Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-11-16
THE WIFE CHEATER
New Romance
BY HAZEL DEYO BACHELOR
CHAPTER VIII
Woman Against Woman

TYP in my room I had taken off my
| clothes and was standing brushing out
~ my hair when heard footsteps on the
porch.
My heart leaped in my throat and invol-
UNFAIRLY my eyes flew to the little French
clock on my dressing table.
That must be Norman now! He had taken
the 9:53 after all, for there had been just
enough time for him to have walked up from
the station.
1 stood there with my brush poised, wait
ing for his key in the lock, and then sudden
ly, to my amazement there came sudden
sharp ring at the bell. Without stoppin-
think / stood absolutely still waiting for
Mary to open the door, and then, as the bell
rang again. l realized that Mary had gone
out that evening. | myself had told her to
go to the movies.
With my kimonoI held around me, hur-
ried down the stairs my mules clicking on
the polished wood at every step, but when I
reached the door I hesitated | was alone
in the house. Was it wise to open the door
at this time of the Light, to any one?
"Who is it?" | demanded suddenly, and
was rewarded instantly by Alice's gay tones.
tits l, dear. l saw your light and had the
taxi man drop me here"
In a minute l had flung open the door and
Alice, looking as usual, as though she had
just emerged from the competent hands of
She exclaimed at my negligee.
Il didn't get you out of bed did IT.
l shook my head. "Of course not. Come on
into the library" And I led the way switch
ing on lights as l went
Was it my fancy or was Alice too glib, too
eager to talk? AS soon as we were seated
opposite each other she began to chatter al
most feverishly.
Give been in town shopping and knew
you were alone, because I ran into Norman
this afternoon, and he told me he was stay
ing in for dinner. My dear, 1 bought the
most ravishing new gown for the dance next
week. | couldn't resist dropping in to tell
you about it," And she began a detailed
description of the dress in question, leaving
me little chance for anything in the way of
conversation but occasional monosyllable
of exclamation.
When she rose to go about Is minutes
later she kissed me affectionately, and adj
vised me to hurry upstairs so az not to miss
my beauty sleep / could not help admiring
the way she had handled the entire situation
even while my blood boiled at the thought of
the cool way she had attempted to deceive
me-
OF course 1 saw through everything.
She and Norman had dined together, and
then, in order to throw me off the track,
Alice had returned to Hilton on the 1853 in
order to establish an alibi.
How cleverly she had mentioned seeing
Norman in the city before had chance to
say anything In that way she had thought
to rob me of all suspicion, for, from the way
she had spoken, L would naturally suppose
that she had seen Norman for only very
lew moments. 1t was clever, very clever, but
not quite clever enough. There had been mo-
ments while she had sat there talking about
her new gown, when had wanted to laugh
outright but had kept straight face, al
though hardly knew why
Upstairs in my room again, / faced the
situation with new pain in my heart. The
thought that Alice and Norman had DELHI
eratley planned to deceive me was intoler-
able 1t was one thing to determine not to
be Jealous, but it was quite another to be-
lleVe Norman capable of plotting with an
otner woman against his own wife. My pride
was up in arms, but was SO angry that Il
was almost impossible to decide what to do
(Tomorrow--Confessi