Those Lucky Pullens

Taranaki Daily News, 22 November 1929, Page 14

Those Lucky Pullens

By

"Please, please, please don’t look that ■way!” she begged. “You make me feel like a perfectly horrible woman!” ' . She dropped to her knees beside him. At this moment, though, her . mother’s ■brisk tread could be heard coming up jffie cellar steps. Julia hastily arose. “If I’ve said it once. Ive said it a thousand times,” said Mrs. Pullen, swinging open the kitchen door, “that ft good, substantial, middle-aged man is much the best kind for a girl to marry. {They’re more affectionate.” • She lifted the heap of dishes that Julia had set down, and started with them to the pantry.. “Julia,” she called, “you bring out the rest of the dishes ftiid straighten the table." v Pullen pushed back his chair, and rising, went to his accustomed chair in --•the living room. Settling himself with ft sigh, he rested his elbows on the . ‘ arms’ of the chair and his chin upon his Grossed hands. There he sat, motionless, while the dishes - were washed, and the steady flow of Mrs, Pullen’s voice from the rear gave evidence that she was jigain in high good spirits. The dishes done, Mrs. Pullen took her'self upstairs. “I’ll get dressed,” she said, /‘and we’ll go out to a movie to celebrate.” , As soon as she was gone Julia glided to her father’s side, and sat on the arm of his chair. “Does it make you feel bad —my not .telling you?" she asked. He shook his head. “You're entitled •—you have a right to your secrets,” he said. His voice, however, choked a bit. *‘l want you to be happy.” A big tear ran down the girl’s cheek. “You .make me feel so terrible!” she paid. '■ He took her hand. “I know you’ll never do anything .that’s wrong,” he told her. “It’s —it’s only that this is the first time you ever had anything to — to keep from me. But it’s all right, dear. It’s all right." - “Oh!” she sobbed. “Oh! You poor, sweet —" • Her hand went into a tiny pocket at her waist, came out with the diamond ring, and with a violent motion hurled the gem into the corner. “There!" she wept. “I wish I'd never peen the thing." .; / ; CHAPTER XVIII.

Mrs. Pullen, equipped for going outdoors, entered tile room at the moment that Julia produced her pocket handkerchief and applied it to - her eyes. “Now what if” inquired Mrs. Pullen, .briskly. Her quick eye took in the, details of the tableau before her—Pullen, much depressed, in his armchair, and Julia •beside him weeping. In almost the same glance she detected the sparkle of the diamond in the corner. Possessing herself, of the ring, she examined it in rapid appraisal. “Julia Pullen, who have you gone and got engaged to?” she demanded. “Why • didn’t you tell me?” The girl put her hands before her face and shook'her head. ; , “Fred,-tell me this instant what it’s all about,” pursued Mrs. Pullen. “1 dont know,” he. answered, mournfully. The mother looked from the girl to fhe man and back again, “Julia,” she said, her voice softening. “Yes,” came a smothered voice from beneath the girl’s handkerchief. Mrs. Pullen took her daughter's wrist, and drew her to the couch, over whose ruined upholstery she had tossed a coverlet. . “Now, Julia,” she continued, seating herself on the humpy surface, and pulling the girl to a place beside her, “don’t be afraid to tell mama. Why did you .throw the ring in the corner ?” Julia was still sobbing. “Because papa felt so bad when —when I wouldn’t tell him who I was engaged to!” “Isn’t that just like a man?” appealed ?4rs. Pullen. “They’re big babies, every one of them! Why should you tell him if you don’t want to? Who is the man, dear?” The girl put her hands before her face and shook her head. “Is it Sam Carlile?” “No.” I “It isn’t—it isn’t—” a glad light was in Mrs. Pullen’s eye— f " e stout gentleman? You haven't become acquainted with him, have you, dear?” “No!” Julia’s negative was emphatic and “Then I’m sure I don’t know who it could be.” The mother took Julia’s hand coaxingly. “You haven’t been meeting any man secretly, have you?” Julia was silent. “Have you?” Still her daughter did not answer. “You have! You have then, Julia Pullen!” She lifted the ring to look at it. again. ‘There’s just one thing for you to do. You take this ring straight back!” Turning the stone so the light flashed from it, she added: “It’s a nice ring, though.” “Mama.” Julia had lowered her handkerchief from her . eyes, and spoke now with her head turned away. “Mama, I won’t get married if you don’t want inc to.” While this conference was on, Pullen had been watching his wife and daughter, gloomily at first. Gradually, however, his face cleared, and presently he chuckled. Julia and Mrs. Pullen looked up in astonishment. With a broad grin, he came across the room, and placing his forefinger under his daughter’s chin, he tilted up her head. “Julia,” said he, “you’re a fraud!” .“Why, papa!” she gas_ped. “Fred!” exclaimed Airs. Pullen. .He continued, holding the unwilling Julia’s face toward him: “Look me in the eye. No—not the floor. I said, look me in the eye.” His eyes were twinkling and his face was suffused with mirth. “I haven't lived in the same house with you for nineteen years without getting acquainted with you, Julia—just a little bit.” “Did you borrow that ring?” The girl emitted an appealing cry. “Fred Pullen,” exclaimed his wife, “whr.t on earth are you talking about?” “I’m talking about Julia,” he said, genially. “She ’ -’t engaged to any- • body. That ring's hokum. Where’d you i get it, kid?” Julia struggled to arise, but he detained her, with his hand upon her forehead. “Did you borrow the ring?” he asked again. . ' “No, I didn’t.” She drew a deep breath, as if gathering herself together. “I’ll tell you about it.”

