Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-21
CHApTER. Nv

HARLOTTE knew that she was
not to see Tony again until he
" had been to the city. He in
tended to go home, tell his
wife.
In the days that followed the secret
marriage in Greenville, she wore his
ring on a ribbon around her neck as
he had suggested. She tried during
this time to be unusually cons1derate
of her mother, to do little things that
would make the day easier for the
overworked little woman. Abner
Graves, Charlotte's father, was not
unkind but he was old-fashioned and
set in his ways. There were very
few conveniences at the farm, and
Mrs. Graves was not strong. She
worked far beyond her strength, but
underneath the apparent meekness OF
her surrender to her lot in life, there
was a determination that Charlotte
should not look forward to the same
round of hard work and little return.
When Anthony, had come to supper
on that memorable night, Mrs. Graves
had dreamed little dream that per-
haps this might be the fairy prince
come to take Charlotte away from
the drudgery. She had been Wistful-
~ eager for any shy condolences that
had Rugged her secret to her breast
and had never mentioned Tony, much
as she had wanted to.
Mrs. Graves had wanted her to go
away to school, but Abner would not
allow it.
There's no need of educatin' her
up to a life she can't expect to en-
JOY" he had said not unkindly. And
so Charlotte had gone to the village
school, which boosted, in addition to
the regular grammar school course,
q two years training in high school
0,1- Waon G had finished what
the scnoo, had to offer she had been
forced to pc content with her educa-
ton, and she did not realize her linn
itations until Tony came into her life
He had spent four years in college
and year abroad. Charlotte felt
was quite willing to accept all that
he told her unquestionably.
Abner had thought Tony high-fa-
lutin' and queer. He had called him
Il slick city Teller with not half the
grit that ST Winslow's boy Jim had
Charlotte knew that her father would
have been glad to welcome Jim Wins
low for d son-in-iaw. He was
sturdy lad with strong, bare brown
arms, and a rather dark handsome
face with bold brown eyes. Char,
lotte's blonde loneliness attracted
him, but he had been known to say
she looked kinda peeked." He
wanted a strong, Strapping woman
who would take hold of the farm
work like a man. Nevertheless, II
Charlotte had made the slightest eff
fort she might have had Jim Wins
low, she might even have managed to
secure for herself certain conven-
ienc0s, like running water in the
house and a maid of all work, for Jim
belonged to the younger generation,
and Charlotte had coaXing, pretty
ways. Who knows, but that this
might have worked out better for all
persons concerned? Certainly, Char
lotte might have been spared great
deal of misery if Fate had not sent
Tony Hartman up to the Berkshlres.
and then contrived to have them
meet in the dusty little grocery store
on that smiling summer day.
The day after the wedding the camp
in the hills broke up, and Tony in
company with six other men took
train for New York and civilization.
With the greatest care he had man
aged to keep his romance hidden from
the other fellows, and if they noticed
his abstraction and jollied him bit
in consequence, they had no real sus-