Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-13
The Gates of Silence 50
By Meta Smmtns, Author of "Hushed Ub''
TODAY'S INSTALLMENT.


well, isn't she worth even the descent
into hades?"
Betty gazed at the face of the woman
who looked out from the canvas at her.
The first glance was revelation of beau
" that almost took her breath away, the
second revolt against the insult it Of
fered to all her tenderest susceptibilities
"a sense of horror which, as it seemed.
would never leave her.
And yet the subject and the treatment
IN all save one particular were absolutely
conventional 1t represented the woman
bearing her box of spikenard exceeding
precious the glorious hair of tradition
'>reamed over her white, bare shoulders,
ana from the cISudy background shone
out the spear of light symbol of the Holy
Spirit. Once again the painters wife had
served as his Darlington, who had
never painted Edith, who had never suf-
Tered others to paint her.
Only in one instance the departure
from conventional treatment. yet it made
of the picture a mockery, blasphemy
Snd a horror. The eyes of the Magdalen
~ere nol Aar-fHed, cas-, up in penitence
to heaven they looked out from the can
vas, filled with evil laughter, the malig-
nant laughter of the woman who has
tasted of all things, who has seen all
things, and, behold, they were very evil.
Not Finished.
Oh The girl gave a little cry and
flung up her hands to her face to shut
out the sight of it,
You like it," Barrngton's voice came
to her as from great distance, penetrat-
ing into this world Of horror wheEe her
senses sickened and reeled, You like it?
I RI iC
1t conveys too notable a lesson. But it
is not finished yet; the foreshortening is
wrong here Oh. for three weeks more
of sight-three weeks
Tony" Betty had found her voice
again the world was settling about her,
the spasm of spiritual nausea passed.
She was dealing, not with the Anthony
Darlington she had known, but with
man outside reason-a man who, because
he believed himself to be wronged, was
full of the waspish instinct to sting and
slay even if it meant his own life and
the light of life to do so. TONY, you
must destroy this thing. You must You
don't know what you have done. Even
If she was what you imagined her to be
and she was not that-it was scanda-
lous, brutal, unmanly. | haven't words
for it-for you. Tony, dear, it isn't
thinkable.'
harrington replaced the covering over
the picture and turned, looking down at
Betty's flushed, upturned face. He stood
between her and the easel, as though he
almost dreaded an attack on it and what
it held.
Little fool" he said. so you believe
in her yet? Though it was she who sent
your lover to the scaffold and the other
fool to his judgment? Though she has
turned my blood to gall and robbed me
of my child and of, faith in everything
even in myself"
Tony, you wrong her. She sinned in
one thing only-her love for you. 1t was
her one fault-her fear of losing you. /
know what you hint at, but it isn't true.
Whatever her will was, she failed in &C
complishment. He-he was arrested be-
fore her poor letter reached the police.
That was for you too, Tony
Darlington raised his head and laughed
terrible sounding laughter. AS Betty
looked at him she was reminded sudden
ly of Samson in the house of the Phil
istines: Samson degraded, mutilated, yet
Samson still.
Betty, she is your sister, but | can't
help it, She was bad-false to the core.
II am glad the child died, If l dared,
Id thank God for that"
His voice ceased suddenly. He made
a curious gesture with his outfung
hands
whats that?" he said, and stood in
the attitude of one who listens. "oh,
heaven! Betty, it's GOMEZ The darkness
the darkness!"
Betty Lumsden knew what fear was,
the fear that grips on the heart with
fingers of ice, the fear that numbs the