The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-02-23
CHAPTER v.
The New Life.

|
their return to San Francisco, en-
tered heartily upon the social joys
of the hour. Barbara had been
only waiting their arrival to an
nounce her engagement, and
Julia's delight Immediately took
the form of dinners and theater
parties for the handsome Miss
Toland and her fiance.
| Captain Edward Francis Hum
phry Gunther Fox was an officer
in the English army. He had a
comfortable private income, an
uncle, young and healthy to be
sure, but still a lord, and an older
sister who had married lord, so
that his credentials were uneXcep-
tionable. and Mrs. Toland was
nearly as happy as her daughter
was.
Its curious" said Barbara to
Julia, "but there is a distinction
and an excitement about getting
engaged, and you enjoy it just as
much at thirty as at twenty-per-
haps more. People who have new
err paid me any attention before,
are flocking to the front now with
presents and good wishes"
well, there is something
about marriage" Julia admitted;
you may not have any reason for
feeling so, but you do feel supe-
rior, way down in your secret
heart. And yet, Babbie," and
little shadow darkened her bright
face, land yet, once you are mar
ried you see a sort of-well, a sort
of uncompromising brightness
about girlhood, too! When | go
out to The Alexander now, and re-
member my old busy days there,
1t makes me almost a little sad!"
Don't speak of it." said Bar
bara. when | think Of leaving
Dad, and home, and going off to
England, it scares me to DEATH"
"I'll miss Dad most" pursued
Barbara seriously. Mothers curl
Gus, Ju. She loves me theoretical
ly. But she has taken my not
marrying to heart. Hints about
old maids, and stories about her
own popularity as a girl, regard
less of the fact that no one wanted
| me"
ooh, Babbie!"
well, no one did" Barbara
laughed. But now she's all love,
and kisses, and Francis is bold,
big thief, and how can she give
up her dear, big girl"
ooh, Barbara, don't be bitter!"
well, I suppose 1 am bitter!
And why you're not, Ju, I can't
understand, for you never had one
tenth the chance l did"
No." Julia assented gravely,
ct never did. Mothers are strange,
Baby, they have so much power
Or seem to! Suppose you had
young daughters, Bah, what would
you do, differently from your
mother?"
ooh, I don't know" Barbara
said, "only it seems funny that
mothers can't help their daugh-
ters more. Half my life is lived
now, probably, yet Mother goes
right on theorizing, she-she
doesn't get down to facts, some
how! l don't know"
1T all comes down to this"
Julia said, Sitting around and
waiting for some one to ask her
to marry him is not a sufficiently
absorbing life work for the aver
age young woman!"
"She isn't expected to do any
thing else" Barbara added. "And
1t isn't as IL she could be deciding
in her own mind about 1t; the de-
cision is in his mind; il he chooses
he can ask her; il he doesn't, all
right! It's a shame, I say, not to
give her q more dignified exist
ence than that!"
"Yes, but, Bah, your mother
couldn't have put you into shop
to sell ribbons, or made a tele-
phone girl of you'll"
mo; my brothers didn't sell
ribbons, or go on a telephone
board. either. But I don't see
why l shouldn't have studied med
icine, like jim"
Eyes, but, Baby, you've no
leaning toward medicine!"
Well, then, something else,
just as Jim woud have done some
thing else. in that case! Office
hours and responsibility, and
meeting of men in some other
way than q social way. You and
I have somehow dragged solu-
ton out of 1t, Julia; we are hap
py in spite of all the laundering
and stumbling, but I've not got
my Mother to thank for 1t, and
neither have you'll"
"No, neither have II" Julia
said, with a long sigh.
CONTINUED in Our Next Tssue.)