Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-09-30
CHAPTER VII
Julie Shops

III WAS obvious that a wedding at the
\ Benton house IN FIatbush was out of the
question, nor did Matthew wish to take
the chance of encountering the members of
the Benton family elsewhere. SO it hap
pened, Julie and Matthew were married late
one afternoon in the City Hall, and went
down to Atlantic City for few days honey
moon.
Matthew had insisted upon giving Julie
money for trOusseau of sorts, and man
like had thought more about the matter.
1t wasn't until the afternoon of the wedding
that he noticed something wrong about her
clothes. At first he did not realize what it
was, and then he told himself that he was
merely accustomed to seeing Julie dressed
in her simple office clothes. But as a mat
ter of fact, jules unaccustomed affIuence
had gone to her head, and the result was
not too good.
Instead of purchasing her things at the
more exclusive shops, where her ignorance
and lack of taste might have been super
V1sed by competent salesWOman, Julie had
bought her outfit on Sixth avenue. She had
wanted to be bride-like, and inasmuch as
she had been cheated out of the conven-
tional white satin, she had bought three
piece costume Of pale gray made in 1mita-
ton of an expensive model without looking
at all like the original.
Her hat was also gray and covered with
bright pink roses. She looked like the
all her natural fneness and sweet simplicity
seemed overshadowed.
On the train bound for Atlantic City Mat
thew noticed the amused smiles cast in their
direction. These smiles were vaguely dis
concerning, and he could not help wondering
what the rest of jules clothes were like
He did hope she had bought something less
conspicuous, something more like the
clothes worn by the women in his own set
But smile touched his lips as his eyes
rested on the radiant youth of the face I'M
der the atrOCiOu. hat and his heart quick
ened at the thought that this girl belonged
to him and that he was sure of her love.
The big seashore hotel awed Julie It's
unaccustomed luxury made her timid, and
besides that, the thought that she was alone
with Matthew Strong, this man who seemed
little less than god to her, was terrifying
in itself.
Dimly she began to perceive that mag
riage to man of his type would not be
easy. Already the fear that she might dis
appoint him, that she might not be able to
hold him, pressed on her consciousness, and
she wondered why he had made no COM
ment on how she looked Was anything
wrong with her? And as this thought
struck her, she glanced quickly around the
lobby. Matthew was at the desk register
ing, and Julie had few moments to notice
the crowds. She saw that most of the
women were dressed simply in dark colors,
and the hot color dyed her cheeks at the
thought that she might be too conspicuous.
Did Matthew think so? Was that why he
had not complimented her on her choice of
a bridal costume?
The next moment, however, she forgot
this thought in the excitement of being
whizzed upstairs in an elevator and ushered
into the most luxurious suite of rooms she
had ever seen. Then the door closed on
the porter who had carried their bags, and
she and Matthew were alone.
Julie went to the mirror and removed her
hat She fluffed up her waves of dark hair,
and somehow without the offending head
piece she looked more like herself When
she turned toward Matthew that look of shy
alteration in her eyes, he crossed the room
and swept her UP into his arms. She chung
to him, her straight black Iashes sweeping
her flushed checks, and in his tight clasp of
her and the eager insistence of his kisses, she
found nothing lacking to prove that he loved
her