The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-12-16
The Story of Julia Page
 By Kathleen Norris


 of the year, and had to sit up in her warm blankets and stare at the clock on a certain January morning in her fifteenth year, to make sure whether l 1t said twenty minutes of eleven or five minutes of eight o'clock. It was five minutes of eight-no mistake about it-but eight o'clock was early | for the Pages, mother and daughter. | Julia sighed, and cautiously stretched forth an arm, a bare, shapely little | arm, with bangles on the round wrist and rings on the smooth fingers, and picked a book from the floor Cau- i tiously settling herself on the pillows 1 she plunged into her novel, now and 1 then pushing back a loose strand of hair, or bringing her pretty finger | nails close to her eyes for an admir- l ing and critical scrutiny.
 An hour passed-another hour. The clock in the front room struck a sil- very ten. Then Julia slammed her book noisily together, and gave a sharp push to the recumbent form beside her.
 ''Ah-no-darIingl' moaned Mrs. Page, tortured out of dreams. Don't
 JAW, wake up, Mama!" the daugh- ter urged. Whereupon the older woman rolled on her back, kawned luxuriously. and said. quite cOmpos- edly:
 'iHeuo, darlingl What time is it 9"
 Emeline had aged in seven years; she looked hopeiessly removed from youth and beauty now, but later in the day. when her hair would be 5allow cheeks touched with rouge, and her veined neck covered by a high collar, a coral chain. and an ostrich feather ruff, some traces of her for nlIer good looks might be visible. She still affected tight cOrsets, h agh heels, enormous hats. But Emeline's- in terest. in her own apearance was sec ondary now to her fierce pride and Fait in Tn1ia'c 1-iftjncr a er the line of least resistance, asking only to be comfortable and to have a good time, Emeline had come to a bit ter attitude of resentment toward George toward the fate that had forced" her to leave him. Now she began laZily to fasten upon Julia as the means of gratifying those hopes and ambitions that were vain for her self. Julia was beautiful, Julia would be a great success, and some day would repay her mother for the sac rifices she had made for her child. Emeltne dressed, went about, flirt- l.ed, and gossiped still; she liked cock tails and cards and restaurant din- ners; she was an authority on all things theatrical; her favourite pose was that of the martyred mother. "All I h ave 1ect," Emeline would say, kissing he1 daughter effectively, be- fore strangers. And only God knows W hat 1t has cost me to keep my girlie with mel"
 Julia would grin good-naturedly at this. She had no hallucinations | about her mother. She knew her | own value. new she was D retty and was lad with the simple and pa | thetfc complacence of fourteen. Julia ! at eight had gone to dancing school in the briefest skirts ever seen on 2 l small girl, and the dirtiest white sill stockings, She had sung a shriI little song, and danced a little dance l at a public benefit for the widow
 of three heroic firemen, when she wa
 only nine. Her lovely mop had beer
 orimped out of all natural wave; he
 and hewing gum; her natural
 rather sober and pensive disposition completely altered, or at leas eclipsed. Julia could chatter of tn whoever accosted her, could tell
 dressmaker exactly how she wante a gown made, at twelve. While he mother slept in the morning, befor the girl learned to sleep late, too, tn , child would get up and slip out. He playground was O'Farren street, dr and hot in summer, wrapped in sol fog four mornings a week the yea
 round, reeking of stale beer. an echoing to the rattle of cable car: where. watching janitors as they hos ed down the sidewalks outside tn saloons, Or rinsed cuspidors; watch ing grocers set out their big signs fo
 the day: watching little restaurant
 open, and first corners sit down t great cups of coffee and plates of ho
 cakes. Perhaps the sight Of foot
 would remind the little girl of he
 gle home just as the first sunshin
 was piercing the fog, and loiter up
 stairs, and peep into the bedroom
 to see what the chances of a mea
 might be.
 (Continued Tomorrow.)