Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-06
THE BREAKING POINT
BY MARY ROBERTS RINEHART

a lot of things. Walter Wheeler is well off,
You do as l want you to; pack your Things
and go to Baltimore" -.
It was the end of May before David began
to nave about his uppe.. room. The trees
along the shaded streets had burst into full
leaf by that time, and Mike was enjoying
that wardeners interval of paradise when
flowers grow faster than the weeds beside
them Harrison Miller, having rolled his
lawn through all of April was heard abroad.
Elizabeth Wheeler very happy Her
look of expectant waiting, once vague, had
crystallized now into definite form. She was
waiting, timdly and shyly, but with infinite
content. In time everything would come.
And in the meantime there today, and
sometime today shabby car would stop at
the door, and there would be five minutes,
or ten. And then Dick would have to hurry
to work, or back TO David. After that, today
was over, but there would always be. tomor-
row.
Now and then, at choir practice or at serv-
ice she saw Clare Rossiter But Clare was
very cool to her, and never on any account
sought her, or spoke to her. She was I'M
happy about Glare, when she remembered
her. 1t must be so terrible to care for man /
who only said, when she spoke of her, "Oh,
| the tall blonde girl?"
Once or twice, too she had found Clares
eyes on her, and they were hostile eyes 1t
was almost as though they said:A II know l
told you. But if you ever tell him, I'll kill
you"
Yet, for all her halcyon hours, there were
little things that worried her. Wallie .Sayre,
for instance, always having to be kept from
saying things she didn't want to hear And
Nina. She wasn't sure that Nina was entire
ly happy. And, of course, there was Jim.
Jim was difficult Sometimes he was a man,
and then again he was boy and one never
knew just which he was going to be- He
was too. old for discipline and too young to
manage himself. He was spending almost
| all his evenings awaV from home now.
Elizabeth had waited up for him one night,
only short time before, and reckoning him
I into her room, had talked to him severely.
| You ought to be ashamed, JIM she said.
"You simply worrying mother sick"
/ He had looked rather lcrestfallen at that,
and before he went out he offered half
| shepish explanation.
I'D tel them where 1 co. he said, '+but
| you'd think a pool-room was on the direct
road to hell. Take tonight now, 1 can't
| tell them about it, but it was all right.
met Wallie Sayre at the club and Leslie; be-
| fore dinner, and we got fourth and played
bridge. Less telephoned Nina, and We had
dinner. l swear we were going on playing,
but somebody brought in chap named Greg
| DRY for cocktail. He turned QUITO be
brother of Beverly Carlysle, the actress, and
he toxic us around to the theater and gave
us box. Not thing wrong with 1T, was
there?"
Where did you go from there?" she per-
| SlSC0Q 1n6XOrdDly. 1t 5 udIl-pdSL OuC.
when around and met her. She's a queen,
! Elizabeth. But do you know what would
happen if 1 told them? They'd have fit"
! She felt rather helpless, because she knew
he was right, fro mhis own standpoint. "
81 know. I'm surprised at Les, jim"
ooh, Les. He just trailed along. He's all
right
| So hte days went on, and the web slowly
woYe itself int lots complicated pattern Mas
sett speeding west and David in his quiet
room; Jim Wheeler and Leslie Ward seeking
amusement, and finding it in the Uttered
dreing-room of woman star at local
theater; Glare Roster brooding, and the lit
tie question being whispered behind shands.
! figuratively, of course-the village was en-
tirely well bred; Gregory calling fonndp to
see Bassett and turning away with the ln-
formation that he had gone away fol. an in
definite time. And Maggie Donaldson. lyingin
the cemetery at the foot of the mountains
! outside Norada having shriven her--soul to
| the limit of her strength SO that~shss might
face her Maker. = ~
Continued in the next issue. Renew Your
subscription now. We cannot supply back
| issues. -
Copyright 1923, by Mary Roberts Rine-
hart Published by arrangement with Nc
| CIure's MavaZine.) =