Those Lucky Pullens

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1929, Page 14

Those Lucky Pullens

By

/•Z 7 “111 get some more of these papers in r the morning,’' he said. “We’ll want ■. to send clippings to some of our friends, won’t we?” Mrs. Pullen pursed her lips. “I suppose so —but I do wish the article had . been more prominent. It would have ; been, too, if you had been a prominent >• , clubman. Fred, why don’t you join some clubs? They’re getting into the society . news all the time, the clubmen are. Only it-: > last week a prominent clubman was sued 7 of promise, I believe it was—” Zzj/Z Pullen laughed. “Do you want me to bo sued for breach of promise?” ) JZ. 5 .“Don’t act smart, Fred Pullen! But | : 1 they do have awfully nice dances for ■ ■ ‘ ‘ their, wives and daughters, and I’d like I :' >■ to be. in the list sometimes myself —the I > -fJjst of people at receptions and balls. > ''Now we’ve got this fine car, and I've '<’■ got tho new fur coat, and Julia has a 77 • diamond, I don’t see why you don’t join j-7' » club, Fred.” c’ii He drew out his watch and glanced ’•/.at it. “Let’s postpone the club until to7'•/ morrow,” he advised. “This is what we get for going to the second show. It’s Z. /nearly midnight.” Z':-*;?. Yawning, he started up the stairs, . , Julia following after him. Mrs. Pullen Z/ to lock the door, and test the . ./.windows.’ : • • : “If the boss’ll let me go, I’m going to M/'t'ake the new job Thursday,” he said, as /. he crawled under the covers. “Five hun- - * dred cash down. It’s a find, Elsie —it’s a find.” • Two days of quiet ensued for the / ' Pullen broken oh by Julia’s ■ announcement that at last she had found • J /work, and by a call from Mrs. Hamilton. r “I had thought maybe you’d like to be my stenographer,” Pullen said to his .daughter, when she told of her success. ■!. . ‘‘l’ve, got to have one now.” “But I’m not good enough to be a \ private secretary,” she told him. “I make so many dumb mistakes.” -■“Still, I’d be more apt to overlook ’em,” he urged. Z v ..7 She shook her head. “When-I'm real -good, and .can take, dictation without -/;■•■. asking how to spell everything, I’ll work for you, daddy. You’ll be a big real ' Ostate operator then, with subdivisions Z -c and omnibuses and —won’t it be wonder* fui?’ ? : < • '►'•‘“Yeah —if I don’t get canned in the . meantime..' I’m starting on the job tomorrow, you know.” z'Z . Mrs. Pullen had been unusually silent. ; ; They were sitting around the floor lamp 7 In the living , room, Julia with a book, Z and Pullen with the newspaper. His wife ■“•'was sewing. Z 7 “Mrs. Hamilton have any fresh guff? V'?/ Any more fables?” Pullen inquired. , \ “She was here almost all afternoon,” Z replied his wife, and stopped. “Well, what’d she say? I’ll bet she didn’t keep silent.” ; Mr. Pullen sighed. “I’m worried about something,” she said. After a pause, and another sigh, she continued. “Mrs. Hamilton wanted to know all about our burglary, and told me what the neighZ- hours said —most of it was wrong, Fred,” “If the neighbours weren’t wrong, Mrs. Hamilton was,” her husband commented. “Anyhow, she wanted to know about Julia—whether she'd made up with Sam Carlile. I didn’t want her to think that Julia had to go running after a nor ■ account fellow like him, so I mentioned the stout gentleman.” “What!” cried Pullen and Julia together. '■'•' “It sori of slipped out,” defended Mrs. 7. Pullen. “And we got to talking, and, •7 Fred, I said something about Julia’s ring.” Her husband groaned. “Now you ve I done it! What did you say?” “I think,” she said—“think she may have got tho idea that the stout gentleman gave Julia the ring—that she’s gW engaged to him." Z, “Mama.” Julia gasped. “How could you?” . ' •; There was dismal trouble on Mrs. Pulleii’s countenance. 7?. ; “You know how it is when you’re talking,” she explained, “you just say things kind of unexpectedly.” Z “You do that way—l don’t,” her bus:Z-' band said. “Now that measly old gossip will parade up and down the street, telling that Julia’s engaged!” ■ “I know,” his wife said, "I know! And Z- I’m so afraid he’ll get word of it!” / .“He’ll get word! What do we care ' ’ what word ho gets?” demanded Pullen, ZZ loudly. ~ .7 ; “Why, if he thinks we’re talking about him probably he’ll never come around x any more!” said Mrs. Pullen. .■; ' • Her husband rose abruptly, and ■I stamped up the stairs, his lips tightly compressed, and tho muscles of his jaw working convulsively. Julia was huddled fn her chair, hands palm upwards in her lap, tears coursing down her cheeks. ' : Mrs. Pullen raised her handkerchief and dabbed it to her daughter’s eyes. •. ■ “Julia,” she said. “I’m so afraid I’ve spoiled your prospects. And after tho 7 ■ stout gentleman had been so good, and so refined!” Tho girl moved her head wearily, but did not answer. Mrs. Hamilton says,” added Mrs. Pullen, after a pause, “that the neighbours all say your father went into debt for that limousine.” “It’s a sedan,” said Julia mournfully. “Sedan,” her mother said. “But I told her a thing or two! I told her your father has rich friends.” “Oh, my/’ groaned Julia. “Mama, I’m going outside." She went and secured her hat and coat, Mrs. Pullen following after her protesting. At last the mother planted herself before the door. “Julia,” she said, “you shan’t go out in the street alone at night. You shan’t, I tell you.” Lifting her voice, she called: “Fred, you come down her and help me!” The girl turned, and laid her hand oil the telephone receiver. “Mama,” she said, “I’m going to call Sam Carlile, and ask him to come over." CHAPTER XX. Pullen came to the head of the stairs. “What’s all the rumpus?” he called. Mrs. Pullen answered, her hand placed firmly over the mouthpiece of the telephone. . “Julia was going outdoors and now she Z wants to call Sam Carlile to come over, she informed him. “You come down here and help me stop her!” “She told Mrs. Hamilton somebody gave you that new automobile,” cried the girl. “I did no such thing," her mother de- ’’ nied. “I only said you didn’t buy the machine on instalments, Fred I said you had rich friends.”

