Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-11-08
The Second Mrs. Strong
BY HAZEL DEYO BACHELOR
CHAPTER XIV
Julie Is Elusive

4 thew ndQ gone TO see Margaret Davenport,
"a but somehow that night she had failed to
interest him. For one thing she had made
some slight illusions to jules friendship
with Bradford Pierce and he had resented
her remarks. Then, too, she had made her
self too deliberately attractive When mis-
first discomfort with marriage had begun to
grip Matthew, he had been eager for Mar
garets encouragement. Tonight some of the
things she did annoyed him, and he could find
reason for it.
And so he had left her, pleading a hard
day for his general lack of response His re-
turn to the house had precipitated him into
the scene between Claudia and Julie and now
with Claudia upstairs in her room, he turned
expectantly toward his wife
yHe felt Strangely excited He wanted to
talk to her. He felt that it would ease his
restlessness to play upon her with the knowl-
edge he had, to make sly illusions to Brad
ford Pierce and watch her squirm 1t was
the same instinct that a small boy has when
he fortunes a butterfly.
Julie, however, gave him no chance for a
talk with her. They entered the library to-
gether, but Julie did not sit down. She wall
dered about the for few moments ana
then picking up a book from the table, she
went toward the door.
Goodnight Matthew I think I'll go up TO
Claudia now"
Matthew was lying back in a large chair A
tall banquet lamp threw warm light on his
face and Julie glanced at him, she fancied
| he looked tired. She would have given any
thing to go to him, to perch on the arm of
his chair and be drawn slowly into his arms
The thought of his lips on hers was suddenly
anguish. 1t had been SO long since he had
made any attempt to caress her and the
knowledge of this made her suddenly eager
to be alone, to leave him
Matthew rose to his feet. "Why not come
back, after you have talked to Claudia?' he
suggested and was amazed at himself for the
eagerness in his voice.
But Julie shook her head
81 think not, if you will excuse me- am
very tired tonight and after I have seen
| Claudia, III go directly to bed"
After she had left the room, Matthew's
vague suspicious leaped into a sudden GER
tainty She did not want to be alone with
him, because she was in love with Pierce
He was sure of it now. She preferred to be
alone so that she might dream of him, go over
in her thoughts the things he had said to
her that afternoon. And as this thought oc
Cured to him, Matthew was suddenly pos,
sessed with jealous rage. How dare she
love another man, she who was his wife?
why, If he wished, he might this very momen&
go to her 1t was his right, his privilege to
take her in his arms and kiss her She would
have no right to deny him, to offer any pro-
test And at the thought, Matthew felt his
pulses STIR and the hot blood throbbing in his
temples.
Was it possible that he loved Julie after all?
Certainly he had never felt this way, not even
during the first days of their marriage And
alterWard he had felt his love COMPLETELY
dead lie had turned back to Margaret Daven-
port. He had even made love to her after
fashion. And yet tonight he had been dis
Susted with her. He hadn't wanted to stay
with her. Instead he had come back home
and now quite suddenly all his thoughts were
turning to Julie. 1t was absurd and the onlv
explanation for it lay in the fact that she who
was his own wife Mad given her heart into
the keeping Of another man
CHAPTER XLVI
In Claudia's Room
T 7 PSTAlRS Julie found Claudia living face
down on the couch at the foot Of tho
bed. She did not move as Julie hent
over her, nor did she respond to jules
gentle touch on her shoulder.
"Claudia."
Yes, what is it?"> After a long moment.
You don't feel that it might help you to
tell me more about it, do your"
1t was then that Claudia turned and her
small face was once more that of attaining
virago.
so that you can lord it over me. 7 sum-
pose on, | was fool to tell you. a fool!
anu Ho", suppose you think you We done
your duty by heading me off, and you'll
threaten to tell Dad unless l promise to
| behave like a sweet lamb"
Claudla, l give you my word not to tell
your father anything about it. Won't Won
| DelleVe that | want to be your friend that
II heIp you to do anything you consider
Will bring you happiness? Here we are. two
women, thrown together constantly. WHY
must there be this enmity between us?
nave trled never to spy you; you must
know that"
Quite suddenly Claudia sat up and pusbed
her dark hair out of her eyes "You saw
youu help me to do anything that might
BRING me happiness. Then why did you in
terfere tonight?"
because l didn't think you knew what
you were doing. OF late you haven't acted
as II you were happy. You seemed irving
ITO work out problem of some kind and
you Wernt sure what you wanted TO do
sometimes 1t isn't wise to act on impulse
ana surely II you are in love with this man
mere no reason for running away with him
like this. Why not come out in the omen
about it?' 'PN-
Because he's married. Now do YOU I'M
derstand? Claudia flung out the words de-
Hahlly. And now / suppose you'll throw
up your hands in horror and hurry down to
tell my father how depraved I am"
FOR moment Julie sat motionless The
seriousness of the situation was more acute
IMAM even she had imagined. A tragedy had
Deen aVerted that night, but now the prob
lem was how was she to handle C1audfa
without angering her Everything conferred
about that
I'm not shocked" she said finally. her
voice quite even. 81 think you must have
gone through hell during these last few
days and I'm sorry YOU had to bear it all