The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-22

possible claims Of the unxGOWn WlIe, nevertheless persuaded him that he would be mad to decline the offer of the big German hospital. So pack to Berlin he went, and in this sec ond winter met old Professor StJrmer, and Senta, his wife.
 Senta was a Russian, the tiniesr of women, wild, beautiful, nineteen. She was a most dramatic and appealing little figure, and she knew it we'll She smoked and drank just as the young men of her set did, she dane ed like madwoman, she sang and rode and skated with the fury of witch. She was like a child, over dressed, overjewelled, her black hair fantasticaly arranged always talk ing, always unhappy, perfect type of the young female egotist. She lik- cd to use reckless expressions, to curl herself up on a couch, in a room dim ly lighted, and scented with burning pastilles. and discuss her marriage her age, her appearance. her effect upon other women. Senta's was an alrlost pathetic and very obvious de- sire to be considered daring, pan therine, seductive, dangerous.
 Jim, fancying he understood her perfectly, played into her hand. He would not flirt with her, but he took her at her own valuation, and they saw a good deal of each other. Senta confessed tn him, read him love let ters, wrote him dashing, penitent lit tie notes, and. Jim scolded her in brotherly way. laughed at her, and sometimes delighted her by forbiddin ing her to do this or that or by master fully flinging some cherished note or photo graph of hers into the fire. He loved to hear her scoId her maid in Russian; it seemed to him very cunning when this stately gipsy of child took her seat in her box at the opera, or flung herself into the car riage, later all the more a madcap because of three hours of playing the lady. He exchanged smiling looks over her little dark head with her husband, when he dined at the Sur mers; the good professor was far m ore observing than was usually sup posed; he knew more of Jim's char acter, it is probable. than Jim did himself; he knew that Senta was quite safe with the young American, and he liked him.
 But Senta. who was quite unscrupu- 1ous, was slow to realize it. She found this brotherly betting and scolding very well for a time, but months went by, whole year went by, and there was no change in their relationship Senta was only preco- cious, she was neither clever nor well educated; she based her campaign on the trashy novels she read, and de- liberate1y set herself to shake Jim from his calm pleasure in her society.
 Then, suddenly. Jim was bored. Charm dropped from her like rich, enveloping cloak, and left only the pitiful little nude personality, bun dle of childish egotisms and shallow pretences. Once he had been pr oud to escort her everywhere, now her complacent assumption that he should do so annoyed him; once he had laughed out heartily at her constant interruption of the old professor, her naive contention that she was never to be for one second ignored; now she only worried him, and made him inn patient. Her invitations poured up- on him, her affectedly deep voice, re- proachful or anuring, haunted his telephone. She challenged him oar- ingly, wicked1y, across dinner tables. or from the centre of a tet-table group to say why he didn't like her any mOre-
 Jim went to Italy, and Senta, chap eroned by her sister-in-law, a gaunt woman of sixty. went, too, turning up at his hotels with the naughty grace of a spoiled child, sure to be welcome. She eyed him ob1iquely, while telling him that people were beginning to talk" She laughed, with a delight that Jim found maddening, when they chanced to meet some friends from Berlin in a. quiet side street in Rome. Jim cut his vacation short, and wnt back to work.
 This angered Senta for the first time, and perhaps began to en1ight- en her. She came sulkily back to Berlin, and began to. spread abr oad elaborate accounts of quarrel be- tween Jim and herself. Jim so dreaded meeting. her that he quite gave up everything but mems so- ciety, but he could not quite escape from the knowledge that the affair was discussed and criticised.
 And at this most untimely moment old Professor Sumner died, leaving a somewhat smaller fortune to his little widow than she had expected, and naming his esteemed young friend, Herr Doctor Studdiford. as her guar dian and his eXecutor. This again gave Senta the prominence and pie turesqueness she loved; to Jim it was a most deplorable mischance; it was with difficulty that he acquitted him. self of his bare duty in the matter, his distaTes for his young ward growing stronger every moment. For weeks there was no hour in which he was not made eXquisitely uncomfortable by her attitude of chastened devotion; eventually the hour came in which he had to stab her pride and stab deep. It was an ugly, humil:ating, eNasper- ating business, and when at last it was over, Jim found himself sick of Der lin, and yet sullenly unready to go home to California, as if he had fail ed, as if he were under even so faint a cloud.
 Just then came letter from Eileen, another from Phyllis. Wasn't he ever coming to London any more London was waiting to welcome him. They had opened their little house in Princes Gate, the season was begin ming, it was really extraordinarily jolly. Did he know anything of the surgeon, Sir Peveri1 McCann? He had said such charming things of Doctor Studdiford. He had said-but no, one wasn't going to tell him any thing that might untold make him