Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-17
CHAPTER XXXV
The Blow Falls

TN He days went by, golden hued, wonder
full days, and then one morning in Feb
ruary, the telephone on Steeles desk
| jingled annOyingly.
Miss Reeves answered it, and after few
crisp sentences handed the receiver to her
employer.
John Steele took it without any present
ment of anything wrong For a long time
now he had been happy. His suspicious hao
been luIled to rest, and nothing had happened
to disturb him. He had begun to believe that
nothing ever would happen, that the past was
actually dead and then suddenly across the
wire came Anne's voice, with an .undercurrent
of feelings in it that could not be ignored.
John, [ am going away for couple OF
days I'll be back just as soon as can. You
trust me, don't you?"
Where are you going?" His voice was
sharp.
II can't tell you that but I'll be quite all
right you can be sure of that | can't talk
any more now, dear. | must go into her
voice had crept a note of agOnizing fear. Al
most he could visualize her standing with the
receiver in her hand her tawny eyes wide
with terror, and the thought maddened MIN.
What had she to fear, and if there were
something threatening her out OF the past
why wasn't it his right to know about 1t
"Anne!" There was note of curt au-
thority in his voice.
yes
YOU'RE not going until have seen you. I
am leaving Immediately. I'll be there IN
twenty minutes.
"I can't wait"
You must wait I command you to wait.
You're my wife. Surely 1 have some rights
as a husband"
But she cut in quickly. I'm sorry, but it's
impossible Trust me; you said you d trust
mel" Her voice was impdOrinb, but at the
moment that fact meant nothiog to him. lie
was beside himself with jealous fury. Inc
trust and happiness of the past week were
wiped out though they had never oeeh
| ID n111Iv don
But even as he sat there so obsessed with an
ger that he could hardly think, she spoke
again
.'Good-by dearest. Remember, love you
And then there came the maddenlng CLOCK
of the receiver. She was going, and there
! was nothing he could do about It, When ne
! returned to the apartment that evening She
would not be there, and worse stoll ne WouIo
not know where she was
Two days she had said. And what would
he be doing in the meantime? Did she think
it would be possible for him to sit down calm
| Nv and wait for her return? And When she
did return, what would she expect! Ihat ne
would behave just as though nothing had
hannenpd in the way of an explanation? Well
she would see. This was the end. When She
returned he would demand to know every
thing. - e-...
But at that thought he shrunk away from
actually knowing what she might have to tell
him He loved her! If he had cared before
he had made her his wife, he loved her ten
thousand times more now. suppose tnaC were
really the end! Suppose, when he knew her
secret secret he would find it Impossible to take her
back? 1t was not the John Steel that mad
offered Anne Temple big love, this man VINO
was thinking these thoughts. II was Marcia
Steele's son. the man who had been brought
I'D to think birth and position things of pr1-
mary Importance, and who demSnded' like
Caesar, that his wife be above suspicion
Thursday. cover the Wire" Renew your sub
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