Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1902-11-18
II zen never loved like that, did

Ill ell never f0Neu IKE tnal, 0lu
your
She looked at him with startled, al
most guilty eyes, and Hetherington had
a qgsser feeling of having entered un-
Willingly into sanctilied presence.
He rose and walked around the room
aimlessly fer a few minutes. Then he
Naid he had some nasty experiments to
FAKE, and maybe she would not want
to stay, although he rather looked as
though he would have liked to have
had her.
But she left and then sat at her vim
dow watching his shadow move to and
fro as it fen against the trees of the
garden. Suddenly she heard a splutter
ing explosion anl strange cultural
cry. For a ghastly second She watched
the fitful leap Of lights on the trees, but
his shadew did nat come back. Then
she grabbed her water pitcher, full
happily. and the heavy rug on the floor
and ran into his rem. She flung the
door open upon a thin blur Of fame and
Pickering tongues reaching like dane
ing imps here and there in mIdair, and
through it all something like huddled
figure on the floor. Up went the water
ahead of herself and over herself and
then the rug over the figure, and with a
strength she hardly dared to think
could be in her tense muscles she
dragged it out toward the hail. Then.
wrapping her skirts around herself
TIL oh n ffxs
burning portieres that screened the
laboratory from the den. and, finding
the hose attached to the hydrant. she
set the spray over herself and over the
room.
BY this time the others had come.
But it was really all over. She stag
gered out to look at Hugh. His eyes
were closed, his face blackened.
"Is he dead? oh, is he dead?" she
said weakly.
Then, covering her face with her
burned hands as If fearing the an
swer, she sank down in white heap
beside him.
The next day Hugh, who, though
singed and stunned. had been little
hurt, sat beside her and held her band
aged hands.
He watched the play of her features
as he talked to her, and it seemed to
him like watching an unfolding flower.
He caught himself wondering again
and again at some, newly discovered
charm. What deep, fine eyes! What
singularly sweet and unaffected smile!
What an intimate gentleness in her
voice!
Mrs. Hetherington said one morning:
"How charming you are in that pale
yellow wrapper. You are quite trans
formed" And she passed her hand ten
derby over the girl who had saved her
last child to her.
Hugh said, "She is Cinderella, and
the fairy godmother has shaken the
magic tree over her"
And he did not know just yet that
the magic which was touching her and
him, too, was older even than fairy
godmothers.
He spent his spare moments now try
Ing to please her, even as she had once
tried to please him. He told her over
and over again that 1t was her wit and
her speed and her dear burned hands
that saved his life after his stupidity
with the ether and the collodion.
..Ah. no." she would say. 1T was an
inspiration. / am not a bit brave Of
myself"
"Do you remember" he said one day,
'your test of lover
She blushed little this time. "You
never told me-" he went on, whether
you ever loved any one that way or
not"
She did not answer.
do you think that you could?"
He thought he saw smile fit over
the face. bent away from him though
it was. and he took her hands that
were now healed, though still SCARED
q little.
She raised her head and looked at
him, and Hetherington suddenly knelt
down before her and kissed her hands.
and then he drew her head down to
him and kissed her on the lips.