Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-09-12
CONTINUED from Last Issue.)

~ IORIA did not know that Lois
Stafford. seated in David's box,
was taking in these wireless sig
nails from one side of the horseshoe to
the other. She did not see how Lois
glowered at Frenau's alluring grin; how
fiercely she frowned when Freneau rose
and left the box. and how frantic she
was when Gloria arose and left hers.
For Gloria, seeing Freneau go. hesitat-
ed only a moment, then rose and stole
away, too. leaving her father in peace
full slumber which all the clamors OF
the Russian opera could not disturb.
Outside the Stafford door Freneau
waited in ambush. He was rewarded
by the appearance of Gloria. He was
so delighted that when she asked him
why he had motioned to her to meet
him he could think of nothing better
to say than: 81 thought you might
be hungry. There's the buffet up
stairs"
Gloria smiled and understood and &C
copied the challenge. She said she
was famished. She. corridors and the
massive stairway were empty at this
time and they scampered up to the re-
freshment room like children.
Gloria was enchanted by the array
Of cakes and became hungry in the
presence of the feast. She poked her
finger at the most toothsome.
Give me this, give me this; one OF
these, two of those, and a chocolate and
pistache ice cream-and some lemon
ade." -.. -....
Love had evidently not ruined her
young appetite.
Freneau led her to a table and they
began to renew old acquaintance. She
renewed her five-year-old expression of
gratitude to him for rescuing her from
the Indians, and he had neither the
courage nor the honesty to admit that
It was not he but Doctor Royce who
had fought the chief to liestill.
Freneau and Gloria had many things
to discuss, but he did not tell her all
the mischief he had been UP to in the
Ave years test. That went without
saying. They did not know that the room
filled up with q chattering mob when
the curtain went down, nor that the
chattering mob disappeared when the
curtain went UP again. - go ~t
Gloria prattled on, munching her
cakes and ice and slipping her lemon
AIDE. Suddenly she felt her ear seized
in a familiar grasp. Her father had
Weakened with a start when the or
chestra quit playing. He had blinked
about in the sudden bright lights and
missed his daughter. She was lost in
the mazes of the opera house. He was
tempted to offer a reward for her as he
had when she decamped into the ever
glades.
He decided to search first for her
himself. He found the estray in the de-
serted buffet, spooning up the last of
her ice cream and the best Of Ere
neau's batteries. He dragged her out Of
heaven She fought him all the way
down the stairs. but he would not let
her go. He would not let Freneau
come near.
At the next intermission her father
tagged along like a younger broth
err. Before she could get to Freneau her
sister-in-law, Lois, captured him. Lois
rebuked Freneau for his attentions to
Gloria, and reminded him of his oaths
of fidelity to her own unfaithful self.
He made light of his interest in Gloria
and was avowing his devotion to Lois
when her husband appeared at their
elbows.
They masked their confusion as best
they could and Freneau sauntered away.
David glowered after him and
glared at his wife. He had not
forgotten that Freneau had been
his rival for Lois tickle heart
before they were married. He did not
dream how deeply she was involved
with Freneau now, but the first seed of
IT, g.
Freeman, had not forgotten Lois early
for the young broker, who
had a gift of making women reckless.
He saw how David was miffed. He
saw also how Gloria tried to reach
Freneau, only to lose him in the crowd.
The judge was trained in observing hui
man nature. He even ventured to
speak to Gloria.
81 wouldn't think too much of that
Freneau fellow. If were you, Gloria"
but you aren't me, are you, judge?
Gloria answered. impudently, and the
Judge retired, mumbling: mo! I'll have
to admit that" --E..
Then Pierpont came up and compelled
Gloria to go back and listen to mere
opera, when she wanted to hear FIRE.
neau's glorious voice. When the last
curtain fell and the multitude flooded
the corridors she did not get a glimpse
of him. Her father kept watch over
her. and Gloria went home amazed at
the cantankerous meddlesomeness of pa
rents in love affairs.
She told her father that he ought to
be in better business than playing a
demon chaperon, but he only smiled.
She was all he had and he wanted to
keep her to the last moment. He
wanted also to make some investigation
of Freneau's behavior and his reliabili-
ty as a son-in-law. He had not heard
much about him. but that little was
rot good.
The next day a rescuer appeared in
unexpected guise. Her aunt, the great
Hortensia Stafford, called to see her,
raved over her beauty, and hailed her
as a graduate from the ranks Of girl
dom.
"You must have a coming-out party"
she said. land take up the duties of
Pierpont violently insisted that Gloria
was only a child. But he was only a
father and merely a brother to Horton
STA, so she waved him aside as a null
sance. Gloria embraced her fervently
and thought her an angel.
She changed her mind when 1t came
to sending out the invitations for the
debut, for Aunt Hortensia was a stick
Ter for social selectness, and she loved
e. dO11hfftl