Those Lucky Pullens

Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1930, Page 14

Those Lucky Pullens

By

MALCOLM DUART

The'youthful surveyor winked at his companion and resumed operations with his transit. When Sam Carlile descended from his small runabout half an hour later, Mrs. Pullen still was on the sidewalk, and bristling over tho late encounter. She seized Carlile firmly by the arm and related in full the story of Mrs. Hamilton’s approach, the ensuing conversation and its concluding defeat of Mrs. Pullen. “I simply couldn’t think of a thing to say,” she told him. “At least,. nothing to show how small I think she-is.” Sam. extended his recTets.. “But I’ll have to bo around here a good deal from now on. If' I see her, I’ll make ■ faces. How’s that?” < Mrs. Pullen considered-this, offer. seriously, but .in- the end rejected, it. “That •woman would go oiit and tell stories about you,” shb : said. ■••>-•» ' '' ■ Sam' laughed’.' “I was- kidding,” he. told her. some'-news? I just got word that/Mrs.. "Hamilton’s: husband has raised the wind some way. He’s paid*-the interest on '-his mortgage and got it? renewed for another five years.” " ■' . ' • ' Her face, clouded for a moment, but presently she -smiled. “Then she’ll stay iii her lrous^e?”' : Bhe < askod. “Looks that way,” said he. ' ?S6 MroTl get" to‘-see our house, built and us- living-in it,’’, said -"Mrs. Pullen with' : deep - satisfaction. / “Sam, 'she’ll almost "expire/” - Greatly cheered, she bade him goodbye, and ’ trotted ' away, .with" i dimples showing in her plump, rosy.'cheeks. Two other women of her acquaintance passed her on the way. .'EachJin 'turn' stared at her blankly. So potent was the effect of Sam’s news regarding. Mrs. Hamilton, however, that she . swept by them with' a genuine smile’curving ■ the corners of her “ lips/ and for tlie benefit of the second’ one she even hummed a little', air. - • ; / ' ' '/ ' Her state of .good cheer persisted until the moment that she reached her own dooryard.' ' Then *sho halted, her -lips half-open, - Terror 'dawned-in her eyes. Her hands rose aiid the fingers ■worked convulsively.- ? The fat man —the source of so many of ■ her woes—was sitting on the - porch railing, chewing a cigar; ■ .>*■ “Been waiting for you for an hour,” he said without preliminary. Mrs’. Bullen remained gaping at him, too charged with panic to move or speak. After a brief delay, in which he obviously expected her to join him on the porch, he came heavily down the steps. “Did you or your husband send a lawyer to see me?” he demanded. She shook -her head, frightened eyes fixed upon him. “Ever hear of this fellow?” He extended a curd. - With some difficulty she shifted her gaze and looked at the slip of pasteboard. On it ivas the name of young Mr. Parks, with the legend: “Attorney and Counsellor at Law.” Also, written in pencil below the name, was a brief line: “To see you in connection with Mrs. Pullen.” ■ . . ' ■ “Did you send him?” persisted the fat man. . “No,” she managed to say. “Do you know him?” “He —he’s been to our . house.” Her throat was acting curiously, and she found it hard to talk. “My husband—he hit him.” she added. “Oh!” The fat man tucked the card back in his pocket. “Guess you’re telling tho truth,” he said. With this ho turned his back and strolled across the street to a long grey car that stood there, its top up and its rain curtains in place. Mrs. Pullen revolved and watched him dumbly as he climbed into the driver’s seat and drove away. As the grey car turned the corner, she caught sight of another figure, quite as familiar as that of the fat man. It was Mrs. Hamilton, standing by a neighbouring gate post, observing her with cold hostility. Mrs. Pullen ran up the steps, and after two or three nervous failures to find the keyhole, she opened the door and threw herself headlong upon the couch, leaving the door ajar behind her. / Ffteen minutes passed. A cliill wind from the street was stirring her skirts, and if was this that finally brought her to he'f“feet; “She saw me! She saw him!” she repeated, over and over, as she closed the door and slowly took off her coat and hat. Julia came home before her father that evening. Sam Carlile strolled with her as far as the steps and stood talking a few minutes while Mrs. Pullen watched through the curtain. When he departed and the girl came to the door, Mrs. Pullen cost herself upon her daughter's bosom and burst into moist weeping, her head upon Julia’s shoulder. . When the storm of tears had passed she told of her adventures, stopping to sob for a little time as she reached the episode of tho fat man. “And now she’s seen me talking with him, right in front of our house!” she concluded, with a gulp. The girl had led her to the couch and was sitting with her arm over the older woman’s shoulders. “Let’s not talk about it any more,” she urged. “It’s just one of those awful things that keep turning up. But, mama, I'v* got a wonderful surprise for you.” She dipped her free hand into the bosom of her dress and drew forth a stiff envelope. “Mr. Murty sent it,” said she. “What’s inside?” asked Mrs. Pullen, eyeing the white container doubtfully. Julia drew out a document, blue and with official-looking type printed upon its back. “It’s the mortgage on Mrs. Hamilton’s house,” she said. belongs to you and papa.” “But how ?” cried the amazed Mrs. Pullen. “It belonged to a client of Mr. Murty’s,”, the girl said. “To-night he called me in—Mr, Murty did—and gave me thisT It’s a gift from an unknown friend.” Tho mother drew her arm tenderly around the girl's neck. “I can see it all,” sho said. “That’s from Mr. Murty himself. Julia, has he asked you *to marry him?” CHAPTER LUI. I Julia opened the- legal documents and glanced over the sheets. , “Tell mama,” Mrs. Pullen begged. “Did Mr. Murty propose?” The girl laid the mortgage in her lap. “Yes, he did,” she said. Mrs. Pullen started to her feet. “Julia? Then you’re to be Mrs. Julia Murty!

