Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-03-15
CHAPTER XXI
a n-sA NXT0IIt

THE wedding took place a week later In
! the drawing room of the house on East
! Il Seventy-eighth street. Marcia had been
forced to submit to this small, hurried we'd
ding but, because John realized how disap-
pointed she was, he compromised with her,
and a few of their closest friends were 1ny1t-
ed to be present.
| Marcia had wanted Anne to wear the con-
ventional white satin and orange blossoms at
| the ceremony.
'Ive always pictured Johns bride that
way" she said a little wistfully, but Anne had
hurriedly and firmly refused.
| 'Id rather not, dear Mrs. Steele" Ana
Marcia had had to give in. Up to the very
last minute, Marcia had been hopeful of gain
| ing Anne's confidence, but her friendliness
| had failed of its mark Anne was determlnedly
! reticent and the one thing to do was to make
| the best of it, which Marcia did with very
| good grace.
There were thirty guests present and
among them the most influential of the set to
the thing very cleverly. Instead of invitations
| she had sent personal notes explaining that
Anne was the daughter of an old friend of Mr..
ISteele's The death of the girls rather ana
| her ensuing illness were the reasons advanced
/ for the uuietfess and informally of the cere-
mony. and Marcia was gratifed when she re-
ceived not one refusal to attend.
| She had gone in person to see Katherine
Cleveland, who was the one person who knew
| the truth about Anne. katherine had been
very gracious In fact she had treated the
entire affair lightly, as though 1t amused
| her. But after Marcia left, Katherine won
dered at the feeling of depression that settled
over her. .
"surely, I'm not in love with John Steele, -
she had said to herself, "Pm not ridiculous
enough for that" But the feeling persisted
and as she sat in the Steele drawing room on
the day of the ceremony and watched John
Steele being married to Anne Temple, she
| laughed bitterly at herself for the jealousy
| that Welled I'D in her heart
| At that moment Katherine would have
gladly relinquished all her social ambitions,
| every atom of her pride, to be loved as Steele
loved Anne Temple. And strangely enough,
looking at Anne, Katherine could not hate
her, in spite of the cloud over her past, the
secret that worried Marcia so much. Anne
would have no trouble in taking her position
as Steees wife. There was breeding in the
way she held her head, and that look of mys-
| terry in her eyes would draw men like mag
net Yes, Anne would be social success.
She would have everything, and Involuntary
Katherine sighed.
| At the wedding supper, Anne was radiant.
| She was like a little queen in her gray going
away dress with gray furs and huge gray
dropping hat that framed her small vivid face,
and made her look like Gainsborough paint
ling The hat cast a shadow over her face,
and made her eyes look more than every mys-
| FERROUS When she talked, she used her slim
hands in quick gestures that were utterly
! charming. Every one seemed delighted with
her and for the first time a vague hope was
born in Marcia's heart that perhaps, after all,
things would turn out all right
! AS for Steele, he kept his eyes turned reso-
lutely away from Anne. The realization that
she was his wife, that she would soon DE alone
with him, made poignant the fact that he had
given her a promise; he had assured her that
She would be free and he must keep his word.
Next-"To Have and to Hold" Renew
vour subscription now. We cannot supply
! back issues.