Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-11-24
The Testing of
Julia Grant
BY HAZEL DEYO BATCHELOR
COPYRIGHT, 1919. by the Public Ledger Co.
READ THIS FIRST

After promising Dan Carson sec
Z ond time to marry him, Julia Grant
discovers that she had made O ter
rible mistake. Nevertheless she sticks
to her bargain because she has
promised and she feels that it is her
duty. Even after she knows that all
her heart is given to another man,
DIR. John Norvile, and after her
younger sister, Lucy, confesscs her
love for Dan Julia perseveres al
though she gives Dan every chance
TO release her. \ bad fall resulting in
"a long illness for Lucy, postponcs
Julia's wedding a second time.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
MTHEN Julia brought up her tray
w for dinner there was still an air of
suppressed excitement about Lucy.
Mrs. Grant sitting for moment on
the edge of the bed before going down to
dinner, remarked in her somewhat face
tious way:
i''a ''That call must have done you good,
Lucy, you look so bright tonight.
"Oh, it did Lucy rcioined, biting
off n piece of celery daintily. Julia
doesn't like Starr, though; do you
Julia?"
az don't trust her. Julia said
bluntly.
Mrs. Grant shrugged her shoulders,
and the subject was dropped.
aAfter dinner Julia went out TO the
drug store for some necessary things.
and when she returned she was met in
the hall by her mother.
Dams upstairs with Lucy Mrs.
Grant said, quickly.
Julia looked surprised. Dan had
fallen into the habit Of going up TO
Iucy's room every evening for q short
talk. She wondered why her mother
was emphasizing what had come to be
an understood thing. Then she realized
suddenly that her mother was trying
to keep her from going up to Lucy.
Evidently she did not want Lucy and
Dan to be interrupted.
"Come in and talk to your father
and me a minute" Mrs. Grant urged
Julia. ''We never see you. Dan will
be down in a minute.
Upstairs Lucy had corralled Dan in
her room. She was sitting up in a
deep chaise Tongue with several pillows
banked behind her. 1t was the first
time she had been up and she looked
unusually pretty in a soft rose -colored
dressing gown. Dan had been reading
to her when suddenly he looked up TO
find her wide blue eyes fixed on him
determinedly.
He laughed, "What are you think
ing Of?'' o.,. ,,,,, . ,,,ostio,, :,
she said after moment.
"F'ire away"
''Do you still love Julia"
The magazine dropped to the floor,
but Dan looked up and met Lucy's eyes
full Pm afraid I do"
He said it with perfect assurance. To
Lucy who loved him it must have
4 sounded like death knell, but her face
did not change in its expression, as she
said, "She doesn't love you
"She will.
"She never will she wouldn't in any
case; know Julia. So do you, Dan,
only you re determined to be blind. You
know you can't make her happy, you
know you're not good enough for her.
Dan, have you told her about Nancy
Cromwell?"
"What about her?'
"You know. Are you going to tell
''No, I'm not. What good would
It do?''
II think you'd better tell Julia y
Lucy's voice was very quiet and even
because if you cont" she added after
minute, II will"
Dan was furiously angry then. He
forgot that Lucy was i'll, he stormed at
her as she lay there against her cush
ions. He was angry at her interference
and angrier still at his impotence to dc
anything Some thing in Lucy's man
ner convinced him that she meant what
she said She had evidently taken uT
the cudgels for her sister and was wag
ing her battles If Dan had only known
the real reason why Lucy was corner
ing him this way; if he had known that
Lucy was pretending feeling for Julia
because it suited her own plans and
for no other reason.
"What good would it do?' he asked
again and again. God knows I'm
ashamed of i, but it did wake me up,
I didn't realize until after that hap
pened just how much I really cared for
Julia"
"That doesn't alter the fact that you
threw Julia over because you wanted
this Nancy Cromwell" Lucy persisted
in her clear, small voice. And il
Nancy Cromwell had taken you that
time you would never have come back
to Julia. That's true, too, isn't iti
You see, Julia thinks you love her, and
she marrying you because she feels it's
her duty. You're conceited enough tt
believe that you can make her low
you after you have married her, bu
that's mistake. You'll just be mis-
cradle together. The thing for you tc
do is to give up Julia.