Those Lucky Pullens

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 225, 23 September 1929, Page 18

Those Lucky Pullens

- By MALCOLM DUART

THE STORY SO FAR. Fred Pullen tnrashes a young lawyer named Parks, once a suitor of Pullen's lovely daughter, Julia, but who has come with threats to Mrs. Pullen. The husband gets out of the police station at midnight, and tells that Parks had threatened to " get even." The Pullens have received many mysterious and costly gifts, Including a giant diamond. Mrs. Pullen has been " cut" by neighbour women because of gossip over these gifts spread by a certain Mrs. Hamilton. A newspaper item tells of a reward of 680,000 dollars offered in China for the return of seven diamonds, believed to have been concealed in a lacquered chest and shipped to America. The Pullens formerly had such a chest, and sold it to two Chinamen. Julia, Mrs. Pullen, and Sain Carlile, who loves Julia, arc at the house when Pullen returns. . CHAPTER LI. . Fred Pullen's name appeared in the newspapers for the second time next day. Young Parks had gloomily declined to make a statement, except to charge Pullen with an unprovoked assault. Pullen himself, at the'police station, had contented himself with observing that Parks needed a beating and that this want had been fulfilled. ' If a pair of belated newspapermen had not chanced to see the encounter, possibly there would have been no mention of the combat in the public prints at all.

Mrs. Pullen was frankly disappointed as ehe clipped the items and carefully pasted them on the flyleaf of a book. "It does seem to me," she told her husband, " that they might have made these articles more prominent." This was in the evening. Pullen had paid a fine of ten dollars and costs in court that day, while the case of disorderly conduct against young Parks had been dismissed. "Didn't they even take a picture of you, or anything?" Mrs. Pullen went on. " Nary picture," he replied. " Parks was worth one, though. You ought to see his eye! " " I don't believe you're a bit ambitious, Fred," said his wife. "' You could have made some arrangements to hire a photographer. I've seen pictures of people in court lots of times, and*they weren't nearly as well off as you are." She read one of the brief items again. ■'It doesn't mention your family at all! Why didn't you let me know when the trial was going to be? I could have come and testified, and maybe they'd have sent Parks to gaol." "Glad you didn't know about it," he said contentedly. " I only lost about ten minutes time this way—instead of three hours or so." Mre. Pullen studied his face, but detected no signs of mockery in it. She decided to let his comment pass. "Fred," she said, her mind turning to other matters, " I saw George Hamilton to-day. He went past the house, and he looked so old and broken." " Should think any man would look broken,' tied up for life to a talking machine like Mrs. Hamilton," he responded. Julia looked up from her book. She had crawled over the couch to one of the living rooni. Chairs, in which she curled up as a child sits. • ' ... " Sam walked home with me to-night," flic said; ."'and he told me that Mr. Hamilton is going to lose Ms house. He can't pay the interest, and the mortgage has got to.be renewed in a few days now, and he can't arrange the renewal." "Poor old coot," said Pullen. "Wonder, why his wife doesn't come back?" "I think she's afraid." Julia said. "Mr. Murty gave her an awful talking to, you know, when she saw him." "Did you talk to Murty about this Parks business?" her father asked. "Yes, I told him all about it. He just listened, and nodded once in a while, and when I got through he said: ' Thanks, , I'll look into it. , I couldn't get another word out of him." Mrs. Pullen had finished her task of arranging the newspaper clippings, and now she viewed the result with satisfaction. "It's lovely to have books around the house," ehe' said. " You can do so many things with them." . She displayed the flyleaf with its extracts.:from the day's court proceedings. . ; ■-. "I saw an .advertisement for books awfully cheap," she went on. "I wish we could build'that new- house, and have a library with simply loads of books in it." ""What for ? "■' asked : Pullen. " You don't, read any books." "But it's so sort of distinguished to have 'em,',' she explained. "Besides, I do read books. Don't you remember that book I was reading just before our trouble started? It was 'The Wilted Lily.' It was terribly sad. I enjoyed it so much! " Her husband smiled, drew a cigar from his pocket, lighted it, and crossed his knees. "Elsie," said he, "what'll you give me if I build that house you want? Especially if I throw in a bookcase for good j measure?" Julia,'turned, and smiled, while Mrs. Pullen demanded further light. •"- "You know that big hunk of diamond ' we turned over to Mr. Murty," he continued. ■■ "Well, even if we haven't got the rest of the stones, we'll probably get a pretty hefty reward for returning that one. I'm willing to take a chance. Unless. I miss my guess, we'll get enough "out of the diamond to pay,-for the house and-lots and everything" ■-' "We'll need new curtains," said Mrs. Pullen doubtfully. "All right—get 'em," he advised. "And we'll simply have to get rugs." "I'll,chance the rugs, too." "And our cookstove is almost worn out." "Buy an electric stove," he proposed generously. She came and eat on the arm of his chair, placing her arms around his neck. >"I love to hear you say that," said she. "It's almost as good as really getting the stove and all. It makes me feel so prosperous" A careful canvas of the situation next day revealed that Pullen could make a start on his building project.

