Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-03

plans for the days that were to fol-
low.
After she had taken off her clothes
and crept shivering into bed her
thoughts kept whirling around in
her head. She could think of moth
ing but Barry-how much she loved
him and how much he meant to her.
Dear Barry, with his endearing boy
ishness, the comforting clasp of his
strong arms around her, shielding
and protecting her. She stretched
out her arms in the darkness and
touched only empty space, and she
cried herself finally into a. ex-
hausted sleep.
Late in the night she awoke and
thought had occurred to ner. To-
morrow, no doubt, the newspapers
would be full of the arrest and Of
her own flight. Suppose the board
ing house woman should suspect her
and hand her over to the police?
That was a possibility. Her arrival
at the boarding house late at night
pearance Of the wife of tho embez-
zler. Certainly there was little
enough excitement in the life of a
woman of this kind. She would en-
joy being featured in the news
papers; she would lose no time in
communicating with the authorities.
In sheer torture Harriet lay there
and suffered. She determined to get
up as soon as it was light and slip
away. She would have to sacrifice
the fourteen dollars, but that was
very little in comparison with the
danger of being discovered.
She determined to stay awake the
rest of the night, but in spite of her
self her eyel1ds kept dropping over
her tired eyes, and when .he finally
fell asleep she lay as If drugged,
dead to everything around her. The
milkman on his early trip down the
street ratified his pals and bottles,
but Harriet heard nothing. When she
finally opened her eyes she realized
that some one was pounding vigor-
ously on her door. At first she was
bewildered at the strange surround
ings, and then suddenly she remem-
bered everything, and with return
ing memory came the knowledge that
she had oversight.
Like a trapped thing she lay there
wondering what would happen now.
Chapter v
A Woman at Bay
TINE door slowly opened ard ard
l. stuck her head through, the
open-mouthed at Harriet, who sat up
in bed, the bedclothes drawn up to
her chin, staring wildly at the in
truder.
tits after II o'clock, amt you
never goin' to get up?" the maid in
CURED in a tired voice.
The relief was so great that In
spite of her mental anguish Harriet
broke into soft laugh.
"Of course I'm going to get up,
and if you'll give me five minutes
I'll be dressed" she said brightly.
The frowsy head was withdrawn
and Harriet hurriedly sprang out of
bed AS she got into her clothes the
fact was borne in on her that 80 far
she was safe. Perhaps after all the
fact that she had oversight had been
for the best. If she had stolen away
in the early morning she might have
been suspected and traced. Perhaps
it was good omen that prophes1ed
suck in her venture.
Breakfast was over at tie board
ing house, and Harriet had rolls and
coffee in a cheap little restaurant
Then, armed with the morning pa
pers, she returned to her room and
locked the door.
Her hands trembled as she turned
to the first page of the Chronicle
Yes, there it was on the first page
crowding out the latest divorce scan
TRUSTED EMPLoYE ACCUSED
OF EMBEZZL+NG FUNDS!
Young Barry Neil Takes Five Thou
sand Dollars Out of Office Safe.
Wife Disappears.
Then followed an account Of what
Barry had told her yesterday embel-
l1shed with a lurid account of her
own disappearance and probable con-
nection with the theft.
1t was uncanny to be sitting mere
in a cheap boarding house reading
about herself in the papers. One re-
porter said that the police were al
ready on the trail of the wife and a
quick recovery of the money was eX-
pected. Harriet tried to tell herself
that this was newspaper talk, but 1t
did no good. She had no idea what
cred her now and the newspaper re-
port sounded horribly convincing.
She tried to think what to do.
Would it be better to stay where she
was and take the. chance of being
discovered any minute, or to slip
away and find another place?
While she was thinking there came
another knock at her door. and her
heart Ieaped suffocatingly. She had
taken the precaution of turning the
key in the lock, and hastily stutfing
all the papers but one into her suit
case, she went to the door and open
ed it.
The clearinghouse woman stood
on the threshold. She peered curl
ously into the room and nodded ap-
provingly as she saw the newspaper
spread out on the bed
Looking for job?"
Harriet nodded
That's right. I just came up to
tell you about meals. Breakfast at
sharp, dinner at IL, and supper at 6.
You didn't come down for breakfast,
and lunch is about over"