Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-28
The Second Mrs. Strong
BY HAZEL DEYO BACHELOR
CHAPTER XXVU
al Strange TanglC

TN HAT night after Matthew had left, Julie
went down into the depths. The way
~ before her seemed hopeless, her goal
unattainable. 1t was not so difficult when
she was with Bradford Pierce to believe that
she was making Roadway. But with Mat
thew, nothing seemed at all worth while,
and tonight he had Inundated her to the
ground. He hadn't wanted her to go with
him to the dance that was it, and at tie
thoughts other things drifted across her
memory. Chance remarks made by Claudia,
certain things she herself could not help
noticing.
Margaret Davenport! Was she the cause
of Matthews growing coldness? Julie knew
that Matthew had been seeing her of late
that he often dropped in on her for tea. She
knew, too from sly things that Claudia had
said, that Margaret liked Matthew, that a
great many people had believed they would
marry. But if these things were true, why
hadn't he married her? There had been no
barrier that she could see.
Julie had at first yielded to tears, but cry
ing was an obstacle to real thinking, and i
wasn't long before she had stopped and was
making an effort to reason things out. She
was in the midst of her thoughts when there
came knock her door, and the next
moment one of the servants announced the
fact that Mr. Pierce was downstairs and
would like to see her.
jules first impulse was to refuse to go
down, her next reaction gratitude that
Pierce had thought of her. 1t wasn't until
she had descended to the library and was
greeting him that she realized the truth.
He was in evening dress There was every
reason to suppose that he had looked in at
the club and not finding her there, had de-
cided to come over and see her. The
thought was humiliating.
For moment she stood silent before him.
and then as she suddenly raised her head
with that proud little gesture so character
istic of her, something warm struck at
Bradford's heart something So unaccounta-
BILE that for moment it deprived him of
speech.
He had felt an almost irresistible impulse
to gather her up in his arms, to comfort her
as he would have a small child. And yet,
Julie was not a child She was a woman,
and very desirable one, whether Matthew
thought so or not. Where was this friend
ship, leading him? Into some danger that
he would not welcome that he had never
believed possible? The idea was not pleas
ant
AS though all her thoughts were quite
naked to him, Julie flung out her hands
with deprecating little gesture.
81 know what you are thinking" she said.
you're sorry for me. There's no need of
pretending with you might just as we'll
admit that Matthew didn't want to take me
tonight"
Her voice shook a little, and Bradford
caught her hands in his. "Listen, Julie,
you re not 10 De IOOuSn. Ion get TO the
point where you harbor self-pity, that's fool
ish, you know. Of course [ want you to be
frank with me. You always have been. But
you must keep up the good work. You
must never feel a sense of failure I know
it isn't easy, but nothing worthwhile is that.
Now come and sit down, and we'll have a
good talk"
When he finally left her shortly after ten
thirty, she was smiling, and there was an
answering lghtness in Bradford's manner.
However, the minute he left the house. the
smile vanished from his face. Was he
growing to care for Julie? And If so, could
her? He knew that he must never betray
his feelings or she would Immediately begin
to avoid him. She cared for no one in the
world but Matthew and he was too blind to
see.