The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-12-31

l helping herself in passing to no more substantial luncheon than two soda crackers and a large green pickle.
 Mrs. Tarbu1.y. dressed in a loose kimono, with her bare feet thrust into welI-worn Juliet slippers. was lying across he~ bed in the pleasant leisure of Sunday afternoon a Dra- II-1...c SUppIeA44nL held in one fat rtnged hand, her head supported by her pillows in soiled muslin cases, and several satin and velvet cushions from a couch. In the room also were Connie Gtrard and Rose Ran some. who had a bowl of soapsuds wood sticks on the table between them and were manicuring each oth- CT very fastidiously. A third ac- tress, a young Englishwoman with a glitterfng eyes, was calling. with her Little son, upon Mrs Tarbury:
 Hello, daTdng:' said the lady of the house herself as Julia oame an; welcome, and Julia was introduced to the stranger.
 Mrs; Cloke is my real sIs1oi,E name" .Pi'4 5sid you'd know me better as Alice Le Grange, daresay- t2szis ,fc11ish 94u.n hahe Mirror gave MT; cloke and dnd a to Th1is 16is country, and we had elegant book ings-elegant. I'd my little fiat in New York all furnished, and,' she said to Mrs. Tarbury, 'I was used sa-t to Q everything-the managers at home all knew me, and all. you know-E"- She laughed with some bitterness. ''It does seem funny to be out here was the kiddy to consider-and. as I told you, there was trouble!
 Parties who used their in1uencs to get 'ern out!" said Miss GGard at Julia "Favouritisrr1---
 And jealousy" added Alice Le Julia was sympathetic, but not 5eepiv impressed. She had heard 1 this story in many forms before. She attracted the attention Of little Er1c | Cloke, and showed him the pictures 1 Of the Katzenjammer Kids and Foxy | Grandpa in the newspaper Later she accompanied Rose and Connie to l their room, put on loose clothing. ana lay on her bed watching them dress The girls were to dine together, with two admirers. and urged Juha to ask a third man, and come too l Julia refused steadily: she was very quiet, and the others thought her i tired.
 She lay on her side, one hand fall l ing idly over the edge of the ped, her serious, magnificent eyes moving and rowing over the room. Hot sunlight poured through the dirty windows and the torn curtains ot Nottingham lace. and hamed on the TOTS A thousand useless knich- knacks made the room hideous; every possible surface was strewn with gar | Tnents large and small. each bureau was a confusion of pins and brushes, paste and powder boxes, silk stock | ings, and dirty white gloves. cologne bottles and powdered circles Of dl5- l coloured channels, hair kids and curls | of false hair, handkerchHefs and hat pins, cheap irnitations of 5ewery, cheap bits of lace, Sideconbs, VelIs other things all wound up in an in dIstinguishable mass. From these somewhat sodGfen heaps Cennle ana Rose cheeTfuIly selected what they 1 needed leaning over constantly to ln- spect their faces closely in the mir
 Julia watched them with a sudden new and almost terrifying d1staste growing in her heart. How dirty and shlftless and conmon-yes, com mon-these girls were! Jula IeIt sick with the force of the revelation She saw Connie lace her shabby pink brocade corset together with a black shoestring; she saw Rose close witn
 white thread a great hole 1n the
 heel of a black stick stocking. 1he3r IheiI crimped hair nauseated her. their rouge and powder and cologne She could hardly listen in patience to their careless and sometimes coarse
 
 And when they were gone she still lay there, thinking-thinking The sunlight crep lower and lower over the rooms disorder: it's last bright triangle was gone, twilight came. and the soft earIy darkness.
 Mrs. Tarbury presently called Ju-
 lia- in melLfluouss accents. and the girl pulled herself stiffly from the bed, and went blinking down to an
 impr ovised supper. They two were
 alone in the big house, and fell into
 intimate conversation over their sar-
 dimes and coffee and jam, discussing
 the characters of every person in the
 house with much attention to triv-
 ia1 detail. At nine o'clock some
 THE STORY-Page 9s. .gtQ
 friends came in to see Mrs Tarbury
 and Julia went upstairs again.
 She lighted the bedroom, and be-
 gan idly to fold and straighten the
 clothes that were strewn about every
 where But she very speedily gave up the task: there were no closets to , hang things in, and many things were