Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-12-23
CHAPTER XVI
Discovery


l tried al lher cleverest wiles on
Tex. she had encouraged him in
her languid, insidious way, and all
to no effect. Never before had this
happened to Cynthia. She had al
ways been able to entangle any man
WHO happened 10 take her fancy. She
knew her charms, and she knew the
ways of men. Then why was Tex
so adamant against her? Why did
he act as though he hardly heard
what she was saying?
She watched him from behind her
long laShes. For a time she had
turned away from him to talk to the
man who sat on her left, and now
she had turned back and was obserV
in,s Tex Warily, conscious that he
was unaware of the fact that she
was studying him. 1t was just at
this moment that Tex suddenly
raised his eyes and looked across at
Lyra.
A little shock ran through Gym
thia. Unconsciously she sat straight
Ell in her chair; she forgot to toy
idly with her cigarette, So that was
it! she thought exultingly. He had
fallen in love with Lyra. This was
romance with a big r; this was an
unexpected development in the fes-
tivities preceding the wedding But
what fool the man was, and how
had it happened? Did Lyra know,
or was she unaware of it? Certainly
she would only have to look at him
to read his feelings in his eyes.
But Lyra did not look at him. She
was loking at Peter. smiling into his
eyes, actually flirting with him, and
this gave Cynthia another little
shock Never before had she seen
Lyra so exhilirated. Usually she
took things very calmly, exhibiting
no emotion over anything, like
princess who accepts all the good
things in life as her right.
Tonight a rose flush trembled in
Lyra's cheeks. Cynthia watched it
with fascinated eyes. Lyra stirred?
Lyra reused from her accustomed
calm? 1t seemed incredible. And
yet there was something about her
tonight that was different, something
that made her strangely vivid and
more lovely than ever.
Deep in her heart Cynthia still
cherished a grudge against Lyra for
taking Peter. Cynthia had cared
more for Peter than she had for any
other man she had ever met. But
she had never let any one suspect
this fact. Tonight, as she looked
across at Lyra, that grudge leaped
into something more definite Lyra
had only to put out her hand to take
the things she wanted from life: She
had acquired Peter as easily as she
had everything else. There had been
no campaign; Lyra would never
stoop to that. She had merely want
ed Peter, and Peter had become hers.
Cynthia became conscious sudden
ly that Tex had dropped those blaz-
ing blue eyes Of his to his plate and
was going on with his dinner. An
impulse seized her to tease him, to
try him out and see if she could get
him to betray something definite.
The desire of the moth for the
star" she quoted in that lazy,
drawing voice of hers. And then,
as he turned toward her, she went
on quickly: Don't tell me, Mr..
Hunter, that you have already sue
cumbed to our Lyra? A broken
neart would be rather a gloomy
thing to carry around during the
'xciten ent of the days to come"
Her tone was very light. but there
vas a CLEAN in her eyes that was
like a warning to Tex. Instantly he
was on guard; miraculously his eau
ton seemed to return to him. and
he smiled directly into Cynthia s
eyes.
Il am afraid my poor old heart is
100 stony a thing to be easily bro
ken, Miss Weston" he returned.
"As for your quotation, I will say,
Yes, perhaps. But because one adj
mires beautiful thing on display in
a shop window it does not neces-
sarily mean that one may desire to
acquire it for his own"
"Check-mate" Cynthia drawled.
sweetly lifting her wine glass and
milling at him over the brim. Il
must tell Lyra what you said. She
will love it!''
Lyra Graham is to be married