Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-05-15
CHAPTER XXIII.


a Roberts clients grew more nu-
~ merous the problem OF a COM
- - Portable home was solved for him.
What !. his wife, either could not or
would not do he now hired done. We
had a good plain cook and laundress. a
middle-aged woman who marketed
much more economically than ever l
had done, and Martha did the lighter
work and helped me with the raby.
Robert insisted the little fellow should
spend the greatest part o. the day
outdoors. mad. of course, l couldn't be
expected to trundle a baby cab.
At no time after the first year did
have any idea of Roberts income, and
IL never occurred to me TO try to md
out I knew that ne always had felt
7 resented the fact that he did not
nlah' more money. so enabling me TO
1--we in the style to which ! had been
accustomed, and that he was dOinC all
Possible 40 make up 70 me for what I
had given up when 7 married him. He
was slowly paying back, In small in
Stalmenis. the money I had loaned MIN.
lie had also done many little things to
make The house more attractive.
knew he cared nothing for himself.
that ii was done to make me contented.
You should have married a million
with his way to make in the world he
had once said when I wished for
something way beyond our means. Yet
he had done wonderfully 1 now know.
In less than two wears he had built up
good law practice, had been made
executor of a large estate. and didn't
1--WE a cent in the world, save a small
balance to me.
now very seldom complained 70
Robert of my loneliness, perhaps be-
cause 1 had found it did no good But
il l assumed an air Of indifference it
did not follow my feelings, my emo
tions, were as well under control as
my manner would indicate. TIL n 1
did not like the nonchalant way in
which Robert took Tod Freeman's
presence for granted nor the intimate
tone Holland Lansing was adopting to-
ward my husband.
Because he is her lawyer she needn't
act as if she owned him." I grumbled
Suddenly I wondered whether I had
lost him. l tried not to doubt, not to
suspect, and all the time cold fear was
gripping my heart, driving me to des-
peration.
Then came another thought If Rob-
ert were so easily lost. had 1 ever pos
sessed him. his love? And with the
doubt came a pain caused by self re-
proach as l remembered how fond he
had been of me in those first weeks
now almost like A dream, so blurred and
faint had they become. I tortured my
self numerically, wondering how 1 was
to get through the years if l had lost
him?
] realized by this time that neither
fault finding, nor argument did any
good. Robert was singularly impervi-
nrNc tn hot FaIf L. 1, ,,,I
unattractive. 1 wondered why Robert
had ever wanted to marry me if he had
s oquickly tired =
My life seemed more desolate than
/ had dreamed possible. Even baby
Bruce could scarcely rouse me at times.
1 knew that L loved my husband bet
ter than when I married him, never
realizing that it was a selfish love,
bounded by I, mine and me.
Then Aow sure Robert felt of me.
: had heard it was unwise TO let
man be too sure! How carelessly he
left me with Tod Freeman. l would
not so easily have left him with Hol-
land Lansing But Robert I am sure
did not have the faintest idea of the
jealousy that tormented me. He was
married to me, yet he led his own life;
/ was married to him, and he was con-
tent to let me lead mine.
So l reasoned but l found II hard
to convince myself that this way of
living was right. How could /, Mar
garet Drayton, get away from the
beaten path of conventionality that
from childhood had been a religion in
our family?
Perhaps If / could, and so show Rob-
ert that others admired me. he would
see that l could still attract, and so 1
would reawaken his interest in me.