The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-10-10
When A Girl
 Marries
By ANNE LESLIE.


 stroy your faith in me? What else is | there to bring him so far from his home? It's all clear. Rosa's face,
 when she sprang him upon me there l in the office, told the story. She sent
 for him to destroy me in your eyes," My repressed, controlled Goddess of 1 Liberty girl was entirely banished and in her place there was unreason- ing, almost hysterica1 creature who paced up and down the room and | flung out jerky sentences in high pitched voice that did not sound as ! if it could come from her long. slen- l der throat. I got up and followed
 her to a window, where I seized her hand pulleld her down to a big wick CT divan, and sat next to her
 ''Manuelo Ortiz was not sent for I said firmly. He came. I think he has a. boys unreasoning adoration for Rosa, I feel sure that he came here only beca use he WAS desperately 1 anxious to be near her So far as he is concerned, Rosa Cordova is an | enchantress, He sees her as perfec- ton. I may be wrong, but I'd stake
 a good deal on being right.
 What he has told her about you I don't know; som mething, no doubt l but not enough to give her a weapon
 to use against you. For if she dream ed that you were going to lose your | nerve like this or that she had any | thing to make you squirm, she'd have | gone straight to 1t. I'm talking plain
 English, my dear. But it will pay you to 1isten-for I'm being sane. I'm not obsessed by this as you are.' 1 What shall we do?" asked Mabel, ] looking up at me pathetica1ly. l Nothing" I replied. wen wait
 for Rosa to do something.'' l "I can't wait, and wonder!'' gasped l Mabel
 'Then-I'n see Rosa and make her 1 tell me just what she knows. In this instance, she'll be glad to. Then I'll
 manage young Ortiz somehow. May | be she'll manage him for us. But in any event. I'm going to make them
 understand that you are in charge of l Jim's office, matter how they plot 1 and plan to traduce you. They've got | to understand that just because you l once cared for g. worthless man and l found-through Jim jusA how worth | less he is-you're all ths smore prepar- | ed to save Jim from suffering at his | hands"
 You trust me absolutely" said Mabel in a tone of wonder 1 T do,' I replied.
 l And you wi1l-whatev3r they say
 however they Ary to refute your faith"
 There was som ething like a ques- 1 tion in her voice I answered it-- l though it was not spoken.
 Whatever they say, I will go on l trusting you. You have told me the truth. I think I can make them see l it. But even if we have to line up against Rosa and Manue1o and fight l 'em-wel1 stand in battle array and we'll dig in on those lines and keep | a-dfgging until we get resu1ts-or Jim 1 comes with endorsements"
 Mabel smiled at with a resurg- I- L ] feet and flung back her shoulders 1 squarely. The color ventured out in l her lips and cheeks.
 l Maybe even Mir. Harrison won't 1 believe in me-wf1en Manue1o Ortiz | tells what he saw. But I believe you'd l still have faith in and stand up for me-
 1 situation won't arise.'
 I kept my voice even and calmly | assured. But when I'd said good l by to Mabel. I flew to the phone to
 call Rosa-and some of the assur-
 ance was drained out of my heart CHAPTER 70s.
 |. Rosa made an evasive reply to my t{request that she see me at once. She 1 had the tone of expecting just this. l Some ething in her marA9tr boded i'll for 1 Mabel Storrs. It made me fell that l Rosa had persuaded Manuelo Ortiz i to come north from Mexico Tn order | to use him as witness against my l Goddess of Liberty girl. l ''I am not able to come to the city | today. I have headache that is so | terrible I must rest me, or I think l I get very sick" she said p1aintiveIy 1 and with an elaborate accent. 1 ''Il1 come to Dreamwold this eve l ming I'm sure of my welcome" I l ventured.
 ~This evening is why I must rest
 me so carefully today" Rosa said, 1 and I could fancy her cat-that-ate- | the-canary smile. "I have for this
 evening such important engagement
 that I must keep 1t if I am-how you
 say-oarried to it on stretcher!' l Then you can't see me today?" I 1 asked duly.
 q have told you that is not possi- | bIe,'' replied Rosa.
 1 Would you"- I began and bit l off my projected request that she put
 me in touch with Manuelo Ortiz. This, l I felt, was the particular thing she | would never do. If Rosa were play 1 ing her game to torture Mabel to the l limit of her ingenuity she would | never sponsor an interview between
 Manuelo Ortiz and me. Would I-what?" demanded Rosa, | making me conscious of my ha1f-fn- 1 ished sentence.
 Would you make an engagement 1 for tomorrow" I asked glibly.
 Will you telephone me maybe to- 1 m orrow and see if this evening has 1 exhaust me or if I am able to oblige you shall wish? ?'' asked Rosa with | a suspicious r1eekness which told me l how thoroughly she was enjoying
 this chance to play with me after the immortal fashion of a cat with m ouse.
 ~1'1l ring you up.' agreed. 'tAnd | now goodby for today"
 Turning from the telephone, 1 made nasty preparations to go to my 1 oRoa Mice May vro,,Jd r,t