The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-08-18
When A Girl
 Marries ],
By ANNE LESLIE


 | didn't get back to the little room of | four walls hemming us in with cona- l plete privacy. Lets go back to the den and finish our talk" ''We did finish. didn't we?" der l manded Dad Lee.
 "No." cried, leading the way without consulting him further as to prejudtces and preferences. @1 1 He followed perforce, but when, closed the door and turned upon nIas again with the determination to De ruthless written no doubt on my fsss. l he murmured as soothingly as if he | was dealing with a frac1ous child: 1 Now you feel better. kinda l wish you smoked, m'dear. It would soothe your nerves. You got 3umpy nerves, you know. We had a colt oncet. and I used to say to Martha, | your mother"- | &'Don'ti' cried. '@Why won't you cease tiads pretence?"
 Child, Child. ain't there some way I can make you feel more like your old self? I don't know who's been trying to turn you against your old dad. Maybe it's that Cordova woman-nnaybe it's your being afraid I'll hurt you with your swell relatives and the huband who's coming back l to you I bit back the words which fairly l leaped to my lips. s5t
 ''When?" wanted to cry. What l makes you say Jim ds coming back7 What have you heard? When do you think he's coming - whens l when?'' e&
 couldn't give vent to onesof those l cries. I dared not let Dad Leo susc ] pect that I was all at sea over Jim's 1 plans. So now-without trace of 1 the emotion I felt-I said with what l I hoped was at least a senlblance of calmness:
 '-No one is trying Co turn me against you No one could do that except your very own self. But ycui l can't run with the hare and hunt with the hounds as you persist in, trying to do. And as long as Dick and you are pa1s"- [
 Didn't I ask you whoa watch Dick if I didn't?" wfinpered Dad. Lee.
 'where is Diok7s I Demanded, |, rushing on with the torrent so long pent up in my mind. 'You enable
 him to stay dn hiding while you |, keep track of my husband and-me. He can-lay low because you're do- ing all that can be done to pump Mrs. Cordova. me-any ono who's in,
 Jin's confidence. You're posted
 about our affairs"-
 'I ain't posted. It's Dick who'sI posted. Don't you ee? He even
 knew where your husband-was."
 "Oh!' I gasped, sore with the long-E ing to acknowledge my impotence
 by crying out the question I owed it
 to Jim to stif1e. where is Dick?
 Where? If I~could see Dick, I might,
 be able to straighten out so many of
 my-tangles."
 50 you might" replied Dad Leef
 So I guess it's LID to your old fa-
 ther to fix 1t for you to see Dick I'm
 going to make that boy see that if la fn fria 6e
 he's got to give my girl a little bit of
 his time. I'll fix it for you, Anne.
 And if it costs Dick anything more that he wants to pay-I'H stand the gan for him
 What do you mean7" cried com pletely nysti1ed,
 You'll know pretty soon. Maybe
 it's just to serve you like this when
 you needed me most that been trail-
 ing with Dick so long. Dicks spy
 wouldn't do this for you, would he?
 It would take someone who cared for
 you to-throw Dick, wouldn't it? It
 would take your own father!"
 "Yes." I repeated with a sinking
 heart and a sense of shame because I felt this way.
 Next week I fix it for you to meet
 up with Dick,'' concluded Dad Lee
 exultiant1y. ''Now, who says I aiu,ta your father?"
 "No one-could." I gasped
 Dad Lees promise that at any cost = to himself he would put me in touch
 with Dick West convinced me that
 the little man really was my own
 flesh and blood. With great joy at | this wonderful chance to serve Jim so we'll that I might be the direct means 1 of bringing him home to me. I said l good nght to Dad Lee. My appoint
 meth to meet Dick is a week off, as Dad Lee assured me that Dick was not yet in physician condition to be up and about. I didn't mind waiting, 1 for needed the time to make my l plans.
 Arresting Dick may not serve Jim l If Dick is willing to meet me it may 1 be because his dieutenants are in a 1 position to carry out his plans with l out him. He may be inclined to 1 throw Dad Lee and me ofr the track 1 by giving us the seeming upper hand. 1 So before I interview that shrewd and 1 not conceivably reformed gentleman 1 I feel I'd better do lot of clear ana l constructive thinking. Nad Lees good 1 faith in the only thing I can't ques- l ton.
 l I did lot of pondering in the hours l I was supposed to be lost in slun- 1 ber." The result was that I set off 1 for my office next morning in a by-no- means refreshed condition. But Miss 1 May greeted me On my arrival with 1 an enthusiasm that had a tonic effect l 'AGood morning!' she cried. I've 1 been Just longing for eight forty-five l and you. I can hardly wait to tell l you what a fountain of youth I've 1 been drinking from just because 1 was lucky. enough to meet you" 1 Now, look here" I replied with 1 drowning severity. "If you will insist l on burning the candle at both ends, 1 what can I do? I'll wager that you l were jazxaug around until all hours l with your pet nephew, and his friend. l and yet you've betrayed that yoa 1 must have been in this office at some | such unearthly hour as eight-forty!