The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-20
SYNOPSIS.

atmosphere of constant quarreling be- tween her mother and father. At IA Julia was planning to become an ac- tress, and Mark Rosenthal of the floor above had fallen in love with her.
 But contact with society girls in an amateur play in winch she had a pro fessional part, made her long for the better things of life and when her mother left the city to rejoin her di- vorced husband, Julia become an as sistant to Miss Poland. wealthy but an eccentric philanthropist at her settle Ilent house.
 Max, meanwhile. had been con- finally. jealous of pr. Jim Studdiford the young nephew of Miss Poland, he shot himself, falling dead at her feet 4u the neighborhood house.
 Julia and Dr. Studdiford, some time later, became engaged but Julia con- fessed that she could not marry him because she had made a mistake in her life, before she was 15 years old. Jim was mortified but insisted that she marry him. As young Mrs. Studdi- ford Julia became a great favorite in San Francisco society. A chance meeting with one of Marks sisters brought old thoughts to Jim and he demanded to know if Mark were the man to whom Julia had given her self When she admitted it. he brooded for days over the old mem Ory.
 (Continued from Saturday,
 CHAPTER VIII
 IL WAS HI late september that lI- mail brought her a note from Jim. Julia'S heart felt a second Of paralyz- ing cramp she put her hand on the letter; she read it's dozen lines In a haze of, dancing light; the letters seemed to swim together.
 Jim wrote that he was at home for a few days and was most anxi ous to See her, and to have talk that would be of advantage to them both. For obvious reasons. her home was not suitable; would she suggest a time and place? He was always hers faithfully, James Stud afford.
 Anna, glowing and delicious, was leaning against Julia's shoulder as Julia read and reread the little docu- ment. The mother looked down ob- Hque1y at the little rose-1eaf face, the blue eyes, the fresh, firm, baby mouth.
 When I grown-up girl" Anna said, with her sweet, mysterious smile 'I shall have letters, and will write answers, and write the en- velopes, toot And I'll write you let ters, Mother, when you go way and leave me with Grandma,'
 will your" asked Julia, rubbing the. chiId's soft cheek with her own.
 Every day!" Anna said Who's writing you with that cunning little owl on the paper, Mother?"
 That's the Bohemian Club owl" Julia evaded giving Anna. only one fair look at him before she closed the letter. She went to her desk. and swiftly. unhesltatingIy, wrote her re- ply Jim must excuse her, sine could not see the advantage of their meet ing. she would much prefer not to see him. Briskly rubbing her blot ter over the flap of the sealed en- velope, she had vision of him, inter- rupting his evening of talk with old friends to scratch off thenote to her, and felt that she detested him.
 An unhappy week followed, in which Julia had time to feel that a1- most any conseQuences would have been easier to bear than the unas- sadIable wall of silence and misgiving and doubt that hemmed her in- Con- stant nervous terrors weakened her spiritually and bodily, and she could not bear to have Anna for one mo- ment out of. her sight. Mrs. Page and Mrs. Torney saw notice in the papers of J1n's return, and suspected the cause of this new agitation in Ju- | lia. but neither dared attempt to | force her confidence.
 Men are the imit!' said Mrs Tor l ney to her sister, one day when they | were sitting together in the kitchen AS I've said before. it's great pity | there air't nothing else todo but mar | ry, and nothing to marry but men!
 
 women who spend their happiest | hours going about doing the house l work and planning just what they'd | do if their husbands was to be taken | off suddenly Some girls can set 1 around until they're blue moulded | and never a fe11er tos ask 'em, and l others the boys'll fret and pIeg until | they're fit to be tied. with nerves! | Evvy you couldn't marry off if she l was Cleopatra on the Nile, and poor l Julia could hang smallpox flags all | over her. and every man in the placed want her jest the same! He wants her back, you see if he doesn't"
 = 'I don't know that he does" said Emeline, knitting needles flashing slowly in her crippled fingers. May be that's the trouble
 .'What'd he come on for. then?" dema nded Mrs. Torney. Jest show ing off, is he? Or is, it another wom- an? The only difference between men reely seems to be that some wear baggy pants and own up to be- ing sultanS. and others don'ti" She spread her fingers inside the stocking she was alarming, and eyed it severely. The idea of a man with a fve-year- old girl sashaying round the country this way is ridiculous, to begin with,'' said she indignantly.
 Has Ju seen him?'' asked Mrs. Page.
 No. I'm pretty sure she hasn't" Mrs. Torney answered. 'She acks more like she was afraid to. than like she ackshally had. She'd be real re- lieved to start fighting but just now she's like a hen that gets its chickens under its wings. and looks up and round and about. and don't know l whether it's a hawk a fox or man with knife that's after her,"
 "I don't believe Julie hates him" said her mother. ''I think she'd go back to him. if only for Aanna's sakel if it seemed best for Anna
 For that matter. she'd go keep house for the gorilla at the Chutes if it seemed best for Anna." Mrs. Tor nev concluded Sa gely