Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-31
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UNNELCOME
: WIFE, :
CHAPTER XXvI
The Country Club Dance
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~ HARLOTTE had been on the
point of telling her secret to
Tony once or twice, but each
time something had happened
to prevent it. Tony's moments of
tenderness were few and far between
these days. and it seemed that every
time the two were alone he had some
thing to reproach her for.
On the night that Tony had talked
with his mother about the embarrass-
ment of Nick FoWler's presence,
Charlotte dressed without enhtusi-
asm of any kind. She did not look
forward to the dance as any young
girl would look forward to pleasure
beautiful dress, for she knew exact
ly what the evening would bring
forth. She would dance with a sue
cession of men who would treat her
with extreme politeness and look
longingly at some other girl. Be-
teresting stroll in the grounds, but
she would be returned with punctil-
ious courtesy to Mrs. Hartman S side
and left there until the next man
called for her. AT these affairs Tony
always danced the first and last
dances with his wife, and spent the
rest of the evening with the younger
crowd.
"You know" he had said to Char
lotte as if in extenuation, "a man
never dances with his wife, it isn't
DONE
And Charlotte had smiled a wry
little smile and had made no reply.
Tonight she wore a new frock,
shimmering lovely girlish thing that
had enormous possibilities. Janice
had waved her hair and when she APP
peared at dinner there was a faint
color in her cheeks. That first
thought that Mrs. Hartman had had
concerning Charlotte occurred to her
again as she looked at the girl from
under lowered eyelasheS. Charlotte
did have possibilities; sometimes
when she talked with her father-in-
was uniformly kind to her, she ac-
tually sparkled. Why couldn't she
be that way with strangers? Yet
never since her first day in the house
had she made the slightest effort to
attract any one to her.
The clubhouse was brightly light
ed, and Overlooking with young peo-
pie. Edith Comstock greeted Char
lotte in the dressing room, running
her eyes over the girls frock and
making some careless remark as she
spread carmine evenly over her lips.
Charlotte had at first hurried
through her dressing preparations 50
as oleaVe the room under the wing
of Edith or some one of the other
girls, but since the night she had
overheard Edith call her "Tony's
clinging vine" to one of the men she
made no effort to attach herself to
any one.
Tonight as she left the dressing
room and began to cross the brilliant
ly lighted ballroom, her heart, beat
ing suffocatingly with a self-con-
sclousness that was almost physi-
cal pain, she happened to look up
and meet full a pair of audacious
eyes set in a careless, worldly weary
face. The eyes smiled at her before
the lips did, and he came forward a
few steps to greet her, taking both
her slim hands in his before the eyes
of every one present.
And Charlotte forgot everything
but the fact that this man was her
friend The night no longer stretch
ed before her, long and interminable
as something that must be endured
She laughed UP into Nick's face with
the glda laugh of childhood
Are you glad to see meg? he
asked
Very, very glad" she returned.
And the eyes of the world looked on
and wondered, and Mrs. Hartman
met Tonys glance full, and hers said
quite plainly, What did L tell you?"
CHAPTER XVII