Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-02
CHAPTER X-XVH
.I!eaVe.rak ing

! IN 0 make up for the gladness that Court
| ney must have seen in her eyes when
/ he announced that he was leaving
town the next day, Lorry professed interest
! in his plans for departure.
She went into his room with him and hoy
! cred over his suitcase; she herself took his
! shirts from the drawer, sorted his handker-
! chiefs. saw that he had everything he
| needed.
! In doing these simple domestic things
Lorry forgot herself. Now that Courtney
was going away; now that it would not be
| necessary to him day in and day out
she could afford to be gracious, but as
! Courtney watched her absorbed face his
heart filled with bitterness. He knew
| only too well what had prompted her to
such unusual display Of Wifeliness. She
| gloried in his going away and for a moment
| she had not been able to disguise the truth
and gladness had leaped up in her eyes,
! stabbing him to the heart.
| How had he failed lamentably in MAX
| ing her happy? Had it been his unspeak-
able want of her; would it have been bet
ter if he had waited?
And then breaking in on his thoughts
came Lorry's question, Glow long will you
be gomez"
She tried to keep the eagerness out of her
T, voice, but somehow in spite of her it crept
in. She wanted so much to know how long
she could feel free; how long it would be
before he swooped down on her life again
1.-TWO three weeks" he returned,
watching her closely.
eff you don't mind, think I'll go home"
she went on. "It will be so good to get
back to my old ROOM" her voice gathered
eagerness in her anticipation. "just
though, just as thoush---', she faItered
"Just though you had never married
I me- he supplied evenly. "Is that it?"
| 1t was the truth. Lorry didn't want to
| stay in the apartment where she was re
minded of him. She did not want to be
where his voice had echoed. where his in
| RI 10
room, even her own. The color came and
went in her cheeks. He was making it so
/ hard for her
| I'm sorry, but I don't want you to go
| home" he said crisply. ask your mother
to come here, if you like, or any one else;
| it doesn't matter"
! But why?" she protested, "what posi-
| BILE difference can it make to you? 1 don't
| understand"
"I'd like to feel that you're here" he
persisted, stubborny This is our home
| yours and mine; you belong in it,
81 see," she spoke the words very slowly.
| ri think I understand"
She sat for a moment in silence on the
| edge of the bed, her eyes looking off into
| space, and in that moment it seemed to
| Courtney though he could not leave her
| Suppose something happened to her while
he was gone. Imagination caught hold of
him, firing his blood. How he loved her.
| and he was voluntarily giving her up put
| ting himself out of her life for lone, dreary
! days, in the hope that realization might
| come to her during his absence.
"You won't mind doing that much for
me- he ventured, keeping the home fires
| burning in the slang phrase of the day"
! His mouth twisted into smile.
| She slipped from the bed. keeping her
| face turned away from him, and went
| toward the door, but as she reached it he
| spoke.
| I'm leaving early tomorrow morning. I'll
| breakfast downtown, so l won't you
| again.
ooh" she said tentatively, twirling the
| doorknob with nervous fingers. And then
he was coming toward her. his arms were
around her, his dark eyes were looking down
| in her frightened ones. and he held her so
| for long moment. Then he touched her
| hair softly with his lips, and let her 60
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