The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-12-24

promptly at twelye-had a brief chat with the Japanese janitor, and wash very conscieniously in the president own lavatory.
 At half-psst one he went into one of the glass show rooms. a pretttly furnished apartment whose most not able article of furniture was a grand piano in exquisitely matched Circas- sian walnut. Absorbed and radiant. Mark put back the cover, twirled the book marked Chopin Then he sat down. and, with the sigh of a happy child falling upon a feast, he struck an opening chord.
 The big flexible fingers still need
 ed training, but they showed the re-
 suit of hours and hours of patient | practice, too. Through his seven
 years in the music house. Mark had
 been faithful to his gift. He made 1 no secret of 1t, his associates knew
 that he came back after dinner to | the very rooms that they themselves | left to eagerly at the end of the day. 1 Mark had indeed once asked old MT. | Pomeroy to hear him play, an occa- sion to which the boy still looked
 back with hot shame. For when his | obhgtng old employer had settled
 himself to listen after hours on an | appointed afternoon. and Mark had
 opened the piano. the performer sud- | denly found his spine icy his hands
 wet and clumsy. He felt as if he
 INdu never lOuCneO a piano De1Or6S
 the attempt was a failure from the
 first note. as Mark well knew. When
 he had finished he whisked open
 another book
 That was rotten" he stammered.
 T thought I could do it-I can't.
 But just let me play you thfs-'' But the great man was in a hurry.
 1t appeared.
 ''No-no, my boy, not today-some other time! Perhaps a little bit too ambitious & choice, eh? We must all be ambitious, but we must know , our limitations. too. Some other | time!"
 Then MT. Pomeroy was gone and , Mark left to bttterest reflection. t But he recovered very sensibly from his boyish chagrin. and very , sensibly went at his practicing again \ On this particular Saturday afternoon , he attacked a certain phrase in the Q bass, and for almost an hour the big : it steadily. Mark. twisted about half. . way on the bench, watched the per. . formance steadily. his right hand ' hanging loose.
 ! ] "Damn!" he said presently, with { = weary sigh. a sharp and familiar . little pain sprang into his left wrist. e Mark" breathed a reproachfu |, a to see Julia Page.
 She had come noiseIessly in at tn, v glass doorway behind him, and wa standing there, laughing, a picture o . fresh and denure beauty, despite tn, z varied colors in hat and waist ant gown and gloves.
 'I had to see youl" said Julia, tn e rush. And nobody answered you '' telephone-theTe'S a rehearsal of tha l.. play at the theatre today, so I can meet you-and the janitor let m e Mark found her incoherence deli |. cious: her being here, in his own ia u miliar stamping ground. one of tn o thrilling and exciting episodes of hi a life. He could have shouted-hav {, danced for pure joy as he jumped u to welcome her. Julia declare ed tha she had to fly" but Mark insisted , pleasant-upon showing her abou ,e | leading her from office to off1c' T7 beaming at her whenever their eye ', a met. And he must play her the littl ,5, ,S Schumann, he said, but no-for ths ~ Julia positively would not wait; sh '' jerked him by one hand toward tn |, door. Mark had his second Xii: a. before they emerged laughing an radiant into the gaiety of Kearne lS I Street on a Saturday afternoon. ,I1 And Julia was not late for her r, M =. hearsal, or, If late. she was at lea! eo earlier by 8 full quarter hour tha III the rest of the caste. She took a
 orchestra seat in the empty auditor ss ium at the doorkeeper's SuggeStoo He and yawned, and stared at the coa iss l less back of a man who was tunir oi the orchestra piano.
 IT. (Continued Tuesday,