The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-01
CHAPTER LII


He awoke with a sense of having
oversight himself. Or was it that he
had just fallen asleep and his mother
had stolen in as she had often done
to kiss him goodnight. He was sure
that somebody had kissed him. He
knew that his mother and the good
night kisses of his boyhood were
things of years ago.
He was in his room at Mrs. Mac
Mickings. Last night he had perfect
ed his invention and Findlay & SOM
ers had offered him a hundred thou
sand dollars for the patent. He re-
peated again and again to himself the
fact that he had completed the work
of his life. and that Finley & Somers
had offered him hundred thousand
dollars for the patent. He waited for
the blaze of joy and eXultation he had
always anticipated when he had dared
to look forward to success. He had
never in his widest expectations
dared to hope for such success as this.
Findlay had told him his machine
would revolutionize the whole indus
try of stocking weaving. Findlay had
almost danced for joy. Yet here was
he a few hours later, cold, pulseless
and quite uninterested. He sighed
heavily. He supposed it was so with
life. He felt that he had done with
life, having no longer the spur and
impulse that his work had been.
However he supposed he must get
up. He had vague sense that he was
sadly in need of his breakfast-a
sense of sinking through the bed. He
half rose-only to fall back feebly.
Then Rosemary seemed suddenly to
come up through the floor. She placed
an arm beneath his head and fed him
from a spoon. And the thing that
most astonished him was that he took
the food she offered as though he had
been all his life fed like a baby. And
like a baby he fell quietly asleep.
When he awOke she was still there,
sitting by the fire. He was surprised
to find there was a fire in his bed
room.
She seemed to know he was awake,
although her back was turned. She
advanced and once more fed him with
spoon and once again he fell asleep.
1t seemed to go on all day, this wax
ing and spoon feeding and falling
asleep.
In the evening it occurred to him to
ask what it all meant.
you've been ill.," she told him
gently. NOW you will get we'll and
strong again."
Have you been ill. too?" he in
quired in a maze, looking into a white
drawn face he scarcely recognized as
Rosemary's.
She shook her head.
What are you crying for?" he pro-
tested irritably. 1t smote him with
sudden peevishness that she should
look so white and thin and should
weep. Then he fell asleep again.
Ten days later he was lying on the
couch in his sitting-room. A window
was open and there were violets on the
table.
Mrs. MacMicking suddenly appear
ed And how do you find yourself?"
she demanded with adamant cheerful
ness.
She remained talking with him till
his head ached sorely Then she got
up to go. Il scarcely like to speak
of it at such time" she said, "but
| think, Mr.. Pendlebury you must
consider it in the bill. The way that
girl has waited on you hand and foot
for five whole weeks The doctor says
she jest saved your life. But it's pre-
cious little work I've been able
to get out of her. I've had to get
a colored woman, or l should have
dropped. You ought to make the girl
some little present and to consider me
and my expenses with the colored
woman in the bill" Pendlebury, his
head in a whirl, promised to consider
her and the colored woman.
why in heavens name did you take
so much trouble about me?" he pro-
tested, staring at Rosemary's thin face
from which her eyes looked large and
solemn
oh, like doing things for people,"
she explained lightly, taking refuge a
she had done before behind an mex
plicable idiosyncrasy.
When she had gone the room SEEM
ed suddenly cold. He shivered, and
rising, shut down the window.
He became thoughtful. He realized
that with a hundred thousand dollars
in the bank he would be able to live