MALCOLM DUART

Pullen came down the steps. “Julia,” he said, “quit worrying your mother. Elsie, go in the front room and sit down. Both of you go in and sit down.” “I won’t unless- ” Julia began, but her father interrupted. “Sit down!” he shouted. In unexpected obedience, the mother and daughter hurried into the living room, and found seats. “There’s no reason for yelling at us like that," said Mrs. Pullen, resentfully. “Well, I’m going to have some peace in this house,” he announced, standing in the doorway with his arms folding. “Julia, we won’t, have Same Carlile oyer here if your mother objects to him. And, Elsie, you had no business blab-, bing to Mrs. Hamilton about the fat man, and Julia’s ring, and the automobile. What else did you tell her, anyhow? Did you mention your coat,” too?” Mrs. Pullen drew her lips together, purse-fashion. “You talk as if I was some kind of a fool," she said. “Did you mention the coat?” he insisted. “Only in the most reserved way,” she said. “I showed ,it to her, and she asked me about it, and I merely said it was a secret where it came from." “What else?” he inquired, frowning. “Nothing else—except that she asked if you gave it to me and I said ‘no!’” “You said ‘no,’ eh?” He lifted his arms desparingly. “Do you realise what that woman will say? She’ll tell everybody she knows that some man gave you a coat!” “I’d like to see her try it!” exclaimed Mrs. Pullen. “I’d tell her a thing or two.” ■ Pullen sank into his own chair. “You’d better start telling it now,” he advised, “because she has four hours’ start on you. lloly Moses!” The spirit of prophecy had descended upon Pullen. This was proven within aii hour. The three of them, from sheer weariness, had turned to other topics when the . bell of the telephone rang. Julia, still wearing her hat and coat, started across the room to answer, but her father Waved her away. “Hello,” he said, in the hall. “This is Pullen. Oh, hello!" He listened for a moment, and gave a sharp exclamation. After another interval,: he uttered a brief “thanks —good-bye,” and. re-entered the room. “Mr. and Mrs. Carlile have forbidden their boy to have anything more to do with Julia,” he said, his voice shaking with wrath. His wife sprang to her feet. “Of all the impertinence I ever heard!” she cried. . ■. ■ Pullen went on, grimly. “Mrs. Hamilton was there this evening and told them that you had been taking gifts from strange men ” “Me?” shrieked Mrs. Pullen. “You,” he confirmed. “And that I’ve had to leave my job because of the way !you conduct yourself.’ Elsie, what did 'you tell Mrs. Hamilton about my job?" She regarded him with wide-horrified eyes. “1 said you were leaving your place, but it was a secret what you were going to do,” she said. Her chin was quivering, and she raised her hand to hold it. “She also said,” Pullen continued, “that a mysterious automobile has appeared at our house, and she doesn’t want to infer anything, but she believes it is mighty strange, particularly because you told her yourself that 1 didn't buy it.” He stopped, his lips drawn straight, his fingers working convulsively in his palms. With a long wail, his wife cast herself upon his bosom and cried there, clutching the shoulders of his coat. “Don’t hate me!" she jerked out. “I — feel so bad. And now —-and now I’ve disgraced all of us!” Julia came over and smoothed her mother’s heaving back. “Don’t cry,” she said. “Everything’ll be all right, mama. Don’t cry!” Mrs. Pullen felt for her handkerchief, and applied it to her wet nose. “I’m sorry I was mean to ( .you, Julia,” she said. “And, Julia” —she wiped her nose again, and blinked tearfully at her daughter—“you can have Sam Carlile over here if you want to! You just go and call him right up!” “There, there!” said Julia. “You come and sit down, mama.” ./ Her mother followed. “Just you have Sam come over to-night,” she said. “I ouglin’t to have listened to what Mrs. Hamilton said about him.” She dropped into her chair, and laid her head against Julia’s bosom. “I'm sure he’s a nice boy. You go and call him up, dear.” The girl glanced at her father, and laughed uncertainly. “I’m afraid I’d better not,” she said. “You know what his parents said about —about me. He isn’t allowed to come here!” The- 1 sentence had an eletcrifying effect upon Mrs. Pullen. She straightened herself with a jerk. “Not allowed to come here? Not allowed to see my Julia? I’ll find out whether he can see my girl —as nice a girl as ever lived on this earth, and obedient and good! I’ll find out!” She sprang to her teet and bustled toward the telephone. Pullen, still in the doorway, put out a hand to detain her. )( “What are you going to do now? he asked brusquely. (To be Continued.)