The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1920-09-09
When A Girl Murries
BY AnnI
by King

BY Ann Ldsle.

trolled.
That's pretty good knot like !
black ties with blue SERGE" I ven
tured when I had finished. I lifted
my fingers from the scarf to my boys .
face; he caught them in a burning /
hand and crushed them against his
mouth. But in another moment he
| had banished emotion and was talk !
ing of the new work he was going to !
meet. And I respecting the grave /
reserve that sometimes overshadows ;
all the boyishness in Jim's nature, |
chimed in with a discussion OF his !
new Job with Snedden & Company. /
But when the door closed on my !
boy I staggered against it in sheer :
exhaustion. Then I turned to the
task I dreaded-packing away his I
uniform. It was nowhere to be seen! .
could picture the pain at the !.
back of his eyes as ne had folded
it and had laid it away Wounded
and alone stood my Jim-and I, who
loved him SO, couldn't help!
The moring dragged by. At noon
there was a phone call from ENVY.
She was lunching with Sheldon Blake d.
and he wanted the "Jinnies'' to join I
them. I tried to refuse on the score
that Jim was out, but Evelyn an
nounced that she would drop in and !
| call for me just the same. 1 was glad
| to have her tyrannize over met
wasn't healthy to be alone with my
| constant vision of the unfathomable
| look in my boys eyes
"How sweet you look!" cried Eve
| Ign, breezing in picturesquely in a
| white georgette topped by sleeve
| less jacket, of turquoise blue satin,
and with a tiny wrapped turban of
| blue riding gracefully above the soft
fluffiness of her spun gold hair.
| She was beautiful, and the comp1-
ments she paid my simple navy blue
calico and white sailor seemed to en-
phasize her loneliness rather than to
glorify my simple costume.
Her little car whisked us over to
the Santvoort where Sheldon Blake
| was waiting.
| 'Alone?" asked Evelyn After
ward I remembered her half whis-
pered question, for just as we were
finishing the hors d'oeuvre for which
the Santvoort is famous, in strolled
Tom Mason.
/ Groom for one more?S' he asked.
And Sheldon Blake replied, '@Tardy
as usual Tommy-but welcome
Then it was that I wondered why
I hadn't been told this was to be a
| party of four. Did Evelyn and Mr..
Blake guess that I would never nave
: Gomez"
"Where's jim? I suppose he's go
! ing to land some soft snap office job
l
Blake suddenly.
I Hes not looking for any soft
, snap Mr.. Blake I replied with a
| cold dignity I hoped was worthy of
5 my boy.
, ooh, I didn't mean to offend, -
began Blake.
But Evelyn interrupted him an
grily.
"Sheldon, you old stupid, don't you
, | know Jim is a hero ?'
ii Her tone sounded sincere, but Mr..
Blake laughed as if unconscious of
, reproof
Jim is out of the army" I man
aged at last.
:. felt that however hard it was for
me to discuss the matter, it was my
duty to spare him the startling
plunge into chill waters that relating
; his own story might mean for jim
: AS briefly as I could manage it
told of the medical examination he
; had failed to pass, of his departure
that very morning for his first days,
work with Snedden & Company.
\ Evelyn and Mr.. Blake exchanged
l glances-but their 'Snedden & Com
t pany.' was colorless and Indifferent.
} It was Tom who expressed what
Dicky Royce had probably been
thinking the night before.
Mrs Harrison, Jim can't stay
with the Sneddens! They're pretty
cheap white trash'-the sort OF gen.
= tlemen who never get caught In any
t thing raw but who never run honest
l. out in the open middle of '"The
Street They're planning to trade on
the fact that Jim's a wounded hero
. and may tarnish his reputation so
; even his splendid war record won [
save him. This must be stopped"
.Hurrah for Tommy! Go on, boy;
butt in to your hearts content. You
know how well people like unasked
advice said Sheldon Blake lazl1y
Evelyn sat smiling inscrutably. L
turned to Tom Mason. His eager ex-
preston was in vivid contrast to Eve
lyn's smile and Mr.. Blake's cold
placidity.
s'I'm going to phone Jim at once;
l you will excuse me won't you!
7 cried with apprehension I could not
I control.
Mr.. Blake suggested that I finish
5 nv chicken a la King first since
neither it nor the artichoke woulo
? taste we'll cold, but something i'm
> PEELED me to the telephone.
called the Snedden offices and
; was told that Lieutenant Harrison
wasn't in. Subsconciously / realized
that I had asked for ''Mr." Harrison.
brushing that aside, I asked for MT
Snedden.
Il A moment later a smooth, unctu-
| Gus voice came to me over the WI
. and in reply to my question I found
that my husband had tried to reacn
me an hour before but had failed.
, He had been compelled to start on
sudden trip to Pennsylvania with Two
! mining men who wanted to fook over
some property there. SORRY we hao
to steal your husband like this, ME-
| Harrison, but there was no Tune lo
waste. His train goes at 2:15.
I hung up the receiver in the m1ose
. of his explanation about big men
e and an important deal. I rusheo 10
r the door and ordered a taxi nao
less than thirty minutes for what l
t must do. I dared not delay even TO
explain to the Masons and Mr. Blake.
+ must reach the station in time
but in time for what.
q ssI'll give you a dollar extra y you