“Gee, it’s all over bar shouting,” he muttered. “Jim, you husky, you’re sure a lucky feller!”
CHAPTER VI
THE GREAT AWAKENING
The marriage of Colorado Jim with the Honorable Angela created no great stir, for the simple reason that it took place in a registry office and received but two lines’ notice in the “social” column of the press.
Jim was surprised that the family should wish to keep it so quiet, but as he himself much preferred that method of getting “hitched up” he made no complaint. He drove away with his beautiful bride, feeling that the greatest step in his life had been taken—which was certainly the case. Where that step was to lead him he was fortunately unable to foresee.
The attitude of Claude puzzled him. Since that day in Devonshire, when Claude had endeavored to intervene, the latter had spoken scarcely a dozen words to him. He shook hands 87 with Jim at the station and with Angela, but his congratulations sounded weak and insincere.
Jim speedily forgot him in the thrill of the moment. Nice was their destination—Nice in all her October glory. He was actually on honeymoon with the object of his dreams and ambitions!
This chapter in Jim’s life need scarcely be dwelled upon in any detail. It was so amazing, so unexpectedly baffling, that it sent him clean off his pivot of balance. All that marvelous happiness in his heart was shattered little by little. The first night at the hotel at Nice left him pondering. It wasn’t due to the fact that Angela occupied a separate room, but that he heard her turn the key in the lock! He sat up half the night “browsing” on that singular occurrence. The second night, and every night after, the same thing happened. Nothing else was needed to send him into fits of inward rage. Not for all the wealth of the Indies would he have touched the handle of that door! Verily he was learning. Each day drove home the lesson, until he writhed under the lash of it. He had married an iceberg. 88