire morning selling his scheme to madre 1 I knew an all the time that kent had inherited his fathers creative genius she told rosemary that afternoon but I 1 confess my dear that even I 1 have been underestimating him to to think of a boy age not only conceiving such an idea but going about its execution in such a practical and businesslike arent you proud of him rosemary turned a corner skillfully they were in the new car headed for los angeles where the older woman wanted to do some shopping Y yes she answered answered d only it seems a queer sort of lifework for kent mrs standish sh laughed gently lifework establishing these inns you mean it wont be that kent has just got into his stride heu hell go from one thing to another always climbing just as his father did this phase will last only a year or so he thinks and I 1 do too enjoy it rosemary the traveling around you know he wants to start out next week to look the field over driving what about his arav arm he thinks its strong enough b but ut of course he must see a doctor first he wants you to go along darling go along but I 1 canal it be I 1 mean it look right would it not unless you were married of course said the other gently rosemary sat straighter and that is out of the question of course why dear to prevent your having a quiet wedding at the I 1 inn V but you said six months you insisted kent hold a job for six months 1 I know but that was just to shake kent out of his playboy attitude hes proved he can work now I 1 talked to mr herriot over long distance right after lunch ile he agrees with me that this chain inn idea is a splendid one the firm will advance all the capital kent needs so the business end is all settled rosemary she paused waiting for the girl to speak you dont want to be married so soon rosemary shook her head and I 1 dont know why she said slowly its not because of leaving dad 11 j f L good heavens kent are yo yon planning to build a lot of sani sanitariums tarl exactly though hell miss me of course still he has simmons and its not because I 1 want a big wedding I 1 know so few people out here that that be pbs possible sible even if I 1 waited much longer its just well idaet id set my mental alarm clock for six mo months and id like to wait that long mrs standish I 1 because of kents job you funny child 1 I dont know honestly I 1 dont know why dont we settle it that kantwill kent Ken twill will make his survey of towns and then well talk wedding plans when he gets back he may have another idea then about inns I 1 mea mean IL kent objects to further delay edith standish had been watching her intently while she groped her way through this speech the older womans comans keen eyes took in the shadowed blue eyes the troubled little frown after a moment she said cheerfully 1 I think youre wise dear dont let yourself be hurried into marriage by anyone even kents mother or kent himself she changed the subject and the two spent the afternoon amicably mrs standish buying additions to her wardrobe which made the girl gasp at their prices kent however was not so easily put off he cornered rosemary that evening and was vehement in his pleading for an early wedding theres no telling how long I 1 may have to be away sweetheart you know how these things go I 1 may be held up for weeks in one place while th the title to the property I 1 want is being examined the point in waiting till I 1 come back we been separated long enough only two weeks kent really almost two weeks to the day it seemed more like two years and have to admit ive seen very little of you since I 1 got here my fault no ones fault just circumstance and now circumstances are with us instead of against us and still you hesitate about marrying me she laughed a little no kent just what im not d doing I 1 decided when your mother first suggested it to me you go on and make your survey why dont you take your mother with you shed love it because im going to take my wife after two hours of such debate he yielded youre an awfully stubborn little thing rosemary you always were once you get your teeth into anition youre just like a bulldog nothing will make you let go what a flattering description she laughed gaily in her relief by the way chos going to run the inn this inn I 1 mean while youre gone he said patiently 1 I told you the place will run itself now all it needed was the right system and a good clerk and housekeeper but there are always emergencies 11 durham knows how to deal with them he said firmly and you can always reach me by telephone in the end it was decided that a driver be engaged for thoi the new car kent was contemptuous of this arrangement ran gement but his mother backed by the doctor was insistent madre was going along partly because she wanted to and partly as she confided to rosemary to keep kent from i taking the wheel himself they set off one glorious may morning and at the last minute mrs standish had a brilliant idea why dont you come with us dear child no reason at all why you since im along to play propriety you seen very much of california enjoy this trip madre I 1 always say youre the smartest woman I 1 knowl know run in darling and sling a nightie and your toothbrush into a bag and kiss the professor goodbye good bye she was sorely tempted it was such a grand day to go somewhere somewhere a long way off destination preferably unknown no she told the Stan dishes ill stay here pacing the floor of my bedroom counting the hours until you come back in the intervals of counting and pacing I 1 might assemble my trousseau goodbye good bye dears it you dont get started soon you might as well stay and have lunch before you go the inn felt very lonely and deserted for several days it help matters tor for rosemary that things moved forward as peacefully as kent had predicted she would have rather welcomed a crisis with which durham could not cope then she could have written kent that after all it was lucky she had stayed behind since she had been so greatly needed but the sad d truth was that she needed if there were any problems durham apparently coped with them at least rosemary heard nothing them madame chenault had parted complete with cat maid and secretary having prolonged her stay this spring by nearly two weeks the joint is better managed than it was last year she explained even tim had been able to understand everything she had said lately mrs Halver sons headaches were better or she had learned to endure a normal amount of noise no babies had been left under the pepper tree the entire inn acted like a child on its best behavior rosemary was a little bored and then like a child that had been good too long and lies down on the floor and kicks and screams peppertree Pep inn staged a series of crises emergencies acute problems which left rosemary no time t to write kent of how s she he had hinr han I 1 them left her no time even t th ok of kent Standi alarmed guests depart in haste it began innocently enough with the seventeen year old boy in room twenty four he was a nice boy who was staying at the ton inn because the aunt whom he had come to visit in bellavista Belle vista was suddenly called to chicago where her husband had been injured in a motor accident the boy his name was peter sil cote was enamored of the inn and after telephoning his family in san francisco for permission registered with a flourish and d devoted himself to procuring a first class sunburn by the end of the second day he appeared to have succeeded beyond his wildest hopes at all events he ran a temperature became slightly delirious and the efficient durham summoned a physician at breakfast the news spread like wildfire that young fellow in awen ty tour four was very ill was dying with the most virulent type of scarlet fever my dear besl yes not a doubt of it A maid had seen him when she admitted the doctor oh certainly the doctor had come in the middle of the night in fact there had been a consultation a little after four this morning the maid had caught sight of this young chaps tace face silcott Sil cote yes that was his name cucote and it was f i ply crimson with the rash md arid of his head and actually violent violen tl imagine he had dinner in this very room last night practically everybody at the inn had been exposed nervous mothers collected their offspring flung garments into suit cases and departed without waiting tor for explanations middle aged tour ests listened cynically to durhams stammered sentences about a bad case of sunburn before they followed suit the waitresses and chambermaids walked out as one girl by noon peppertree Pep inn boasted but a handful of guests and the staff was reduced to housekeeper cook and the depressed durham TO BE CONTINUED |