The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1905-10-25
Tom S Wife
BY A. NJ. DAVIES OGDEN
Copyright, 1905, by E. G. PARCELS

little hotel room stirred YEARLY and
opened his eyes. A touch of ''chuchus'
had taken strength and vitality, and
an intense depression weighed like a
stone on body and SOUL There could ba
no news In this South American repub.
lie that interested him. The president
had probably made speech; the
weekly steamship from England had
arrived. At the thought a sob surged
up into his throat. England, his coun.
try, how far away and how dear
Resting there, motionless, passive,
picture after picture began to fit
through his brain-the trim little coun.
try houses, covered with vines and
with trees where the rocks cawed eter-
nally; the narrow, honeysuckle hedged
lanes. And To.2l-dear old Tom. The
mans face sof;ened. And Alice. He
moved restlesSly and strove to think of
other things, of his life in the ten
years since he had watched the white
cliffs Of the Needles fading into the dis.
lance. Sheep raising, farming, mining,
he had tried his hand at them all.
And now, Ill and forlorn, he lay alone
in this room In Buenos Ayres. 1t was
time for his medicine. The doctor had
hidden him be particular about 1t, but
Rockhill frowned. What was the use
of getting we'll? he unused listlessly. No.
body cared; there was nobody to care.
The thoughts Of England came throng.
ing back, strong. insistent, refusing to
be suppressed. Rockhill. weak physical
ly and mentally, let himself drift on
the tide. What had become Of Tom
Tom, with his brave blue eyes. his
glorious voice? He could not remem-
Der the time when he and Tom had
not been sworn companions, robblng
the orchards, whipping the pools to-
gether. To Rockhill, lonely boy liy-
ing with stern old uncle, the COM
panionship of the other lad had been
the brilliant web woven against the
dull wool Of home life. And the golden
thread worked into the pattern, giving
it the final touch Of beauty and pre-
ciousness-ah, that had been Alice!
Closing his eyes, the man saw again
the sweet, glrlish face surrounded by
its tangle of gold brown hair. How
joyOusly they all had lived and frolick.
ed together until the time when Rock
hill, eager and ambitious, had departed
for college.
The man on the bed shivered, the
memory Of that return from college
was yet so poignant. In one night the
hope Of a life had been undone. II
was then that he had left England
And from that day he had heard nc
word Of those behind. Were they hap
py, those two? That Alice and Ton
were long since married he never
doubted. Did they ever speak of him
wonder about his abrupt disappear
ance? He brooded over it wistfully
Had they cared?
Still browsing in the grip of Ole
memories, Rockhll lay, as the dayligh
faded, half dreaming, half awake
when suddenly the sound Of voice Ii
the next room brought him up with 4
start. A man was singing softly below
his breath, but still quite distinguish
ably. Rockhill, clutching the bed
clothes with shaking hands, tried t
reason with himself 1t was dream
an illusion conjured up by fancy AM
fever. But the voice kept steadily OF
There was no miStaliing those cleal
mellow tones. 1t was Toms voice
Tom himself was singing in the mex
room.
Rockhill's dry lips tried to form
word. "Tom," he breathed, "Iom.
But no sound came. A sudden unres
soning despair seized him. Tom wa
there. close to him, and he could nj
call him, could not attract his after
ton. .He would go and Rockhill woul
be left alone again, this time foreye
He must make Tom hear, he mus
And then slowly, carefully, his voit
breaking on the feeble notes, the ma
on the bed began to sing. Weak, bar
" audible, In phrasing and intonatic
the notes We're yet recognizable In
tation of Tom singing his favori
song as he had sung it so often
those old days.
There was a stir in the next rooI
then the sound of the hasty openil
and shutting Of a door. The next m
ment Rockhill's own door flew OPT
and on the threshold stood man, ia
eager faced, with clear blue eyes.
'Tom!" cried Rockhill. tom" Al
he tainted. When he recovered co
seriousness Tom, his eyes suspicious
bright, was kneeling by the bedsit
He held Rockhill's two wasted han
tightly clasped in his own.
Colbert, old fellow" he was sayir
@Gilbert, where have you kept yours
all these years?" he pursued, and
voice was tenderly reproachful. "Ht
could you run off that way?"
Gilbert smiled in pure content
hearing the well known voice.
'I-oh, never mind me" he answert
II was all right till l was taken i'll
this COMPOUNDED hole. But you, Ton
you," as If famlshed for news-"ht
spns