Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-12-14

| field.
From the first he had been drawn
| to her-as long ago as that day when
she lunched alone at Claremont. And
constant association had but deep
ened the feeling. Helen had invaria-
bly, shown a beguiling power of lis
tening to all he had to say, but he
| felt he knew as little of her as he
had on that day when he watched
her lunching alone.
Yet he loved her.
Lansing was single simply because
he had never met woman who
rather fiercely held that it was every
mans duty to marry and have chill
dren. But beyond a few passing
fancies he never had been in love;
never sufficiently so to ask any girl
| to marry him.
val in Kellogg. Helen treated them
| so exactly alike-he thought. Only
Adele had noticed the slight differ
ence. And with the most intense in
| terest she watched, sure that a dra-
ma would unfold itself before her
would it be tragedy?
| Adele never had been able to dis
sociate Helen from that photograph
she had shown her. Mystery there
was and some time she would solve
it. Now it but lent piquancy to what
ever Helen did; to her relations to
| other men.
Once Helen had said to her:
Men are. all alike; it isn't in them
| to be true!"
a studio tea in the Studio des Ar
tistes. There Helen was introduced
! to Clifford Sloane. He INN ediately
attached himself to her. His atten-
ton was flagrartly noticeable, be-
cause he was usually the one sought
her there was such. a depth of pas
sion in his rich voice, such longing
as she never had dreamed a man
voice could portray. His face had
mirrored both the passion and the
longing.
| Helen thought, as she gazed at
him, of line she had read in mag
azine the day before:
"a world-weary man, longing for
something beyond his reach"
She felt as she listened to Sloane
like some character out of a novel
There was a feeling of unreality
about her. So engrossed were they
that neither observed Lansing's ap-
proach.
"The taxie is here-do you wish to
go?"
AS Helen lifted her eyes to the
speaker they rested for just mo-
ment on other eyes so full Of pain,
so sombre, that she quickly lowered
her own. 1t was almost as if she
had done something indicate in
looking at another's misery.
Helen rose at once. No thought
of introducing the two men came to
her Perhaps she thought they were
acquainted.
The man with the pain-ridden eyes
stood until she had passed from the
room. Then with a cynical smile he
sank back in his seat.
How do you like Sloane?" Adele
asked when Lansing had babe them
gossip.
IT don't know. Adele. He inter-
ests me-repulses melville he also
attracts. Tell me about him."
HE has bad reputa ton, Helen
They say woman seen alone with
him is marked"
THAT part doesn't interest me. 7
nave no wish to be alone with any
A wave of color was Adele's an
sWer She laughed and said:
e,5ehes prince, Helen! Beside him
would be a good match, dear"
Il like him very much" Helen
said, her color subsiding.
He will ask you to marry him
you see if I am not right"
Now Helen paled.
Il hope not! Oh, want to keep
him as a friend, Adele! shall never
| marry"
Nonsense! Why not? You are
young, lovely free. Why shouldn't
oWn? Had she imagined it, or had
Helen WINGED when she said that
word "free?"
Don't talk of it. Adele"
And Adele, wise beyond her years,
sensed the hurt in Helens voice and
said no more. But her thoughts
rioted. And in them she mixed Helen,
the man whose photograph she had
SHOWN her, Kirk Lansing and Morti-
mer Kellogg. Never once did she
give a thought to Clifford Sloane New
err once did she think that he was to
play part in Helen's life
The following afternoon Helen had
nnlshed work for the day and was
dreamily staring out her favorite
window when Sloane came. He had
called Come" Helen had no idea
who her visitor was to be.
Startled, she rose to her feet.
YOU did not expect to see me so
soon, put you knew I would come"
hands In a close clasp.
Chapter XIX
.NOR many weeks after her meet
! n ing with Clifford Sloane Helen
saw much of him, more than
she quite realized. She had
p1qued him by her cool Indifferent
manner. Women had f1attered, run
after him for years. To meet a Won
an who seemed not to care whether
ne came or went, but who was polite
~ interested when with him, who did
not repulse his visits, while she
Scorned the slightest advances on his
part was an anomaly to him, and
one that aroused all the hunting in
stincts in him.
CllHord Sloane was man without
a conscience-where such an attrib-
i ute would thwart his desires.
He was not a marrying man. So
ne mad told every woman with whom
ne had had any sort of affair. So
he told Helen.
THAT makes you the more inter-
estlng. 1t shows you are a sensible
Usually his declaration had been
met with disappointed looks. cha
grin, or in laughing derision.
Til make her lose that calmness
oefore ! am through with her." he
muttered when alone
| Then he set about to find a way.
In the meantime Helen was more
and more with Kirk Lansing: daily
she looked forward with delight to
the time she spent with him. Yet
SO sure was she that she could
never be more to him than she now
was that she made no attempt to
discourage the attentions of others
among them Clifford Sloane.
For the moment Helen was filed
with a deep satisfaction with the
| life she had chosen. She breathed
content and it gave to her beauty
a peculiar charm
She thought a good deal about
Lansing, yet not of him alone. 9th
I ers shared her thoughts, but none
OF them ab3orbingly, for she had
her work to do. And she did it
well. Her stories were in demand
Editors wrote her asking for them
Adele laughingly proclaimed her
|