Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-03-10
CHAPTER XIX
The RapO0in


T I was little enough that Steele had to be
I happy about, but he was happy, even eX-
ultant. Something had made Anne change
her mind, but for the present he was not con-
cerned with that 1t was enough for him to
know that she had changed her mind, that
she had promised to marry him. And, with
that thought he could not be anything but
confident of the future Some day she would
love him and he was willing to wait with the
knowledge in his heart that he could not fail.
Hadn't he succeeded SO far? This last tri-
umph had proved that fact concusively
Il don't want to go into this thing blindly,' -
Anne had said. 81 must tell you everything
now so that you may change your mind be-
fore it is to late"
For moment Steele had wild hope that
she might be going to confide in him about
her past, but she shattered that by her next
words.
Can you marry me knowing nothing about
my past? And will you promise never TO ask
any questions? It's a great deal to ask I
don't see how you could love me enough for
that.
She stopped and her face flushed scarlet.
He hadn't said that he loved her. He had
merely asked her to be his wife.
He took a step forward and then stopped,
his hands clenched at his Sides
II don't care anything about your past, -
he said quickly. Don't you suppose l know
by looking at you that you have done nothing
wrong, and that whatever you have'to con-
ceal, you are keeping secret for some very
good reason?'
He came suddenly very close to her. but
she did not shrink away. She stood perfectly
still with her wide eyes fixed on his face He
took her chin in his hand and tipped back her
head.
"Anne, you trust me?"
Eyes, she said very softly, after mo-
ments hesitation.
''You believe me when I say that you're
free?"
Eyes"
To Gil F0r 81
her face.
when will you marry me?" he asked
finally.
whenever you say" The words came
quickly, almost eagerly. If he had not been
so completely wrapped up in his own desires
and longings he would have noticed the eager
ness in her voice, and wondered tit, but his
one thought was of the fact that she was
willing to marry him soon.
We'll make it Immediately, a quiet we'd
ding 1 suppose you'd rather have it that
way"
YES" Again just that quiet monosyllable.
She was merely acQuiescent and very calm.
1t was as though having made up her mind to
do this thing, she would rather have it over
as soon as possible.
But if Steele had but known it, Anne want
ed to be married without delay. She had come
to the end of her rope, there was no other
way out, and there was one important thing
that her marriage would give her, something
that she needed desperately, that she mad to
have at all costs-money! She had given
very little thought to what her marriage to
Steele might mean, but. there was something
about him that made her instinctively trust
him. 1t seemed to her as though feeling of
any kind were dead in her forever, and he
had assured her that he would respect her
wishes
If Anne had been able to look into the fu-
ture she would have realized that anything
in the world would have been better for her
than marriage with John Steele but OF course
she did not know that when she promised to
be his wife.
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