Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-07-03
CHAPTER XIV
Bars of Iron

!
! a the big hotel in the resort where
! u they stayed, Lorry was surrounded
- with every luxury. She expanded like
flower in the dazzling sunlight and the
| clear air; there was something physically in
spring in the atmosphere of the place, but
always there hung over her the dread of her
husband.
Almost Immediately, she and Courtney had
been introduced to Interesting people, and
one of the younger men, Barry Andrews, re-
minded her extraordinarily of Tom. The re-
sembance lay in the way he smiled, slow
smile, and he spoke with Toms lazy drawl.
Whenever she with him, Lorry felt free
to be herself, she chatted gayly, and forgot
for time the cloud that hung over her. But
the minute Courtney appeared, her attitude
changed, she became silent, she avoided her
husbands eyes, she was not herself The
thought of him weighed her down and pre-
vented her from being natural
Since that moment the train when he
forced her to kiss him of her own free will
Courtney had made no further reference to
her fear of him, neither had he required any
more voluntary caresses from her. But she
dreaded the moments when he caught her in
his arms, tipping back her head and kissing
her lips with eager insistent kisses. At these
times, she never resisted him, she surrendered
instantly, but she was so entirely passive that
she wondered sometimes that he could care
so much.
But if she were passive outwardy, her
mind in constant rebellion.
Once after he had caught her almost
roughly in his arms, only to release her
abruptly a moment later, she had spoken
aloud the words that inYoluntarily had risen
to her lips.
How can you love me, when" "When
you hate me much!" he said quickly, TAX
ing the words out of her mouth.
The color rose instantly to her face, but
she did not answer, even though she was not
at all sure that he was not right. II he want
ed to believe that she hated him, all. right
Perhaps some day, if he realized how miser-
able she was, he would give her her free
dom! q
"You see I know" he went on smoothly,
'there isn't anything about you, save just one
thing, that l don't know"
She raised her eyes quickly to his, fear for
the moment displaced by her curiosity.
"And that isl"
"The way you would behave if you were
really in love-" he returned promptly. And
then, when she would have protested, he went
on quickly, ooh, [ don't mean the kind of
love you have already experienced, l mean
real love, man and woman stuff Some day,
you're going to love me like that! Oh, yes,
you are" he saw the incredulity in her
eyes, and the faint, almost imperceptible
shrinking from him that his words inspired
in her. But, until then, I'll keep you safe, no
one shall take you from me-"
,"And, if I never love you, if the day comes
when you are satisfied that L never shall,
what them"
In her eagarness, she leaned toward him,
her eyes shining, her soft mouth parted
eagerly
eff 1 wait till eternity I'll still keep you"
he returned, his voice deepening. do you
think I'd let you throw yourself away on some
one who couldn't make you happy, who
couldn't love you as I do? Do you think that
once having known what it was to have you,
I'd let you go? It's something to have you in
my life, to know that at least a part of you
is mine. Dont you know how much I love
you Lorry? Don't you realize that out of a
whole world of women, you are the one wom-
an for me?"
His words were like the sudden closing of
a prison door and, in Lorry's heart, there
dawned the knowledge that she could never
escape from him, neveri