Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-01
THE WIFE CHEATER )
A Ne1 Romance
BY HAZEL DEYO BACHELOR

Joan Stockbridge marries Norman
Wayne who all his life has trifled with
other women. She marries him in.
preference to Herbert Livingston, who
loves her, but lacks Norman'S
charm Joan is confident of being
able to hold Norman, but after their
marriage, he makes her miserable
through his attentions to other women.
When Edith, Joans younger sister,
comes to visit them, Norman carries on
a filtration with her, ignoring Joan,
who in desperation, turns to Herbert
Livingston. Herbert still loves her,
and feeling that he still has chance,
asks her to go away with him. Joan
consists, but changes her mind after
they have started An accident occurs,
and when the truth comes out, Joan
is amazed because Norman takes the
blame for everything on himself
Ediths attitude, too, seems to have
changed, and when she tells Joan that
her Filtration with Norman was DELHI
erately planned in order to teach him
a lesson, Joan can hardly believe it.
CHAPTER LII
Unpleasant RecollectiOns
p LISTENED breathlessly to what Edith
] had to tell me, even though 1t hurt me
to go back and live over that terrible
night.
Again that feeling of utter panic swept
over me- 1 could feel the rush of wind in
nv face / could see Herbert's face stern
and relentless bent over the steering wheel,
and 1 felt again as I had felt then, that l
must tell him to turn back, that I couldn't
go on with it. Then came my impulsive
grasp of his arm, the sudden swerve OF the
car, and blackness. 1t made me faint to
remember 1t.
According to Edith, Norman had never
once dreamed that my friendship for Her.
bert might lead me into anything desperate.
ST tried to make him jealous hundreds
of times, and he would only laugh" she
explained. whenever I asked him II he
thought you ought to be so much alone
with Herbert he would say Don't get ideas
into your head about Herbert, Edith; he's
perfectly SAFE He'd be shocked at your
suspicious, he's so straight-laced, and as
for Joan, she isn't that kind of woman. "
Edith went on to tell about the night
she and Norman had returned from the
football game to find Herbert and myself
gone. When 10 o'clock came and we hadn't
returned, Norman began at last to get rest
less. Even then he had tried to explain
this by saying that something might have
happened to us,
"And all the while" Edith went on, II
kept smiling hastily as though to. say l
told you so. I was determined to make
him as uncomfortable as possible, and
something told me that perhaps the i'm
possible had happened and that you had
actually bolted. At that moment I hated you
Joan, because, well, you see" her voice
faltered
'I know" I said quickly.
She smiled, threw her head back with a
characteristic little shake of her hair and
went on.
FINALLY we called in Mary, and after
questioning her Norman forced her to adj
nit that she had seen you come downstairs
with a small travelling bag. Joan, I wish
u\could have seen Normans face then,
it would have repaid you for everything
you have ever suffered at his hands"
I was silent. Even though what Edith
said was perfectly true, l could not bear
to listen to it. 1 loved Norman and even
his faults were part Of him. I could not
discuss them with Edith nor with anyone
else, for that matter
Edith seemed to understand for she went
with the narrative.
when Herbert finally called up at ten
thirty, and said that you'd been out for a
ride and had had an accident, Norman was
at last convinced and it was then that I
took him in hand.
Edith went on to tell him she had heaped
him with contempt on the long drive to
the farmhouse where l had been taken
She told him to his face that she had been
purposely flirting with him to teach him a
lesson, and she had ended by saying that
If he were in any sense sport he would
take the blame for what I had done en-
tirely on himself.
1t gave me a queer feeling" to know that
Edith was responsible for Norman gener-
osity, and in spite of everything, in spite
of the fact that knew 1 ought to be CRATE
full to her, I could not help resenting her
interference Any woman would have felt
the same, for now, no matter what happi-
ness Norman and L might have in the fu-
ture, 1 could never forget that had Edith
to thank for it. Would this fact shadow
my happiness always, would 1 always re-
member it?