Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-11-27
The Tri-WeekIy Journals Oo'm Serial
The Only Thing That Counts
A Mystery Romance of Modern Bohemia
By the Famous Novelist
Carolyn Beecher
Chapter VI
vELEN had been entertained

|
~ and amused by Adele. When
/ she had remarked, just be-
/ fore she left: eve must be
real neighborly, mustn't WEI Helen
| had responded Fundamentally.
When the door closed upon Adele,
Helen slipped the card that had ac-
companied the flowers from it's en-
velope. and again read the few pen
cilled words. She had glanced sur
repititiously at it while placing them
| in water. Now she flushed little. A
pleased light came into her eyes.
Il shall avail myself this evening
about o'clock of your permission to
call Sincerely, Lansing"
Helen liked the way he had signed
the message. Just Lansing" 1t be-
spoke a sort of camaraderie trat ap-
| pealed to her
She sang blithely as she prepared
her simple dinner. All depression
| had vanished. She was not conscious
| ly so pleased that Lansing was go
ing to call. But Adele's visit, the
| flowers and now companion for
the evening, all combined to d1spel
She met him smiling, hands out
stretched. She had taken great
pains with her toilet, and in the
soft glow of the rose shaded lamp
she was enticingly lovely.
"You see couldn't stay away any
longer, Lansing SalQ, SILL HoluIHS
Il thought you had forgotten me
entirely Thank you for the flowers:
They make the room quite lovely"
She had looked straight at him as
she spoke. There had been nothing
an honest out-spoken thought and a
thought of G him. was it vanity,
overconfidence in herself. lack of sex
consciousness, or what? There was
something, SO Lansing decided, as he
self near her in a big chair.
Helen had an awareness Of her
guest she had not before experience
ed. She looked at his lean, strong
face, pair of steady gray eyes, a
little lighter in color than her own,
grew thickly on his well-shaped
head. He was tall. long legged, mar
row hipped, broad shouldered. No
one would dub him handsome yet
women all looked at him a second
time, all admired him.
| work; the manuscript which now
she gathered neatly together in a
pile upon the desk beside the type
writer. How was it coming on?
"she has too much temperament
explained that the weather had SO
depressed her she could not write
This time she had made no addition
to the simple statement.
She told him of Adele, describing
her simplicity, which she had found
docs She wear her hair bobbed?''
he asked smiling.
mo, why?'
at is a style affected by many of
the village girls"
questions. He ID her many tales
of the quaint old part of New York
fast losing it's fascination because. of
having been perverted from that
quaintness to. a sort of cheap no.
toriety. It was all interesting TO her
| when the little clock chimed ten she
started.
A slight tap on the door, then a
p, whirlwind entrance. Adele Foster,
dressed in a startling kimono sort of
dress, saw Helen had company and
stopped, bit embarrassed.
come right in, Miss Foster. May
present Mr.. Lansing?"
A .coquettish look from Adele's
lightfully naive permission.
Indeed you may! Now that you
are living here, we shall know all
| commence with Mr. lansing" An
other coquettiSh look.
Helen saw and smiled. How silly
very young girls like Adele were. If
they knew how easily men were fiat
tered. how falsely untrue to anyone
but themselves, their own desires,
they were, she would not be. so evil
dent in her admiration.
Not that Helen had decided to be
a man-hater. Far from it. But she
had decided to take them at her own
valuation, not at theirs. Pleasant
companions, yes. Further than that
she had no wish to think. Her ex-
periences had taught her that Life's
Shop Windows held nothing of value
to her. She had shopped, had bought,
and had been cheated. Consequently
she could look with amusement at
Ade1e's coquetting with Lansing.
Yet back somewhere in the recess
es of her mind was the feeling that
somehow, somweay, they were fated
to be thrown together in more than
casual way. The thought annoy
ed her.