Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-05-13
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g The Consequence g
BY ALICE MACK. ~
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's'' "i' pAo"As
her sentence.
THE operation must take place with
In q few days Or"
"Or what?"
at may be too late to operate at all"
"And-I will get through it safely?'
IL hope So"
you are not sure. You think there
is a risk?"
There is always a risk in every
operation" he answered, evasively.
Tell me, the truth, doctor; | a
bear it."
You are a brave woman. | will tell
you the truth. This operation will be
a very serious one--in fact, there Is
only a chance that you will survive it.
But there is a chance, and for the sake
OF it you must not lose heart"
Couldn't | wait till next month
just for a few weeks longer? 1t surely
would 0 make any difference if it
was postponed till then"
"My child" the doctor answered, "if
We postponed it for a few weeks, for
even n week, you will lose II chance
of recovery. Besides, you will suffer
such agony that your life will be un-
bearable. Let me advise you, and
make up your mind to go through it
Immediately"
"Immediately?"
within the ncHt few days. You
must go into the hospital Tomorrow to
be prepared for it,"
Then he explained the ARRANGEMENTS
he would make for her. and after lis
tening in a dazcd, half-stupid fashion,
Elizabeth said 'good-by" to him, and
YEARLY went ont in the cold and dark
ness of the evening.
She drove along in n hanson with
tears running down her white cheeks,
and her heart rebolling at the cruel
hand OF Fate that had so unsparingly
dealt her this blow. Had she deserved
it? Was this trial sent to her because
she had set one man upon a pedestal
and TOrshipped him to the exclusion
of the whole world? Or was it because
she. like a fool. had thrust away with
laughing eyes the happiness that had
been held out to her, and the gods had
guessed it was only a freak, and were
Furnishing her because She inSolently
played with the best thing they had
TO give? Six months ago, when David
Moore had started to tell her how dear
she was to him, she had stopped him
with a laugh, and had warned him that
il would be wiser to wait till he re-
turned from abroad before ne decided
that she was the only woman in the
world She did not know why she
had done it; why, when her heart was
craving for his love, she had coquctted
and warded him off. But right deep
down she knew that It was for his own
sake to give him a fair chance OF see
ing other younger, more beautiful
women, before she lot him tell her that
she was the best of all,
"Ill be back in six months, Eliza
both" he said, holding her hands
tightly, and looking into the sweet
gray eyes. "Ill come straight to you.
You will listen to me then; you will
then believe that | am in earnest"
And so he left her.
And now the six months We're at ar
end: for that morning a telegram had
come telling her of his arrival in En-
. gland and to expect to see him to-
night.
She had lived every hour of her life
in these months for David; everything
she did was for his sake-was to please
him. And now, when the time had
really come, and he would be with her
in a few hours, she must gather up
her strength and send him away with
out n word of low. without a sign Of
regret.
II was because the pain had waged
so fiercely through the night that she
determined to go to a doctor to beg for
something to give her relief, for the
time at least. She had gone, and had
had her sentence pronounced.
Although he had not actually said SO,
Elizabeth guessed that even II she did
survive the operation she would always
be a weak, delicate woman. And in her
great love she decided to sacrifice even
one hour Of joy-shc could never bcal
to be a drag on David, she must send
him away again without explaining the
reason.
When she arrived at the house where
she lived in Kensington, she turned
down the lamps under their red shades
and told the riaid to put more coal on
the fire, She decided to postpone her
preparations of her illness until after
her visitor had gone. She would only
have time now to prepare herself foI
the scene she must go through with