The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-16

I aDout It. But year or two later there
 was a young woman-he used to call her the little girf-I don't know ex- | catly-- Anyway. Dad went East, there was some sort of fuss and I know Jim treated her awfully we'll there never was any question of that 1 she never felt anything but gratitude to him, whatever grievances she had about any one else-''
 His voice dropped.
 "But it's not the same thing" Julia said with a sign.
 i "No. suppose not" Richard agreed. Life has been too violent and too swift with me- Julia resumed after a while. eff I had the past Is years
 to live over again, would live them | very differently. I made an idol of | Jim; he could do no wrong. He want i ed more bracing treatment than that; | he should have been boldly faced down. If I had been wiser, I would | have treated all my marriage differ ently. If I had been very wise, should have kept my own secret. Per haps, marrying. should not have
 told him the truth; I don't know. Anyway. I. have mixed things up hope lessiy, given other people and myself 1 an enormous amount of pain, and wrecked my life and Jim's. And now, when am 30, I feel as if I could be- gin to see light. begin to live-as if ! now. when nothing on earth seems really important, I knew how to meet life"
 Well, that's been my attitude for [ fsome years" Richie said, shifting his lame leg again. of course I started
 in handicapped, which is a great ad- vantage"
 Advantage? Oh, Richie.' Julia protested.
 l ''Yes, it is, from one point of view" | he insisted whimsical1y. "'who loses his Hfe,' you know Most boys and girls start off into life like kites in high wind without tails. There's a i glorious dipping and p1unging and sailing for little while, and then down they come in a tangle of string and paper and broken wood. had a tail to start with some humiliating deficiency to keep me balanced. No football and tennis for me. flirting and dancing and private theatrica1s When Bab and Ned were in one whir1 of good times, was working out chess problems to make myself forget my hip, and reading Carlyle and Thoreau and Emerson. Nobody is born con-
 tent, Ju. and nobody has it thrust up- on him; just a few achieve 1t. I ! worked over the secret of happiness as if it was the multiplication table. Happiness is the best thing in the world. It's only a habit, and I've got | ft.''
 Is happines the best thing in the world. Rich ?" Julia asked wistfuIly. l 'I think it is; real happiness, which doesn't necessarily mean a box at the Metropolitan and touring car," Richie said. smiling. "It seems to me, to have a little house up here on the mountain, and to have people here like i me, and let me take care of them-' For nothing?" interposed Julia. Don't you believe it! - I didn't write a ofheque last month! Anyway, 1t suits me. I have books, and let ters, and a fire. and now and then a
 friend or two-and now and then Ju- lia and Anna to amuse mel" I'm happy, too,'' Julia said thoughtfully. "'I realized it some time ago-oh, a year ago! I feel just Eas you might feel, Rich, if you had left 1 some critical operation unfinished, or done in a wrong way, and then gone back to do it over. I feel as if, in going back to first principles, and do- ing what could for my own people had 'trued' a part of my life. If you can understand thati had gone climbing and bludereding on, and reached point where I couldn't help myself, but they were just where they 1 started, and I could help themi" "It was probably the best thing you
  same time," Richard interp plated. with a swift plance.
 "Oh, absolutely!" Julia laughed a 1 little sadly. 'I was like an animal i that goes out and eats a weed: had a l wild instinct that if I rushed into my grandmother's house, and bul1ied ev- i erybody: there. and sin1pfy sArieked and stamped on the dirt and laziness l and complaining, on the whole i wretched system that I grew up un- 1 der, in short, that 1t would be a l heavenly relief! My dear Richie" and Julia laughed again. and more natur- i ally 'I wonder they didn't tar and l feather me, and throw me out of the ] housei I secured and burned and scolded and bossed them all like a tmadwoman. told them that we had /: enough money to keep the house de- i gently, anad always had had, but. my | deart I never dreamed the whole icrowd would fall in line so Soon." (ContiHued Tomorrow