The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-15

than for Sally herSeE,'' he added.
 "Mother saves up newspaper ac- counts. and has this translated from
 the German and that from the | F'rench-it's sort of pathetic to see!
 Dad and Janey are in New York now;
 something was said last night about | their going over to see Bab.''
 'Ted and your mother are alone, | then? How's Ted %
 l "Oh. driving Mother crazy, as usu- | al. Shed firt with the Portuguese
 milkman if she had a chance. She can't seem to understand that be-
 cause she wants to be free she isn't | free. Talks about if I marry again, 1 and SO on- Of course Carleton's
 marrying again has made her wild.'' But. good heavens. Richie, Ted
 ought to have some sense!''
 Well. she hasn't. She stretched
 point to marry him. d'you see | Carleton had been baptized as a
 child. and his first wife hadn't, and they were married by a Justice of the Peace. or something of that sort So Ted claimed that in the eyes of the Church he hadn't been married at all. and she married him. Then
 But if she loved him, Richie and Ted was so young!"
 "AN true, of course, only if you're going to push things to the point of
 taking advantage of a quibb1e like that, your chance of happiness is more or less slim, So three years ago Carleton proved that he hadn't cared a whoop about the legal or re- ligious aspects of the case and left Ted. And now Ted can't see her self. at 27, tied to another woman's huSbandE'
 ''She has her boy" Julia said se- vere1y.
 "Yep, but that doesn't seem to count"
 Well, it's funny. Richie, take us all in all, what a mess we've made
 of marrtydng!" Julia unused. Ned gives me the impression, every time l see him. of being a sufky martyr in his own home; Sallys managed to drag happiness out of most hope less situation; Ted. of course, will never be happy again, like Jim and me; and Connie. although she made an exemplary marriage. either has to leave her husband or bring her baby up in Manila, which she says posi- lively isn't safe. Bab is the only shining success among us aMI'
 "Oh, I ont know" Richie said. stopping the horse, and f1nging the reins to the Portuguese who came out of a small barn to meet them. Here We are Ju-take your time! I've always considered you rather successful" he resumed.
 "Oh, mel" Julia laughed as she jumpjed down like gir. She fol- lowed Anna across a little hollow fll- ed with buttercups and long grasses, and they mounted the little rise to Richiefs tiny cabin. The little house had Mount Tamalpais for back ground, and it's wide unroofed porch ; faced across the valley. and com- manded a view of the wooded ridges and the marshes, and the distant bay, and of San Francisco 12 miles away. 1 Scrub oaks and bay trees grew in a | tangle all about it, even a few young redwoodS and an occasional bronze | and white nadrona tree. Wild roses | and field flowers crowded against it's | very walls, and under the trees there were iris and brown lilies, and a | dense undergrowth of manzanita and | hazelnut bushes. wild currant and | wild lilac trees.
 The big room that Julia entered first was dim with pleasant twilight. | and full of the sweet colours of a dy- | ing wood fire. It had nothing of dis | tlnct1on in it: few shabby chairs l an old square piano, an unpainted | floor crossed here and there by rugs. l books in cases and out of them, can dlesticks along the brick mantel, a | green-shaded students lamp on 6 | long table, and several wide windows dim and opaque now in the fast st-gath- erins darkness, but usually framing | each a picture Of matchless noun tain scenery.
 A door at one side of the fireplace led into a tiny kitchen whose win dows looked out into oak branches: and another door, on the other side, gave access to a little cement-fioor- ed bathroom with a shower, and two small bedrooms, each with two beds built in tiers like hunks This was Richie's whole domain, and whether it was really saturated with the care ire atmosphere of childhood, and fragrant with the good breath of the countryside all about it. or whether Julia only imagined t to be so, she found it perfect. and was never so happy in these days as when she and Anna were there. She was always busy. and satisfied in her work, but there were needs of heart and mind 1 and when these rose strong within | her she found no company as brac- ing and as welcome as Richards.
 NO Aunt Sanna?" said she cheer fully, when she had taken off her hat and the small girls, and was in her favourite chair by the fire.
 'TNo, darn it!" said Richie, strug- gling with a refractory lamp wick.
 ''Oh. don't be so blue, Richi She'll be here. on the seven.'
 "No. she won't-she said the four
 T expected to find her here." Richie !. said, settling the glass chimney into place, as the light crept round the '. wick little odour of hot kerosene foated on the air. and was los1 in other colours from the kitchen , where a Chinese boy was padding i about in the poor light of one lamp. i He began to come and go. setting the i table, the ecStatic Anna at his heels. l Whenever the outer door was opened, !, cool rush of sweet country air | came in. Richie began to stamp l back and forth with great logs for l the firep1ace.