Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-01
CHAPTER XIII
The Accusation

r ANEN'I. you any Sudm6. Ilo"
II dare you look at me as though
nothing had happened? What
manner of woman are you?"
His fingers closed ruthlessly about her
slim arm, but although she WINGED with
the pain Of it, she still did not turn away.
Her eyes met his unashamed even while
a scarlet flush crept up into her cheeks,
but she did not answer him. 1t was as
though she were VISITING for him to go on
with what he had to say.
''Thts secret of yours his mouth twisted
grotesuuely as he spoke. mo wonder you
wouldn't talk about it, no wonder you were
ashamed of what you were hiding. But
you won't have, any cause to hide things
from me after this. I know everything"
Even through his insane fury he won-
dered at her clear-eyed regard of him.
Why did she look like that? He wanted
her groveling at his feet; that was where
she belonged He wanted her begging for
mercy, completely in his power, and in
stead she was as she had always been, mys-
ferrous, elusive, and worst of all, superior.
Through all the week that had passed
John Steele had been beside himself From
the moment when he had yielded to the
temptation to have Anne watched, to dis
cover for himself where she went on her
mysterious errands, he had for the first
time in his life felt shame, and he had
argued fiercely with himself in the effort
He mad tried to bolster up his courage
with the thought that he had right to
know, that she was asking too much from
him of the victory. She was still un-
when he had finally learned the truth,
triumph in the thought that he had been
right all along had for. "a time taken the
place OF the shame he had experienced
through spying on her.
But now, in spite of his righteous anger,
there was something about her that robbed
him of the victory. Sch was still un-
daunted, superior-that was the word
and at that moment he was more aware
of the sick depression that had settled
around his heart than of the fact that he
wished to see her humble and contrite,
stripped of her pride and at his mercy
He became aware of the fact that She
trying to disengage her arm from the
clasp of his fingers, and his hand frightened
cruelty.
'fYou hurt me- came from her white
lips in a whisper, and quite suddenly he
flung her away from him and they stood
facing each other.
81 want to hurt you,' he stormed, hardly
aware of what he was saying II never
dreamed that woman could deceive
man as you have me- / might have known
when you admitted that you married me
for money how little L actually counted in
your life, but that you with your innocent
eyes could have made such a fool of me,
that you could have taken everything I had
to offer and laughed behind my back, that
is the thing that has driven me nearly
mad"
She made no effort to speak. She SIM
ply stood there before him while he blum
dered on, carried away by the knowledge
Of the evidence he had against her.
who is he?" Steele demanded suddenly.
who is this man that you love and whose
child you are supporting with my money?
All, that hurts. Did you think I hadn't
the proof? Did you think yourself SO
secure that no one would ever discover
your secret? With the knowledge I have
almost everything is clear to me- There's
just one thing I don't quite understand.
Why did you think it necessary to pretend
that you loved me? You had what you
wanted without that Why? Why?
Next, 1.-THE Acid Test" Renew YOUR
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