Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-01-10
CHAPTER TX
Georges Reaction


! 4 Georges mind was filled with strange
| mixture of thoughts
How mistaken he had been in Gall. He
had been engaged to her for two years; he
had known her Utmost thoughts, and all the
while she had been cold, hard, and he had
never suspected it.
If she weren't hard she would have shown
some feeling at saying good-by to him for
ever but her easy manner of dismissing him
| and that little laugh at the end convinced
! George that she did not care We'll, he
ought to be glad He was lucky he had been
spared tears and reproaches, and it was now
possible for him to go to Fay with clear
conscience.
But strange as it may seem, he was not
| glad. 1t irritated him to think that Gail did
! not love him idolatrously he had always
| believed. 1t hurt his pride, it offended his
male egotism to think that she had chung to
! her marriage With him as an escape from in
eyitable old maidhood.
| Yes, Gail was hard, hard and scheming,
and he had never suspected it. How diff
ferent she was from Fay! Of course, the
two girls could not be compared. Gail had
been brought up within the narrow environ
ments Of DaIesburg, and, like the town, she
was provincial and narrow. Fay was of the
city She had been abroad; she knew what
to give a man, and at the thought Georges
hot blood surged in his veins and I'M
consciously he quickened his pace.
All his thoughts were bent on the glamOr
of the dark porch and Fay's slender figure
curIed up in the swing. He could see the
scarlet tip of her cigarette moving about in
the dark as she waved her hand in those
inimitabIe little gestures of hers
Perhaps tonight would be really his. Per-
haps he would find the opportunity of tell
ing her what was in his heart. Perhaps he
could persuade her to go out in the car, and
out under the stars somewhere he would ask
her to marry him, and she would promise
to be his wife.
He felt sure of himself, but not so sure
as he had been before his interview with
Gail Somehow she had been mistress of
that scene between them. There had been
nothing of the inexperienced country girl
in her as she had stood there before him and
proudly given him his freedom. He tried not
to think of it. The memory made him I'M
comfortable and then at last he had turned
into Bank street, the Williams house was in
sight, and the thought of Fay, the knowledge
that in moment he would be with her swept
all other thoughts from his mind.
He called her name softly, but the dusky
porch was empty. Impatiently he rang the
bell and after moment Mrs. Williams came
to the door.
"Is that you George? The girls will be
back in a moment. Don't you want to sit
out in the swing and wait for them?"
George thanked her and complied. His
tone was short; he was in a state of mind
known as "champing at the bit" He did not
want to be kept waiting. He wanted to see
Fay now, at once, and when she did come
back, he would probably have some difficulty
in getting rid of Harriet.
Harriet had been increasingly hard to
escape the last two or three days. She had
insistently stayed with them, and once when
he had met her eyes there had been such
reproach in, their depths that he had colored
to the roots of his hair and angrily turned
away.
OF course, Harriet would look at the mat
ter from Calls standpoint. She would rather
have him marry Gail just because he had
been engaged to her. for two years, whether
he had ceased to love her or not Small
town standards, how he hated them! Dales
burg was no place for him. What he needed
was the stimulus of the city. He had no
doubt at all that he would be able to get
something big to do there, and as soon as
he was on his feet he would marry Fay, the
woman of his dreams.
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