Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-06-13
The >]T@efrkxSsf5}r;
w N ROBERT W CHAMBERS III Wy

conscious of what she was about,
caught up her suitcase and reeled
away into the light-shot darkness.
She had no idea of what she was
doing or where she was going; the
terror Of the scene still remained
luridly before her eyes; the shout
ing of the crowd was in her ears;
an indescribable fear of Brandes
man who had denied that he had
married her. And the instinct of a
frightened and bewildered child drove
her into blind flight, anywhere to
escape this hideous, incomprehensible
scene behind her.
ed and dazzled in the patches of
darkness and f1aring light, clutch
ing at and followed by a terrible
fear, she found herself halted on the
curbstone of an avenue through
which lighted tramcars were pass
| closer: and she turned desperately
and hurried across a street where
other people were crossing.
From overhead sounded the roar
ing dissonance of an elevated train;
on either side of her" phantom shapes
swarmed-figures which moved
everywhere around her, now illum-
| ined by shop windows, now silhouet-
ted against them. And always
through the deafening confusion in
her brain, the dismay, the stupefac-
ton, one dreadful fear dominated
the fear of Brandes-the dread and
horror of this Judas who had denied
her.
She could not drive the scene from
her mind-the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
picture where he stood with blood
from his cut lip stripping his fat chin.
She heard his voice denying her
through swollen lips that scarcely
Notwithstanding that he had married
her.
And in her ears still sounded the
the woman who had struck him
an unsteady, unreal voice accusing
him; and her brain throbbed with
the horrible repetition: DIRTY dog
dirty dog-dirty dog" until, al
most out of her mind, she dropped
her bag and clapped both hands over
her ears.
One or two men stared at her. A
taxi driver came from beside his car
and asked her if she was ill. But
she caught up her suitcase and hur-
ried on without answering.
She was very tired. She had come
to the end of the lighted avenue.
There was darkness ahead, a wall
trees, and electric lights sparkling
among the foliage.
Perhaps the sudden glimpse of
wide and star-set sky quieted her
the canon of the ctty's streets, the
unreasoning panic of a trapped thing
subsidized a little
Her arm ached; she shifted the
suitcase to her other hand and
looked across at the trees and at
perately- for self-command
Something had to be done. she
must find some place where she
could sit down. Where was she to
,,a For AZ a while she could feel her
heavy thudding of her pulses quier-
ed; nobody molested her; nobody
mad followed her. That she was
quite lost did not matter; she had
also lost this man who had denied
her. somewhere in the depths of the
confusion behind her. That was ali
mat mattered-escape from him,
from the terrible woman who had
struck and reviled him.
-, With an effort she checked her
thoughts and struggled for self com
mand; Somewhere in the city there
merciless third degree-under which
mental and physical resolution dis
ACKNOWLEDGMENT all to pieces.
AND when at length she finally
succeeded IN reconquering self-pos-
session, she had already stammered
out answers to his guilty persuasive
start the fuller confession to which
he listened in utter silence.
=, And now she had told him eyerv-
thing, as far as she understood the
situation. She lay sideways. deem
IN the armchair, tired, yet vaguely
and body, and that calm was grad
ually possessing the one, and the
nerves OF the other were growing
quiet. -AAS
Listlessly her grey eyes wandered
around the big studio where shad-
oWy and strangely beautiful but in
comprehensive things met her
gaze, like irridescent, indefinite oh
Jects seen in dreams.
Ihese radlantly unreal splendours
were only Neeland's rejected acade-
my pictures and studies; few
cheap japanese hangings, cheaper
shaky, broken-down ANTIQUES nicIed
up for a song here and there. All
the trash and truck and dust and
Junk characteristic of the conven-
tlonal artists habitation were there.
But to Ruhannah this studio en-
podled all the wonders and beauties
bar mat earI magic temple to which, from
ner earnest memory, her very soul
mad aspired-the temple of the nm
known god of art.
vaguely she endeavored to real
!ze that she was now inside one Of
It's myriad sanctuaries; that here
under her very tired and youthful
eyes stood one of it's countless al
tars; that here, also, near by. sat
one of those blessed acolytes who
AIDED in the mysteries of it's won
drous service.
'Ruhannah," he said, ARE YOU
calm enough to let me tell you what
think about this matter?"
yes. I am feeling better"
Good work! There's no occa sion
Tor Tor panic. What you need is a cool
head and clear mind"
She said, without stirring from
where she lay resting her cheek on
the chairback: VA
That's fine! Well, then, 7 think
the thing for you to do is He took
out his watch, examined 1t, ren1aced
lt-"Good Lord" he said IT'S 3
She watched him but offered M
comment He went to the telephone
called the New York Central station
got general information, inquired
concerning trains, hung up, and
came back to the desk where he had
| been sitting i'''0
The first train out leaves at