i Sam came home with him to dinner, and together they outlined to Mrs. •Pullen and Julia the result of their investigations. • "I can't pay the whole amount that -those two lots cost," Pullen said, 'but I can pay enough to get them. We can 'start work on the foundations, too. Building work goes slower in winter,,of course, and I figure-; that by the time the- foundation is in, /we'll - have .the reward from that: diamond in , the hank. Then we can just go;ahead a-whooping." His wife was radiant. "Mrs. Hamilton and every other woman in this neighbourhood , will, simply parade past that house-day and knight/* she predicted.

She forked a heap of veal' chops to Sam's plate, stilling his protests with the remark that "young men should eat hearty."

"But, Fred," she went on, returning to the subject of the house. "If Sam and Julia get married, oughtn't we to build a bigger place?" The girl clapped her hands' to the table, one on either side of her plate, and stared at her mother. "Who said I was going to marry Sam?" she demanded. "You've got your head set on it, and I know it," stated Mrs. Pullen, undisturbed. "Mama!" cried the daughter. "Julia's k«pt it a secret from me," young Carlile observed. "I've asked hor forty times, I'll bet, and the only thing she does is to laugh at me—when she doesn't get mad and bawl me out." Julia showed the preliminary, symptoms of flight, but, after an agitated moment, changed her mind. As a substitute, she spoke sweetly to Sam. "Mama's been trying to marry me off ever since the end of summer, and to the unlikeliest people," said she. "There was the fat man, and then Mr. Parks, and then Mr. Murty, and now it's you." "Ouch!" cried Sam, at this body blow. "For gosh sake, Mrs. Pullen, let's change the subject!" "Don't pay any attention to her," , Mrs. Pullen advised. "Girls are roman-. tic, and they have such queer ways. I remember when Mr. Pullen used to call on me, I'd hide lots of times and pretend I wasn't home, and then he'd find me behind the door and kiss me."

"Please, mama!" begged Julia. "She took good care that I did find her," said Pullen.

"Fred Pullen, I did no such thing."

Her husband's remark proved a welcome diversion, so far as Sam and Julia were concerned, Mrs. Pullen launched into an intimate description of her husband's lovemaking that ultimately drove him. from the dining room, while the youth and the girl finished their meal in peace.

Discussion of the new home was resumed in the living room later. It had wandered to the question whether the garage should have plastered walls, when the doorbell announced a visitor.

Mrs. Pnllcn answered. Touchirfg on the porch lamp, she swung open the , door, and immediately was stricken speechless. ,

Her old enemy, Mrs. Hamilton, stood before her, a smirk on her thin lips and a glitter of triumph in her eye.

"I just came to say you can't hound mo out of this town—you and your lawyers," said the newcomer, one foot on the sill to forestall an attempt by Mrs. Pullen to close the door. "I've got a lawyer of my own now." "Lowyer with a black eye?" asked Pullen, coming to his wife's aid. "It makes no difference about his ■>ye," declared Mrs. Hamilton. 1 "With what I know and what Mr. Parks will find out shortly, we'll see whether you can have old dried-up lawyers talking to me." She retired towards the steps. "You and your fat men, Elsie Pullen!" she cried, as a parting shot. ( (To be continued daily;)