Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-28
CHAPTER HI
Love or Hate

a WEEK later Steele entered the lobby of
~ his apartment house with face as white
as death. Out of it his dark eyes blazed
like Goals and the veins on his forehead stood
out like whipcords.
The elevator boy gave one look at him. and
then turned quickly away, sending the eleva-
tor shooting upward with the ease Of long
practice. Something had happened to Mr..
Steele, but the boy had no wish to know what
it was. His mission was to get him up to his
own floor as quickly as possible and to ask no
question, and he breathed a sign of relief
when Steele stepped out and strobe down the
corridor toward his apartment.
He opened the door with his latch key and
closed it softly behind him. A moment later
he stood in the door of the living room his
hat in his hand and absolutely unconscious of
the fact that he still wearing his over
coat
The living room presented a picture of do.
nestle happiness. 1t was sweet with the scent
of roses and softly lighted lamps were burn
ing here and there. Anne sat under one of
them, the light from overhead turning her
blond hair to flame She had book in her
lap, and she wore a loose velvet frock of nor
favorite color, dull blue.
Steele stood silent for a long minute, TAX
ing in every graceful posture of the slender
childish figure, but at that moment there was
no love in his heart only hate that threatened
in an unguarded moment to make c mailman
of him.
How her childish looks belied her! The
innocence shat had looked at him out of her
tiny tawny eyes had been a mask to hide her
experience. That was why she had so often
hidden that look of purity behind veil of
mystery, because perhaps even she had the
grace to be ashamed because of the way she
had deceived him.
And he had loved her! How he had loved
her! Like blind man like fool! He
had trusted her when he might have known
that no happiness could come out of a union
like theirsi
And as he looked, his brain seething with
unexpressed thoughts, his hands clenched at
his sides, his whole body rigid; as he looked
at the woman he had loved and now hated,
she raised her head, met his blazing eyes, and
with her own wide and frightened sprang to
her feet, the book falling unnOticed to the
floor.
John, what has happened? Why do you
look at me like that?"
He continued to look at her without speak
ing, as a man looks for the last time on a
face he never expects to see again. His glance
swept from her eyes with their feathery
lashes and delicate brown to the soft CULVER
ing mouth that his lips had touched so often,
and suddenly the sight was more than he
could bear For a. moment he turned his
head away and in that moment she had cross
ed the room and was before him, her hands on
his arms trying to turn him toward her
"What has happened? Tell me, tell me-!
Her voice shook and suddenly he had an al
most insane desire to laugh. 1t struck him
as funny that she could stand there asking
him what had happened when his whole world
had crashed around him. That she, the wom-
an who had caused it all, should be standing
there solicitously inquiring what was wrong
was beyond all question joke.
He drew a long breath and turned his
blazing eyes upon her suddenly. But this
time he hardly sa,r her face so blinded was
he with passion He kept his hands clencned
behind him for fear of what he might do with
them but as the blood slowly cleared away
from his head it Infatuated him the more be-
cause she did not quail before him as he had
fully expected her to do.
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