Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-11-05
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hEfhD
Life has strange ways of manag-
ing. and Julia Grant did not dream
that, once having thrown her over,
Dan Carson would come back. How
ever. when ne did that very thing,
Julia sounded her heart and felt that
she still loved him, and it wasn't
until after she had given her promise
that she discovered her love for an
other man. Realization brought fear
and she left the hospital and Doctor
Norville and promised to marry Dan
Carson Immediately. In the mean
time Lucy, Jula's sister, has fallen in
love with her sisters lover and she
overhears n conversation between the
doctor and Julia when he comes to
claim her in spite Of her promise.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
WHEN Dan took her into his arms
w and held her against him in that
proprietary manner which was his, Julia
felt sick and faint. If ever she felt
that she simply could not go on with
things, she felt so now, with the man
that she loved waiting in the next room.
She withdrew as quickly as she could
and something about her manner warned
Dan that things were not all right.
"What Is t?" he asked. surprised.
Julia's face was white blur in the
dim light of the hall. She tried to
speak lightly as though nothing were
the matter, but she felt her voice quiver
as she said:
"Come in. I want you to know a
friend of mine from the hospital
nor foI1 int ha hon
lor, past Lucy, crouched on the dark
stairs, and Julia closed the door. 1t
was then that the two men faced each
other, Doctor Norville, with his emo
tionless face. and Dan Carson, CON
scious that in a sense some one was
poaching on his preserves, with n
slightly sullen expression and a ten
dency to assert his rights in a form
of braggadocio.
Julia introduced them, fearful of what
would happen and Dan opened the con-
versation with personal remark.
80 you are from the hospital" he
said, speaking rather loud. 81 thought
for a time that Julia was welded to
her work there, but l think she's rec
onciled now to keeping house for me for
the rest of her days" He looked at
Julia for commentator, but her face
was very white. Doctor Norville said
= nOCnlnR, anu Ddn lelL uhSoliiol Iuui',
and, after q few minutes, angry. What
business had this fellow coming here
and making him feel at loss? He
was upsetting Julia as well, putting
foolish notions in her head. Dan felt
himself very broad in meeting this doc
tor. as he had. Not many men would
be willing to act as he had tonight any
way 1t wasn't particularly pleasant to
find ones fiancee in conversation with
perfectly strange man.
They made desultory conversation for
few minutes and Julia sat almost in
silence. She was relieved that nothing
was going to happen and yet there was
a dull ache in her heart. Dan wore
on attitude of half suspicion, Doctor
Noryille was noncommttal. He appar
eItly was not going to say anything
more. and he finally rose to go. If
Julia had still kept any of her child
ish faith in happy endings, it had slip
ned away from her now. 1t was only
in books that the tangles were smoothed
away. In life one had to GO through
with them somehow.
Julia followed Doctor Norville into
the hall and they stopped under the
dim light facing each other. He stood
looking down at her and she looked
back at him. 1t was as though she
were seeing him for the last time and
she wanted to remember every feature.
''Thank you," she said softly. "You
see it is impossible" Her lips quivered
and she caught her lower lip between
her teeth to quiet it.
you're going to go through with it,
Julia?'
~ promised.
''You know what it will meanT'
Julia's heart sank. Womanlike, even
though she had known she would re-
sist the temptation, she had longed TO
be swept off her feet. She had never
once been in his arms, and she wanted
that to remember. After all, it was
the last time, and he had said he would
not give her up.
But he did not touch her, and when
she nodded in answer to his question
he turned toward the door. She clenched
her nails in her palms to keep from
giving up, from calling him back,
and she watched him go out OF her life
forever without even a cry. After all,
he had come for her, he had come to
the house and had seen the man she had
promised to marry and had gone away
and left her with him. Everything
was over now. She need never worry
about his coming back again.
Dan was walking up and down rest
lessly when she came back to the par :
lor. He turned toward her irritably and
snapped out:
"For Heavens sake, hope you re
not going to have these hospital peo
ple running to the house after we are
married. You know. most men wouldn
have stood for what | did tonight. Don