Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-01-17
HER MONEY
BY CAROLYN BEECHER

What has gone before.-Althea Cross
by inherits a fortune on condition that
she marry before she is thirty-fve. She
falls in love with handsome young DR..
Peter Graham and marres him without
telling him about the condition in the
will. Eventually he hears gossips dis
cussing it and assumes she married him
to get possession Of the fortune. He
becomes cool and she assumes he mar
ried her for her money. She becomes
very jealous Of her husbands kindly
attentions to Mrs. Ruth Williams, a
wealthy patient, and also OF the
in his office, Mabel Howard. Althea
meets Kenneth Moore and his gaiety
attracts her-NOw go on with, the
story.
CHAPTER XIV
TF Althea was more distant, colder, in the
following days Peter did not notice it.
- Already he had forgotten her coming to
the office, her sneering words. He was
fighting battle with death for little
Doris Howard and also had many other
patients on his hands
Althea laid his added, more unusual abb
straction to other causes She said:
"He's thinking Of them" Them meaning
Mabel Howard andt Mrs. Williams. He
sees them every day."
Althea put Peters two affairs" as She
called them, on a totally different plane.
Mabel Howard the girl in love with him
and with whom he amused himself.
Never had she acknowledged even in her
thoughts that she believed Peter false to
/ his marriage vows, but save for that she
constantly and consistently believed him
falthless. Twice she had seen him en-
brace Miss Howard; she had heard her de.
clare she loved him. She had heard him
and Mrs. Williams address each other on
terms of intimacy and she visited the hos
pital daily to be near him
What further proof could wife need
that she meant nothing in her husbands
life?
She longed desperately to be everything
to Peter, yet by her actions her GOODNESS
was widening the rift between them every
day. They were husband and wife, but
as far apart as the poles. They had, SEEM
hSly, nothing in common, ground upon
| which they could meet. He, was wrapped
in his profession-and these other things,
She in her gloomy thoughts and, to escape
them, with people she knew who, were CAV
and helped her FORGET
He has refused to discuss the private af-
fairs of his patients with her long ago. That
he would be glad to talk of many phases
of his work with her; that he longed for
her appreciation, her understanding, she did
not know; would not have believed. She
no longer asked questions save very
sionally, then carefully avoided the subject
of his knowledge as their physician.
She saw him anxious, troubled and told
him OF the gay party she had attended at
tended the night before dwelling upon the
attention she received Spoke of the COM
pllments her goWning brought her-she had
become an artist in dressing herself-laugh-
mgly telling him that some outfit had cost
small fortune and should be admired He
imagined she was spending her principal as
well as interest and the money he gave her.
put he never mentioned it, instead told her
she always looked we'll and that he didn't
wonder people complimented her.
IT his interest at such times was bit
forced, if he thought with jealous pang
of her dancing with other men, listening to
their compliments, he kept it from her.
And she, looking for signs of jealousy, took
it as another sign that she meant nothing
to him. That~he didn't care what she did
She noticed Miss Howard's absence, but
said nothing until one day strange nurse
appeared. Then she said:
You have let that Howard girl go?'
"No-just for while. She is at the
hospital with her sister"
Il might have known she wasn't gone
for good" her tone biting in it's acrimony.
81 should not think of letting her 60"
Peter all unconscious replied. II would
have hard work to replace her. But her
sister is very i'll. I thought it best to have
her stay with her, until she improves-R
she does" he added in a low voice.
ct must keep you busy if you are SO In
terested in all your patient" she said.
II am busy, very busy"
It seemed to him at times-although
vagueIy-that A1thea wanted to pick quar-
rel with him But he knew Of rason
why she should wish it and when the
thought crossed his mind he would be par
ticularly gentle or silent ~
Tnconsciously these silences had grown
upon Peter Often he would scarcely speak
when with her unless she addressed him.
She thought him bored when with her; that
didn't talk, would chatter about every
thing she had DONE the gossip Nell Black
we'll had retailed to her-anyth1ng to break
his silence that was on her nerves
She talked to the new nurse, middle
aged woman who was not averse to gossip
ing. She had come from the hospital and
aIthea saw way to inform herself Of Pc
ters reticence.
Continued Saturday. Renew your subs
scriptiOn not to miss a chapter
NJ ahs