Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-11-18
The Second Mrs. Strong
BY HAZEL DEYD BACHELOR
CHAPTER XXXIX

eyes, as they rested on her face, were
thoughtful. He was wondering If she real
lied how very much she had changed, how
definitely her personality had developed, and
it struck him suddenly that he had helped
her with the idea of making her more at
tractive to a husband who was plainly in
terested in another woman.
jules voice broke in on his thoughts
"Dradford, 1 hate to say this, and l can't
hope that you will understand, but | think
you had better not come here so often after
today"
"You are tired of our friendship JuIie?"
ooh, no, it isn't that, you mustn't believe
such thing, you know it isn't true!"
"Then what is it? Surely 1 am entitled
to know, if for no other reason than the fact
that we have been friends and very good
friends"
81 can't explain. Please don't ask me to
do that: But I want you to know how very
grateful I am to you for everything"
"You expect me to allow you to dismiss
me with a few conventional words like
that?"
But 1 don't want to dismiss you. Well
still be friends"
yes with a barrier between u.s. a definite
obstacle that cannot do anything but spoil
our friendship"
She was silent and Bradford staring at
her felt sudden thrill of anger surge up in
him.
With two strides he brdged the distance
between them and seized her by the Shout
ders. Julie, look at me-" he demanded
harshly. Il want to see your eyes"
She raised her face to his, and for long
moment they looked at each other During
that time the radiant hope that had been
kinded in Bradfords heart died slowly out
for there was in jules glance nothing of
what he had expected to see. She did not
love him. 1t was not for any such reason
that she was dismissing him, and he had
been a fool to even believe such thing
possible.
But even as he stared down at her. the
knowledge that he was holding her in his
grasp, leaped up to him. He could feel the
softness Of her shoulders, a delicate per-
fume drifted up to him from her hair
Slowly his gaze fastened on her face and the
desire to- kiss her. to hold her in his arms
just once suddenly oyerpowering.
He loved her he loved her. Such love as
his must sooner or later rouse similar feel
ing in her. why should he think of any
thing else, why should Matthew who cared
nothing for her, be considered? For what
seemed eternity these thoughts held him
in their grip and during that time he held
her. his grasp Of her tightening slowly until
the pressure of his fingers was almost pain.
Then suddenly the mist before his eyes
cleared away, his passion subsidized. If he
caught her in his arms and kissed her now
he would not be worthy of her friendship,
and that was all she had to give him. He
knew that, and he knew, too, that she trust
ed him. He must not do anything to hurt
that trust.
Slowly he released her his face relaxing
into smile. Then he gathered her hands
in his and lifted them to his lips Matthew's
ring cleaned on her slim third finger, and
Bradford closed his eyes against the sight
of it. Both he and Julie were too absorbed
in the scene between them to know that at
that very moment Matthew himself was
standing in the doorway. He had come in
silently and as silently had walked to the
library where he had paused, arrested at the
scene before him. His first impulse had been
to walk in and confront them, but almost
Immediately he changed his mind and strobe
silently away.
CHAPTER HI
Chaos
Matthew was stridng up and down in the
sitting room that adjoined his bedroom.
Hardly ten minutes had passed since he had
witnessed the scene between Julie and Brad
ford Pierce and his thoughts were in chaos,
he simply could not bring any order out OF
them.
The situation should have been simple
enough For long time back he had real
lied his mistake in marrying Julie, and II
she and Bradford Pierce were in love with
each other there was no reason at all why
matters couldn't be adjusted. Once free, he
himself would marry Margaret Davenport.
He told himself that that what he want
ed. And yet-somehow he could not look
at the matter calmly He was angry tu-
rious at the thought of jules falling IN love
with some one beside himself. He did not
want her, and yet he did not want any one
else to have her. The situation was absurd,
and yet there it was!
That very afternoon he had seen Margaret.
She had been sympathetic, almost danger
ollsly so, and there had been moment Just
before his leave-taking, when he had for
gotten himself and swept her into his arms.
He had held her for only moment, and she
had chung to him. 1t enough to con-
vince him that she cared if he had not real
lied that fact before, and yet in looking
back over the thing, he found himself not
wanting to remember it. There had been
something so feverishly pOssessive in Marga-
ret's clinging to him, something abandoned,
that he had not liked. His mood on enter
ing the house had been strange one. For
the first time in ages he had actually wanted
to see Julie; the thought had occurred to
him that it might be pleasant to spend the
evening with her-and then he had come
upon her in the library. She had been
standing close to Bradford Pierce. Brad's
head had been bent over her hands. 1t was
a compromising scene and one that made
lovers understanding between them almost
certain.
Matthew had been tempted to stride in
on Them to play the outraged husband, but
something had kept him from doing that,
and now he was glad No. there must be
no angry scenes, everything must be ar
ranged amicabIy, there must be as little
scandal as possible, and yet the thought Of
Julie-Julie who he had raised from her sor
did environment to a place in the sun-Julie
who had once looked at him adOringly-the
thought of her loving some one else, seemed