Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-12-20
THE HUNDREDTH WOMAN
BY HAZEL DEYO BATCHELOR
Copyright. 1924. by Public Ledger Company

, sha satisfaction of beating against
J his breast with her fists or tearing
| at him with her finger nails. But
even as these primitive thoughts
went searching about for way to
punish him. to have revenge upon
him for what he had done.
Suppose she went to her father
! and told him what had happened. If
she did that her father would be
forced to ask Tex to leave. More
| than that. he would be disappointed
! in his old friend; that would be re-
venge enough, and yet Lyra disliked
! the idea of telling tales. If only she
herself could punish this brute, this
! horrible caveman. To think that he
had touched her, held her in his
arms, kissed her lips, and not pleas
antly as Peter did, but almost bru-
tally, certainly roughly, and in a
way she had never dreamed a man
would kiss her.
The memory of these things stop
lped her sobbing and brought her up
| before her mirror She leaned on
1.-The dressing table and stared at her
self in the glass. Her hair was
loosened, the meticulous waves all
tumbled and aWry. Her face was
flushed with crying and the cool. star
rlness of her eyes was clouded. 1t
was as if tempest-tossed stranger
had suddenly taken possession of her
body, and with a shudder Lyra
turned away.
But fifteen minutes later when she
went down the long, curving stair
case for the second time that eve
ming she was faultlessly perfect, as
though TeX's ruthless hands had
never touched her. Her blond hair
waved back from her forehead in it's
accustomed waves, the blue and sill
Yer dress floated around her like a
cloud. But her gray eyes were not
so starry as usual. Ii was as if a
veil had been drawn over them.
veil behind which a secret was hid
den.
AS she entered the long living
room she was aware instantly of the
fact that Cynthia had cornered Tex
and they were talking together. She
did not glance in their direction, but
just the same she knew that Tex
had been watching the dor for her
entrance, and was now looking at
her. Peter came forward and slip
ped his arm in hers, and she tilted
her head and smiled up at him ra-
dainty. There was an allure in her
eyes, provocative sweetness that
Peter had never seen there before
1t stirred him strangely. And when
moment later she slipped her fin
gers in his there was a clinging
warmth about them very different
from the usual GOODNESS of Lyra S
slim, flexible hand
The truth of the matter was that
Lyra's abandonment to tears was
now bringing it reaction. She felt
eXhilarated, as she had never felt
before, and was encouraging Peter
deliberately because she knew that
Tex was watching her. 1t did not
occur to her to wonder why she was
doing this, nor why her heart was
beating so fast, nor why she should
be so excited, Certainly it wasn't
because Peter thrilled her, although
she was making him believe that.
But for some reason she felt fever.
ishly gay, keenly alive. Somewhere
IN the back of her mind there was
the knowledge that she must make
Tex pay for what he had done. But
now she was going to do this she
dld not know. Perhaps an idea
would come to her suddenly. and
when it did she would know how TO
proceed.