Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-07
A WOMAN OBSESSED.
BY CAROLYN BEECHER

!
| ways wealthy father cuts him off be
cause of his elopement with Muriel Dan
| gerfed before finishing college, The
! young couple set up housekeeping in
! WeStfeld. Muriel not only is poor
housewife, but is intensely jealous and
unsympathetic with the light-hearted ma
ture of her husband. She opens a letter
to Bruce which is from his fathers old
| hOusekeeper, urging him to visit his
father, who is ILL Muriel destroys 1t.
She becomes moody and insulting to her
| husbands friends Her mother comes
| in answer to Bruce's telegram and warns
| Muriel that she is about to destroy her
husbands love. Their child is born, but
| dies Bruces excellent work wins pro-
! motion at the office.-NOw go on with
the story.
CHAPTER Nv
NH her positive declaration that she
ANA would not. Every moment of the long
evening when the others, especially Bruce,
were so happily enjoying themselves was pos
tive torture to- her. She had only consented
! to go because she was afraid to let Bruce go
without her-and he would goTafra1d in
sickening way that was almost physical. Yet
! the torture she suffered while there could not
! have been exceeded by, her imaginings had
she remained at home.
At dinner Bruce sat between Ann Mason
and a young girl of perhaps nineteen, Grace
Northrup She was handsome, elfsh thlng,
! hair black as night, big black eyes and care
| less firtatious ways that meant nothing but
| a love of fun. Ann was lovely as hostess, gra-
cious smiling, looking her prettiest in sheer
blue gown. The three laughed continuously
while MurieI at the other end of the supper
table, scarcely heard what Tom Mason said
! as he tried to interest her Mr.. Gormley on
her left, had given up in despair.
She never took her somber eyes from the
! end of the table where she could see her hus-
| bands profile and made no eHort 10 rendeF
| herself agreeable.
After supper they danced.
If she had suffered jealous agOnies while
| they played bridge before, even though she
| had sat at the same table with Bruce, she
! suffered far more when she saw him dancing
with Grace Northrup, Ann Mason and others
She had refused to dance on the plea of
| headache. Even when Bruce urged she had
| refused and in low voice begged him to take
her home. ~ .
| '.Nonsense! Fun's just beginning!' had
| been his reply as he whirled Ann Mason,
whom he voted the best dancer IN the ROOM
! to the center of the floor. Don't be the orig
! inal Mrs Gloom everywhere we 60. They
! had been scarcely anywhere, so the remark
| rather lacked point
Miserably unhappy, Muriel resistedsevery
effort made to give her pleasure, to draw her
into the spirit of the party which was llven1ng
up as it grew later.
HE must go home-Ill make him. she
muttered, white to the lips, as he waltzed by,
his arm around Grace Nortnrup' VINO was
| looking saucily up into his face. Both of
| them laughed gaily as they passed Murlel
without seeing her. -..-
| It was 2 o'clock before she got a chance
! to speak to Bruce again.
"You must take me home now. My head
aches terribly" Always an appeal to his
| generosity had been effective. I'm really
| ILL"
Unwillingly he consented But he was I'M
like his usual self. He did not tell her ne
was sorry or pity her. She leaned her head
against his shoulder in the darkness of the
| cab and said: -;
"Never ask me to go to such thing
again!" I'LL
sore head all the time! r was mortified to
| death when l saw how they all tried to be
nice to you and you snubbed them. But
there's one other thing. I've given in to you
| even when / knew it was silly. I've gone
without any good times so long and wanted
! them so badly A fellow that works as hard
as I do needs a little relaxation. It's good
business, too. Now that [ am becoming ac-
nuainted and able to have some good times
| I am going to have them-in moderation, OF
! course I've earned a few pleasures That
party tonight did me good, showed me
wasn't quite on the shelf yet. ~
Just before they went to bed-she had not
spoken after his outbreak-he yielded to
| sudden impulse, drew her into his arms and
| said contritely:
Tim sorry if / was cross, Muriel You
would make a saint lose his temper Wnen you
refuse to be a good fellow.
| On his breast she cried just little and
told him she loved him dearly and that IL
broke her heart to have him say such cruel
things to her. He kissed her, making no
other answer. :,
| For several days he was so busy he mad
no time for anything but his work. He was
/ so tired at night that he was glad to read his
paper and then go to bed. He was deter
! mined to make good in the real estate de-
partment, part of the business he really
| enjoyed .
! Bruce had striven to argue Muriel out OF
her desire to always be alone Finding that
of no avail, he had ridiculed the idea, laugh
ingly telling her he trusted her with any one
This only added to the martyr glow OF her
determination. And so.life crawled on. BAD
nerves often sulks, replaced the perfect good
nature of his earlier days with her.
| He spoke of giving a party, repaylng the
| courtesies that had been extended them,
whether accepted or not. She fatty refused
to allow it. 1t her house, she ITS mis-
tress. There would be no parties while, she
Elived.
"Then I shall take them to the theater
and supper afterward," had been his answer.
But she, thinking he would forget or feel ne
couldn't afford it, shrugged her shoulders
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