Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-01-22

hungrily, her mind so quick in pursuit
of his that it spurred him unconsciously,
her great dark eyes half closed In
silent laughter or wide with
the warmth of the leaping freight blend
ed with the trust of a newborn virginia.
love.
Without realizing it, the young man
drifted further than he had intended, and
further than he had ever allowed him
self to go before, for in him was a clean
and honest pride of birth, like his moth
ers glory in her forebears, the expression
of which he had learned to repress, mas
much as it was a Dixieland conceit ana
had been misunderstood when he went
north to the academy. In some this would
have seemed bigoted and feminine, this
immoderate admiration for his own
blood, this exaggerated appreciation of
his family honor, but in this sourneru
youth it was merely the unconscious COM
mendation of an upright manlinesss for
an upright code. When he had finished
the girl remarked, with honest approval:
What a fine you are. Those people OF
yours have all been good men and wom-
en-, haven't they?"
Most of Them" he admitted, land
think the reason is that we've been SOL
diers. The army discipline is good for
man. 1t narrows fellow, I suppose, but
it keeps him straight"
Then he began to laugh silently.
what is it?" she said, curiously.
"Oh, nothing! 1 was Just wondering
what my strait-laced ancestors would say
If they could see me now"
What do you mean?" the girl asked.
in open-eyed wonderment.
IT don't care" he went on, unheeding
her question. "They did worse things in
their time, from what l hear" He lean
ed forward to draw her to him.
Worse things? But we are doing
nothing bad" said Necia, holding him on.
There's no wrong in loving"
"Of course not he assured her..
1T am proud Of it." she declared. ut
is the finest thing, the greatest thing that
has ever come into my life. Why, SIM
Div can't hold it.; / want to sing it to the
stars and cry it out to the whole world.
Don't your as tHa59sF a. e.. !.
II hardly think we'd, better advertise .
he said, dryly. .a e.tt ~. .-- - s-
s'eWhy not?''
"Weil, 1 shouldn't care to publish the
tale Of this excursion of ours, would
your"
"I don't see any reason against 1t.
have often taken trips with Poleon, and
been gone with him for days and days at
a time"
but you were not woman them he
said, softly. i.+
ono not until today, that's true. Dear,
dear! How 1 did grow all OF sudden.
And vet I'm Just the same as 1 was yes
terday. and I'll always be the same, just
wild little. Please don't ever let me
be a big tame. don't want to be COM
monplace and ordinary. 1 want to be nat
ural-and good
'sYou couldn't be like other women, "
he declared, and there was more tender
ness than hunger in his tone now, as she
looked M at him trustingly from the
shelter of his arms. "It would spoil you
to grow up"
at is so good to be alive and to love
YOU like thisl" she continued, dreamily'
staring into the fire. IT seem to have
come out of a gloomy house into the
glory Of a warm spring day, for my eyes
are blinded and can't see half the beau
tifuls I want to, there are so many
about me-"
"Those are my arms" interjected the
soldier, lightly, in an effort to ward on
her growing seriousness
GTve never been afraid of anything,
and vet I feel so safe inside them. Isn't
It queer?"
The young man became conscious Of
a vague discomfort, and realized dtmly
that for hours now he had been smoth-
ering with words and caresses some
thing that had striven with him to be
heard. a something that instead Of dy-
ing grew stronger the more utterly this
innocent maid yielded to him. 1t was
as If he had ridden impulse with rough
spurs in a fierce desire to distance GER
tain voices, and in the first mad gallop
had lost them but now far back heard
them calling again more strongly every
moment A mans honor, If old, may
travel feebly, but it's pursuit is per-
sistent 1t was the talk about his peo-
pie that had raised this damned I'M
easiness and indecision, he tnought Why
had he ever started it9'
"The marvellous part OF 1t ALL" con-
tinued the girl, 'is that 1t will never
end I know I shall love you always.
Do you suppose l am really dlnerent
from other girlsT'
Everything is different tonight-the
whole world" he declared, impatiently.
= thought 1 knew myself, but suddenly
I seem strange in my own eyes,.
i've had a big handicap" she said.
but you must help me to overcome it.
I want to be like your sister"
He rose and piled more wood upon the
fire. What possessed the girl? 1t was
as If she knew each cunning joint OF MS
armor, as if she had realized her peril
and had set about the awakening Of his
conscience, deliberately and with eau
tious wisdom beyond her years. Well
she had done it-and he swore to him
self. Then he melted at the sight OF
her, crouched there against the shad-
ows, following his every movement with
- soul in her eyes, the tenderest trace
of smile upon her lips. He vowed he
was a reprobate to wrong her so; 1T was
her white soul and her woman's love
th:.t spoke.
When she beheld him gazing at her.
she tilted her head sidewise daintily, like
a little bird.
'Oh, myl What fierce you are all
at once"
Her smile flashed up as If illumined
by the Ieaping blaze, and he crossed
quickly, kneeling beside her.
Continued I'm Next Issue