The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-09-26
When. A Girl
 Marries
By ANNE LESLIE

l for hours I lay staring at the dark ness and hating the meshes Of in l trigue Rosa Cordova was trying to
 weave around me. On one thing I 1 determined. No poisonous word of a | clever ard ev:l-minded woman is go-
 ing to color my attitude toward a | chivalrous gentleman who has roved | himself a real friend. Ralph Lacy would not need Virginia's instinctive l and instantaneous liking of him for l defense, but Pm glad that I have ir to justify my own judgment that he | is a fine. upright and clean-souIr~A l man. l We have declared our friendship .11 | words. I am not going to disappoint l himself over and over. Rosa has 1 trailed her innuendo over this friend | ship-no doubt with a purpose. The l only way to defeat her purpose is to l ;gno ore her suggestion. Having made up my mind to this. I determined also to go to sleep. But hat was easier to decide than to carry out. After time I switched on the right light by the side of my bed, found a magazine and began to read.
 When I awcke the sunlight was strea ming into the room and the little DeOSluG lamp was SLHl sending out US feeble rival glow. I dressed and took a brisk stroll about the grounds or Dreamwold before breakfast. It didn't suit me at all to arouse comment by
 looking dragged and tired, and L counted on the fresh air to give me at least a temporary look of fitness. =
 Virginia and Pat were waiting for in the breakfast room when came in.
 'Good morning. they chorused, Virginia adding:
 We'll be a family group this morn ing. Rosa sent word that she'd like her breakfast in bed and that she'd go up to town later by train. Ana I'm particularly glad she feels the need of sleep this morning, for I have some news to impart. I've had telegram from Tony. You'll find one wiating for you at home no doubt, Anne"
 Perhaps said.
 I appreciated virginia's delicacy of feeling in insisting that I also would undoubtedly hear from Tony. At this moment thought 1t would not be the retort courteous for me to speak of the telegram to Car1otta which I was supposed to have opened after her de- parture. I'd not mentioned it before because couldn't find just the right Oppoi toA4ly. %aIiu LIiS pIS5cuG InOIn6nL seemed one with "least said, soonest mended."
 Don't you want to know what Tony has to say?'' asked Virginia, and as she spoke was conscious that Pat was cycling me rather shrewdly.
 "Of course," I cried with a feeling of, being faker. Please tell me, Jeanie."
 "He says smiled Jeanie conscr- l-1 L. Bettey within the next ten days. Or course, shall hope to persuade Betty to make her home with us. Pat and I have talked that over. How does it appeal to you. Amer"
 Most excellently we11,'' I cried. What a pair of dears you are to want her!"
 "Of course. we want Betty,'' Vir- ginia grave1y replied. *'The thing to do is to persuade her to come. I sup pose she's still carrying her apart ment. and she may insist on going there. But count on you, Anne, to help me make her see that she mustn't be alone.'
 t'She might want to-" ventured. f'Betty has a very independent spirit. I know it will make her happy to feel that you want her here. But while being wanted may please here, it's
  oown roof-tree.''
 fI'm thinking we mustn't be after, planning without our-guest,' Pat laughed.
 We can still try to persuade her. repeated Virginia. with a touch of stub bbornness.
 'If she's with us she won't need ony to lean on," Pat said suddenly. And if she wants her apartment - lat C. tending to that for her. There's everything in favor of Bettys coming to us. Don't let her n1isd oubt that
 I wondered if the combination of names meant anything. For a second I idly pondered why Cor1otta hadn't succeeded in renting my apartment. But I felt I could carry the burden or loss now better than poor Carlotta could carry even suggested reproach.
 So I made no comment beyond ac- with all the Dalton schemes. Later on Pat and I continued our planning as we drove up to town.
 He refrained from mentioning Car lotta. I wasn't sure if he refrained- gIngerly, Or just didn't happen to fit her into the conversation. But I got the feeling that Pat Dalton sensed something Virginia had missed.
 The thing which clinched this mo- tlon was Pats parting word to me he drove up to my office:
 'Tll be writing to CarIotta today on office business he remarked so cas- ually that I felt it was overdone. q suppose it's an interesting bit of fn-. formation that Tony'1l be after com ing back in ten days or so. Or were you planning to write the news?"
 And if it was?" I laughed a little in turn. "It would not Go any great harm for two of us to tell Carlotta the same bit of news-would when it concerns any one to whom she's felt so close ?''
 Well, I just thought it was foolish 'or us both to tell the same news-as f we set too great store by it." stam- nered P2S. And then we're so busy hat it's no great piece of wisdom fce both of us to be taking up our time the same tidings. That's