My baby!” She threw her arms around her daughter’s neck again, nearly smothering her in the eeiubrace. It was with some diriieulty that the girl worked her head away from her mother’s bosom far eiw’Ugn to spcaK.

• Why, no,” she began, but Mrs. Fallen stopped her before she could proceed further.

“Do you mean to say you rejected him, Julia, after all he’s done for us? Are you crazy? Here he’s given us this mortgage, and the piano, and the furniture, and —She stopped to blink uncertainly. “I wonder how it happened tliat he gave us all those things and Sam Carlile gave us the big diamond r’ Her husband came into the hall at -this juncture, and she appealed,.to him. . “Do you , tiviiK -San; fea'liy found that big diamond for us or did iMrl. Murty send it ?” The question came } while she .was kissing him. ’ . . ■ - ‘ Something special’s on hand, I suppose,” said he'. “VVhat’s the particular, trouble this.evening?” .J “Why,” his wife explained,” Mr/ Murty asked Julia .t 0... liihrry him,- and 22 -'”

• “The? lieck you say” lie looked at the. k girl for confirmation and’ she nodded.' “Really proposed, eh ?” he' cdntihuetl. “Got down on bis old . thin knees and asked you to be?his nurse! - Well, well!” ;■.‘••your'djag.Kt- ' hsi-afited. -'bi ybur-. seii,said his wife. . - .

-, Julia/however,smiled and oli'eyd details. /He' didn’t do that exactly,’-.she said. “He called me in and gave me this mortgage, and—” :w / ... : : ■ - She-had To *stpp The narrative at. this, point to. explain to her father the newest of -his possessions. He took the mortgage and looked it over with lively interest. “Okay,” he said. “Now go on with -the-story.” ... “Well, he looked at me over the top of his glasses, awhile and then he said: ■Y-oung woman; it' looks as if you'd be ail heiress. You need a ? guardian.’ I asked him' what he meant, -and he said: better marry,you.”’ “That’s a terrible way to propose,” objected Mrs. .Pullen. —I think I must have laughed," Julia, said. “Anyhow, he looked a minute

longer and then he blew his nose. ‘You mean yoii/wont marry me?’ he I said: I’m afraid I’d better not.’ So he Isa d- An i ... ... . .. ' a

in asking. You go arid finish filing those papers/’So he swung around to his desk and 1 went out, arid that’s all there was to it."

"I v s ti.e. unreman tie thing I ever lit”/’;! in riy ! : )?'?-” her mother pronounced. “1 don't blame you for not accepting him, Julia. If anyoody had proposeu to me like tliat wiieii 1 was a girl, I’d have slapped him.” Pullen had seated himself on the couch listening with amusement to his daughter’s story. “Never heard of anything funnier,” said he. “Gives you the plaster on Airs. Hamilton’s house and asks you to be his! ” :

“I’m. sure I don’t -know what you mean by a ‘plaster,’ but I’m sure we’re wronging Mr/ Murty,” said his wife, suddenly switching her point of view. “It must be hard for a mature gentleman to humble himself before a chit of a girl. Alaybe you’d better go down and talk it over with him, Fred.”

