Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-20

DICK nodded and went into the office. The
afternoon mail was lying there, and he
80 began mechanically to open 1t. HIS
thoughts were elsewhere
One thing was clear to him. Before he
asked for her he would have to tell Walter
Wheeler the situation in which he found HIM
self, and having laid all his cards on the Ia
BILE, propose that, before any Definite arrange
ment, Mr. Wheeler go with him to Norada.
That was the only fair thing to do. Prob
ably the thing David was hiding was only his
| illegitimacy. That was bad enough, but 1T
was not through any fault of his. Of course,
| David might speak.
| He pondered that, with an open and I'M
read letter in his hand. Even if David talked,
! it would still be necessary for his own peace
of mind to go back. He was certain.
He began to read the letter.
Dear Doctor: 1 have tried to see you, but
understand you are laid up Burn this as
soon as you've read it. Louis Bassett has
started for Norada, and I advise your getting
I the person we discussed out of town as soon
as possible. Bassett is up to mischief. I'm
not signing this fully, for obvious reasons. g. !"
! The Sayre house stood the hill behind
F.! the town, long, rather low white house on
| Italian lines. Originally designed as sum-
mer house, Mrs. Sayre now used it the year
| round. ~
She was a short, heavy woman, of fine
taste in her house and of no taste whatever
! in her clothing.
81 never know said Harrison Miller,
|
I'm seeing Ann Sayre or an awning
She was not a shrewd woman, nor cleV-
j er woman, but she was kindly in the main,
| tolerant and maternal. She liked young peo-
| pie, gave gay little parties to which she wore
her outlandish clothes of all colors and 81,
cuts, lavished gifts on the girls she liked, and
was anxious to see Wallie married to a good
steady girl and settled down Between her
son and herself was a steady but undemon-
| strative affection. She viewed him through
J hot hoI Iooi
years ago, and she had no delusions about
/ him. She had no idea that she knew all that
! he did with his time and no desire to pene-
trate the veil of his private life.
| "He spends a great deal of money! she
said day to her lawyer. 81 suppose in
the usual ways. But he is not quite like his
father. He has real affections, which his ia
Their hadn't If he marries the right girl she
can make him do almost anything"
She had her first inkling that he was in
| terested in Elizabeth Wheeler one day when
the head gardener reported that Mr. Wallace
had ordered certain roses cut and sent to the
Wheeler house. She was angry at first, for
, the roses were being saved for dinner party
! Every well, Phelps" she said ''Do it. And
| I'll select plant also, to go to Mrs. Wheel
! err"
After all, whye not the Wheeler girl? She
had been carefully reared, if the Wheeler
house was rather awful in spots and she was
a gentle little thing: rather lovely, too, espe
| cially in church. And certainly Wallie had
been seeing a great deal of her.
She wanted Wallie to settle down. He haC
been four years sowing his wild oats, anC
now at twenty-five she felt he should be
| through with them.
The south room could not be the nursery
INN DECORATION DAY she did her duti
ii J full best by the community, sent flower.
| to the cemetery and even stood through
a chilly hour there while services were read
| She made a resolution, there in the small
churchyard, to enlist Nina as an ally. She
had placed Nina very skilfully, in her mind
Nina, with her ambitions, would be quick tt
! see the advantage of such marriage to her
self. Otherwise, the middle-classness of Eliz
abeth's family did not matter. They were EN-
! inently respectable, and the Sayres had fam
lily enough for all.
| Rather under pressure. Wallie lunchec
with her at the country club
At three O'Clock that afternoon the Sayre
limousine stopped in front of Nina's house
and Mrs. Sayre, in brilliant pink and pur
pie hat, got out. Leslie, 1ounging in win
dow, made the announcement.
| Here the Queen of Sheba," he said. "II
go upstairs and have headache, if you dom
mind"
He kissed Nina and departed hastily He
was feeling extremely gentle toward Nina
those days, and rather too virtuous. He con
sidered that his conscience had brought hin
back and not very bad fight, which was the
fact, and he fairly glowed with righteousness
1t was the great lady's first call, and Nina
was considerably unified. 1t was for such
moments this that one trained servants
and put Irish lace on. their aprons, and hat
decorators who stood with their heads lit
tie awry and devised backgrounds for ones
| personality.
''What a delightful room!" said Mrs
!