The Bozeman courier., 1927-11-11
THE WALL

loOsened their hold on Julia's. After all,
you must remember she was the little
princess Of Northheld.
And so Julia's lips, parting softly,
closed again. She found herself saying
1T has been so nice to hear all about
your school, Alec; and when you come
home for the holidays you must tell me
more!'
And Alec after a quick tightening Of
his own lips, said, in voice lifted to an
odd husky cheerfulness, "It has been
awfully nice, Miss Sloan. And when I
come back" He stopped and smiled
family. EFT seems a long way of, does
MT it? But we will see each other, won't
we?" A terrible aching fear seemed to
lift those last two words to notes of
pain, echoing in the still summer air.
And then, in a second, he had gone. And
Julia was standing in the moonlight as
white and curiously still as the pale little
slipped down on the top step and wept
softly to herself.
In October her father died. And two
months later she went to Europe with
her aunt from Baltimore. In the spring,
in Rome, she met Count Danzietti. And
because he was quite practiced in that
sort of thing, he made love enchanting
ly. To Julia it was as unreal and mar
velouS and glittering as the grand ball
must have been to Cinderella. But there
ran through all the glamour and ecstasy
Of everything, like fine white thread in
pattern Of magnificent I'D brocade, a
strangely persistent, strangely poignant
memory Of Alec Farraday But at that
at that memory-Julia tried to laugh.
Standing before the great gilt mirror in
the medieval grandeur Of a room in the
Palazzo of Luigi's aunt-that magnificent
old Palazzo on the Via Tournamelli-
touching with half fearful fingers the
Jewels Of the Danzietti's one had to
laugh at such things! Twenty knows so
well those things which are laughable!
And so Julia became the Countess Dan
zietti and went off to the silence and
shadow and dazzling sunlight Of the
villa high in the hills above Florence
swinging down to Rome for gaiety; down
to that tragic old Palazzo on the Via
| Tournamelli. But even there, in spite
of the gaiety, there was the lonely wheel
| ing Of the evening swallows; the poplar
and lick shadows, black and forbidding
against the yellow glaze of sunset Of
gray green dusk. 1t was in Rome that
Julias nights began to be tortured with
dreams Of plain white houses on wide
tree shaded streets.
War was declared that year, and wal
is bitter. But for Julia it was no more
| bitter than the years after it-yearS o.
establishment and heartbreak, anC
sometimes an almost terrible longing To-
death. And those years rnight have
marched on forever, if a certain little
| dancer from Vienna hadn't and in
measure justifably, made very tragi
and ignominious end to the gay ant
reckless life of Luigi Carlo, Count Dan
zietti.
But when the Countess Danzietti raj
into Alec Farraday at the Royal Daniel
in Venice last year, all that had passed
The war. The Palazzo on the Via Tour
namelli. The villa high in the thickl
foliaged hills above Florence. The trag
edy. A part Of the bitterness. And, no
incredibly, the last Of the Sloan Hing
Factory fortune; which was quite the en-
Al the end of everything And of all he
host of gay and titled ambitious friends
there was left to her only the solitar
) friend Of her childhood-pride. She neve
: intended to let the world know he
shame, nor her loneliness, nor her poV
) erty. And most certainly with her las
breath she would have struggled to kee
f Alec Farraday from knowing.
? It was really trying to hide her povert
: that brought her to Venice at the heigk
] of the tourist season. Heaven knows, ST
didn't want to be therel For the tv
3 somber rooms which she occupied in tt
2 Pension Camarini in Florence had b'
t come a sort Of grateful retreat fro
j everything. But into the fastness of thi
s retreat had come the devastating tel
e gram from her cousins in BaltimoT
Again all America seemed to be swarm
b ing at the shores Of Europe; and so h
a cousins were bearing down upon b
e from Paris. And she couldn't summC
d bravery enough to tell them the trut
It Surely there was some way to escape, I
II a while longer, the ignOminy OF SHOWN
n them the shabbiness Of the Pension G
il marini, the shabiness Of her clothes,
> her life! To escape showing them
" British war prof1teer in the old Danzie'
If villal To escape dragging her pit1ful i
/, tie pride in the carriage dust OF c
II Florence! So she contrived this meett
. for a day in Venice. The telegram b
% been an expensive one. That was funny
# a telegram expensive for Julia Sloan! S
,e explained that business called her mort
ee but that she would manage to be
* Venice on that day that, according
w their itinerary, they would undoubteC
: be there-and delighted to seem them
the Royal Danieli.
08 Then, after she had sent her messa
she got an old pearl bracelet from
lacquer box in the carved chest, pull
- her last Season't black hat down o.
n- the smoldering fire in her dark eyes, a
u, went of to a little shop on the otl
G side of the bridge-where she eXchane
IL the bracelet for lire-and the salVati
of her pride. All the way, walking in
hot sun to save carriage hire, with
~ foolish economy of all people who h;
ell never known economy, her heart '
let filed with black, desperate thoughts. 7
~ as she reached the doorway OF the ~
te. sion Camarini all thoughts were sw
away in the sudden recollection that
. had only two half presentable gowns:
black chiffon and the white crepe "
silver. And to make them look as if t.
had come fresh from Lucille Duvaps
would need help.
She began to search her memory
the address Of the little French sea
stress.
And so Julia went to Venice-and
into Alec Farraday instead Of meet
her cousins from Baltimore. Tt was WI
. she was dressing for dinner that
cousins message of regret was brou
to her.
Mama very i'll. Leaving for HON
at once. So sorry"
/ Julias first reaction was immense
lief-that the expense of the dinner
Il three would be saved. Then she glaL
Il into the mirror-such a beautiful,
n tering old Venetian mirrorl She
q surprised by the dusky sheen Of her
the wide tragic beauty Of her dark
the cleverness Of the little MAIDEN
selle In using the silver rose. How
B the old earrings and necklace mattel
After all, it was very nice to feel pr
n again after rigid, Scrimping plainI