The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-13
The Faith of a Woman.
BY GERTRUDE POTTER DANIELS.

BY GERTRUDE POTTER DANIELS.
 It had showed for two days incsssansay. Grayson's eyes rested on the scene thoughtfully. His hands were thrust deep into his pockets. Occasionally ue smv' ere cred with the s sSs ssd iass nss naox TSs ' sch. The The h man issd eaten nothing since the day before Finally he laughed u % I'm ssasrs Ssassa' snsrs ana cos. sS0u S asvent mt cent I've pawned everything l peeseeg, yet am fortified against tho world with a profesnon-a profesaon-<aod! IT scu all I know of 1t for one gcod' nilins
 It had been . hopeless. merciless strug- gle from the beginning, yet in those nrst months of misfortune Grayson had re his father had gone Grsyson had risen stoicaliy above fiis grieE once. yeers before. Grayson had watched his fsehes drag himself by the ctrsngth os . stu- spair It appeared unfair then that thsy beloved woman was taken away She had been so dear to them both: @ nsc:e. sary to the very existence they ieo. a0 probably because of this one fact, from the moment of her death. father ana soo had become inssparabls.
 But now 1t was the ending or every. ,an@ a ss tus,,ts stroxs any nops any ashs any chance at all. He was nometeees friendiess. penniless and hungry-feartu'' ly hungry. way to the table in the center of the room ana lighted z gas $et SveraeSn. S out the roll and the tea. handling ccsn n \ tin mue, put In the tea leaves and stood on q chair to steep the mixture over the nicksrang hght
 While tho man was dflnnny ms noS tss tss without sugar or cream. soppang S tns crusts of one hard roll every now ana then to mako 1t more rsiatable. rap came on his door.
 Come in" 'he cried. rising ana lookiht expectantly at the door.
 It was his landlady, shambttns' uu
 Doctor. ifs q eau TOT you put
 Grayson listened with eager intentness. "A calI Mrs. McIntyre?
 Yes. sir, but ! wouldn't take It."
 A sudden wsvs of regsf sraets .s @e but why wouldn't you take it!' He could Because, its from over thsre'-<he woman jerked her thumb.
 For . moment, in spite cf hSmeeif, queer, chill ran up Grayson's spine, set tIing itself somewhere in the base of his brain. She referred to the house of pre- po15sraus ovsr sherer mys!sFS E: repeated slowly.
 Yes sir; they.,s in hurry: sesy"
 Crossing the street was strnggle-lit- sterm. % onoe at the s door f of the house the man paused. exhausted and pantfng. He was weak from want of food ana numbed from an ali-days chill Alter . moment he strengthened up and rang me bell.
 The wire, grated hzrshly. Somewheen in the distance, like phantom sound. he heard the vibration of striking metal. When the door was opened Grayson feced a tall. lean. inard-mouthed woman. She barred the way.
 T am the doctor from across the street" he volunteered, ...sx
 Some one came for me. understand my services are needed here"
 Grayson's eiation was falling.
 nsfere w ySs Ss s.a .ss s1 ssss nssss ws scream rang through the house-a scream thst rose above the cry Of the wind and came to them . fearful. paralyzing sound. h faded senses arose alert. There was no longer any he1itatt0n.
 T am needed here. stand out of my way" He put hts one empty hand on ger under the grip. Immediately hs slipped into the hail. letting the door hy shut with jar that shook the house. Er Ef0r: s ,nns 5 ss sSssa sss % sas s'uas was
 
 palhd and trembling violently:
 oh, thank Heaven. you are here. she cried, her words coming with dreadful thing is the matter. i don't know what. I've only been here a few days. and she Is always strange but not Ike tn's. It is terrible to watch. She must nave ncip. Please, please hurry!
 Meanwhile the woman, expressing no emotion of any sort. moved away. "You'n find out by tomorrow that it's all non sense" she announced as she disap-
 Silently they walked the length of the
 "fts in here" she phispered, stopping
 In spite of all he could do. Grayson was uneasy. Following the siri and nov ing noiselessly. he entered the room. For 3 moment the dimness prevented him bit by bit 1t all lay before him. The richness of the furnishings and the decay everywhere so evident; tho room abenn. the | air reeking with the smells of age: Reaches crawied Iazily in and out Of the cEevices in the woodwork. Once large rat scurried across the floor. At sight of it the man dodged back in horror. Over between two windows stood an immense desk made of black wood and inlsid with silver wire. Plunged on. her knees be- fore 1t. Grayson's eyes made out the and fro. with q persistent regularity.
 Presently the distant figure arose and the mans eyes widened in astonishment. Ie saw that she was as white as the dead. with eyes that burned deep ir their sockets and a face from witch all expression had fled. She was arrayed in wedding garmeats--garments as grisly as finery taken from the tomb.
 Pushed back from the face. but falling over her head and to the bottom of the bridal dress yellow with years. hung the limp veil, ragged and frAyed. Covering the ernaciated hands were long gloves, routed and torn. Her feet were high the satin had long since refused to hold together She might well have been ths bride of death.
 Go to heri" whispered the giyi,
 The man obeyed. wendesins what hs ought to do or say, willing to have giv- en at that minute years of professional life for q knowledge broad enough Go encompass q case like this. He toia himself that periiape. if tine woman would come to him voiuntarily, the skill of questioning her without arousing ar- tagonism might arrive instlnctiyely.
 But the opportunity for those queetione never came Suddenly the woman raised her head. She met Graysoa's eyes fun upon her. For q moment she ssx<d snsllbound. then straight ss child who In trouble goes to the one it loves for help and comfort, this woman went to Craven. There was no doubt. no un- certainty. hardly sny eurprtse. It was as if shs had looked for him daily ell her life.
 But the transition in her face was stu pendous. All in a moment the lines of hardness and the scars of sWfferif11 were