Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-11
CHAPTER XXI
The Unexpected

4 NEAT maid in white cap and apron ad-
II mitted Lorry to the Ford apartment,
and a moment later Coralie came rush
ing out OF the living room.
ooh, IIorry, dear, I'm so glad you came
early. Come right into the guest room and
take off your things" And Coralie flew
ahead, her French-heeled slippers tapping on
the polished floor.
Here's your nest" she said gayly, "and
remember the minute you feel the least bit
tired, you're to slip away to bed. The
guests will leave their things in Jim's room
so that you won't be disturbed Here, let
me see how you look! Why, Lorry, what
have you done to yourself? You're lovely
tonight I never saw such change in such
a short time"
And it was true, Lorry was lovely. Be
side her. COralie seemed too pink and white,
too almost doll-like. Coralie was like a
pink rose, but Lorry was like yellow tea
rose Her flaming aureole of hair above the
wide starriness of her eyes gave her an air
of mystery.
Coralie stood staring at her, but the sud
den ringing of the bell sent her flying away.
II have a surprise for you," she called
back over her shoulder, "but I can't stop
now. Take your time, darling, and come out
to the living room whenever you're ready"
The door closed and Lorry was alone. She
looked around the room with smiling eyes,
and then slowly, deliberately, she went to
the mirror and looked at herself. Yes, it
only it were possible to be free always as
she was tonight! But she mustn't think of
things like that. She must be glad and
joyous while she could, and CoraHe had said
something about surprise. That was ex-
citing. -
The bell rang again, and laughing voices
went by her door on the way to Jims room
With a hasty touch to her hair, and last
glimpse in the mirror, Lorry slipped out Of
the door and made her way toward the. liv-
ing room. From that time everything
was confused in her mind. She remembered
pausing moment on the threshold of the
room, and then Coralie was drawing her
forward, and people were greeting her. and
she was responding gayly. Then suddenly
she turned, and for the moment wave of
blackness surged up over her. She thought
she was going to faint, and it took every
ounce of will power she possessed to fight
back her weakness. Then warm fingers were
closing over her hand, and a well-remem-
bered voice was saying her name over and
over in a low tone.
Somewhere in her brain a small voice
was saying, you must be calm, you must
act as though nothing had happened People
are watching you, this is, no time to make
scene" But her heart was crying out,
Tom, Tom, how I've missed you, how I've
wanted to see you!" while she stood there
looking up into his eyes as though she could
never look away again.
Miraculously she heard herself talking,
laughing, saying gay reckless things. Cock
tails were passed, and she held the thin
stemmed glass in slender fingers, high above
her head and toasted Tom with a mocking
little light in her eyes. But all the while
she was wondering how she could live
through the evening, how she could sit next
to Tom at the table and keep on talking
about things that didn't matter, with this
terrible ache in her heart, ache that was
worse than any pain she had ever expert
enced.
This, then, was Coralie's surprised Coralie
had planned this, secure in the knowledge
that Lorry happily married that Tom
was an episode of the past and her love of
the dramatic had urged her to draw these
two together to see what would happen.
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