Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-05-28

womanwalk softly TO a corner where 4
fat brown baby spra wIed in tho COM
fort of a cool sleep. Nine knew her ya
gulely rs Rupi. the mehtar's% wife: IN The
usual Anglo-lndian fashion. she had not
thought of her before except as brown
automation. The woman crouched
down, watching the sleeper with satisfac-
ton; her attitude was, perhaps, not dtlife
50 touching "a western notions AZ that
of the mother who hugs her baby in her
arms, but there was the same thing
throbbing behind the differing WAYS,
Something of what ii meant caught the
girl suddenly as she stood there. with MI
her little world broken around her m
her own hands. Perhaps. il this had
happened. things would have been diff
fcrent and they wouldn't have made
such Il mess of it. She leaned oyer th4
ihilmils, watching the mothpr-loye on
the brown face. and then the placid baby.
thinking, until the train Of thoughts
brought her back 10 the present h0iir.
and she went out OH the veranda. chat,
ing because it was getting late
II" prefers to stop at the Office until
the last minute, she thongnt. bitterly.
lie certainly takes care to avoid me
| Suppose he'll be quite as glad as |
shall be to end it, But. as the lateness
grew from matter of minutes to one
of an hour. the silent. deserted rooms
began to Cypress her; apparently the BOYS
had had orders from Frere to go--he
himself was returning ut dinner time to
her, with gravity Shadowing his boyish
life between n lote and solitary room
over the office
Nina went back to the corner where
the mehtar's wife and baby might. at
Least, give her some sense Of compan-
ionship; but they were gone and the
sudden eastern night came down on her
loneliness. She found a lamp and tried
to hght II, but some prudent soul among
the boys had emptied it of all oil. For
moment she thought Of going down to
find Il messenger 10 send to Frere's Office
then the slight absurdty struck her of
diSpatching an urgent request for the
man whom she was in an hours time to
di1miss out Of her life. Finally, she
could endure the silent darkness 10 long
er, and, went down the stairs. angry with
herself and with Frcre for this foolish
liasco. She had not very clear notions
of how one got to Garden Reach, only
that the passengers launch having left
the CHAT long since she would have to
take Il native dingy somewhere.
As She turned the corner Of the stairs.
someone cannoned against her, and his
brief apology was followed by, oh,
Isn't it Mrs. Frere? VIII you come
please, ut once: I've gharri waiting
is my husband there--are YOU from
bis Office she asked, chilly, looking up
i'll the dim light at this perfectly UNI
known young man who seemed in such
haste.
NO, I'm not in Mr. Freres office; I'm
up country just down here for Il few
dayS-0nly there was no one else seemed
available to bring you. Won't YOU get
in please, and | can explain Us we got
These ticca Charles aren't very rapid at
best. ="
Il was one of the open ramshackles
which are Calcutta'S combined apologies
for a hanson and victoria. As il turned
size said. quickly, "Where is the man
going: This isn't the way 70 the river.
Isn't Mr.. Frere at the ghat?"
No: we are going TO the general hos
pitai, he said, slowly turning toward
face. There was Il tram accident this
afternoon-but they only found out his
address just now. I'm awfujiy sorry
IN telling ii rather clumsily, I'm afraid"
AS the girls lips began TO quiyer and
Il queer look came into her eyes.
'Uh, I'm all right I'm not going TO
10 anything ridiculous. Only-only it's
SO very-odd," she answered with an hys-
tericai little laugh, thinking Of the 40
Surdity Of having to sustain the attitude,
OF devoted Wife toward the man fgonf'
whom She was soon to have parted for
ever.
There's no accounting for the way
a woman, takes thing, suppose,
thought the lad at her side, hut She
seems To be jolly cool about it.
Which thought was evident in the stiff
ness that came into his voice when he
next spoke, telling her briefly the few
details he had OF the accident, and that
there had been some operation: to all
of which her only reSpons" was silence.
After that little laugh, She sat quite
still, her face turned away from him.
In az bu ,,rI rl
riageS which swept past them down
ChoWrlnghi. filled mostly by Eurasians
looking more weary of life in general
than of the heat, and by fat and com
placent BahuS. with as many olive
branches as could be ineonvenentlv
packed into the conveyance. They drove
IN silence To the hospital compound, and
her companion handed her over to a
nurse. with lift of the hat and men
tai hope that that poor devil upstairs"
would find her~-well, different
1T was a native child you know. ono
of those bits of girls that are always
lodging under ones horses feet-wondcr
Il dozen Il day don't get killed. 1t was
foolish thing 70 do, unless the man was
tired of his life. | believe he threw the
child right from under the tram, and, of
course, got smashed instead. Those clec-
irlc trans never ought to have been al
lowed in the streets-at least not with
native drivers. This makes the fifth ac-
cident already
The clear voice of the hospitals senior
surgeon came 10 her through the thin
plaster walls of the little room where
they had told her to wait. obviously he
did not know anyone was there.
Think he'll pull lhroughy' said an
other voice, which she recognized as that
of the manager of her husbands office.
He's got Il good chance--n ne cares to
keep it, the other replied He has
hrSt rate constitution. or he'd have gone
under; but he seems Il queer sort OF fe-
loW--as if he hadn't any particular anx-
ictr to live. Seemed rather disappointed,
after we'd. operated, to find that he was
Bad job for his wife. isn't il? l he
lieve She was going home tomorrow, too.
in the Malta"
oh said the doctor. careessly. Per
hapS that accounts for it," And then an
other voice joined in, evidently a nurse
and Nina moved away to the other side
of the little room, her face set and her
eyes hard with a sudden passionate re-
sentiment against these people who wern
keeping her from her husband. He was
hers-herS; what right had they to talk
about him--aul ahnut hcr-in that COLI