CHAPTER TWO

As she neared her destination a carriage pulled alongside and a man's voice called out,"Julie! wait a moment."

She turned and waited as her brother-in-law,Adam Raleigh, helped her sister from the carriage.As always,Julie found it hard to believe Sara was truly her kin.The were as different as night and day.

Their mother had died of cholera when Julie was seven.Sara, being twelve at the time,had been sent back East to a boarding school.Over the years, Julie had rarely seen her, except during infrequent vacation trips home from school.The distance being so great great between Philadelphia and California,Sara spent most of her vacations with relatives there.This left Julie alone with her father.Because of his business she had been Left on her own for most of the part and,as a result,had become self-sufficient and very independent at an early age.

Her sister had become a beauty who attracted notice wherever she went.Sara's honey brown eyes drew people to her.Her soft musical voice captivated listeners when she spoke,but Julie knew her sister's beauty was only superficial.Sara has become vain, self-seeking and above all a snob.She used her beauty to gain all the riches and status she craved.

She had been married to Adam for three years, years that had made the sisters even more distant.Sara had met him at an opera party,given by one of her select friends.He caught her attention with his raven-black hair,dark eyes and handsome face.She had asked her friend about him and been gratified to learn that he was not only devastatingly handsome,but rich and one of the most eligible men in San Francisco.

He owned a great deal of property in the commercial district and rented it out to the shopkeepers and store owners who did business there.His other interest ran from shipping and ranching to racehorses.

By the end of the evening,they had discovered in each other the same need for riches and social acclaim.

Their wedding had been one of the most lavish in San Francisco history.Over three hundred guests, two orchestras and catering by the finest restaurant had made it the social event of the year.

Julie remember reading it in the news papers for days.She and her father had not been invited.Sara had said she didn't want them to feel uncomfortable amidst all her rich and cultured friends.

Julie knew the real reason.Sara was ashamed of them,of where they lived and how they made their living.She had confronted Sara with such knowledge and an ugly scene followed.Julie had thought Sara was going to strike her,but when she pointed out that Sara has never refused the money which had paid for her exclusive schooling and expensive clothes,her sister was reduced to sputtering mess of fury.

Their father had intervened, defending Sara and saying he understood her concern about them feeling out of place.

He had always had a blind spot where Sara was concerned.She looked so much like his dead wife that he could never believe she was not as sweet and Caring.He had even proudly shown the newspaper clippings of her wedding to any and all,not even noticing the looks of pity or the reticent congratulations he received

He had even gone so far as to suggest that Julie should follow her sister's lead and find a good man, settle down and start a family.

But Julie could not see herself subjugating her own wishes and opinions to those of any man.She had been self-reliant at an early age and found the thought of depending on someone else unthinkable