The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-17

Margaret tlungerford stood under tho
shadow OF IL gallery In st. Matthew
Church and watched the man to whom
she had been engaged six months before
come down the aisle with the woman
who had superseded her upon his arm
year ago she had joyously Invest
cd this man With qualities whose
nobleness existed only, in the intensity
Of her own ideals. lie had rewarded
her BY losing his head Under tho fiat
terry OF q pair Of shallow, blue eyes.
Margaret had stood aloof almost
rs an outsider, and watched the thing
from It's very beginning. Watched II
With n slow death within herself which
was as the hard departure OF youth.
Never By the lifting Of q hand did she
seek to stay what she saw. Then came
the day when Darrell asked TO be re-
leased 5 4, ifa
she realized, with quick glance
into the future, that here was an ex-
pcrence which time might not gloss,
over. It left her u woman Of clear
vision, with no vestige Of the nconse-
qucnt gnmor Of girlhood.
Yet, as she walked from the church.
when the bridal party had dispersed, q
! deep ankfulness filled her heart Her
! life was yet her own Tho bitterness
SHE had felt was more for. the rude tea r.
ling away or the shcltering visions OF
sirIhood than for any deeper hurt.
Now" she said. and threw back her
| strong shoulders while she descended
| tho church steps as though she, would
| thus throw off forever this phase OF her
| life, nov work
And work It was for three years, as
day by day. In her nurses dress. she
ltrod the ward of a hospital. It was also
what the pruning of careful! gardener
Is to vine.
Under it Margarct's somewhat angu-
! lar figure grew into a graciousncss OF
womanhood seldom seen. Then she met
Paul Gerhardt, and life, blossomed for
her with a resp!endence OF JOY which
at times held her dumb.
She stood one evening by the bed In a
private room looking down upon the
woman who lay there. The patient had
Just been brought from the operating
room ard given into Margarets care
On the wilderness OF the pillow ,n nt,
fair, damp strands Of hair showed
strangely familiar in spite of the wasted
fca lures beneath Margaret waited
with locked hands for the heavy cyclids
to lift themselves. Then she looked up
suddenly and saw Darrell in the door
way, and knew. 4.
His anxiety for his wife, II such It
could be called, was swallowed UP IN
his amazement at Margaret. That The
former was pe1luncto Dry the nurse saw
at glance.
And in the eyes OF Eleanor Darrell
when the effect Of the ether mad passed
there burned n fearful eagerness.
Even the surprise Of finding herself in
tho care OF the woman she believed she
lad wronged was immersed IN It..
Margaret saw that what little strength
her patient had was dissipated in the
effort to drag one word Of real concern
from her husband, and followed Darrell
from the room.
barrels eyes narrowed to pin points
as h. watched her. Suddenly he caught
a fold OF her apron. crushing It's fine
wkiteness in his hand
Margaret his voice was husky, Il
sec now-what a mistake
She looked at him DULY. with knitting
brows 1t was hard at bound to bring
her mind to this. Then. as she would
have avoided unnecessary contagion,
she drew her apron from his grasp.
"Mistake?" Her eyes pierced the shift