Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-12-01

the fact, sprung very great surprise
she was going forth an engaged young |
lady-and to heighten the superiority |
thus given her she had her fiance in |
attendance on commencement day. He
was not Kenneth Harrison. Kenneth |
had been discarded for the present title
holder, who possessed q little more Of
those things which the social world re
spects than Kenneth had. But above |
his reputed wealth and position, and
his undeniably perfect clothing, there
was obviously nothing remarkable about
Gloria's thoroughly paraded inamorato.
Since the distant encounter in the
squash court, when the two girls had
reverted TO primitives, Gloria had been
discreetly careful in her attitude toward
Jennie. But on this her last day, her
soul raised aloft by the double dignity
OF graduation and the presence of her
fiance, she turned to Jennie, after say
ing good-by to the other girls of the
group in which Jennie chanced to be.
"Well, Miller she drawled, haugh
ty insult behind her fine manner, "you
at least I'll never see again, so I guess
this is permanent good by. However,
III try to bear up"
Jennie seemed to be unconscious of
the insult. Good by" she said sim
ply. To me it will always be q
SVulce VI pleasure TO nave KNOWN you.
| The quiet of Jennie's answer was
not what Gloria had expected il threw
her off her guard. WHY" she asked.
Because, Gloria, dear" Jennie re-
piled, knowing you has made it pos.
sible, every morning when l wake up,
to start off the day happily by just
| remembering how much worse every
thing might be If l ever had to see, you
again"
Gloria famed for an instant it looked
Us If these two might revert second
time. Then Gloria turned about and
took the arm of her fiance, with "Aunt
is waiting for us, Leonard" And If
teen minutes later Gloria, in a car
with her young man and with her
aunt, n lean and tottering lady with
an amazingly girlish complexion, rode
forth from the grounds of Braithewood
and out into the great world which was
ITO be hers.
! Little by little, very carefully, Jen-
ME let herself ut-particularly after
Gloria's leaving-though she never
went SO far as to try to be a leader.
Gloria had always assumed herself to
be the first, and Gloria had been hated.
Gloria could afford to be hated, for she
had assured position. But Jennie
needed friends; she could not afford to
excite Jealousy and hostility; so she
| tried to be no more than one of the
first. And so shrewdly had she planned,
so cautiously had she executed, so
vigilantly had she watched for and as
simulated details, that when she began
her fourth year the crude girl who
had entered Braithewood was hardly
remembered. She was liked and ad-
mired by both the girls and the teach
ers. She had learned to dress cor
rectly from the precise and unimagina-
tive Miss Van der Brunt, and to cor
: restness her own taste had added orig
inality. The singing master was en-
thusiastic over her voice. The little
dancing master declared, in his excitable
manner, that as dancer she might be
come an artist If she cared to. And
Miss Gresham liked to have her pour
tea at her weekly teas for the girls
and more than once she said approx
ingly, "You did it excellently, my dear
you have good humor, you know how
to make. people talk, you have poise-
and those are what lady most needs. -
And so, after slow years, Jennie had
consummated her careful plans. She
had woni
Yes, she had won. But toward the
latter part of her fourth year, when
she was soon to be twenty, it came
upon her with growing conviction that
what she had won was really only the
vcriest beginning before her was
her greatest problem. In a few months
her life at Braithewood would be ended
She had no home to go back to as had
the other girls. No pleasant course oi
life was all prepared waiting for her to
slip into. What was she going to do?
She saw possible answers. But this
great problem so profoundly affecting
her nearing future was not one she
could, or had the right to, solve by
herself. Others were deeply concerned
chiefly her father. She had not tried
to see him again all these years; she
had adhered faithfully to the promise
Black Jerry had extracted from her that
, night when her surreptitious visit tc
, him had so nearly ended in disaster
. AS for Uncle George, that worldly wise
, gentleman had developed a consistent
, plan out of the possibility he had men
{ toned to Miss Gresham the evening he
/ had brought Jennie to Braithewood-
, that the necessity of travelling imposed
upon him by his affairs might prevent
, him from coming to visit his ward.
He had never come second time; il
seemed safer SO; hardly any one hat
| seen him on his first visit except maiC
/ or two and Miss Gresham-and h,
thought it wiser for his personality tc
be no more than dim, fading memory
, CONTINUED TOMORROW