The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-12-30
THE BRIDGEPORT TIMES

Sure pop am!" He was sorry to be caught, and she saw it under his bluff, i pleasant manner
 ''You couldn't take the 10:20 with Dad and Jim ?"
 'I've got to meet Reynolds at half past ten, Mother the boy said pa tiently.
 tReynolds!'' she frowned. Don't like that - His eyes warned her. Friends that aren't as fine and dear and good as he is!' she finished her hands on his shoulders
 Reynolds is all right" said Ned, bored, and looking coldly beyond her.
 And you'll be home for dinner, Ned? ?"
 Sure, Unless the Orpheum should be awfully long In that case we may get bit somewhere.
 "Try to be home for dinner" per sisted the mother. And, as if to war rant the claim on his consideration, she added: "I paid the Cutter bill my next month. didn't say anything about Cutter but he begged me to make you FEEL how wrong it is to let these things run. You have splen- did allowance, Ned" she was almost apolgeic,' t'and there's no necessity of running over it dearl''
 Sure. I'm not going to do that again." Ned said gruffly, uncomfort- ably.
 That's right, dear! And you will you'll try to be home for dinner?' Sure I'll try!' and Ned was gone, down through the roses and through the green gate.
 Mrs Poland watched him out of sight. Then she trotted off to Hee's domain. Sally struggled out into the garden, with Janey and Constance and the small boy following after. There was great distress because the little girls were all for tennis, and Keith Burroughs frankly admitted that he hated tennis.
 built upon so sharp a hill that the garden beds were bulkheaded like ter races, and the paths were steep. Associations great white roses and the -apricot-coIoured San Rafael rose 1-c1imbed everywhere, and hung in | fragrant festons from the low, scrub oak trees that were scattered through the garden. Every vista ended with the blue bay, and the green gate at the gardens foot opened directly up- on a roadway that hung like a shelf | above the water.
 Sally and the children gathered nasturtiums and cornf1owers and ferns for the house. The place had 1 been woodland only few years ago, and all sorts of lovely forest growths | fringed the paths. Groups of young oaks and an occasional bay or mad rome tree broke up any suggestion of l still wild columbine and mission bells l in the shady places.
 1 Presently, to the immense satisfac- tion of her little sisters, Sally dis missed them for tennis, and carried the music-mad small boy off to the old nursery, where he could bang away at an old piano to his hearts content, while she pasted pictures in her camera book, in a sunny window Now and then she cast a look full of nnotherly indulgence at the little fig ure at the piano: the pale, earnest l little face; the tumbled black hair, the bony, big, unchild1ike hands. The morning slipped by, and after noon came, to find Barbara welcoming 1 the arriving players at the yacht club, and looking her very prettfest in a gown of striped scarlet and white, and a white hat. Hello, Matty-Hello. Enid-Hello, Bobby-and did any one see Miss Page? Ah, how do you | do, Miss Page, awfully good of you i to make it.
 The girls dressed in a square room upstairs, lined with hooks and mirrors. Julia was not self-conscious, because. while different from the crisp snowy whiteness of the other girls linen. it did not occur to her that her we'll worn pink silk underwear, her ornate corset cover, and her shabby ruffled green silk skirt were anything but adequate.
 l Carter Hazard was not in evidenca | today, to Julia's relief The rehearsal i uFS5Beu on ana on, eVefyDO0y thrown out because Miss Dorothy Chase, the girl who was to play Wilhelmina, fail ! ed to appear. Julia took the part, when it was finally decided to go on i without Dorothy. but by that time it was late, and the weary manager as- sured them that there must be an- | other rehearsal that evening. Hilar- iously the young people accepted this decree, and Julia was carried home with the Hollands to dinner. l Good-hearted Mrs. Poland could be nothing less than kind to any young 1 girl, and Julia's place at table was next to the kindly old doctor who
 only saw an extremely pretty girl, and joked with her, and looked out for her comfort in true fatherIy fashion. Julia carried herself with great dig
 nifty, said very little being in truth
 quite overawed and nervously anxious first frightened ha1f-hour she enjoyed
 the adventure thoroughly.
 The evening rehearsal went mucl better, a final rehearsal was set fol l Sunday, and Julia was driven to the
 ten o'clock boat in the station ornnt
 bus, which sInelled of leather and we
 straw. She sat yawning in the empty
 ferry building, smiling over her recol
 lection of dinner at the Tclands': the
 laughter, the quarre1s, the joyous con
 fusion of voices.
 | Suddenly struck by the deserted sil
 ence of the waiting-room, Ju1is jumped up and went to the ticket of fee.
 Isn't there a train at 10:03?"
 The station agent yawned, eyed he
 with pleasant indifference.
 NO train now until 1920, lady,
 said he.
 l FoJ. a moment J,IIia was sta eeered