The Dickinson press., 1896-11-21
Widom and Maid.
Coming out of her sons sick room,
Mrs. Thomas met Bob Hilliard ON hts

oNouuAu&. 1 Thought l ne8EO 0lll1.
How Is Tom this morning? Any bet
ter:'
She sat down in a big armohat;
standing by the window. laid her head
Oh the window sill and burst into tears.
1T isn't as bad as that. is ity" he
finally asked. THE doctor hasn't given
him UP altogether, has he?"
She raised herself up and wiped
away the tears from her eyes.
"There is little hope, bob. He didn't
say 1t in so many words. He meant to
be hopeful, but he failed"
Il suppose lie is still d%elirious?"
yes. He is as bad as ever He
still keeps up that monOtonous cry Of
Mary, Mary 1t is curious, when do
II except himself knows who Mary
is. oh, Bob, IL he should die without
recognizing me! That is the hardest
part of all. He cannot last much long,
er, unless q change for the bet.
ter"
Bob turned towards the window and
looked out upon the square, with its
great trees almost stripped Of their au-
tumnal %sllendor.
something has got to be done," he
said, half-eXcitedly. He cant die. He
is too good a fellow, too bright a fel.
low. the kind of a man the world needs
most"
but what:" Mrs. Thomas asked,
hopelessly. 1.-The doctor has done ev.
ery,hing that he could do, and he
couldn't have done more"
Bob walked down the hall to the
door of the room in which the sick mau
lay. and put his hand on the knob.
Then he turned quickly and came back
to the window, and the little figure In
black crouched in the big armchair.
Tom is delirious. We don't want
him delirious. That is the point. Mrs.
Thomas. isn't it," said Bob.
Mrs. Thomas nodded her head.
IF the delirium passed away he
would sleep?"
Yes"
"Well, that's it. He has got to sleep
sOundly."
Did you ever hear of cases where
the presence of one particular person
in a sick room exerted a great influ.
ence ove a delirious persona
II might have, Bob; but l never knew
any II who did It,"
Tom wants Mary" the young mar
went on, land perhaps If she came to
him she might save his life. l think 1t
is worth trying; at any rate, it cannot
do any HARM"
But who is Mary? You told ME
that YOU did not know"
Yes; l know 1 did: l don't know, for
a certainty, but l think l could pick
her out i'll a crowd. Tom told
me her name, but lie told me a good
deal about her. Putting n thing and
another together. | think l may vent
urr to say who Mary is" ,
And who is she, Bob?'
"Shc is the un%attainable, as Bob
called her. She is wealthy, she js
beautiful and she Is said to be good.
She is n leader in her set, and has as
many young men running after her as
she probably finds convenient. Her
father is the chairman Of the Great
Southern Railway company, in whose
employ Tom and l are fortunate
enough to be-"
Mary Summerhay es- Why, she
would never come here! 1t is almost
ridiculous to suggest such a thing.
You don't know her, do you"
Il am sorry to say that l don't. You
see, l am hardly in her set. Tom has
met her, though. He was sent up to
the chairman's house n day with
some papers requiring Mr.. Summer
hayes signature. He had to wait
about half Nh hour, ind during that
interval Miss Summerhaycs. who had
found him greatly interested In a pict-
IRE in the drawing room, showed him
her fathers collection. When Tom
came home that night he told me
about it. He started to tell me about
%1,n rn31k,,,.Om hut 1x,I,or Ha hod A~loH1oS
l found that I had heard a great deal
about Mary Summerhayes and very
little about the pictures"
And Is that the extent of his ac-
Quaintance with herr"
Il believe she bowed to him in the
street one day aftt rwalds."
"She never would come here, Bob.
The idea aof asking her is absolutely
ridiculous"
ut does seem that" assented Bob,
reluctantly. "But there does not ap-
pear to be any other way out of it,"
'YOn don't understand It, Bob. She
is a young woman. Not one whose age
would allow Ter to visit the bedside Of
u strange young man. You don't real
ize the position 1t would place her In"
perhaps not. When her fathers
Office boy was sick, she visited him,
and carried him fruit and flowers,
though"
YES; but he was only a boy. Tom
ia a young man, and that makes a
great deal Of difference"
~ dare say 1t does. Still, this is q
case Of life and death, and she might
come if you put it to her In that light"
''I5ut l can't ask her, Bob"
"You must. He 10 your only. son,
and he is dying"
The little woman burst into tears
again.
"Come. don't cry" he said, tenderly.
II didn't mean to put it SO brutally. I
only wanted you to see 1t plainly"
But I can't ask her. I haven't the
courage"
|. IF she comes at all 1t will be only
because you, as his mother, asked it.
She will do it out of sympathy with
you, if she does it at all. 1t will be on
the impulse of the moment. She won't
stop to consider the improperly of the
thing. I couldn't create an impulse.
We have got to lead trumps and play
trumps all the time. If she won't come
come for you she won't come at ALL"
He stopped and looked at her anx-
iously.
"Oh, l can't, Bob. It's such an awful
thing to do"
The catch on the door of the hick
mans room ACCIDENTALLY gave way, and
the door swung slightly ajar. The
nurse inside quickly closed 1t, but moi
before a plaintive cry Of MARY" had
reached the two people In the hall.
"l'l go, Bob. 1t will not be of the
slightest use. but drowning people al
ways catch at straws."
'Ilat's right" he exclaimed. "Get
on your best clothes. It's a little early
for a morning call. but the servants Of
people Of the standing Of the Summer.
hayes are more easily impressed by
good clothes than they ere by any.
thing else. I'll have a cab at the door
for You when you are ready"
Miss Mary Summerhayes sat In the
armchair by the window of the hall
and wondered why she had allowed
herself to openly rebel against the SO
cial rules 80 carefully taught her. Sht
had endeavored to convince herself
that she had come simply for tint
mOthorsS oaEn lint aO,NohOvv tho oov,