Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-10-23
CHAPTER III
The Summer Passes

Prudence and Jerrold had finished
the soup and were starting with steak
and potatoes when Jerry ran in that
night, profusely apologize for her
hardness. Her face was aflame with
color. her starry eyes aglow behind the
fringing lashes.
"Awfully stupid of me to be so
late" she cried, tossing her gloves and
hat upon chair, and sliding deftly
into her place at the table "No soup
for me, Katie. But be generous with
the steak" She glowed around at her
little family. 1--WE been having a
heavenly time. mother-almost as ex-
citing as teaching you to dance again.
And that reminds me"-Jerry put her
knife down and turned about, facing
her father "Pll have to borrow some
money. father-I don't know just how
much-a thousand or so. Will you
lend 1t to me?"
Jerrold was working with a refrac-
tory bit of sirloin and did not answer
upon the instant.
81 WILL" proffered Prudence meeSly.
ITS awfully good of you, mother.
but l think I'd better get it from
father. This is business, you see. and
it's impossible to be real businesslike
with you. you're such a lamb. OF
course, father, l can give you IA
mortgage on the Baby" Jerry al
ways called her pretty roadster the
Baby" The first had been just
Baby" the second was Baby Junior"
and this latest and finest one of all was
tenderly known as 1.-THE Third" Il
can give you a mortgage on her. but
I'm going to be awful busy, and I'll
have to use her just the same"
at might be interesting to know
what you're going to do with 1.-THE
money. l mean," her father put in
gently, when she paused for breath.
mot that it's any of my business. of
course"
"Oh, don't mind telling-not in the
least" Jerry was impulsively gener-
GUS. She pushed her plate back a
little and launched into graphic ac-
count of the days excursion with Rae
in quest of honeymoon home. She
described the great grotesque barn of
a thing" on Seventeenth street Oppo-
site Good park in no mild manner.
Rae simply wouldn't give it a sec
ond look" she finished. But you
knew, father. 1t looked pretty good to
me. Lots of advantages, Rae said so
herself-right opposite the park, on the
car line, near the university-and lum-
Der in it, heaps of lumber! Well,
got to figuring. You could pull out
few walls, and build in few windows,
and switch things around little bit
and paint it, and-sort of fuss 1t up.
figured out hundred things that one
could do to It. Well, you can buy 1t
for thirty-five hundred, spend say an
other thirty-five hundred in making II
look Humankind I'll bet you could sell
that place for Ten Thousand Dollars"
Jerrold was buttering his roll.
"Tm sure of it," agreed Prudence.
"But why bother?" asked Jerrold,
after a little. "Why go TO all that
trouble, and work, and expense
Jerry was amazed at his stupidity.
"Oh. a dozen reasons, father In the
first place, Iowa ought to be ashamed
of itself for permitting such lot of
these stupid, stiff, square houses. that
no human being could possibly fit into.
Well, then, it would make lovely and
adorable little spot of a place that is
now simply an eye-sore and "a civic
ulcer, as you might say. And once you
get real sweet, dainty home up there.
it's going to make the rest of the block
ashamed of itself. and first thing you
know they'll all be dolling up a little
bit, to keep up with Lizzie. 'Scuse the
slang. mother-I'm so excited. And
besides"-Jerry's voice rose tri-
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of mel I'm going
to make couple of thousand dollars
on that job!"