, 1922-01-14

came home from school about four
hffhs Of all thu young men IN town
havo been Wild about her-and sox
every old bachelor. for the matter OF
thatf"
Yes Mr.. Atwater added Every
old widower. too"
His wife warmly accepted the
umendmept- And every old wtdower.
too" she said. noddtng. 'Ratheri And
Of course Julia's done exactly as sbo
pleased about everything. and nafurnl-
~ she's going to do as she pieasss
about this"
well. Of course. II IL her ewn If
fair. Moli.e.- Mr. Afwater said, mildly.
-She couldn't be expected to consult
the whole Atvater family connection
before
"oh. no. she agreed. II don't say
she could. StIr. Il Ia rather upset
ting, coming SO suddenly like this.
when not ono Of the family have ever
seen him-nevsr even heard his very
name before"
Wei. that part Of II isn't espe-
eaIly strange, Moii;e -ssn hs was
born and brought ur In 4 town three
hundred miles from here. I don't see
Just how We could haYn heard his
Eame-unless be visited here. or got
into the papers In some way
Mrs Atwater seemed unwilling to
yield a mysterious point She rocked
deccrpusiy in her chair, shook her
head. and after setting her iips rigid
". opened them to insist mat she could
never change her mind; Julia had
acted very abruptly. why couldn't
she have let her poor father know. at
least a few days before she didT'
Mr.. Atwater Sighed why, she en-
plains In her letter that she only
knew IT. herself. an hour before she
wrote.-
-Her poor fntnerr HIS wife repeat
ed commiserntingly.
"Nyhy. Mollie, ] don't sec that faith
er's especially to be pftied.-
Don't your said Mrs. Atwnter.
That old man. to have to live In that
big house all alone. except n few ne
gro servants7-
why, mol Abont half tho houses
IN the ncighborhood. up and down the
street. are fully occupied by close relu-
lives OF hist l doubt II hen be really
as lonely as he'd like to be. And he's
often said he'd give a great deal II
Julia had been n plain, unpopular girl.
I'm strongly OF the opinion. myself.
that he'll be pleased about this OF
course Il may upset him q little, Just
at hrxt"
yes; l think 1t wmr Mrs. At
water shook her head foreboding,y.
and he isn't the only n It's going
to upset"
mo. he Isn't her husband Admit
ted. seriously. That's always been
the trouble with Julia ; she never could
bear to seem disappointing; and 50. OF
course, I suppose every n Of EN- had
a special idea that he was really about
the top Of the List with her"
Every last one Of 'em was positive
Of II" said Mrs. Atwater. .srhat was
JuIia's way with 'em Z"
Yves, Julin's always been much too
kind-hearted for other peoples goodl-
Thus Mr.. Atwater summed up-and
he was this Juiin's brother. Addition
ally. since he was the older. he had
known her since her birth.
"1f you ask me-" said his wife, TIL
really be surprised II It all goes
through without a snicide."
"Oh. not quite suicide. perhaps Mr..
Atwater protested I'm glad It's a
dry state. though r.
She failed to fkthom his simple
meaning. "Why7"
"weli. some of EN- might feel that
desperate at least" he explained.
-Prohibition'n a safeguard for the dis
appointed in love-"
This phrase and a previous one
stirred Florence. who had been sitting
quietly. according to- request, md
resting but not resting her curl.
osity. who's disappointed In love.
papafs she inquired with an explosive
eagernsss which slightly startled her
preoccupted parents. 4Vhat Is all this
about Aunt Julia, and Grandpa goin'
to live alone, and people committing
suicide and prohibition and every
thingf What is all this, mamaTr
.Nothing. Florence"
"Nothingi That's what you always
sny about the very most interesting
things that happen in the whole fam
nyI What Is all this. papar
TITS nothing that would be inter
esting to little girls, FTorenca Mere
" some family matters"
my goodnessr Florence exclaimed.
TN not a little girl any more. papai
You're always forgetting my agei And
II its a family matter I belong to ths
family, / guess. shout as much as an,-
body else, don't II Grandpa himself
isn't any more one Of the family thar
I am. / don't care how old he isrs
This was u~ndenfable. and her father
laughed @It's really nothing ycu'd
care about emo way or the other he
said.
well. I'd care about It II it's q no
cret.r Florence inaisted- IF It's a Sc
cret I'd want to know it whatever it's
about
oh it Isn't a secret. particularly.
I suppose. At least, It's not to be
made public for a time; it's only to