Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-06-14
CHAPTER VI
The Fly and the Spider

| herself was the fact that she still
loved Tom. She still yearned over him,
she still felt tender toward him, and she
wanted anything but that.
She tried to remember the pale face and
tragic eyes of the girl Tom had loved and
| deserted This emotion of hers was weak
ness that she must tear out of her heart,
and yet everything served to remind her
of him; she simply could not forget, not
unless she could uproot her life and start
entirely anew.
| She thought Of going away somewhere,
but going away would not prevent her from
thinking. Then what could she do, what
was there for her to do? And all the while
she turned the problem over in her mind
she was remembering Toms smile His lazy
voice rang in her ears. oh, it was unbear-
able!
During this time she forgot Courtney Her
rington and her fear of him. He did not
enter her thoughts because Tom filled them.
And then one day about week after the
blow had fallen Courtney Harrington came
to see her.
When his card was brought to her room.
LorIy felt again that cold fear settling over
her. The dread of his personality that she
could not explain made her shrink from see
ing him, and yet, probably because his will
was stronger than hers, she did see him and
PRIDE made her attempt to carry off the
situation lightly.
She went into the room where he was
waiting for her, with light tread. She
smiled up into his dark face, and for a
time chatted gayly of inconsequential things
But his monosy1labic replies were difficult
to combat, and conversation finally Jagged.
When there came a definite pause, Lorry
felt this mans strange dark eyes bent upon
her, they drew her compellingly and as al
ways she fought not to look into them.
"Lorry" he spoke very evenly. "Lorry,
why is it that you never look into my
eyes? Is it because you are afraid of me?
Do you think am stronger than you are?"
Stronger? In what way?"
"Are you afraid that I will get what I
want?"
What is it that you want?" Through dry
lips Lorry tried to make the words sound
flippant. She must not let him see that she
was afraid of him, that in his presence she
felt that to resist was impossible because he
had the power to batter down her defenses.
IT want you I'm going to have you If I
have to wait lifetime for you. It's in
evitable. You can fight, but some day I'll
have my way, Lorry, why not be sensible,
why not marry me?"
Suddenly Lorry's heart almost stopped
beating. Here was a way to forget. Here
was a way to turn her thoughts into other
channels, but could she talk such a way,
could she marry this man when his very
only she had no feeling about him one way
or another, if she were entirely Indifferent
to him, everything would be easier.
Harrington did not make the mistake of
trying to touch her. He saw that some
inward battle was going on in the heart
of the girl, and he bided his time. But
Lorry felt his eyes upon her and the in
tensity of them confused her. She felt like
hawk in the presence of a giant eagle,
and that any moment he might swoop down
on her and carry her away.
"Why do YOU want to marry me when
you know I don't love you?" She burst
out suddenly. 1t was becoming increasingly
difficult to struggle against him, and after
all she cared SO little what became of her
life. She had a sudden vision of the future,
and she knew that he meant what he said
ABOUT never giving her up. He would pur-
sue her constantly, she would never be free
from him. Then why not give in now, why
struggle any longer against the inevitable?