The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1897-08-04


something each day from her strength,
and / was not surprised one morning
to see old Susan coming hastily into
hallway.
ooh, DR.. Wilton" she said, "she'
has tainted over those horrid pictures!
Will you come p
went Mt once, finding my patient
prostrated at last, and gently submis
sive TO oil my commands but one, the
most imperative.
'I must work." she said, "as long
as can hold brush"
''But you will die" said, bluntly,
'if you do not take few weeks Of
entire rest"
"Diep she said, quietly, not rs If
there was any terror in the thought,
but as IL IL was new possibility in
some problem of life. "No, I must
not die yet!'
"Then you must obey me'' I
answered. 81 will send carriage
every afternoon, with a careful driver,
and you must go with Susan for
drive. You must be outdoors as much
as possible, excepting during the heat
of the day, and then, If possible,
sleep"
Her dreary smile confirmed my
opinion that sleep was rare visitor
at her pillow, but she did not say so.
Indeed, she made no complaint, evil
IDENTIFY allowing my visits solely out of
regard for Susan.
And to Susan I turned at last for
council. She had come to my house
for some medicine had brought from
Paris-an opiate not yet in use in this
country. And pointed to seat,
saying: "Susan, I am past sixty years
old, crippled, as you see, seldom leav-
ing my home except for foreign travel
no gossip. If you think you can
trust me with Mrs. Raynor's secret
trouble, may be able to cure her."
The woman looked startled for a
moment, and then, bursting into
tears, said:
ooh, sir, it's awful trouble, and we
don't want it to be known about
herel"
'I'll not betray you," I said gently.
"You see, sir, she is not widow,
after thinking herself one for four
years! He, Mr.. Raynor, sir, for she's
never hid her name, il bad man, a
man who nearly killed her with his
drinking and gambling and bad com
pany. He spent all the money her
father left her, he crippled her boy
with blow of his drunken fists, and
then he left her poor and sick, and the
boy all crushed. She worked day and
night for the child, little Harold. and
he grew to nine years old, but always
crooked and puny. Then Mr.. Raynor
found us out, and he would have taken
the child, he would, the fiend, because
she loved it. SO we stole Harold away
in the night and sent him to Germany
with friend. I'm telling my story
all wrong, sir. We heard Mr.. Raynor
was dead-heard il from his own
brother, too, who believed it, and Miss
Edna-Mrs. Raynor, l mean thought
herself free, when she let Mr.. Du-
chesne come to see her, and-ah, well,
doctor, he was a true man gentle,
kind and loving, and so good to
Harold. She thought she was a
widow, and her heart was sore, so sore
you can never guess, for she was one
to take trouble hard-and what harm,
if they loved each other? They would
have been married If Mr.. Raynor had
not come back, pleased as Punch to
find he could make a little more
misery for his wife,"
''But he is not living now?"
/ &. n, k1,o
pity! Mr.. Duchesne is in Germany
with Harold, and my poor dear is
working her precious life away to pay
for the baths for the boy, and to keep
Mr.. Raynor away. She pays him so
much month to leave her in peace. p"
"And this delicate woman supports
husband and child?" said.
"Yes, sir, and lives upon the mean
est of everything for the sake of being
alone! It's awful, doctor, to think OF
those loving hearts, one in Germany,
one fretting here, and bad man be-
tween them. They won't even write
to each other, but we hear from Harold
how kind Mr.. Duchesne is to him.
1t is like him to try to comfort her by
being 80 good to her crippled boy!"
SIT is sad story" said. "And ]
was too hasty in thinking I might
help Mrs. Raynor if 1 knew it. We
have no medicines, Susan, for such
misery as this"
But yet 1 was glad to have heard
the story. sent books to the cot
tage, and I went over frequently, try
ing to win the heavy-hearted woman
away from her own troubled thoughts,
and amazed at her rare patience and
courage. / had done but little in my
efforts to restore her health, when
Susan came hastily to summon me one
heavy August day.
"Come, please" she urged. "He's
there, hurt!"
"Who?" / asked.
"Mr. Raynor! He came cursing
and swearing, because his money was
not sent last month, and this morning
he went over to Crawford and got
druuk Ha WOO comipn horna ooo;,,