The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1900-07-27

Tatters kept his charge faithfully;
but it was vain to hope for success
where human ingenuity had failed.'
Ted helped evade the dreaded climax
by reading all the newspapers carefully
before Nadine saw them to guard
against her seeing mention OF his re-
turn, for which she watched and watt
ed, as dying man longs to be shriven.
She put off the southwark fight day
by day, and meantime grew weaker,
paler and sadder; and Ted and Tatters
went about watching her with troubled
eyes.
Winter came with a rush Of icy air
and furry of snow that sent the frail
ones hurrying southwark to. kinder
climes. The others could not we'll be
spared from the busy round of social
life, SO Ted went with his mother and
Nadine. The world lay shrouded in
white vestments through which the
train plowed narrow track bearing
them farther and farther from their ac-
customed scenes. Tatters sat in Ma
dimes window looking wistfully out of
the window at the flying panorama OF
skeleton trees and hedges till the train
stopped at wayside station. Ted took
him out for little walk, and he
scudded along the narrow path smiling
the frosty air delightedly, and present.
~ disappeared under the car wheels, to
be caught up by someone on the OPP
posite side.
Ted heard mans coaxing voice say:
"Hello, my beauty! Look, Tess, isn't
that perfect little beauty?" The an
swer was a delighted little feminine
exclamation, then a lady stepped out
of the coach and confronted him, fol-
lowed by Dion, who looked very wan
and weary beside that. radiant vision.
Fed looked into her face and forgot
everything but the thought that Ma
dine must not see them. He got pos
session of letters and walked the
length of the train and back before he
dared t. confront Nadine, andtthe train
pulled 6h with few preliminary shocks
when he swung aboard the smoking
car. He sat staring duly before him,
until he was recalled to realization of
things tangible by keen sense of i'm
pending danger.
There was shrek of escaping steam,
a sickening crunch of wheels, ain explo"
sive crash, then he was seized by some
blind force and flung down amid the
debris of a wreck. Tatter's doleful lit
tie whine recalled Ted's scattered
senses. He woke to find himself lying
in poor little roadside hut, where
they had carried the dead and wound
ed. Dion's wife lay not an arms
length from his couch, and beside him
sat Nadine unhurt.
1T is not fatal?" Dion asked in q
husky whisper.
The doctor moved away very softly,
but the dying woman read the bitter
truth in his eyes, and shivered with
mortal terror.
"Dying!" she cried, incredulously.
"Oh, no. It simply isn't possible! it
can't be; why should be chosen when
so many others don't care to live! Oh,
no, not I; life is far too sweet to die!"
Tatters whined and thrust his nose
close to Ted's face, and he opened his
eyes and smiled Understandings, then
the clear, tuneful voice broke the
deathly silence again. ''Dion, if it
should be true! l am afraid to die with
an unconfessed' lie on my soul. 1t was
all my fault that she left you. Iwant'
ed you to believe Nadine unfaithful.
You'll forgive me, Dion, won't you. 1t
was because 1 loved you so-and she
couldn't have cared one hundredth part
as much as do. You loved her, didn't
you, Dion? Yes, knew, but tried to
forget. If should die you will marry
her. Dion, love you so that 1 wish
only for your happiness.
But will not die, Dion, I will mott"
the young voice trailed off in half a sob,
then woke again very faint and tremu'
lous, like the echo of distant music.
''How dark it has grown!" it MUIR
INJURED. 'Have they left us alone at
last, Dion? Come closer, cannot see
you"
There was no more sound or motion
from the darkened pallet; the long
lashes fluttered down and lay like rays
of darkness on driven snow, and the
childish lips parted in faint, sweet
smile upon which death had set his
holy seal as if God had forgiven her
guilty soul.
Roses everywhere! Stately bride
roses under fringed canopy of maiden
hair fern, long-stemmed beauties,
queens of hearts in such lavish con.
fusion that Tatters was obligedto walk
very circumspectly through the maze
of blossoming stuff to the window
where Ted stood with folded hands,
breast high, to rose bower.
There were white rose petals on tho
sidewalk leading to the front entry and
three little urchins were chattering de-
ightedly over their trophies of an easy
conquest.
Tatters found little bare space on
the window and looked out too, but
failed to discover anything of signal
importance. So he frisked about until
Ted reused himself and took the fluffy
little head between his palms and
smiled with the pathetic cheerfulnesl
of complete remuneration.
"AI the fuss and furry is over at last,
Tatters," he said, "and now we've got
to take life in hand and make some
thing out of it. We shall be very happy
too-not quite as happy as Nadine anl