Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-05
The First Evening
CHAPTER XI

ONSENSE," Tony said
- quickly, going up to Char
lotte and taking her in
his arms Wait till we
buy you some pretty clothes, those
| things you have on are pretty bad"
Charlotte stiffened slightly. 1t
was as though Tony had put into
words the thing she had suspected
| from the time she had entered the
house, She knew that her mother
in-laW had felt ashamed of her; the
fact was evident in the way Mrs.
Hartman had looked and acted, and
now Tony was saying the same
thing.
Are you ashamed of me-" Char
lotte tipped back her head so that
she could look up at him.
Ashamed of you? Of course not.
You're the dearest thing in the
world" and he drew her closer. For
the first time he was realizing that
they were alone together in their own
apartments, and that Charlotte was
he had in Westonbury returned to
him as he held her, his lips against
her blonde head. Fitch knocked at
the door, and a moment later at To-
nys come in was arranging the
tea tray on little table.
Charlotte exclaimed at the idea of
having afternoon tea.
Don't we have anything but this
for supper" she uueried, cycling the
thin sandwiches, the tiny cakes and
the delicate china tea service. EX-
planning seemed so endless and 50
plain the New York custom of hav-
ing tea in the afternoon and dinner
later.
Does every one do it?''
Some more explanation, and then
Tony enconced Charlotte before the
q Sixp6 her tn 6O the hnn0rS
She was naturally graceful, and Of
ficiated with more or less efficiency.
They got quite merry over the tea,
and it wasn't until later with the
prospect of dinner facing him that
Tony had a return of his misgivlngs.
Of course, he knew that Charlotte
had nothing to wear, and he hated to
take her downstairs again in that
awful serge Dress Charlotte solved
the problem herself by jumping up
and saying that she must get
dressed for, supper.
Dinner" Tony suggested.
Dinner" she said obediently, spar
king up at him. She was beWltch-
ing when she smiled up at him like
that, and he laughed back at her.
feeling like brute Tor the thoughts
he had in his heart. She had crossed
the room and was bending over the
straw suitcase, and Tony went into
the dressing room, where Fitch had
placed his, things. When he saw
Charlotte again she wore little
white dress that was very simple and
not badly made. She looked very
small and blonde, very much as she
had looked when he had seen her for
the first time. Even with CRITICAL
eye one could. see that with the
proper clothes she would be lovely,
even distinctive. AS they went down
the wide stairs to dinner, TonyEfelt
even touch of pride in his wife
CLAYTON Hartman met his new
daughter with more kindness than
his wife had exhibited. He bent and
kissed her soft cheek. and smiled at
her kindly She liked him from the
first, and when they went into DIM
ner, it was her father-in-law's man
ner that went far toward quoting
the fear that she might disgrace
Tony in some way before the meae
was over. The alarming array OF
silver at her place terrified her, and
before the end of the meal she mad
made any number of wrong moves. 1t
she had not been so frightened she
might have avoided this by waiting
to see what Mrs. Hartman did, but
she was so miserably Self-conSclouS
that she hardly raised her eyes from
her plate.
Anthony Hartman loved Char
1otte Graves when he married
her. and he wanted her so much
that he did not think what kind
of an impression she would make
on his people. It was when he
brought her to the city as his
wife that he first began to have
doubts as to whether or not he
had been wise in marrying out of