The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-01-10
When fl Girl 
 Murries
CHAPTER CDLVI.
By ANN LISLE

E. there at. noon. Without a word SI1e
 handed me a letter. I stared at the sprawly, Informed writing without #ssny sense of familiarity.
 "It's from our Bettey,' Virginia ex N ciained. Written with her left hand, pf course, though she doesn't say one word on the subject
 "Bettyi' I repeated, smiling back Kat Virginia with the tenderness we
 woman we knew. Then plunged into the letter. It was full of devo- tion to Terry, of interest in the far 1ssaway friends she loves, of charming fAllutle descriptions of the lakes in the kx Canadian Rockies and the winter
 sports at Banff, where she and Terry
 swhimsfcal, uncomplaining letter. had nothing in the foreground of my
 fondness for her. But when I had
 Finished, other impressions came
 crowding in.
 "Banff! That's near Calgary. !
 wonder if it would have made any E difference if we'd known I mur- Y mured to 1nyself-then. before I real
 ized that I was speaking aloud cried, | Es.I wonder how near Banff is to the | HAsCalgary region!'
 ,<@That's where your Father Andrew tI Iwent on that trip of his, isn't % II asked Virginia shrewdly. Maybe he Ilcould have saved himself the journey M if we'd known where he was heading M -Betty would have stood ready to lI help
 UZ D A Then I pulled myself together and
 turned my attention to switching Vir- \ ma S mind from dangerous ground.
 couldn't afford to have her specu- M Plating about my sudden interest in lE geogra phy.
 AVA nAren't those winstons of ours dar- M Illings?" I said, reverting to the safer N spect of my thoughts about Terry II E and Bettey. ''It soxcds, alasI as if II this honeymoon of theirs is going to lt ltksIast for the next five or six months" rAp l lEkinoney,'' returned Virginia compla- 4 3sHcently. Their trip is probably giving Betty the vitality she needs. The ac- l}ftual physical condition of her arm " must take a lot out of her-a,nd then S St tlleFe's Betty's pride. I'll wager for 4, a1llh courage she'd just about die l getting used to her affIiction here N 5where all the people she knows and hts sloves would be watching her every 3l46ay Yes it's a blessing that Terry can stand the strin CT ' Ithese months of lotfing. Not every ,1 4nan is in position to have every lining going out like this and nothing N iNcoming in.''
 IIk I felt myself writing inwardly all jlNthe while she was speaking Al Do you think it would do Betty M some for heri" I concluded, lest Vir- XII ginia's cIrewdness penetrate to the IN core of meaning in my question. But the answer made a bad matter All worse.
 Anne Harrison, You aren't going
  Ill wild goose-chasing off somewhere and l3I that you're worried and need her, are lIlyeu?'' demanded Virginia
 Hl~ Without waiting for me to pull my M. self together and find an answer she ,I plunged ahead with sarcasm that was aSIH almost brusque-
 'jHto stand by you-so you really need AEte drag Betty home to help you bear JIyour troubles. ai Virginia! Aren't you being un- Unnecessarily rude?" I began with as hl perity Then I hauled myself up and
 asked humbly, Do you really think ITm so really weak that can't man. Idt age to-paddle my own canoe. or so M selfish that I'd ask Betty to come M girls having bad enough time to ,sR learn to steer her own boat-with one Esj hand ?''
 ]Ibo eye me with cold hostility. Then She came over and sat down next to |}I Ime, putting her hand on my arm with l]| warm friendliness- V sPm a beast!'' she said contritely. ft'Jea1ous or suspicious or something
 horrid. But you must forgive me; RlHall the while I was keeping it from lHyou that he'd been hurt. And-I worry |l frightfully about JIs1, too. I think |i@expected to make you so angry a min Elte ago that you'd blurt out some rev lNeIation. Of course, I don't think you lSso. weak that you can't paddle your |Afown cantoe Instead, I resent your ' klteyident determination to go it alone" NV "But you did think I'd whimper to HsBetty and call her home if I could,'' I klSpersisted determined to make sure | gllthat my deep interest in the postmarll {lsof Betty letter hadn't told Jeanie | lanything I didn't want revealed. El :sNo,'' replied Virginia, staring at | Itine in a puzzled way. But feel, | 5l.s0mehow, as if you wouldn't be a bit l tjFdf sappointed if she did come home. | IlsSo don't look so worried over Terry's I guess it can stand the | |i,strain.'' q hope so" I answered.
 ITO save my life, however, couldn't gest any animation into my tone: Iknew well enough that unless Jim's |)called it, comes out much better than M dared hope-Betty will have to re- kNturn from the Northwest. Practically | khevery cent Terry Winston owns Is m ttvested in Jim's company, and I know | kSTerry would not live for day on kIAtherton's Bryce's money BS Suddenly I had an inspiration. |
 smi1ed at the joy of it. No matter
 vNhat happens to Jim's oil holdings,
 Ia thought of a way of making sure | (!1hat Terry Winston the friend Jim sadoress shall receive his monthly div | Sidend checks Instead of asking yBetty to come back to help me can keep her. Jim would want to do 4hfs for Betty and Terry.
 & Betty must have enough money to |
 stay in the healing climate, Anne 4o -do a thing about that But the yBarbara Anne Lee of olden days had .
 Known how to earn money. And shed |
 NfsO it ag7Ifn-for Jim.
 Smiling I turned to Virginia.
 .sF'unEy even to read a letter of
 Betty's or to think of her, helps me !
 That adorable Betty of ours has just i
 eiven me a real inspira tion.'
 CT suppose this is secret. too?" !
 Asked Virginia half-pleadingly.
 St.sYes'm.' I returned. But Noull i
 he in on this secret almost before
 xou,re ready. Now can't you persuade
 Phoebe to let me have one wee little
 peerj< at my blessed brother?''
 tTo Be COntinued-)