Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-28

NJ even naQ she wanted TO-. was there,
could there be, anything more they
could say?
you're right, Jane. A woman has to give
up her own notions and be a kind of COM
panion to a man if she's goin' to keep him.
And Miss Conway went just opposite. She
wouldn't do a single thing he wanted to do
just found fault because he wanted to be
with any one but her. He used to try to be
nice to her, to laugh it out of her, but
| 'twant no us. That was before he stayed out
so much. Most two years after / come he
didn't leave her none to speak of and many
times has I heard him Begin her to make
friends and to be nice to the people he knew.
But she wouldn't. | heard her tell him once
she hated them all. | used to listen lot
because L never took much stock in men
folks and mostly sorry for the women
But Twin with her has changed my mind.
It's the boss I'm sorry for. l wonder will he
divorce her and marry the other one. l
wish [ could see her" Jane answered.
'She has big black eyes and lots of lovely
black hair which she fixes somethn' lovely.
Then her cheeks like red apples. And
she laughs much sometimes [ just can t
help smlin' when l hear her I guess from
what l hear no one would blame him il he
did sit rid of this one and marry her"
II know l wouIdnt!" Martha rejoned
I'D be glad. The poor fellow hasn't had
any kind of life with her. Poor as l am
and no education I wouldn't treat man like
she does him-+and he 80 good to her. Gets
ried lately once in a while but most men
would go away and never come back. OH
we'll she's made her bed and she'll find it
lays mighty hard. Must you so, Jane? Come
again soon, for it's has enjoyed your
visit"
With desperate forcing of her will Mu-
riel crawled back to her room. Stunned, she
went over and over things she had heard
She repeated them in whispers but without
really graspng them. Her head ached, she
was dizzy. She would be all right when she
got into bed. 1t was servants gossip; moth
ing she should pay any attention to.
shes his woman!' lshe muttered as she
fell onto the bed What did they mean?
Bruce had no one but her. his wife. She
wouldn't try TO think--she would rest.
All energy seemed to have died in her.
Thoughts beat ceaseessly upon her brain but
nothing registered clearly. She had only one
clear thought-She mustn't be i'll, really i'll.
She might repeat some of those strangely
awful things she had imagined she heard
some one saying. She shivered with cold
and drew the covers over her. She knew no
more.
For days she lay apparently noticing moth
ing her lips tightly closed. Bruce came and
went. The doctor admitted that he was
puzzled.
ut is like what some great shock might
produce, yet you say there has been moth
ing?" he said to Bruce.
Nothing that l can learn" Bruce replied.
room all the evening. l thought she was
asleep when l came in and did not dis
turb her"
Gradually Muriel came back to realiza-
ton of life, and to the knowledge that how
ever much she wished it she was not going
to die But she mended slowly and during
the long days of convalescence her thoughts
became clear. 1t had been no phantom voice
she had heard condemning her. 1t had been
old Martha and her crony, the woman VINO
lived in the house with that Woman-that
Miss Hammond. The woman they declared
Bruce loved
They said she was gay and bright, and
that she talked and laughed with Bruce.
They said he ought to leave his wife, divorce
her and marry that woman. Il wonder why,
when | love him?" she asked herself
She seemed not to recall the things they
had said about her-that they said she was
wicked and selfish. Her thoughts wound
themselves about what she had heard about
Lulu She had lost him to another woman
lost Bruce Why should Bruce prefer
her? Was it because she was gay with him?
Bruce was very gay when she married him.
full of life and good spirits, full of fun. Sud
denly she realized he wasn't gay any more
and hadn't been in long time. What was
it Martha had said about how he stopped
whistling when he reached the steps at
home? Bruce liked people-lots of them.
"She said 1 had made my bed and that it
would be hard" Muriel recalled. Il won
der what she meant?
So the poor brain struggled not yet fully
conscious, yet cropping always to hnd some
thing to comfOrt-and failing.
ooh, God! Oh, God Tell me l haven't
lost him!" she prayed, not knowing what TO
do to get rid of the dull pain. II have
never loved any one but him-and he loves
that other They said he did"
She said nothing of all this to Bruce.
When he came in to inquire how she was,
even when he bent down and kissed her, she
kept silent noting that he was cold and that
there was no light of love in his eyes.
Then came a day when the entire CONVEX
sation came back to her. All that Martina
and her friend had said, all they had accused
her of. the way they had blamed her, Bruce's
wife for his desertion.
Continued Thursday Renew your sub
scriptiOn now so as not to miss the cOncind-
ing chapters of this splendid story.
OUIPS AND QUIDD1TlES