Smyrna times., 1905-11-01
Tom S Wife
By A. NJ. DAVIES OGDEN
Copyright, 1905, by E. c. PARCELS
By A. NJ. DAVIES OGDEN

DN"h III hS SlleeI sudden bursting |
of bombs announced an extra" and
the sick man lying on the bed in the
little hotel room stirred wearily and
opened his eyes. A touch of "chuchu''
had taken strength and vitality, and
an intense depression weighed like a
stone on body and soul. There could be
no news in this South American renub- |
lie that interested him. The president
had probably made a 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 bBain-the trim little CONN.,
try houses, covered with vines and
with trees where the rocks cawed eter.
nally; the narrow, honeysucllle hedged
lanes. And TOm-dear old Tom. The
mans face softened. And Alice. He
moved reStlessly and strOve to think of
other things, of his life in the ten
cliffs Of the Needles fading into the dis
tance. 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 it. but
Rockhill frowned. What was the use
of QattiOO XuaII . ha Y,,,,Sad lis+loeeIx, NJ
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, robbing
the orchards, whipping the pools to-
| gether. To ROckhill, lonely boy liv-
| ing with q stern old uncle, the COM
| paniOnship Of the other lad had been
| the brilliant web woven against the
| dull woof of home life. And the golden
| thread worked into the pattern, giving
| II bA4C maj lOuNh VI OCttulS anu
ciousness-ah, that had been Alice!
| Closing his eyes, the man saw again
the sweet, girlish face surrounded by
It's 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. 1t
was then that he had left England.
And from that day he had heard no
word of those behind. Were they hap
py, those two? That Alice and Tom
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 old
memories, Rockhill lay, as the daylight
faded, half dreaming, half awake
when suddenly the sound of a voice If
the next room brought him up with {
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 u dream
an illusion conjured up by fancy anC
a | fever. But the voice kept steadily on
There was no mistaking those clear
mellow tones. 1t was Toms voice
Tom himself was singing in the mex
room.
Rockhilrs dry lips tried to form
} word. "Tom," he breathed, tom,
But no sound came. A sudden unrea
soning despair seized him. Tom wa
there, close to him, and he could nc
call him, could not attract his after
ton. He would go and Rockhill woul
be left alone again, this time foreve
He must make Tom hear, he mus
\ And then slowly, carefully, his voiC
breaking on the feeble notes, the ma
y on the bed began to sing. Weak, bar
Iy audible, in phrasing and intonatio
the notes were yet a recognizable i'm
tation of Tom singing hisAfavo--
song as he had sung it so often
those old days.
There was stir in the next ROOF
then the sound of the hasty openir
~ ~ and shutting of a door. The next m
ne ment Rockhill's own door few opC
p and on the threshold stood a man, ia
en eager faced, with clear blue eyes.
re '0Tomv' cried Rockhill. "Tomp Al
he tainted. When he recovered co
ke sciousness Tom, his eyes suspicious
~ ~ bright, was kneeling by the bedsid
ed He held Rockhilrs two wasted han
tightly clasped in his own.
,ap colbert, old fellow" he was sayir
eat colbert, where have you kept Tours'
he all these years?" he pursued, and
voice was tenderly reproachful. "HC
ei could you run off that wayT"
ms. Gilbert smiled in pure content
IAN hearing the well known voice.
all 'I-oh. never mind me" he answers