Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-06-05
A WOMAN OBSESSED
BY CAROLYN BEECHER
CHAPTER XL

/ l DdQly, was nervous ana QlSITdf NO one
o. seemed to notice but Tom Mason, who,
after he had made a particularly poor shot,
said:
Brace up, Conway! You're not in very
good form tonight"
Bruce knew that Tom guessed the cause
and that Muriel had something to do with it.
In spite of his pleas Muriel had refused to
have more than a casual acquaintance with
Tom and Ann and kept them from any sort
of intimacy with her. although Ann had cru
Gifted her pride and continued to call because
Tom wished it. Also, she liked Bruce and felt
sorry for him.
As he walked home under the stars Bruce
felt like giving up. Over and over he said:
whats the use?" Unconsciously his
thoughts changed, shifted until they rested
upon Lulu Hammond, poor and stunned, with
nothing in her life and no future. Yet she
never complained and was always gay and
cheerful. Her understanding of him, of a
mans needs. touched him. Her declaration
| that if she had husband she would insist
upon his keeping up his athletics and would
not allow him to give up his friends had ling
cred in his mind If she, poor soul, could be so
sporting, why couldn't Muriel, with every
thing the other lacked, be at least reason
able?
for Muriel's birthday. She tried to help me
when she was here before. She's brick!"
Muriel evidently had been crying all the
evening. Her eyes were red and swollen and
she looked pitiful. Bruce kissed her and, full
of his idea of sending for her mother was
gentle and patient when she threw herself
into his arms and sobbed out her misery.
In the morning he wrote Mrs. Dangerfield
a long letter. He wrote the word Private" in
a large hand at the top of the sheet He did
ut cir 1n1U hot ho h
her Muriel would not eat, that she refused to
go out with him or others and thai he feared
she would be ill again.
Even though he said so little that little was
| illuminating. Mrs. Dangerfield had worried
over what she had seen of Muriels selfish
ness on her former visit and had pondered
over her refusal to make friends with the
young people of Westfield. She had been
anxious because of the effect it might have
on Bruce. Bruce had written:
! eff I don't hear from you | shall know you
are coming"
Hes afraid she won't want me to come. !"
she said to herself, that she will object if she
knows in advance" June had told indignant
| ly of the cold, inhospitable way Muriel had
| treated Bruces father and of course Mrs.
Dangerfield knew she had not wanted June.
But it wasn't natural for a girl to dislike to
have her own mother visit her. Mrs. Danger
field felt hurt as we'll anxious.
| She had no idea it was her praise of Bruce,
/ his manner toward her that had seemingly
alienated Muriel. Yet there was something
perhaps she was blaming Muriel more than
she should. She would watch Bruce more
critically this time.
June begged to go along but her mother
refused her. She even discouraged her huS-
band when he suggested that he might be able
to get away. She took gifts from both of them
and even from little Kermit. She would help
Bruce make Muriel's birthday happy. He had
written he was planning to give her a good
= m ic fofh or'c ahnolr
outlining his plans further.
When no word came from his mother-in-
| law, Bruce's spirits rose. 1t was hard not to
! tell Murfel she was coming. He had visited
the jeweler and found two or three articles in
| his stock that pleased him--a ring, bracelet
and bar pin. He could not decide which to
take. He would wait few days and think it
over before making a selection, he told the
| jeweler.
! Mrs. Dangerfeld arrived two days before
MurleIs birthday. Perhaps Bruce was plan
ming party and would need her. MurieTs
surprise was complete but there was little of
| joyousness in her welcome.
why didn't you write you were coming?''
she asked.
Il thought l would give you a. birthday sur
prise" Mrs. Dangerfield answered, chilled by
Muriels manner, so different from the way
Bruce had welcomed her One would have
thought her his mother not MurieTs.
Il don't like surprises, never did. I think
do you like the house? L preferred the old
one, that location. Bruce took this because
it was near his office
And because you had admired it," he in
terposed before her mother could reply that
she thought it far superior to the other one
She added:
1T is more convenient and the outlook is
much better l can't see why you preferred
the location of the other one.''
Il don't care to live where people I have
no wish to know find it convenient to call on
me-"
Mrs. Dangerfield said no more and the eve
ming passed pleasantly. Both she and Bruce
steered clear of any topic that might disturb
Muriel
She really looked badly, her mother
thought as she surreptitiously watched her
What was she doing that all her freshness
her bloom was gone. She looked nearer thirty
than twenty-three. Bruce, too looked years
older than when she last saw him. That line
between his eyes, the worried look in his face
When ne was quiet. Something vital to their
happiness was wrong. But what? She well
knew 1T was not any financial trouble Bruce
had told her business was ripping" and that
ne had more than he could attend to. Had
Mur1el driven him away? Could there be the
"Other woman"
Continued Thursday. Renew your subscrip-
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