Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-20

xTTHFLE she smoothed her hair
! w before the mirror Nina sur
veyed the room and her eyes
lighted on the frock.
Are you still wearing that shah
! by old thing?" she demanded. Il
do wish you'd get some proper
clothes. Are you going somewhere?"
I'm going to the theater We'd
nesday night"
"Who with?" Nina in her family
was highly cOlloquial.
with Doctor Livingstone"
Are you joking?" Nina demand
| ed.
Joking? OF course not"
Nina sat down again on the bed,
| her eyes on her sister, curious and
not a little apprehensive.
| J IT'S the first time it's ever hap
pened, to my knowledge" she de-
clared. 81 know he's avoided me
like poison. L thought he hated
women. You know Glare Rossiter
is
Elizabeth turned suddenly.
Glare is ridiculous" she said
| 'She hasn't any reserve, or dignity,
or anything else. And I don't see
what my going to the theater with
| Dick Livingstone has to with her,
anyhow"
Nina raised her carefully pluck
ed eyebrows.
"Reallyn" she said. "You needn't
jump down my throat, you know"
| She considered, her eyes on her
sister. Don't go and throw your
self away on Dick Livingstone, Sis.
! You're too goodlooking, and he
hasn't a cent. A suburban practice,
out all night. that tumble-down old
house and two old people hung
around your neck. 1t just won't do.
Besides, there's a story going the
| rounds about him that"
81 don't want to hear it."
| She went to the door and opened
! it.
eve hardly spoken a dozen
words to him in my life. But just
! remember this: When I do find the
man want to marry, I shall make
up my own mind. AS you did"
she added as a parting shot.
She was rather sorry as she went
down the stairs. She had begun to
suspect what the family never
guessed, that Nina was not very
happy.
Wallie Sayre rose from the deep
chair as she entered the living
room.
"Hello," he said. "I was on the
point of asking Central to give me
| this number so I could get you on
the upstairs telephone"
Nina and I were talking. I'm
sorry"
Wallie, in spite of Walter Wheel
er's opinion of him, was an engag-
| ing youth with a wide smile, an air
| of careless well-being, and an obsti-
nate jaw, What 1.e wanted he went
after and generally secured, and
Elizabeth, enlightened by Nina, be-
| gan to have a small, anxious feel
ing that afternoon that what he
wanted just now happened to be
| herself.
Nina coming DOWN." he asked.
az suppose SO. Why?"
"You couldn't pass the word along
that you are going to be engaged
for the next half hour?"
'I might, but I certainly don't
| intend to-"
"You are as hard to isolate as a
AS a germ" he complained. 81
gave up a perfectly good golf game
to see you, and as your father gen
orally calls the dog the moment [
appear and goes for a walk,
thought L might see you alone"
you're seeing me alone now, you
know"
Suddenly he leaned over and
catching up her hand, kissed it,
you're so cool and sweet" he
said. TT wish you liked me
little" He smiled up at her, rather
wistfully. 81 never knew any one
quite like you"
She drew her hand away. Some
thing Nina had said-that he knew
his way about-came to her mind,
and made her uncomfortable. Back
Iof him, suddenly, was that strange
and mysterious region where men
of his sort lived their furtive man
| life, where they knew their way
about. She had no curiosity nor in
terest, but the mere fact of its ex-
istence as revealed by Nina, repealed
! her.
There are plenty like me-" she
| At~+NNA' ''CAA L w o4AAS W cllIICs l. IldIC
having my hand kissed"
81 wonder" he observed shrewdly.
whether that's really true, or
whether you just hate having me
do it?"
When Nina came in he was draw.
ing rough sketch of his new pow
er boat.
put in a word for me, Nina"
Wallie begged. IT intend to ask
Elizabeth to go to the theater this
week, and L think she is going to
refuse"
The Valley Not that the play
matters. It's Beverly Carlysle."
Il thought she was dead, or
something
"Or something is right. She re-
tired years ago, at the top of her
success. She was a bowling beau.
ty, I'm told, never saw her. There
was some queer story. I've forgot.
ten it. I was kid then. How about
it, Elizabeth?"
I'm sorry. I'm going Wednesday
night"
He looked downcast over that, and
he was curious, too. But he made
no comment save:
We'll, better luck next time
Just imagine" said Nina. "She's
going with Dick Livingstone. Can
you imagine it?''
But Wallace Sayre could and did
He had rather a stricken moment
loo. or course there might be moth
ing 10 1t, but on the other hand.
there might be nothing to it, buS
ION the other hand, there very Ue1I
might. And Livingstone was tho
sort TO attract the feminine woman.
ne mad gravity and responsibility.
lie was older, too, and that flattered
a girl.
He's not a bit attractive" Nina
was saying. "Quiet, and-weH. I
don't suppose he knows what he's
lgot on