as in a dream clutching the tightly came down the front steps the round leader still at her and fluttered one hand though two big were just bending to him the gate was oflf its hinges which seemed strange for she had been watching all the time and had not seen it happen s eyes were closed his lips were blood the valley of the moon and there was a in his throat as if he were tr ring to say something as she stooped above him with her handkerchief brushing the blood from his cheek where some one had stepped on him his eyes opened the old defiant light was in them he did not know her the lips moved and faintly almost he murmured the last of the the last of the then he groaned and the eyelids drooped down again he was not dead she knew that the chest still rose and fell and the still continued in his throat she looked up stood beside her the old woman s eyes were very bright her withered cheeks flushed will you help me carry him into the house saxon asked nodded turned to a of police and made the request to him the gave a swift glance at and his eyes were bitter and ferocious as he refused to hell with m well care for our own maybe you and i can do it saxon said don t be a fool was to mrs across the street you go into the house little mother that is to be this is bad for you we ll carry him in mrs is coming and we ll get saxon led the way into the back bedroom which had insisted on furnishing as she opened the door the carpet seemed to fly up into her face as with the force of a blow for she remembered had laid that carpet and as the women placed him on the bed she recalled that it was and she between them who had set the bed up one sunday morning and then she felt very queer and was surprised to see regarding her with questioning searching eyes after that her came on very fast and she descended into the hell of pain that is given to women alone by ic the valley op the moon to know she was supported half carried to the front bedroom many faces were about her � mrs it seemed she must ask mrs if she had saved little from the street but cleared mrs out to look after and went to answer a knock at the front door from the street came a loud hum of voices by shouts and commands and from time to time there was a of the of and then appeared the fat comfortable face of and later doctor came once in a clear interval through the thin wall saxon heard the high opening notes of mary s and another time she heard mary repeating over and over i ll never go back to the never never by chapter x could never get over the shock daring that period of saxon s appearance morning after morning and evening after evening when he came home from work he would enter the room where she lay and fight a royal battle to hide his feelings and make a show of cheerfulness and she looked so small lying there so small and and weary and yet so child like in her tenderly as he sat beside her he would take up her pale hand and stroke the slim transparent arm at the and delicacy of the bones one of her first questions alike to and mary was did they save little and when she told them how he had attacked the whole twenty four fighting men s face glowed with appreciation the little he said that s the kind of a kid to be proud of he halted awkwardly and his very evident fear that he had hurt her touched saxon she put her hand out to his she began then waited tiu mary left the room i never asked before � not that it matters now but i waited for you to tell me was it t he shook his head no it was a girl a perfect little girl only it was too soon she pressed his hand and almost it was she that with him in his affliction id by ic the valley of the moon i never told you � you were so set on a boy but i planned just the same if it was a girl to call her tou remember that was my mother s name he nodded his approbation say saxon you know i did want a boy like the very well i don t care now i think i m set just as hard on a girl an well here s the next will i e called you wouldn t mind would you if we called it the same name h i was thinking the very same thing then his face grew stem as he went on only there ain t goin to be a next i didn t know children was like before you can t run any more risks like that hear the big strong afraid man talk she with a wan smile you don t know anything about it how can a man i am a healthy natural woman everything would have been all right this time if if all that fighting hadn t happened where did they bury you knew a the time and where is she hasn t been in for two days old s sick she s with him he did not tell her that the old night was dying two thin walls and half a dozen feet away saxon s lips were trembling and she began to cry weakly clinging to s hand with both of hers i� i can t help 