Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-11-28


as he dragged her close.
you said you seen me kill that man.
What was he TO your"
Gloria flushed as she sighed: Il
loved him. We were engaged to be mar
ried.'
Trask chuckled gruesomely. 81
thought likely. guess done
YOU a service gittin' rid of him.
lie was engaged to my girl nrst' missy.
He promised to marry her He told me
ne was goin' to marry her and allowed
he'd come right back. But he never did.
You see, used to be a bargeman. but
my wife-Nelrs ma-got lung trouble
and doctor said l had ought to take her
to South Ca'lina or somewheres. So l
did. I took TO minin down there-found
some zinc. New York brokers got int
rested. sent young Teller name Freneau
! dOEn to look over the prOp'ty.
The was there when Nell fetched me
my dinner pail He took quite a shine
to her-hung round for several days.
Poor girl. plumb crazy over him. She
hadn't saw many fellers and he was a
killer anywhere he went, / guess
II ketched him with his arm round
Nell and 1 was goin to beat HIM up.
" Isht l had. But he says they were
engaged. So l wished 'em well. Nell Sein'
happy as all get out. Then he gets
telegram to go back to the city. He never
come back, never writes. Seemed like
Nell took on more'n she'd ought TO, and
! by and by L knew WAY.
Her NAV didn't get any better and
she died down there-died before she
Saowed what had happened to the girl.
havin' my wife die and afterwards hav-
in Nell goin' crazy with shame at not
bein' nobody's wife drove me out of
my senses kind of. 1 never been quite
right since.
81 got over bein' mao at Nell, and we
come away from there before the baby
was born. I-took up the barge business
egain and didn't have much time for
IOokin' up Mister Freneau. When 1 found
him by accident it was outside your
house in the city. L jumped for him
and he hit me. l chased his automobile
and got run over by another one. Went
TO the hospital. Come out a mite wronger
! than what I went in, l guess.
Nell told me she'd found where he
lived and she'd went to see him, took the
baby with her. begged him TO love her
again. or leastways to marry her for
the baby's sake. But no. he wouldn't.
He jest laughed at her and told her 20 so
on away.
when she told me that. my head
kind of filled up with poison. / didn't
| want anything but that feller's life. /
put out after him and always jest miss
| ed him. That night I followed him to
your house. seen him go in there, and
waited for him. policeman chased me
away, and he must have went away
\ without my SEEM him, for l crep' back
1 u that big monument to watch for him.
4 ! e didn't come out. but 1 waited BY
h. L 1kzI H. Div
/ erside drive. 1t was him. j thought /
must a went crazy. I guess 1 had. But
/ 1 waited for him. He stopped and light
! ed a match to light a cigarette with,
and 1 crep' up behind him and got a
/ grand holt of his neck with these old ten
/ fingers and
| His great crooked fingers made a fee
BILE repetition of their work, and Gloria
covered her eyes. Trask laughed.
Il s'pose I'd ought to feel sorry, and
i I do, now that I've got to go where he's
went. But it felt mighty good then to
know he wasn't goin' to break any more
/ hearts or fool any more girls.
81 left him lay there in the snow and
/ got away fast as 1 could. Next day
] expected to see big holler in the pa
pers. Not a word. A hull week passed
and not a word. 1 felt creepy about il.
Il Then L read about him bein found
stand. I been driven near out o. my
senses tryin' to hgger out how he got
/ there"
I The secretary in hiding wondered.
too, but the judge kept silence and so
did Gloria on her side Of the flower
I screen.
Gloria was not concerned about
! Trask's bewilderment. She was staring
at the little baby that Nell carried al
s,,R al 10 CT rlr of "a
for Freneau died out in her soul. leaving
| il utterly dark. There was not enough
I embers left to flare with jealousy. She
was restless TO have done with Freneau
forever.
When Trask appealed for her forgive
ness If he had caused her any pain. she
gave il freely. Her bitter heart felt
that Trask had done a cleansing task
in removing Freneau from the earth.
Trask sank back exhausted and his
hand relaxed its hold on her. Then she
left him in the ministrations of DR.
Royce. who whispered TO her that she
had better not linger to the last. He
sent her away She went to her room
in a loneliness more profound that she
had ever felt She had not even n dead
love for companionship now. She found
not even a dread love for companionship
now She found the photograph OF FIRE.
neau there and her lips curled with dis
gust at the kisses she had squandereo
on that wOrshiped image.
In her wrath Gloria broke Freneau' $
photograph to pieces, and laying
the fragments in the empty fire.
Place, set a match to them. She watched
them burn and flung herself across her
bed weeping madly. She wept herself
TO exhaustion and finally 10 sleep. Ii
wa a troubled sleep with a hideous
SIGN of Freneau in internal flames
that mounted about him as the flames
had danced around his photograph, only
ther did not consume him.
He pot his arms out to her through
the flames. appealing for pardon. She
heard hin. say: "GlOria, / had repeni ed
of my evil ways and vowed 90 nerd
them, but 1 was struck down before
could. Forgive me?'
she answered him haTshly: ASK Nell
not me- Come back and undo the evil
YOU did"
lie sighed: Of only i could. There
is. only one evil that can be undone.
stole your love from a man who loved
4 you before L did and loves you sttn. Give
him. your heart Gloria. Give him youl
heart. Gloria-Glo-ri-a"
AL His voice died away as the vision OF
him faded anu she woke. She wepi
again TO think of the pity of life an'
death aid love, and her heart melte,
a little toward FTeneau
She bathed her eyes and went out int'
III HH 80