Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-11-04
The Second Mrs. Strong
BY HAZEL DEYG) BACHELOR
CHAPTER XXXII
At Harris FiSke'S

NN WEDNESDAY afternoon as CLAUDIA
I J was dressing in her room, she could
~ not help admitting feeling strangely
akin to fear. Such a thing was ridiculous,
she. told herself fercely. Why on earth
should she be afraid merely because she was
going to tea at Harris Fishes studio? Did
she expect him to drop poison in her tea,
and if\so why had she promised to go at
all? She managed after a time to argue
herself out of her strange mood, but all the
way in the train her heart kept beating
very loud and fast, and she caught herself
swallowing several times as though she were
nervous.
"silly little fool!" She ragged to herself
"You act like an ngenue. Just as though
you weren't used to mem"
But she? Of course she was used to
boys like Eddie Montgomery and Tom Kit
tredge. Boys she had known for ages, and
who for all the fact that they carried hip
TASKS and pretended to be wild young
bloods, were, after all, only boys.
Harris Fiske was a man. AS matter of
fact he was thirtyfour, and there was some
thing about him that eXerted strange fas-
cination over Claudia. 1t was his air OF
experience, together with the fact that he
was mysterious to her. She knew so little
about him, and then that never-to-be-for-
gotten moment in his arms! Even now she
could not remember it without feeling the
hot blood rush into her face and today she
was to be all alone with him in his studio.
He might seize her in his arms and kiss her
as he had that night. Claudia wanted him
to do this, even while she dreaded it, and
although she did not know it, she dreaded
it because she was afraid of herself.
Flskes, apartment was on East Thirty
eighth street near Madison avenue 1t was
in an old-fashoned building, and as Claudia
pressed the bell and a moment later pushed
open the door and began to climb the stairs,
she was seized with momentary desire to
escape. Almost she turned around and fled
but then she had reached the first landing,
and simultaneously the door of apartment
opened before her, and Fiske was smiling
reassuringly into her face.
well, I'm here" she announced walking
in and looking around curiously There was
certainly nothing sinister about the place 1t
was the home of a man, comfortable and
little shabby, with deep leather chairs low
couch piled with pillows and wel-worn
but expensive Chinese rug. A tabouret was
drawn up to the couch and on it. were tea
things cups and saucers, little cakes, and
spirit lamp burning underneath brass
kettle.
Welcome to my domicile," Fiske was say
ing lightly, and then he was helping to di-
vest her of her things and moment later
was seating her before the tea table
Perhaps you'll do the honors,' he sug-
gested. I'D rather like to remember you
here in my rooms, making tea for me, Clau-
dia.' There was almost caressing note
in his voice as he spoke, and Claudia found
it almost impossible to answer him flip
PANTY. N
"You talk as if this might be the last
time YOU would see me-" she returned, with
an attempt at lightness. you didn't invite
me here to confess some terrible barrier to
our friendship, did you?"
He smiled at this. What an enfant ter
rible she was determined to be the callous
young flapper lest some deeper emotion
seize her and she find herself helpless in the
grip of it. There had been response in her
that night he had kissed her. She had been
a woman then! Did she really care for him,
or had that flare of feeling been merely
flash in the pan, afteRgall?