Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-11-02
CHAPTER III
What Is Love?

What Is Love?
LICE WILSON, with that peculiar frank
~ ness that has always been one Of her
chief characteristics, had reminded
me OF the fact that I might have married
Herbert Livingston.
I have always liked Herbert; in fact there
was time when I thought loved him. Then
met Norman, and I realized for the first
time what love could be.
Blinded as I was by my feeling for him
realized that / was taking a chance on hap
piness. But then, 1 reasoned, every woman
does that more or is, and the Eonest friend
ship and sincere respect and wonderful safe
ty that l felt when l was with Herbert were
nothing to the leap of pulses and the heady
rapture that felt when I was with Norman
The very fact that he had been in love with
so many women made his lore for me the
more strange and wonderful. I thrilled to
rest, for his wife.
remember telling him what Alice had
said to me.
"of course, I'm silly to care, but I won
der what she meant I said seriously.
"You mean about taking marriage too
seriously?" Norman replied. We were sit
ting out dance in the cool dusk Of the coun.
try club veranda, and he held my fingers
tight in his hand. Occasionally he would
brush them with his lips and my heart would
leap in my breast. His slightest touch thrill
ed me. I suppose I have always loved him
too much.
THAT, and the fact that I'm not the kind
of woman to pay you back in your own coin,"
said with little laugh.
'"Thank God, you're not he returned with
sudden passion. "Of course, Alice meant
that you wouldn't stoop to a sordid filtration
in order to make me Jealous"
But why should I make you jealous?" I
asked wonderingly.
Because I might first make you Jealous"
he said after moment
drew away from him, but he caught me
back. Darling, I love you, but, after all.
I'm only a man. he whispered against my
hair MEN hate being held too tightly.
Leave the door open and I'll never want to
go out, but II you close the door and lock
it with the big key Of marriage, I might try
to escape down the fire escape or something
like that. Do you understand what 1 mean?"
81 want you to De free" I answered sober
ly. But even I spoke the words I wonder
ed If meant them. If the time should ever
come when I was no longer the one woman
in the world for him, would I be brave
enough to leave the door open?
Late that evening, as was waiting in the
check room for my coat, overheard con-
versat1on. between two women who stood
just back of me. I knew them only slight.
ly, but realized that they voiced the senti-
ment.
''He was clever enough to choose the type
OF woman he can always be sure Of said
one.
Ou0 SG0uS IdLuSI zulu 10 uc, WdS Cuo
reply, "but then 1 suppose q man of that
kind never marries the type of woman he
likes to flirt with, does he?'
My cheeks burned So they thought me
cold Cold, when I loved Norman enough to
marry him in the face Of everything that had
been said to me, in spite Of all the warnings
I had received!
In silence I received my evening coat from
the hands of the maid and slipped away in
the crowd without being seen. But long
after had gone to bed that night lay think
ing of what those two women had said. It
tailed strangely with Alice's remarks. and
could not help wondering II, perhaps after
all, was the wrong woman for Norman. This
thought filled me with vague misgivings, and
l did not fall asleep until dawn.
Saturday-The First Doubt