Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-05-05

Il
leaving him as you did has just knocked
all the go and the grit out of him
Nora's thin lips curled incredulously,
| and she fumbled restlessly with the
contents of her portfolio.
Dick closed his eyes with n groan of
despair.
docs the leg hurt very much? Let
me wet the bandages."
81 had forgotten all about the peslSy
thing. 1t is you who hurt very much
''Oh, Lord, if people only wouldn't be
so mysterious! There is some mistake at
the bottom of all this misery, and that's
what said tc Lorrte when RATE and ]
left homo. | said: 'Lorrie, every body
goes to the city when they get misera-
bic and want to hide. Sib Fairbanks
| went there, Dennis went there, and
Johns wife has gone there I said:
'Lorrie, you needn't blurt it all out to
John, but when we get to New Orleans
RATE can hunt Dennis up, and I'll ferret
| out Johns wife. When l find her, I'll
kill her but what I'll get to the bottom
| of this nonsense
And now hero you are"
"Where is RATE? Why is he not here
| with your" Nurse Hamilton asked, in a
/ OTy, narSn voice.
''IIe got Off yesterday with Dennis.
missed the boat, you know. l meant to
have gone, too"
"And who is Dennis?'
"Who is Dennis? Didn't John ever
tell you about Dennis and Ida Fair
| banks? That's another Lorimer mess"
The portfolio slid from Nurse Hamil-
tons lap upon the polished bare floor
Il To-, l. 81
| private apartment. There were no
other patients to sec the gentle, white
| capped ministrant kneel beside his
narrow iron cot, clasp his hands in both
of hers, and. with her soft eyes glued
ravenous'y to his face, whisper, in a
voice over which she had lost all con-
| troll:
mo. never so much as knew there
was n Dennis Lorimer. Dear, dear
boy, tell me about Dennis and Ida
| Fairbanks"
Then Dick told her-somewhat fam
tastically, perhaps, for he was young,
and the romance of it grew with the
| tel!ing-an that he knew of Dennis
unfortunate wooing of the Glenburnie
maiden.
And, you see, of all us boys" he add
ed, ''John is the only one who would
ever consent to be a go-between. 1t
looked like playing a trick on mother.
But Dennis and John were always par
| tiCular cronies, and the last time he
came up he coaxed John over, and John
coaXed her over. She went with John
one night to see Dennis at old Ishan's
house. They patched it up some way
between them. Then when mother got
| III, she began to worry so over Dennis
that Rafe and I started out in search of
a brother, and found him. But you
were the long-lost sister was hunting
for. | got disheartened, though, and
| agreed to go home with the BOYS"
| "DiclS, oh, Dick, have been such an
awful fool! John will never forgive
mc=-ncvcrl He ought not to-"
| Johns wife was sobbing, there on her
knees by the boys bedside. He laid his
hand carcssingly on her bowed head.
Wont you please tell me all about
it, sister Nora? l know I'm nothing
but lubberly boy, but we Lorimer boys
don't go back on our womcnl1ind for a
trifle. told the boys Norrie was all
right. Thank God, you have not made
me take n word of it back Won't you
let me send word to John, Norrie? Just
telegraph the one word: Come"
Not yet. Wait. Go to sleep now,
dear. I must think, alone"
She stood up, kissed him tenderly on
the forehead, and then stole quietly
lay to her own room.
The day was nearly gone when she
came back to him. Her face, thinner
and whittier by many degrees, Dick
thought, than when John had first
brought her to White Cliffs, wore look
of such absolute serenity that it had
gained an angelic touch of beauty.
"Norrie, you arc divine! You look as
if you had been closcted with an
angclr'
Il have been" she said with sweet
gravity angel of peace. have
written to John myself, Dick
'Hurrah! Won't somebody please
throw up my hat for mc?-that Is, If ]
own such piece of furniture"
And oh, Dick, are tho Lorimers for
giving?"
1.-The Lorimer forgiveness is not in
volvcd here. Oh, by the way, this came
while you were gone" He put an un-
sealed note in her hand. That must
have been n monstrous long letter, Nor
rie. You've been gone three hours"
She did not answer him. She was
reading the note. Feminine instinct
} made her look at tho signature first.
"Sibley Fairbanks" She started, and
with a wildly beating heart read on.
: What she read was this:
my DEAR Mr. LoRIMER: 1 have Just heard
by the merest chance (your surgeon being Q
personal friend of mine) OF your inconvenien'
. accident He tells mo that th0re is not
shadow Of danger attendant upon It. SHOULD
have called in person TO inquire, but am making
| forced and hurried preparations to leave fol
| Glenburnio, having just been wired that my
father is dead Permit mo to express my re
grcts ut your pain and detention. Your frienC
l and neighbor, SIBLEY FAIRRANKa"
Sibley Fairbanks. Poor Amelia'i
first husbandl Tho man who had dc
serted her so heartlessly. She had nevel
seen him. Nellie married him Will,
she, Nora, was teaching in a school II
Arkansas. But Mellie's child woult
. know its father at last. Would it be fol
Ninette's happiness2 ...
She folded the letter and slipped 1
back in the envelope. Dick had openeC
~ n