Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-24
THE BREAKING POINT
BY MARY ROB ERTS RINEHART

took a chance to tell her for her own good.
He's fond of her. 1 suppose that was the
last straw"
He sat still troubled figure, middle-aged
and unhandsome, and very weary.
cts q bad business, Dick" he said. ri
After time Dick stirred
when l first began to remember" he
said, II wanted whisky. 1 would have stolen
it If I couldn't get 1t any other way. Then,
when got it, I didn't want it.. 1t sickened
me. This other was the same sort of thing.
It's done with
Wheeler nodded.
II understand But she wouldn't, Dick"
mo. 1 don't suppose she would
He went away soon after that, back to the
quiet house, and to David. Automatically
he turned into his office, but Reynolds was
writing there. He went slowly up the
stairs
David was satisfied The great love Of
his life had been given to Dick, and now
Dick was his again. He grieved for Lucy,
but he knew that the parting was not for
long and that from whatever high place she
looked down, she would know that. He was
satisfied. He looked on his work and found
it good. There was no trace of weakness
nor of yacillation in the man who sat across
from him at the table, or slammed In ana
out of the house after his old fashion.
But he was not content For behind
Dicks surface cheerfulness he knew that
he was eating his heart out.
For things were going very badly ThS
fight was on.
1t was a battle without action. Each side
was dug in and entrenched and waiting 1t
was an engagement where the principals met
occasionally in the neutral ground OF the
streets, bowed to each other and passed on.
The town was sorry for David and still
fond of him. but 1t resented his stiff-necked
attitude 1t said in effect, that when he
ceased to make Dicks enemies his, it was
willing to be friends. But it said also to
each other and behind its hands, that Dicks
absence was discreditable or it would be
explained and that he had behaved abom.
inably to Elizabeth 1t would be hanged II 1t
would be friends with him.
Yet on the surface things were much as
they had been. David rose early and as he
improved in health read his morning paper
in his office while he waited for breakfast.
The house very quiet. Now and then
the front door opened and a patient came
in, but there was no longer the crowded
waiting room, the incessant jangle OF the
telephone, the odor of pungent drugs and
antiseptics-
Now and then Dick and Elizabeth met on
the street, and she bowed to him and went
on At those times it seemed incredible
that once he had held her in his arms, and
that she looked UP at him with loving, faith
full eyes He suffered so from those occa-
sional meetings that he took to watching for
her. so as to avoid her. Sometimes he
wished she would marry Wallace quickly, so
he would be obliged to accept what now he
knew he had not accepted at all.
He had occasional spells of violent anger
at her., and of resentment, but they died
when he checked up, one after the other the
inevitable series of events that had led
to the catastrophe. But 1t was all nonsense
to say that love never died. She had loved
him and there was never anything so dead as
that love of hers.
To Be Concluded Tuesday.