Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1905-10-14
LOVE ASTRIDE A BROOMSTICK .
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK
BY HAIDEE WRIGHT

twitching faces. she motioheu 70 the
chairman. He dropped the handle slowly
and. seating himself on distant bench,
sazed placidly out to sea. Hester's eyes
returned to Arnott's. Shame and suffer-
ING were looking out Of them, and above
these things a stern, logged questioning
She answered it. Under the shelter OF
the overhanging terrace she leaned down.
1T isn't true,, she whispered, her lace
TRANSPORTED with the passion OF pity she
denied. "That's not the reason. It's
inst because love you-love you, dear.
Then, bending low, she kissed him on the
lips.
And the bath-chair man sat blinking
in the sun.
Beyis had had lis answer, and he dla
MT like it. They were back in town
now. Beyis and his aunt and Hester.)
s. Percy's visits ceased, and his aunt was
very wroth.
Major Arnott and his man were IN
stalled in FURNISHED rooms. Bare, IN
lovely as thew were, the time she spent
there, the one golden hour stolen from
the dreary twenty. -four, transformed that
"first-aoor front" into something Ike a
Paradise-for two pairs Of eyes, at least.
fPerbaps Peters, assigned All attic with
sloping roof, might, Of the bumps upon
his head. tell quite different tale; but
Peters's opinion was not asked
It was this said Peters whom Hestei'
encountering upon the stairs one evening"
stopped to question.
.Yon've returned n she said-rather
needlessIy, Of course.
He admitted so much, with canton.
When she would have questioned HIM,
he rushed into description OF the Fri
yate Nursing Home, its inmates, ana tie
incidents attendant on the detention ~ y
during the last seven days.
Her face sharpened with anxiety.
"What was the doctors verdict, Petersf
/ would rather know.
Peters avoided her eye-and direc'
answer. !
"My masters expecting you, was all
he said, and she passed on up STAIRS WITH
a sinking heart. I.
On the couch by the window Arnott
was living, the invalid chair wheeled INTO
a corner out of sight. Something III ms
attitude logged squaring Of the shout
ders an indefinable rebellion-struck her
At once, and the pathos Of it, the lncon-
oruity between the man and his late,
gripped her by the heart. Her lips stin-
ened little. She moistened them, then
went and knelt beside him.
'Neyer mind" she said unsteadi'y
'it-it can't be helped.
But, as his arms went round ier, slle
turned her face to his breast, ana the
shadows falling round them screened ana
shut them in, SO that their tears were
hidden, even from each other.
1T is quite hopeless, then H she wins
pered, when the fire was growing DINNER.
"Quite. may walk on crutches II
wear or two, but shall never be my own
man again.
lie looked up presently, and broke INTO
a laugh. "Why don't you say It's COD
will, Hester? That it's done ior some
wise purpose, and we must bow to me
DEGREES Of Fate Your tongues not
ready with these cut and-dried condol-
ences."
Then, as she answered nothing, he
drew her close, till her head rested on
his shoulder and his cheek was laid On
hers,
"Do YOU know what it means? The
end Of everything Fins to oook
concluded in its second chapter. AND
We only write once with the pen dipped
IN orr hearts blood after that We conn-
terfeit the copy with flourishes and red
ink. Oh, Hester his voice was husky
-"ourdreams-ou hopes and dreams
they're like band Of little children
drowning before our eyes, and we must
watch IN, sink because our hands are
tied"
He leaned his forehead on his clenched
fists, and sobs shook his frame. Then
Hester, kneeling beside him, broke into
bitter cry.
tGod isn't just lie isn't just !" she
said.
flush, dear. You're too good. If
we who are exacting. We expect Him
to stop the earth revolving, because OF a
little heartache. -
Hester was crying. lie stroked her
roughened hair.
'Dreamers, dreamers both. Two fan
ciful fools astride bEoomstick. A bump |!
and we're on earth again, with nothing
but loneliness before us all our days"
And the shadows heightened until the,
encircled those quiet figures, and the fires
diving embers fickered-fickered, and
died out-and the room was left in dark
ness.
Then Hester, speaking passionately,
broke long silence.
"Why should it end? Why need they
drown? Murray, our hands are free i
we will help each other. Love is 50
sweet, and life SO hard Unless we take
our sunshine when it comes, we shall
SILVER in cold and darkness all our lives.
Al knew =, Size stprangg to her feet
and began pacing up and down. lyon
are looking prudence at me-prudence
and the selfisllness called Misdon-every.
thing that wrings the jny and sweetness
out Of life. We're poor YOU re stricken;
I'm weakly; so we've 10 right 70 love
commonsense cries, i forbid il ! Well,
I've only one answer-We do lne. God
put it in our hearts. Your doctors ,er-
dict can't root it out again. II ,niPrs
helpless, the more need 81 me. Yun y ere
lonely, 90 God set me at ynnr side, aid !
won't leave it, Murray sw,a Won't
It'll you stop ln>ii.g me - drive me
away with blnws,n She was down on