Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-03-13
By Carolyn BeeCher

7 WAS very young when / mar
rfed Robert Drayton, very
= young. very foolish. and at first,
very. very happy.
The winter after my coming out.
Bruce. my oldest brother, brought
Robert Drayton home with him for
the holidays. | thought Robert rath-
er too serious at first, but as soon
IS he commenced TO notice, then 10
show admiration for me, | began 10
like him, and to encourage his at
tentions.
Robert was a lawyer. He had nm
ished his course at Yale, a post
graduate course at Columbia, and
now was looking for q suitable place
to settle down anG hang out HIS
shingle'' as he expressed it My
brothers were both Yale men, Bruce
would graduate in the spring; and
up TO the time Robert graduated they
had been inseparable.
Damon and Pythias weren't in IL
with those two" Philip. my younger
Drayton, Bruce will be for him, If you
don't hit IL OF together
Robert was handsome. He was
the OEcN A0OhAAA- AsAA Va
ouaintance. He was big and broad.
but carried his bigneSs gracefully.
his hair and eyes were black, that
inky black one so seldom sees In an
American. He looked little tired
when first met him. but Bruce ex-
planned that:
s'Bob's worked hard. too hardl he
was honor man OF his class, and that
means something I can tell you!"
rather imagined Bruce was close TO
xhe foot of his.
Robert had the charming, easy
manners of those born TO ease; and
his broad education had enhanced
their charm. He was full of courage
and confidence in himself. though he
had never been obliged to depend on
his own resources. A wealthy uncle
paying for his education. But with
sBob's easy, graceful manners there
was also a certain sternness. Life,
experience. would never break him.
He would never pick Up broken pieces
of his own life. He might smash
others. never himself.
All this / knew long afterward.
I have seen wonderful pictures in
which the high-lights were so accen-
fuated by the shadows that they stood
out in boIdest relief. / have seen
DAYS when the rays OF the sun pierre
ed through the angry clouds so that
the weeping skies were turned into
laughter.
Such was my life. High-lights
scattered across the years during
which the shadows were deep and
black, then only faint, the dim re-
Election of things; but now and
again came a dark smudge, that IL
you saw closely enough, understand
ing the picture of Life. and the
Painter, only served to make the
.high-Iights more prominent.
MY father and my aunt-my moth
died when I was born-both ex-
cted me to make a good marriage.
/ They had said nothing Of this TO me,
but / understood, as l think every
girl belonging to a family with social
aspirations does understand. | had
been educated az home by tutors and
governesses until was sixteen, when
was sent south to a fashionable
finishing school. Upon my return |
had been formally introduced TO So
ciety, and since then had been very
gay, and enjoyed myself in a we'll
chaperoned way
Aunt Edith offered to turn the
household reins over TO me, but | saw
she was much pleased when / said:
ct don't want the bother! Why
not let well enough alone"
How often since | have wished !
had acted differently. | would then
have had a little experience in MAX
ing a home
l had received as much attention
from the young men in New York
as in Thorndyke. where we lived.
We were so conveniently near and
the train service was so good, to say
nothing of the delightful automobile
roads, that We lived quite as gayly
as we would lad we resided in the
city.
One OFFER of marriage that I had