Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-04-10
Bank Book Useless.

hunted out some of the quaker
like costumes which had been made
for me before my marriages and when
1 had put them on l saw that they
made a certain deduction from my
appearance, but that did not matter
to me now-the only eyes / wished
to look well in being down in the Mt
arctic seas
Then I tried to think of practical
matters-how / was to live in Lon
don and how. in particular, / was to
meet the situation that was before
me Surely never did a more help
less innocent confront such a serious
problem. ! was a. woman, and for
more than a year I had been a wife,
but I had no more experience of the
hard facts of material existence than
g child.
I thought first Of the bank book
which my father had sent me with
authority to draw Oh his account. But
IL was then 9 o'clock, the banks were
closed for the day, and l knew enough
of the world to see that if l attempt
ed to cash a check in the morning my
whereabouts would be traced. That
must never happen; I must hide my
self from everybody; therefore my
bank book was useless.
quite useless" / thought, throwing
it aside like so much waste paper.
/ thought next of my jewels. But
there | encountered a similar diff
Guilty. The jewels which were really
mine, having been bought by myself,
had been gambled away by my hus-
hand at Monte Carlo. What re-
NAMED were the family jewels which
had come to me as Lady Raa; but
that was a name was never more to
bear, a person l was never more to
think about so | could not permit
myself to take anything that be-
longed to her.
The only thing left TO me was my
money. l had always kept a good
deal OF it about me although the only
use had had for It was to put it in
the plate at church, and to scatter 1t
with foolish prodigality to the boys
who tossed somersaults behind the
carriage on the road
Now | found it all over my room
in my purse, in various drawers, and
on the toilet tray under my dressing
glass Gathered together. II counted
up to 2S pounds. | owed four pounds
to Price and. having set them aside,
| saw that / had "a pounds left in
notes, gold and silver
Being in the literal and unconVen-
tionel sense utterly ignorant Of the
value of sixpence, I thought this a
great sum, amply sufficient for all my
needs or at least until I secured en-
plOvment-for I had from the first
some vague idea OF earning my own
living.
Martin would like that told my
self lifting my head with a thrill Of
pride
Then / began to gather up the
treasures which were inexpressibly
more dear to me than all my other
possessions.
One OF them was a little miniature
of my mother which Father Dan had
given me for wedding present when
(as / know now he would rather
have parted with his hearts blood.
Another was a pearl rosary which
the Reverend Mother had dropped
over my arm the last time she kissed
me on the forehead; and the last was
nv Martins misspelt love letter.
which was more precious to me than
rubies
Not for worlds, thought would J
leave these behind me. or ever part
with them under any circumstances.
Several times while was busy with
such preparations, growing more and
more nervous every moment. Price
came on tip-toe and tapped softly at
my door.