Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-10-24

dreaming that Freneau nau tOLu HIN
Of her own interference in his plans TO
wed Gloria, or that Mulry elaborated
with Freneau in his elaborate scheme
to trick both women. Least of all did
Lois dream that Gloria herself would be
at Mulry's office. The stenographer was
more impressed by Lois clothes than
by her attempt to be casual in her in
quiry as to Mulry and ''the papers OF
poor Mr.. Freneau."
The stenographer murmured to the
bookkeeper: 1.-TWO swell DANES campin'
on Mr.. Mulrys trail the same day!
Somethin's goin' on here that amt get
TIM into the letters he dictates to me-"
So she did not tell Lois of Gloria's
presence, and Lois went away in a tur-
moil Of anxiety almost as great as that
in Gloria's mind when she heard Lois
ask about poor Mr.. 'Freneau." A knife
OF jealousy went into Gloria's heart
and a hideous intuition that her be-
loved Dick might have bewitched Lois
as he bewitched herself. Those eyes of
his had been perhaps a little too win
ming.
She rebuked herself for allowing the
suspicion even to fit through her brain
and began her note to Mulry. Her eye
fell on the letterhead. The branch
offices of the brokerage firm were listed
in an upper corner: Albany, Buffalo,
Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago. st. Louis.
Pittsburg. A new suspicion stabbed
Gloria. The kilograms and letters in
Dicks writing had been sent from just
those cities in just that order! Yet he
had been dead when they were sent
The earliest explanation was the true
one, and Gloria guessed it immediate
ly. He could have sent them TO the
branch offices in advance to be sent to
her in order or he could have intrusted
them to someone travelling the round
of the offices. Her intuition hit on the
truth, without knowing it. The very
ease of the trick disguised her. She
felt herself in the shadow of some
hateful conspiracy. She began to doub;
her own memory as to the letters and
kilograms.
Crumpling the letter she had begun
and thrusting it into her handbag, she
left the office, telling the stenograDheT
that she would telephone to Mr.. Mulry,
The elevator seemed to drop out be-
meath her as her whole trust in man
maddened her, and when she reached her
She reached her motor and told the driv-
er to make haste for home.
The crowded traffice, with its delays
maddened her,and when she reached hel
house at last she was in a frenzy. She
ran up to her desk, took from the strCnS
box the letters and kilograms of her
lover, and compared them with the let
terhead, laying them out date by date
There they weIe, the same towns IN
the same order, like a loathsome time
table of deceit. Her love revOlted at
the very picture Of Freneau. She les;
all self-control and cried at it:
Whoever killed you and whatever his
reason was, you lied to me, Dick. You
never loved ME, and 1 don't love you
any more! 1 won't wear mourning for
you any more"
She rang her bell furiously and order
ed her startled maid to bring her tho
brightest gown in ner wardrobe. She
caught it from the maids hands and
drove the girl out, then flinging the
riotous colors about her black gown like
a scarf, she broke into a dance, flinging
her 1.-the body into postures of joy and
crying out that she was happy and that
her heart would never be the fool of love
again.
But she was not strong and her hys-
terra wore out speedily. Her heart swung
back to it's love again and she fell across
the divan sobbing:
Forgive me. Dick. 1 believe you in
spite of the world. 1 love you in spite
of everything and I'll find out the trutr
the truth-the TRUTH
And now it would have been hard
was one of loyalty to Freneau or
of suspicion of him. She had to acquit
him of worse than murder before the
court of her own heart as much as to
aVenge him. If he was the victim of
some conspiracy, she was the victim OF
his. The riddle maddened her with its
uncertainties.
That visit of Lois to Mulry's office
seemed to involve her in Freneau's du-
plicity. Lois had confessed to stealing
the photograph of Freneau. She had
said that she planned to have NINA
ture made for Gloria. But this seemed
now to be only hasty excuse, desper-
ate lie to hide a discovered theft. She
decided to question Lois further. But
Lois was going to her country howe.
Gloria had decided not to go. Now she
decided that she would. She went TO
Lois house to tell her so.
To her amazement Doctor Royce was
there. He was saying to Lois that Glo-
ria was on the hunt and warning her to
be both a better wife than she had been
and a more discreet woman, just such a
warning as he had given Mulry.
Mulry had already taken the doctors
advice. He had invited himself to the
country home Of a friend of his, a home
ont far from David Staffords. In elud-
ing Gloria he had set out for the very
region which she was about to visit in
her investigation of Lois.
Gloria did not hear what DR.. Royce
was saying to Lois when she was shown
into the living room. But she saw that
they were talking excitedly and that her
appearance disconnected them. Gloria
was so disconnected at this that she
could hardly explain her errand.
"I just dropped in to say that 1 will
accept David's invitation to go up to the
farm with you"
Lois was so treasured by this that she
exclaimed with delight.
Royce said to Gloria: May 1 come
up. too?".
Gloria answered him icily: ut isn't
my farm. Good-by, Lois Then size
walked out.
Royce stared at Lois, then at the spot
where Gloria had been. Gloria was an
CRY at him. He could not imagine why.
He could not permit her to snub him like
that He had some rights as a physician
If not as a lover. He bolted from Lois
presence and caught Gloria just as she
was getting into her car.
IT am going to take you home at
once" he said.
She answered with more ice: I'm not
going home. I'm going to my Iather's