Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-23
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CHAPTER XIV
OEYC SATCHEZOP
al q 0LIHILc LE.2GER 20


a few days later Mark rode in
for the answer which was
| waiting for him. Cicely seemed very
| much excited about Jeans prospec-
tive visit and asked her to stay with
them as long as she could.
these days. She could not realize
that this wonderful thing had hap
pened to her Marks attitude puz-
zled her, however-he seemed to give
so little thought to the fact that she
was going; he seemed so unlike the
man she had known.
1t was this very attitude of his
them during the few days before
she left, and bought them together
on a new basis of almost friend
Illness. Jean found herself almost
forgetting the fact that she was
leaving her husband, because Mark
made it possible for her to feel this
way. She found it easier to talk
with him, and it was only when she
thought of his kissing her that her
soul revolted in horror. She mad
only to remember the time he had
held her in his arms to SILVER away
from him, and then her hatred would
come back a hundredfold.
1t was the night before she left
when they were alone together at the
ranch that Mark spoke to her more
personally and instantly she froze
and intuitively held him at arms
length.
There are a few things I want to
say to you before you leave the
ranch, JEAN" he said evenly.
She sat motionless in her chair,
feverishly waiting for him to pro-
coed. In her heart she knew that II
he asked for anything, if the freedom
he had offered her meant only a
Inn i oif1Cr Of hn tnt
her to him and not a severlng OF 1T,
all her old fear would return. His
next words were, therefore, a sur
prise to her.
You are going away perhaps for
ever" he began; certainly you need
would like you to think over every
thing carefully before you decide
what you want to do, and then write
me. You need never see me again,
for it will be easy enough to ar
range matters"
Jean drew long breath.
But" he went on. IF you find at
any time that you want me, that you
need me for any reason then you
must come to me yourself. That's
the one condition / am imposing on
you. Don't write asking ne to come
to you but come to me yourself, do
you understand"
His tone and words were not with
out certain conviction. Again Jean
felt that sense Of being held against
her will, and it made her suddenly
cold and hard.
IF I want you or need you, 1 am
to come to you and tell you so. Is
that it?" she asked, and her words
were like little icicles dropping into
the soft heat OF the night.
She met his eyes full for a mo-
ment and then she threw back her
head and laughed. The laugh was
mirthless, but full of meaning. 1t
expressed contempt, it showed Jeans
utter carelessness for the future as
long as she was free of her husband.
The sound of it made Marks hands
clench and the veins stand out on
his forehead in his effort for self
control. He wanted to snatch her up
and tell her she should not go. He
wanted to kiss her hooking lips until
they pleaded for mercy but he did
nothing, simply sat there in his
chair while that laugh echoed away
into the silence and Jean spoke.
That's funny" she said evenly,
really funny" Sho rose to her feet
and stood looking at him for mo-
ment. However" she went on, Il
promise to do just that Goodnight"
And a moment later Mark heard the
bedroom door close behind her.