Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-06-11
: S6e :
UNNELCOME
: WIFE,
CHAPTER XXXIX.
A Subtle Change.
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a FTER Charlotte had opened her
" eyes and spoken to Tony she
n turned over like a little child
and dropped asleep. DR.. Ray
mond came to the side of the bel
and looked down at the sleeping
face There was a tender look on
his own
She'll do" he said in a satisfied
voice
You think she's all right now,
doctor?"
The eyes of the two men met
across the bed. There was new
manliness in Tonys look, it was a
fighting look, the chin held high,
the eyes eager, all his boyish eva
siveness gone.
All she needed was something to
live for" the doctor replied simply,
and Tony was ashamed.
Mrs. Graves, forgiving now that
Charlotte was to live, took Tony out
to see his son. He lay in the old
fashioned cradle, opening and clos
faced thing that whimpered. Mrs
Graves lifted him into her arms and
held him out to Tony, who drew
back. But when he felt the soft
little bundle in his arms he held
it tenderly, feeling clumsy and help
lSSS anu wondering vaguely now
anything could be so small and
live.
Tony brought many little COM
forts into the old farmhouse during
Charlotte's conYalescence. He
brought heaters for the icy bed
rooms, and hunted up a rosy-cheeked
country girl who cooked and did the
kitchen work, while Mrs. Graves
took care of the baby and attended
to Charlotte's wants.
A vague fear was beginning to
haunt him during these days, a feel
ing that all was not right. The
Charlotte was "etting stronger
daily. but there was something
about her that he frankly did not
understand. He had been prepared
for something quite different on her
part. From that moment when he
had held her in his arms and she
had come back to life at his bidding
he had thought that she had for
given him, he had felt that his fight
was over. But apparently she had
hardly been conscious of the fact
that she had spoken to him that
in fact, she had seemed surprised
when she woke UP after the first
long sleep and saw him standing
by her bed. Mrs. Graves saw this
and understood. The shrewd old
doctor saw and said nothing Abner
who had not forgiven Tony and who
was scarcely civil to him, was the
only one who had not noticed the
change in his grandson that he did
not know what was going on in the
house aside from affairs that con-
cerned the baby.
Charlotte was kind to Tony but
she seemed remote from him. He
could not get near her. She would
smile when he brought her some
little delicacy, but there was no
warmth in the smile, it was as pale
as her ash blonde hair and vanished
almost before it fitted across her
face.
The doctor had cautioned Tony
against speaking to her OF anything
that had happened between them.
She is too weak to talk. we must
get her built up first, so that there
will be no relapse" and Tony was
forced to accept the inevitable. His
one fear now was that Charlotte
would not come back to him. that
she would prefer to remain here
his father-in-law wanted this very
thing. Nothing would suit him
better than to keep Charlotte and
the baby at the farm. To have to
bide his time while Charlotte sem
ed to slip farther and farther away
from him seemed intolerable to
Tony He felt that if he could take
her in his arms in the old way and
hold her close to him while he plead
ed, all her old love would come back
to him.