Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-03-17


X funeral, she was increasingly anxious
~ about Wallace She knew that rumors
of the engagement had reached him, for he
was restless and irritable He did not care
to go out, but wandered about the house or
until late at night sat smoking alone on the
terrace, looking down at the town with sunk
en-, unhappy eyes. Once or twice in the eve
ming he had taken his car and started out
and lying awake in her French bed she would
hear him coming in hours later. In the
morning his eyes were suffused and his col
or bad, and she knew that he was drinking
in order to get to sleep.
On the third day after Dicks departure for
the west she got up when she heard him com
ing in, and putting on her dressing gown
and slippers, knocked at his door.
Come in" he called ungraciously.
She found him with his coat off, standing
half-defiantly with a glass of whisky and
soda in his hand. She went up to him and
took it from him.
1--WE had enough Of that in the family,
Wallie," she said. And it's pretty poor
resource in time Of trouble"
"Ill have that back, If you don't mind.
Nonsense" she said briskly, and flung it,
glass and all, out of the window. She was
rather impressive when she turned.
''I've been fairly indugent mother" she
said. i've let you alone, because it's Sayre
trait to run away when they feel pull on
H.
and it is reached when my son drinks to for
get girl"
He flushed and glowered at her in sombre
silence but she moved about the room calm
1y. giving it a housekeeper's critical lnspec-
ton, and apparently unconscious of his an
ger
II don't believe you ever cared for any
one. in all your life," he said roughly. If
you had, you would know.
She was Strengthening a picture over the
manteI, and she completed her work before
she turned
ct care for you"
"That's different"
Every well, then. l cared for your father.
I cared terribly. And he killed my love"
She padded out of the room, her heavy
square body in its blazing kimono trifle
rigid, but her face still and calm. He re-
NAMED staring at the door when she had
closed it, and for some time after. He knew
what message for him had lain behind that
emotionless speech of hers; not only under
standing, but warning. She had cared ter
ribly, and his father had killed that love.
He had drank and played through his gay
young life, and then he had died, and no
one had greatly mourned him
By morning, after a bad night, he had
made a sort of double-headed resolution, that
he was through, as he termed 1t, with booze,
and that he would find out how he stood
with Elizabeth. But for day or two no OPP
presented IL.
there was always present some gravefaced,
sympathizing visitor, dark clad and low of
voice, and over the drawing room would hang
the indescriba BILE hush of house in mourn
ing. 1t seemed to touch Elizabeth, too, max
ing her remote and beyond earthly things
He would go in, burning with 1mpat1ence,
hungry for the mere sight of her, fairly over
charged with emotion, only to face that
strange new spirituality that made him
ashamed of the fleshy human urge in him.
Once he found Glare Rossiter there, and
felt at once something electric in the air.
After a time he identified it. Behind the
Rossiter girls soft voice and sympathetic
words there was a yelled hostility. She was
watching Elizabeth, was over-consc1ous OF
her And she was, for some reason, playing
up to him. He thought he saw faint look
of relief on Elizabeth's face when Glare at
last rose to go.
I'm on my way to see the man Dick Liv-
ingstone left in his place" Clare said, adj
justing her veil at the mirror. I've got
cold. Isn't it queer the way the whole
Living stone connection is broken up?"
Hardly queer And it's only temporary"
POSSIBLY. But if you ask me, | don't be-
lieve Dick will come back. Mind. 1 don't
defend the town, but 1t doesn't like to be
fooled. And he's fooled it for years. I know
a lot of people who've quit going to him."
She turned to Wallie, HE isn't David's
nephew, you know. The question is, who is
he? Of course, I don't say it, but good
many are saying that when a man takes
false identity he has something to hide"
She gave them no chance to reply but saun-
tered out with her sex conscious, half sensu
Gus walk Outside the door her smile faded,
and her face was hard and bitter. She might
forget Dick Livingstone but never would
she forgive herself for her confession to Eliza
beth. nor Elizabeth for having heard it.
Wallie turned to Elizabeth when she had
gone. slightly bewildered.
Whats got into herr" he inquired. And
then, seeing Elizabeths white face, rather