MALCOLM DUART

i sn ma uipiK," said Mrs. ruuen, "it was ab ut time!” “Do you remember when I came home Saturday, and the new automobile had just been delivered?” Julia asked, twisting her hands together. “Mama was terribly excited, and she hadn’t looked in t! : mail box. Wait a minute." She left her parents, and ran upstairs. In a moment she was back, with a small white box in her hand. ! “This package was in the mail box,” I she raid, “addressed to .me. And this note I was inside.” | She handed Pullen a scrap of paper, lon which there was a pencilled line, ' reading: “This is for Miss Julia Pullen.” | Her father looked at the paper. “Was the ring in the box?” Julia nodded. “Just the box l , and that slip of paper, and the ring.” “But why didn’t you tell us about it ?” Mrs. Pullen asked. She still held possession of the diamond, and now she lifted it again to the level of her eyes. “Why did you want to keep it a secret?” “I—I—” the ffirl hesitated. “It’s awfully hard to tell why one does a thing, sometimes. Just impulse, I guess. I opened the box, and was going to show it to you, mama, and you ran out to look at the new car again, and I got to thinking and I put the ring away." She sighed. “I didn’t mean any wrong. For a while I thought I’d surprise you with it Sunday, and the burglars came, and I forgot about it for a little while.’ Then, after that you talked about the fat man so much —’’ ■ I “No reason for fooling your mother, Julia,” said Mrs. Pullen. -“I suppose not," the girl agreed. “Anyhow, I thought it would be fun to pretend to be engaged, but I was only going to tell daddy, and he took 0n,.50, and felt so badly that I threw it away. Then you came and found it.” Her father put his arm across her shoulders. “Why did you want to tell me, nd not your mama?" he asked. She faltered a moment. “Why—mama would have done just what she did this evening—tell me to take it back, and all. And I told you, daddy, because —because you meet Sam Carlile sometimes, and I thought it would be fun if Sain got the idea I was engaged.” Mrs. Pullen sp.ang to her feet, beaming. “And it would serve him right,” sits said. “Just you go ahexd and wear it, Julia! Perhaps if that Carlile sees it he won’t bo banging on cur loor, and calling on the telephone with his” lies, and upsetting the household the way he does!” She advanced and kissed her daughter. “I’m glad you are on my side in this, Julia!” Pullen cave a mock or oar,.

