The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-12-08
kopyri9ht 1921 by the Bell Syndlcote. Inc.


street, are fully occupied by close rela.
tives of his; I doubt if he'll be really
as lonely as he'd like to be. And he's
often said he'd give a great deal if
Julia had been a plain. unpopular girl.
I'm strongly of the opinion, myself,
that he'll be pleased about this. OF
course 1t may upset him a little. just
at first"
yes; I think it Wilt" Mrs. At
"And be isn't the only one it's going
to upset"
mo. he isn't" her husband admit
ted, seriously. That's always been
the trouble with Julia /; she never could
bear to seem disappointing; and so. of
a special idea that he was really about
the top of the list with her."
Every last one of EN- was positive
of it," said Mrs. Atwater. That was
Julia's way with 'emI"
Yes, Julia's always been much too
kind-hearted for other peoples good!'
Thus Mr.. Atwater summed up-and
he was this Julia's brother. Addition
ally, since he was the older, he had
known her since her birth.
"If you ask me,'' said his wife, I'm
really be surprised if it all goes
through without a suicide"
"Oh, not quite suicide, perhaps" Mr..
dry state, thought"
She failed to fathom his simple
meaning. "Why?"
well, some of 'em might feel that
desperate al least" he explained.
"Prohibition's a safeguard for the dis
appointed in Love-
This phrase and a previous n
stirred Florence, who had been sitting
quietly, according to request, and
resting; but not resting her Curl
osity. who's disappointed in love,
papa?' she inquired with an explosive
eagerness which slightly startled her
preoccupied parents. what is all this
about Aunt Julia, and Grandpa goin'
to live alone, and people committing
suicide and prohibition and every
thing? What is all this, mama7"
Nothing, Florence"
Nothing! That's what 0 always
say about the very most interesting
things that happen in the whole fam
ilyl What is all this, papa?"
Its nothing that would be inter-
esting to little girls, Florence. Mere
ly some family matters"
ahE. ~oo1nacc ~ fLTloronca ovoIaipaad
"Im not a little girl any more, papai
You're always forgetting my agel And
II it's a family matter l belong to the
family, l guess, about as much as any
body else, don't I? Grandpa himself
isn't any more one of the family than
l am. l don't care how old he isl"
This was undeniable, and her father
laughed. Its really nothing you'd
care about one way or the other" he
said.
well, I'd care about it if it's a Sc
cret," Florence insisted. IF it's a Sc
cret I'd want to know it whatever it's
about"
"Oh, II isn't a secret, particularly,
l suppose. At least, it's not to be
made public for a time; it's only to
be known in the family"
well, didn't l just prove I'm as
much IN o. the family as"
"Never mind" her father said sooth-
ingly. II don't suppose there's any
harm in your knowing tiff you won't
go telling everybody. Your aunt Julia
has just written us that she's en-
gagged"
Mrs. Atwater uttered an exclama-
ton, but she was too late to check
him.
whats the matterT" he asked.
I'm afraid you oughtn't to have
told Florence. She isn't just the most
discreet"
"Pshaw! !" he laughed. "She certain
ly is one Of the family, however. and
Julia wrote that all of the family
might be told. You'll not speak of it
outside the family, will you, Flor
encef"
But Florence was not yet able TO
speak of it, even inside the family
so surprising, sometimes, are parents
theories of what will not interest
their children. She sat staring, her
mouth open, her throat closed; and in
the uncertain illumination Of the room
symptoms of her emotional con-
dition went unobserved.
II say you won't speak of Julia's
engagement outside the family, will
you, Florence?"
Papa" she gasped. did Aunt
write she was engagedf"
Eyes"
ITO get married?"
ut would seem So"
"To who?"
""To whom Florence her mother
suggested primly.
Mama !" the daughter cried. who's
Julia engaged to get married
to? Noble Dill?
GOOD gracious, no" Mrs. Atwater
exclaimed. "What an absurd ideal
to a young man in the place she's
Visiting-a stranger to all of us. Julia
only met him a few weeks ago. Here