“What’d 1 say to him?” her husband inquired. "Why just say that we will consider his proposal, and let him know later.” “Not by a darn sight!” he responded, with vigour. “It’s Julia’s proposal—not ours. If she doesn’t want to marry him, she shan’t.” “But he’s been so good to us! Giving us all the furniture, and the mortgage “Queer about the mortgage,” lie said, opening the blue-backed folder again, and running his eye over it. ‘‘l wonder if it’s possible that he has given us these things!” “He said the mortgage was from a client of his,” Julia told him. “It has just been renewed, and Mr. Murty took it in his own name, and is transferring it to you.” “1 simply give it up,” said Pullen. “There’s somebody who has loaded us with presents — thousands' of dollars worth. There never was any luck like it! Then the big diamond comes back, and we get tlie reward on that!” Mrs. Pullen laid her hand on his arm, her eyes solemnly earnest. “It was Air. Alurty did it all! she said.. “Last I heard it was Sam Carlile,” said he. “Before that it was Parks, and before him it was the fat man.” “Oh, my! I forgot.” Airs. Pullen ignored her husband's taunt, and proceeded to relate her day’s adventures, with special stress upon the moment when she saw her enemy spying upon her from across the street. “And she positively bored into me with her eyes,” she concluded, “when the stout ■ gentleman left me.”

Her husband frowned thoughtfully, as he leaned back with his hands clasped over one knee. “I thought, we were rid of that porky old masher,” he said. “And so Parks has hooked up with Airs. Hamilton! And has gone to see the fat man!”

Rising, he paced the hall. His wife, pleased with the attention her story had gained, went over it'once more in full, with many comments. Her husband only grunted. At last he turned, thrusting his hands deep into his pockets. “Those three people can make us trouble,” he said. "I'here's only one : thing —'Parks hasn't talked with the fat man yet. That’s pretty evident, because the fat man thought we’d sent Parks to him.” “•Biit we don’t want any more trouble,” protested Airs. Pullen. “We seem to get it, whether we want it or not,” her husband said. “Can’t we do something? Ask them to let us alone, maybe?” his wife pursued.

“Fat lot of good that would do,” Pullen said. He laughed briefly, and went bn. “There’s just one satisfaction. When Mrs. Hamilton finds out we own the mortgage on her place, she’ll be madder than she’s ever been in her life.” Dinner had been forgotten in the press of other affairs, and now, with a little scream, Mrs. Pullen remembered it. She scurried to the kitchen, lighted the gas stove, and scattered commands to her husband and daughter whom she had summoned to her aid.

“We’ll have to do with chops and fried potatoes and bread and jelly,” she said, as she bustled to and fro. “I was so upset this afternoon that dinner never entered my head.”

While she peeled potatoes, drawn from a big pot on the back of the stove, Julia and Pullen set the . table and brought out the skillets, the lard and salt and pepper and arranged them for the housewife’s use. “When our new house is done,” chattered Mrs. Pullen, “I wish we knew a lot of people—prominent people. I’d give them a big party for a housewarming, and never invite Airs. Hamilton or any of these women at all.” Her voice grew doleful. “But I don’t know anybody, Fred.” She dropped the thin slices of potato into her skillet. “Is Sam Carlile still living away from his folks?” she asked. “His mother has told him he can come heme —if he doesn’t come to see us any more,” said Julia, “W'hat’s he going to do?” inquired the mother, stirring with a long fork. “Says he’ll stay away until Mrs. Carlile calls *on you and says she’s sorry,” Julia told her. /. “Then he’ll never ?go home,” sighed Airs. Pullen. “Women never say they’re sorry. They always let on its tlie other person’s fault.” -?•. . A bell rang in the hallway. • ?. - “Julia', you answer,” ordered the mother. • ..??. ?"-... ■ ■ '.■' ■'./ ■ The girl obeyed, and a murmur of-con-versation sounded for a - time through the closed door. - When Jiilia returned, here eyes were glistening and her cheeks flushed with excitement. Poising hersellf dramatically before her mother, and father, she announced: ■ . ./ ' “Alore news, people! Mr. Parks lias; seen the fat man!” (To be Continued.) “ "