Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-05-23

y
| erything-their bitter quarrels, the
| injustice and tyranny of Brandes,
| his contempt and ridicule sometimes
enduring through adversely, even
| perjury. through good and bad days,
| through abundance and through
want, through shame and disgrace.
| through trickery, treachery, and tri-
| umph-nothing had ever broken the
| occult bond which linked these two.
And neither understood why, but
| both seemed to be vaguely conscious
| that neither was entirely cmplete
Ben" said Brandes affably, Pm
| going to walk over to Gayfield.
| Want to Gomez"
They went off. together.
CHAPTER VII
Obsession
BY the end of the week Brandes
| had done much to efface any I'M
pleasant impression he had made on
| Ruhannah Carew.
The girl had never before had to
| do with any mature man. She was,
therefore, at a disadvantage in every
| way, and her total lack of expert
ence emphasized the odds.
Nobody had ever before pointedly
preferred her, paid her undivided at
| tention: no man had ever sought
| her, conversed with her, deferred to
her. interested himself in her. 1t
was entirely new to her. this atten-
| ton which Brandes paid her. Nor
could she make any comparisons be-
| tween this man and other men, be-
cause she knew no other men. He
| was an entirely novel experience to
her; he had made himself interest
ing, had proved amusing, consider
ate, kind, generous, and apparently
interested in what interested her.
And if his unfeigned preference for
her society disturbed and perplexed
her, his assiduous civilities toward
her father and mother were grad
ually winning from her far more
than anything he had done for her.
His white-faced, odd little friend
had gone; he himself had taken
quarters at the Gayfield house, where
a car like the wrecked one was
stabbed for his use.
He had already taken her rather
and mother and herself everywhere
within motoring distance; he had
accompanied them to church,; he eS-
corted her to the movies; he walked
with her in the August evenings
pond fished from the bridge, told her
strange stories in the moonlight on
the veranda, her father and mother
interested and attentive.
For the career of Mr.. Eddie
Brandes was capable Of furnishing
carefully edited, and related with
discretion and circumspection. He
had been many things to many men
and to several women-he had
been a Linhorn gambler in the south
west, a miner in Alaska. a saloon
keeper in Wyoming, fight promoter
in Arizona. He had travelled profit
ably on popular ocean liners until
requested to desist; Auteuil, Neuflly,
Vincennes, and Longchamps knew
him as tout, bookie, and, when f1tful-
ly prosperous, as plunger. EPSON
knew him once as welcher; and
knew him no more.
He had taken a comic opera COM
pany through the wheat belt-one
way; he had led a burlesque troupe
into Arizona and had traded it there
for a hotel.
when Eddie wants to talk" stull
used to say, that smoke, Othello,
hasn't got nothing on him."
However, Brandes seldom chose to
talk. This was one of his rare gar
rulous occasions; and with careful
Self-cenSorShip, he was making an
endless series of wonder-tales out of
the episodes and fats divers COM
mon to the experience of such as
he.
So, of moving accidents by flood
and field this man had a store, and
he contcived to make them artist
cally innocuous and perfectly fit for
family consumption.
Further, two Of his friends mo-
tored over from Saratoga to see him,
were brought to supper at the Ca
rews'; and they gave him a clean
bill Of moral health. They were,
respectively, DOC" Curfoot-suave
haunter of Peacock Alley and gen
tleman "capper"-Whom Brandes in
troduced as the celebrated special
list, Doctor Ebert Curfoot-and Cap
tain Hartman Quint, a partner in
"Quint's" celebrated temple of chance
introduced as the distinguished
to be. The steering for their com
mon craft, however, was the duty OF
the eminent Doc.
They spent the evening on the
veranda with the family; and it was
quite wonderful what a fine fellow
each turned out to be-information
confidentially impaired to the Rev.
Mr. Carew by each Of the three dis
tinguished gentlemen in turn.
Doc Curfoot whose business in.
cluded the ability to talk convincing
Iy on any topic, took the Rev. Mr..
CareW'S smeasure and chose litera-
ture; and his suave critique pres
emily became an interesting mono
'ogue listened to in silence by those
around MIN.
Brandes had said, Put Sne in
right, Doc" and Doc was accom-
plishing it, partly to oblige Brandes,
partly for practice. His agreeable
voice so nicely pitched, SO delight
fully persuasive, recapitulating all
the commonplaces and cant phrases
concerning the literature of the day,
penetrated gratefully the intellectual
isolation of these humble gentle
people, and won very easily their in
nocent esteem. With the Rev. Mr.
Carew Doc discussed such topics as
the influence of fiction of the ethi-
cal ideal. With Mrs. Carew Captain
Qtuint exchanged "reminiscences of
travel on distant seas. Brandes at
tempted to maintain low-voiced con-
versation with Rue, who responded
in diffident monosyllables to his ad
vances.
Brandes walked down to their car
with them after thed had taken
their leave.
whats the idea. Eddie?" tnquir-
ed Doc Curfoot, pausing before the
smart little speeder.
It's straight"
ooh" said Doc, softly, betraying
no surprise-about the only thing he
never betrayed. Anything in it for
you, Eddie?"
Eyes. A good girl. The kind you
read about. Isn't that enough?"
"Minna chucked you?" inquired
Captain Quint.
She'll get her decree in two or
three months. Then I'll have a home
And everything that you and [ are
keeps out of that home, Cap. See?"
Certainly" said Quint. quite
right, Eddie"
Doc Curfoot climbed in and took
the wheel; Quint followed him.
Say" he said in his pleasant,
guarded voice. watch out that Min
ma don't double-cross you, Eddie
'How?"
Or shoot you up. She's some
! schutzen-fest, you know, when she
! turns loose"
"Ah, tell you she wants the di-
vorce. Abe Grittlefeld's crazy about
| her He'll get Abe Gordon to star