Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-04-09
CHAPTER Tx.

CHAPTER Tx.
With an onrush almost staggering
all my doubts which had so long lain
quiescent came back to me.
Shady characters, undesirable ac'
-quaintances," Lorraine had called
them. | could not very well refute
her when I, his wife, had refused to
receive them. How ignorant l was
of society is apparent in the fact that
1 had never thought that Neil's Pc
cular business methods might frus-
trate my social ambitions. He had
money. That was all that was re-
Quired of hint so l imagined l
would do the rest And now this!
"You must know if this is so, Bah,
even if you do not know much OF his
affairs. Does he ever bring such men
home with him."
"No-not now"
"Why-not now'?'
Because l refused to receive
them"
Il see-then it is true-all of it, I
am afraid"
For heavens sake, Lorraine, say
what you have to say and be done
with it," I cried in desperation. l
felt as if a hand had clutched my
heart Yet | would not believe it as
bad as Lorraine had limited. She
was a natural gossip-she exaggerated
We'll Bah, | will! 1t is the only
way. l am more sorry for you than
can say, more than sorry that 1 en-
couraged you to think you could
make a social success. l am sure,
however, that it is of no use for you
to go on. You have a lovely home,
but the people you have planned to
entertain will not visit you'll am
afraid, she stopped l waited in 81
lence. Finally l could stand it no
longer.
Don't be afraid of hurting me,
Lorraine. Con on, tell me all that you
have heard"
Il want you to know it will make
no slightest difference in me, in our
friendship. You do know that, don't
you, Bab?"
| nodded.
But it is common rumor A
friend of my fathers came to him
about it, because l have been with
you so much, This man said that
your husbands business methods are
'unsound'-that's fathers word. This
friend feared your husabnd would
try to get my father interested in
some of his scenes, and came to
warn him. Father is getting old
she said apolegetically, land is easily
influenced. We haven't any money
TO spare, you know. Then he also
told father that Mr.. Forbes was con-
stantly seen with men of no stand
ing; and that Mr.. Forbes himself
was suspected of being-well- not
strictly honest; that no man could
make money as fast as he made it,
live at the rate you lived, and do it
honestly = without misrepresenting
things, and promoting schemes which
would not stand daylight" She stop
ped a minute. Then: Most of what
j have said, Bah is quoted You
man who told father is Mr. Powers "
/ almost groaned. Mrs. Powers
had been the woman whom l most
desired to know. 4
There is one other thing | am
going to tell you," she went on
Perhaps / shouldn't but / think
you ought to know it: Mr.. Forbes
makes a redenvous of Blanche Or
tons home He takes men there
perhaps the very ones you have re-
fused to receive. They gamble and
drink and incidentally put over
those big deals by which your hus-
band makes so much money
Blanche has been so terribly snub-
cut any ice socially. | liked her, and
enjoyed her unconventionality. But
since Orion died she has become al
most too unconventional even for
me-"
And you think it is no use to GO
on as we had planned?" 1 spoke now
of an entertainment for charity with
which we had decided to- make my
first plunge into society. 1 was to