Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-14
CHAPTER XXXH

A T the table Lorry's pride upheld her,
~ She was gracious to Tom as a queen
- might have been gracious to subject,
but she ignored the pleading in his eyes, and
made it impossible for him to say more than
a few words to her in an undertone. But
once as she turned toward him and he benz
the yellow crest of his head down to her. it
seemed as if her heart died within he~.
Once she had held his head against her
breast, she had kissed that mop of yellow
hair and at this very moment she migns
have been his wife, if-But at this point
in her thoughts she remembered something
else She saw herself on her wedding eve,
and opposite her, sitting forward stiffly, as
though vaguely uncomfortable in her sur
roundings, sat a white-faced girl.
Again Lorry was listening to that sordid
story listening while her wedding gown
hung in the closet, and her trousseau was
already packed in the shining new black
trunk That was why she hadn't married
Tom. and as the memory of it rushed over
her she drew away from him In quick re-
vulsion.
HOW pitiabIy weak she was to care as she
did after what had happened. Even though
she had no love in her heart for Courtney,
she at least. owed him loyalty, she was his
wife, and it was despicable to care for any
one else as she was allowing herself to care
for Tom. And so it was by whipping up her
pride and flashing herself with contempt that
lightness and gayety that she did not feel
For in spite of everything, she still cared for
Tom and looking back over the unhapp~-
ness of her life with Courtney, she Won
dered if she could have been any more mis-
cradle married to Tom, even with the knowl-
edge in her heart thai he unworthy.
AS they were leaving the dining room
Toms fingers closed around Lorry's slender
arm.
"Lorry, you'll let me see you homer"
She turned and met his eyes levelly.
"I'm not going home. I'm staying with
Coralie tonght-my husband is out OF
town"
An eager light famed suddenly in Toms
usually lazy, blue eyes.
Glory let me come to see you give me
that much, won't you, for the sake or the
past? You cared for me once, sometimes
wonder if you don't care for me still, Lor-
nv. [ must see you alone, I must talk to
you"
But Lorry was shaking her head, and her
lips were curling into a contemptuous little
smile That smile was twO-edged, it was for
herself as~well as Tom. for at the pleading
tone in his voice temptation had leaped up
in her, the desire to let him come and see
her had swept over her like a flash, but
only for moment, for the next instant she
had seen Tom as he really was. The minute
she had mentioned that Courtney was out of
town he had snatched at the opportunity OF
seeing her alone. He would come to her
husbands home, in his absence, he would
come there believing that she did not love
him. and no doubt his intention to trade
on her weakness. to make love to her, to
force her to admit that she had made a mis-
take.
Lorry shuddered At that moment she, de-
spised Tom. She despised him for his weak
ness, and yet it seemed impossible to tear
that feeling that she had for him out of her
heart Nevertheless when she spoke 1t was
Mrs. Courtney Harrington who answered
Toms pleading.
I'm sure we have nothing to say to each
other, nothing that could not be said before
other people,"
"Lorry-"
But Lorry, with her head held high, was
sweeping ahead of him into the living room.
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