Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-12-20
CHAPTER NIL
Po-nn~n

CHAPTER NIL
Revenge
IN OR the moment the idea upper
most in TeX's mind was to have
-, revenge. on Jyra. Her careless
hooking words had stung him. The
cheap movie idea that she had APP
piled to his life in the west had
angered him. He forgot everything
but the fact that there was one way
in which he could conquer her, one
weapon that he could use against
her-his strength.
His big hands brushed the velvet
Of her bare shoulders, and he WAS
suddenly conscious of some terrific
emotion yelling up in him. ThrouS
eyes that scarcely saw, he was
aware of her blonde head just be-
meath his chin. and head back
against his shoulders.
She struggled for a moment, but
he was hardly aware of it, his
strength was so great. He heard her
voice passionately resistant. Don t
touch me! How dare you hold me-
like this? Let me go!'
But he only laughed softly, and
then suddenly she ceased to struggle.
Her head lay back against her
shoulder, he could see the sweep of
her straight black lashes against
her cheeks.
Something seemed to snap in his
brain, and STOPPING swiftly, he
crushed his lips against hers. In that,
kiss, although at the moment he
was unaware of the fact, there was
primitive demand, a call of mate
to mate. In spite of the fact that he
despised this girl for her artific1aH-
ties, she had kindled spark in him
that had leaped to a bright flame
as he held her in his arms.
When he raised his head, he
laughed again. and still holding her
against him, he spoke.
you're quite right, Miss Graham!
Out in the great open spaces where
men are men; strength is the one
thing that counts" Then he released
her and stepped back, brushing his
hand over his eyes as though TO
clear them of the mist that almost
blinded him
She stood before him perfectly mo-
tionless She hardly seemed to
breathe and then suddenly she be-
gan to tremble. The hot color swept
in wave of scarlet into her white
cheeks, her hair was loosened, and
az Tex stared at her, he was sud.
denly exultant. At last he had reused
emotion in her. All the icy perfec-
tion of her seemed for a moment
stripped away, leaving behind only
the living, breathing woman.
"You beast" she stormed. "You
hooc+f n tl,i,,ly won would
dare," Her hands went up to her
face as though to cool the fever in
her cheeks, and then she turned and
fled from the room.
For a moment Tex stood there, his
great hands clenched at h sides,
then he turned and strobe out into
the garden. He was still in the grip
of the powerful emotion that Lyra
had reused in him. He could MT
seem to bring order out of the chaos
of his thoughts. He had wanted to
make Lyra aware of his strength,
he had wanted her to know that she
had tempted him too far, that I've
was not altogether stupid. She had
deliberately invited it, thinking her
self entirely secure within the icy
impenetrabilty of her social veneer.
But as he stood there alone in the
dusky twilight, another emotion was
surging up in his heart something
quite different from his desire for
revenge. 1t was a strangely terrify
ing tenderness, a feeling akin to
pain. 1t was an emotion entirely new
to him, and that he should feel it
for Lyra Graham meant that with
all his strength he would have to
crush it out of his heart
How she hated him. He had never
seen such utter revulsion in the eyes
of any one as there had been in hers
when facing him, she had called him
a beast. Even if she were not going
to marry Peter Griswold, Tex knew
quite well that a woman like Lyra
was not for him. She thought too
much about eXternals. Such things
as faultless grooming and the suave
charm of perfect manners. were of
paramount Importance to her And
yet if the way to her We're clear,
what joy it would be to teach her
to love; to demand from her what
she would never give to Peter Girls
void!
Lyra Graham is to be married
to Peter GriSwold in three weeks.
Thomas Hunter, better known
as Tex, a friend Of Mr. Ora
hams. is invited to come on for
the festivities preceding the
wedding. He feels out of place.
and thinks Lyra and her friends
exceedingly artificial. Iyra
treats his with barely concealed
41nsolence, but there is something
about her that stimulates his
Imagination, and one night when
she tries him too far he seizes
her in his arms and kisses her.
CHAPTER XIV
The Reaction
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