Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-12

THE WALLELOWER,
CHAPTER XIV.

IN HE dinner party was small,
there were only twelve, but
l. Charlotte, who had never been
at such an affair in her life,
felt that she had never seen so many
people. If any effort had been made
to give her self-assurance, if she had
been made to feel a daughter of the
house, and accepted as she should
have been, she might, perhaps, have
weathered this first social function,
but as it was she was too self-con-
scious, too fearful that something
she might say would be all wrong,
and SO, too eager not to make mis-
takes, she said nothing at all.
The man at her right was PEN
broke Stevens, tall blond, young
giant accustomed to a great deal of
adulation from all the girls who
pretty in blond, cOlorless way, but
after a few attempts to talk to her
he gave it up as bad job, and de-
cided that she had no pep. There
after he devoted all of his attention
to the girl on his other side, a dark,
vlVaclous little creature who laughed
at everything he said.
The man on Charlotte's left was
older and therefore more tolerant.
He told her some anecdotes, to which
she listened gravely, Showing no in
terest. All OF her attention was CEN
tered on Tony, who sat on the other
side of the table. Edith Comstock
were apparently enjoying each other
to the full. Charlotte could see
Edith across the low centerpiece of
dollhouse roses and lilies of the val
ley. She was in black and wore
tall Spanish comb in her dark hair.
She talked SO easily to Tony, and her
low, soft laugh rippled out SO often
a in n Ni,,r,t ion,
that was half pain.
Charlotte had learned not to be
frightened by the array of silver
utensils at her plate, nor by the fact
that Fitch was i'll such constant at
tention. She ate quite correctly, but
as Mrs. Harrison observed to herself,
watching her from the head Of the
table. she would never in the world
be a social success. The girl had no
poise, she was almost insignificant.
''On a girl like Edith that silver
gown would be gorgeous, on Char
lotte it is utterly lost" thought Mrs.
Hartman grimly. She looked down
the table at Edith, sure of herself
and conscious of her ability to inter
est men. and sighed. What a fool
Tony had been.
AfterWard the young people
danced, and here, too, Charlotte, was
at a loss. Of course, she had plenty
VI pdl Liners, dll the men Knew IndL
it was their duty to dance with
Tony's wife, but to each and every
one she was forced to explain that
she had never danced. Sitting out
with them was nothing but a long
agony, for she said little or nothing.
replying to their own tentative leads
with monosyllableS, and conscious
that they were looking at the dancers
with longing eyes. Once she said des-
perately:
please dance. There's no need OF
your sitting this out with me.'
Her partner, the tall, blond giant
who had sat next to her at dinner,
turned and stared at her, mur. ---Ag
something polite about it being what
he wanted to do. and Charlotte was
forced to sit on in that aWfu4 silence,
conscious not only of her own fall
urc, but of the fact that Tony could
not fail to notice that she was not
popular.
And he did notice it in spite of the
fact that he was dancing Il great deal
with Edith Comstock. Edith danced
wonderfully well. She had a little
way of teaching him new steps, step
ping away from him a moment and
then coming back to his arms with a
soft surrender that Tony had never
noticed in the old days of their
friendship. 1t was highly intoxicat-
ing, and Tony enjoyed it to the full.
He was displeased with Charlotte for
not making more of an effort to en-
terrain his friends, and he intended
to tell her SO the minute they were
alone.
ITO BE Continued.I