Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-12
The Georgian's Magazine Page
The Gates of Silence
BY Meta Smmtns, Authoy of "Hnshed Up

pain started out upon his brow. His
child What future lay before it? A food
of other thoughts so black and terrible
that he hardly formulated them even to
himself swept over him With a bitter
cry he rushed from the room
A Physical Fear.
Outside the door, however. he paused
10 reach the place where his wife was
he must pass the room where the thing
that had once been man lay Actual
physical fear laid its cold hand on him.
With an effort like that of a child com
PEELED to pass through an empty room
he made dash for the stairs and reached
him wife's apartment
The sitting room door stood aiar. the
bed room door was locked. He knocked
loudly upon it.
There was an instant's hesitation. the
faiptest whisper of voices and 1t was
opened TO him by the housekeeper, her
face wet with tears
= don think you should come in, sir"
she said Mrs Darlington is not Well
Darlington looked al her with wild eyes
Was she in the plct to hoodwink him TOO?
I can not help that" he said roughly
The woman fell back little, cowed by.
his manner. for, in spite of his popularity
a man who was feared by his serva nts
The doctor said my lady was not to be
excited she continued, with certain
doggedness
Am | likely to excite Mrs Darlington ."
Anthony demanded, angrily 60 down
stairs ! wish to speak privately-to your
mistress
The woman went with some unwilling
nd ,-f,,
and locked the door He said nothing
but stood there with his back against
the door which he had locked and looked
across the room at the woman who. at
the first sound of his voice, had sprung
up from the couch where she had flung
herself One look a her husbands face
told her thatithe end had come. that the
blow had fallen at last as she had always
known it must and with the knowledge
all the nervous trembling, the agonizng
suspense and tension. relaxed She faced
him like woman of stone; she would
not fight, deny, or lie; she placed herself
in the hands Of Fate and waited.
FACE TO FACE.
Still Darlington did not speak but
looked at her grimly. The feeling crept
in upon her that her very life depended
on her returning that look
what have you to say for yourself?"
he asked at last, "Why should not / KIN
you as you stand there-send you to Join
your lover7"
His voice broke the spell which bound
her
Tony what do YOU mean? Don't stand
staring a me with those hard eyes. or I
shall 60 mad, Am l so little to YOU that
You should condemn me. unheard?"
You have been SO much to me in the
past. ~he cried that it is only the
thought of my son that keeps me power
less he is my SOM"
Tony" Edith Darlington made a few
unsteady steps toward him, then fell
back, queled by the contempt. the ha-
tired, in his face. For one supreme in
slant physical fear dominated her men
tai anguish, and she dreaded that she
was alone with mailman Then she
told herself that on her camness de
pended her safety. and forced herself to
look at him steadfastly. You have no
right to ask me such a question" she
said with quiet dignity
NO right" The man laughed, such q
hdeous travesty of mirth that it chilled
her blood.
"Oh. l deserve all the blame and scorn
you can cast upon me, she cried for
have been a coward but not bad won
an Tony-not in ntention-faithfu to
YOU and loving ah, heaven knows how
loving"
Bad" he calculated. with a sneer
What do YOU call woman who per
jures herself at the altar. whose every
down sitting and uprising for years was
a lie?"
"Tony. at any rate, whatever has hap
pened, YOU can not forget that | am your
wife YOU can not repudiate me For lit
tie Phls sake"
II am not so sure of that" Darlington
sa id-"not so sure first that you are my
wife Who were you-what were you
when you married me?
He looked at her keenlY. more natural
ly, as it seemed, and with little cry
Edith stretched out her hands to him.
II believed that | was a widow when
married YOU she said.
"A widow? ." Again he laughed, harsh
" and unmusicaliy and there was such
that Edith, meeting his eyes, felt hot
shame Jingle swiftly from head to foot.
Yes, Edmond Levasseur's widow.
Her utterance of the name Of the dead
man seemed-to her inexpicably-to add
fuel to the fire of her husbands anger
She did not know that in it Darlington
imagined he found a confirmation of all
his doubt of her. Edmond s Levasseuri
That was what he said to himself with
If this story she was telling
" ere true-this story that she poured out
with A quick food of impassoned words, |
finding in her anguish and her fear an
unexpected eloquence-she must have
known the falseless of this assumed
man who called himself by it, as he
knew It.
Continued Tomorrow.