The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-04-05
SECTION
When 4 GirL M0rries
By ANN LESLIE.

story: 'I drifted down to the oil country with a kid brother who was all the family had left after the flood nit Galveston. l had a Srelttuncle down Tampico way. He and his wife took us in and brought up the two young orphans and saw me through when Jfn1mie-boy died just before he was Is. l was s then and steeped in gratitude to the folks who had be- friended me. They had a little hotel. After I finished school I acted as clerk there
 T met Dick West when he came to board with us. As he would have put it-dfd put 1t, no doubt in boasting of his conuest-I fell for him and fell hard. We were secretly engaged waiting for him to make his fortune. He didn't make it very fast After we'd waited for two years, some rich people came to stay at the hotel. Their name was Cordova''
 Mabel Storrs stopped and eyed me inqutringiy., nodded to indicate that was giving her my full attention. She smiled wistfully and went on: Dick began at once to try to make friends with the Cordovas. But they held themselves aIoof. There were a father and two sons and the beautiful young wife of the younger boy Dick tried to f1irt with her-to irritate the old snobs, he said. It hurt me, but loved Dick so devotedly I never cross ed him. What he wanted, I wanted even though it grieved me- But consoled myself by reasoning that these were influential people, and that if Dick got in with them and they made our fortunes we could be mar ried the sooner.
 My old uncle acted as night clerk generally But he took sick one day and l decided to stand double shift Dick was away on business. At about g, Roman Cordova and his wife Rosa came in from riding-they acted very much excited. they talked about a 'gusher' and the title to some proper ty-stood arguing for a while and then asked me if they could put some very valuable paper in the safe. I locked those papers away myself Hardly had they left the office when my Dick came in looking greatly excited. He, too, had papers for the safe. He stood fondling my hair while I shot the bolts and worked the cona- bination- Then he complained of be- ing very sleepy and went up to bed Five minutes later a new maid we'd hired came down to tell me that my grand-uncle was asking for me. She said she'd watch the office while was gone.
 When I got to my uncIe's room
 
 a drinking cup which I'd often seen Dick use; it smelled of a green drug It took half an hour to bring uncle around. Then I went back to the of flee and sent the maid away. "In the morning when the Cordovas came for their papers they were gone Suspicion fell on my pood old grand uncle and me During the trial that followed the poor old man died. loved Dick too much to come forward and tell of the circumstantial evidence which pointed to him. He left the neighborhood without defending me. was bounded out of town by the rel atives of my grand-uncle's wife. And Dick West filed his claim to the very land the Cordovas had expected me to protect for them.
 People said l was his tool his plaything. I've never been home since then. have home. No people But I've always known that some day Dick West would cross my trail again."
 Gro Be Continued)