The Springfield herald., 1904-11-04
May I come ing"

May come in?"
A smile lit up the face of the iuva-
lid man.
or course you may. Babs. oh. it's
you. Harriet! How marvelously your
voice resembles Barbaras!'
The smile had faded when he saw
his mistake, and his pale. subdued sis
ter-in-law busted herself with the med
icnes
Yes. we're all alike in that" she
said. "if in nothing else. But I've
noticed that brothers and sisters more
often resemble each other in voice
than in anything else-havent you?"
;. "At any rate 1t is SO in your case"
said Philip Chesney. YEARLY. why
doesn't Barbara come up?"
The solemn Harriet turned away.
Eow could she tell the stricken man
that Barbara-beautiful, winsome, self
ish Barbara, who had looked upon
life as a summer garden, and herself
the fairest flower therein-how could
she tell him that his wife had taken
his illness in the light Of personal
!. affront? Her plans were ruined for
the season; the parties and balls and
festive gatherings. where she would
have been envied and worshipped as
queen indlsputable. had to be ex
changed for depressing bedroom. 1t
was unendurable!
But how could Harriet tell the dot
ing, helpless man. knowing as she did
that he had worshiped her with all
the strength Of his nature. that she
had left Barbara in her room. cry
ing out in the bitterness of selfish
ness against her hard and cruel fate?
Barbara is tired She has a head
ache and is lying down." said Har-
riet. glibly; and he was satisfied.
He swallowed the medicine she
poured out for him with wry face
Raise yourself for a moment" she
said. .'"while smooth your pillow"
8" Very WELL" he said. irritably. But
be quick; l cannot sit up long"
He was scowlng when he laid back
again on the smoothed pillow, for 1t
is hard indeed to be i'll when a beau
tiful wife and prosperous business
dangle tantalizingly, and call mock
ainsly to him who was so mighty yes
teSday to come to-day and reap the
harvest for which he had worked so
hard.
q Harriet turned away, cut to the
quick by the note of irritation. She
knew it was foolish. and that Philip
Chesney had enough to try him, il
any man had; but she felt it. never
theless.
He caught her look as she turned,
and a touch of remorse swept over
him
Little sister, he said. clasping her
hand, take no notice of me. am
i'll and peevish; but, believe me.
am grateful"
And Harriet left the room with a
wild tumult beating in her usually
quiet breast,
That was in the early days of Phil
ip Chesney's Illness; but the hope
which ugly. gentle little Harriet Fra
ser had cherished-that time would
win Barbara TO a sense of her duty
was not realized. The gay little but
terGy soul pihed and wearied for its
rose garden. and grew more and more
- loathe the nauseous. unhealthy
weeds within which 1t had to flutter.
Who shall say she was to blame?
t1RNe yOu TedueT, ever attempted 10
araiyze the charm of the most fasci-
mating woman of your acquaintance
to find out the secret by the magic
of which she. makes men her slaves?
Do so, and, If the gift of seeing be
yours, you shall iind that on the re-
verse side. of this beautiful charm
there turks the sinister demon-Self-
ishness.
All the time Philip grew worse
He would either die, or become a l:fe-