The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1922-04-21
When A Girl
Marries
BY ANNE Isle.


ing me with the intent and earnest
look L had expected. Instead she was
standing with downcaSt eyes and lips
that sagged. After a moment she
flung back her head and managed a
laugh.
What a queer, unreasonable thing
"a woman is" she cried bitterly. II
know how Dick West plays the game.
L know he isn't on the level with any
one, but let each new proof of his
ye11owness hurt me-
81 know" L said quietly, leading the
way to the car and getting in with
q matter of-fact air which 1 fancied
would help her recapture her poise,
81 think all fine women are like that,
Mabel
used her given name deliberately
and with it in the air between US, I
stopped and began fuss1ng with the
gears. In another moment [ threw
in the clutch and started off. But not
until we were well under way did I
take up the remarks just where I'd
broken them off.
'All of us are alike, fancy, in hat
ing to believe that there was some re-
deeming quality in a man who once
meant something to us. And every
time we get a new PROOF VI mis- rotten
ness, and the margin of chance for
discovering that he isn't such a bad
fellow after all narrows. we stagger
under a new and ugly blow. That's
it, isn't it ?"
Put it that way-n1y pride is saved.
Thank you, Mrs. Harrison"
"Anne, please I replied, striving
to relieve the tenseness of the mo-
ment before swinging back to the
main issue.
THANK you again, Anne" she said
in a voice which vibrated with emo
ton seemingly beyond her control.
Then, in the next second she spoke
with her usual cool steadiness.
There's no questioning the evidence
of this match safe
ttYou think Dick West is in town
| again % I asked.
81 doubt if he ever left it," she re-
torted.
Here all the while" I gasped
Where could he have been? Why
should he stay here? wouldn't it be
more natural for him to go off on a
hunt for Jim ?"
'He'd have plenty of spies to do
that" she replied cor course if they
| located MrfIarrison. Dick West would
rush off on the tran pronto. But in
the meantime, his cue is to stay here
and make sure that he undoes any and
advantage which you or I manage to
get. The more he can destroy here,
the less can be reaped from what
Mr.. Harrison accomplishes some
where else. And if he can make
things-black enough here, Mr.. Har-
rison may feel forced to rush back to
| the rescue
'fThe apartment ?'' I questioned.
1.-The news of the fire may get into
the papers and the papers may get
! to your husbands hiding place. she
suggested.
'@That wouldn't bring him back I
protested.
sAre you sure ?' she insisted. Does
Mr.. Harrison know anything to indi-
apartment"
MY 1etters''-
'HThey may never have reached him.
In any case, the foxy Mr.. West con-
siders anything worth trying-once,"
she shot at me with concentrated bit
terness. ''And we have clear enough
evidence that the fire in your apart
ment was of incendiary origin
1.-The match safe,'' I said, thought
fully els that clear evidence? Isn't
there the off-chance that it's just cir
cumstantial?"
do you believe that? Or are you
trying to cheer me up?" demanded
the girl, with a wry smile.
ST don't believe it for a minute
confessed, L Jh1nk L see through the
whole plot
Tell me your version. If it's like
mine the chances are it's based on
truth. We wouldn't both be likely to
hit on the same ideas, unless they sort
of swan out to US from the facts"
81 think that the Watsons in the
apartment below were really either
Dick and some confederate or friends
of his who were pledged TO help him
somehow. The fire was probably plan
ned for their last day in the sub-1et
apartment. I suppose Dick got a du-
plicate key to our apartment simply
enough. He probably speaked down
the fire stairs and took an impression
| of the keyho1e. And then,
with the blazing chatting dish or what
ever it was to make the thing piaus-
bile he must have gone up and SET
fire to all my possessions. making such
a mess of things that my tenant would
be bound to leave
That's precisely how make it,
cried Mabel 1T must be pretty nea
right. And as to the why's and where
fores, I'm sure we both see the mo
tive clearly enough-and the sam
way"
Your turn to lay your cards on tn
table, I laughed, feeling that if sh
was still inward1y tense and nervou
:, speech might help her work it off.
| 'A1 right. Dicks information in
Guided the mortgage, and the tact tina
, the insurance would be paid to tn
: mortgage. Therefore, if you los
: your furniture and couldn't replace i
t you'd also lose your tenant. And
l the apartment itself wasn't too badl
: damaged, as it would have been if tn
fire had really crept up from below
burning walls and floors, it could b
: repaired quickly enough to force 20
to pay rent soon again"
But at that" I cried, 'precisel
what has Dick West to gain by thi
little transaction He can't thin
that jim will quit now of his own az
cord, or that I'll ask him to gu
E merely because I've lost my furnftur
and the rent
'No-but a small circumstance Xix
this may set a. chain of big circun