Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-08-27
[coNTINuEp.l


lead. Her future looked black ano
blank, her flower Of hope was witherec
and dead.
For long time she sat at the open
window looking out upon the well-kep'
garden with eyes that saw none OF the
beauties of smooth turf, wisteria bloom,
trim ivy, blue forget-me-nots, and red
geraniums dotted here and there. She
heard nothing OF the strains OF little
happy birds which futtered in and oul
of their nests under the wide caves oil
the pretty house. No, she had only one
dreadful thought ringing in her BRAIN
and the refrain of song which was tor
ture most exquisite to her.
Fate came between,
Our dream was DER,
And for overland for ever-we are TWO.
And, oh, could it ever be that he and
that woman, that painted, soulless,
heartless doll should be one.
She fell to wondering in a dull ana
weary way whether the lie was his OF
hers about the little foot and the hand
and arm and the nose in profile and the
full-lepgth portrait that he had.painted
of her. What was it he had said?
''Whose foot and hand and arm and
nose are you talking about? Not hers?
Mrs. Hope didn't tell you that, did she?
Oh. well, of course 1 cannot put my
word against a lady's-I didn't know IT,,
that's ALL" !,
Yes, that was what he had said. And
it had sounded so real, so true, that she
had doubted him no more, although he
had not actually denied the assertion
that Mrs. Hope had served as his model
more than once. Well, it was too late
to undo the past now. He had asked
her to marry him or would have done
so if she had let him speak and she had
refused. She had refused and he had
gone straightway and tied himself In
honor to understanding could alter
that now, nothing.
She was still there when light knock
sounded on the door. Come In" she
said. when it sounded second time.
The door was opened a couple or
inches. ''Vere, can you Gomez" 1t was
Jocks voice.
She ran to the door, her heart in her
mouth. and flung it wide open-Jock
Airlie was standing on the landing.
"Could you Gomez" he said. "He's
asking for you and is quiet and sensible.
Ruth's asleep STILL"
"Ohi yes" she said nervelessly, 81
will come"
"And you'll remember how miserably
III and weak he is still? You'll be quite
steady and calm?" he said anxiously.
81 will be perfectly calm," she said
unhesitatingly. but tell me, how did
he know l was here?"
81 don't know He asked for you and
I asked him what made him think you
were here? He says he's known all
along"
The girl reeled little and stopped
short. as anything up?" Jock asked.
ooh, no-I'm all right" she replied,
steadily; but in that one moment the
iron of anguish had entered yet deeper
and more bitterly into her soul.
The room in which Lumley lay was
little less dark than it had been during
the days that had just gone by. We're
walked quietly to the side of the bed
wherein Lumley gaunt and white and
weak as q child was lying.
"Mr. Lumley," she said softly. Jock
drew the nurse to the window and asked
her if she had ever seen such forget-me-
nots in town before? Lumley opened
his eyes-and smiled. We're shivered!
elbow good OF you to be here" he
said in a strange weak voice, o voice
very unlike his own pleasant mellow
accents-and then he lay looking at her
as if the very sight of her was sufficient
for his contentment.
We're bent down over the bed. "You
are better, much BETTER" she said very
tenderly. She had not forgotten that
he was bound to another woman, but he
was so weak, so pitiably weak that she
did not seem to think it worth while to
remember anything else.
"Yes-I got smashed" Then after a
paused Cant you sit DOWN."
She put chair by the bedside and sat
down facing him, then by some instinct
of tenderness she laid her cool firm
hand upon his white wasted one as it
lay outstretched upon the coverlet.
His fingers closed willingly over hers
and he smiled again.
''Stay there" he said drowsily. And
there We're stayed.
The painter sank into sound sleep
and We're was prisoner, for he held
her hand tightly so that she could not
release 1t. 81 can't move," she said in
a whisper to the nurse.
mo, you'll do more good sitting
there" she whispered back. 1.-THE poor
thing has worried his heart out about
you ever since 1 came. You just sit
there"
So Jock, with friendly pat on her
shoulder, and a CHEEKY smile, left her,
and presently Mrs. Jock came in on
tiptoe, and put her arm round her neck
and kissed her tenderly with a murmer
that she had known all along that ii
would be all right and "I'm so glad,
darling, so glad" she ended.
Then she too crept away and Lumley
still slept on, quietly on, and the girl
who loved him watched steadily for the
awakening which would mean to her
the birth-hour of utter desolation.
CHAPTER XIV.
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