women, sai he, are too many loi me. Let me see that ring.” His wife handed it to him, and he turned it over and over. “Julia gets a ring, you get a fur coat, I get an automobile,” he said. “Who’s sending these things, anyway?” He appealed to them each in turn. “Are we all dreaming?” Mrs. Pullen drew her scarf about her neck, and settled her hat upon her fair hair. “It doesn’t make any difference whether we’re dreaming or not,” she declared. “Outside of the Chinese it’s a nice dream, and I like it. Get on your things and we’ll all go to a movie.” “At night? After dark? Why, you can’t drive when it’s dark, Fred. You might run into something.” She was looking at Julia . “I wonder,” she went on, “if it wasn’t the stout gentleman who sent you the ring, too! Why, Julia, of course it was!” She urged her husband and daughter into their street coats, and herself turned out"the lights and locked the door. “I’ve got a plan,” she said, as they descended the steps. “I won’t tell what it is, either.” She bobbed her head, in self-approval. “Is it about the fat man?” Pullen asked, a trifle dismayed. “I won’t tell you a thing. Just wait,” said his wife. CHAPTER JCIX. Mrs. Pullen’s plan, and its possible dangers to the family peace of mind, worried Pullen throughout the showing of the tender love story, whose presentation in the films Airs. Pullen had chosen to attend. To each troubled whisper, however, she returned only a satisfied smile. “If Julia can have secrets, I guess I can, too,” she said. “Now you hush, Fred — I want to read what it says on the screen.” The subject was resumed on their way home, and might have been continued until bedtime, if a new excitement had not come to them. Mrs. Pullen discovered her name in the newspaper, for + he first time in her life. This transpired on her entry into the living room, “to jest a bit before I go to bed,” as she explained. The paper, tightly rolled, lay on the little stand in the hallway, and she carried it with her to her chair. “I declare,” said she, “I didn’t look at the paper. I was so excited and all, and I cleaned the kitchen”—she was turning the pages in order to look at the pictures, be'fore settling herself to read —“but I do want to find out how that divorce case—- “ Fred!” Her husband jumped. “What are you yelling about, Elsie?” he inquired with some irritation. “We're in the paper! They’ve printed an article about our burglars!” Pullen hastily arose and came close alongside. “Well, I’ll ' be- darned,” he said. “Where is it?” She pointed, and together they read the item, half aloud. “Wouldn’t that jar you?” Pullen demanded, when they had finished. “And I missed it because the boss sent me to San Francisco and I was skirmishing around there all day —didn’t see a soul I knew.” Julia had taken the paper now and was absorbedly reading the account of their Sunday’s disaster. “It’s all here,” she said. “I wonder how the paper found out about it?” “They got it from the police, I suppose,” Pullen answered. “It's a wonder the editor wouldn’t joine out and interview you, Fred,” Mrs. Pullen complained. “I think it’s a mighty short article. But they do say it’s the third burglary in a week, don’t they?” She lifted the pa’per from Julia's hand and read the item again. “Do you know, I never thought we’d get into the newspapers! Fred, why do you suppose they made it so short?” “I reckon because they think the rest

of the town isn’t as smoked up about it as we are,” he surmised. “Likely they wouldn’t have printed it at all if the burglars hadn’t been Chinese.’’ “I don’t se why not,” said she. “We lost seven hundred and fifty dollars and they ripped up all my mattresses and our couch —I thought I’d die last night, Fred, sleeping on those springs! I’ll bet I’ve got the mark of the wire on me yet.” She rubbed her hand over her ample hip. “Did you order the new mattresses ?” “Yep—hope I have the money to pay for ’em when the bill comes in. A fellow’s coming to-morrow to measure the couch, tc He took possession of the newspaper and read the burglary item once more. (To be Continued.)