The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-08-10

up in her? o oodhe
II Is worth any sacrificed" Til.
words swung, in his brain until tho,
persistency irritated him.
VI course it was worth evervtb,,.
everything; but-what Sacrifice oo.,Id
ne axe what sacrifice was e%nlIivaIan,
10 a hundred n fifty pounds? VIM
All the furniture of their house W.
not or that value! What
Inc door opened; the old servan,
VINO was general factotum in the house
noio, handed Mr.. Dene a salyer tba,
held the second mail.
ana When you are free sir Tho
mistress would like to see you"
VIII come directly" he
ano vas preparing to lay the letters
upon the table when one address in an
Unknown ndnd, caught his attention
moved by a faint curiosity, he onenad
~ ID doing so a check fell from /. -
ms 1eet. The note was short and 70
the point: ~
Grosvenor Square, April7.
lear SIT: Having seen your appeal
iol nelp IN the restoration Of your
cHufcn tine magnificent architecture of
"hicn IS well known to me-, | beg 70
enclose tl5O towards the very WORTHY
OBJECT, which appeals strongly to me a.
an ~archaeologist.
Yours Truly,
James Davies"
olttlng down again heavily. NopI
Dene spread the check out uDon tha
table and looked at it.
Fay Noel Dene one hundred and
nifty pounds There it was in main
words before his eyes, and in the navr
instant the words were dancing in mis-
brain. Pay Noel Dene one hundred
and fifty pounds"
Ihey mingled themselves fantasticai-
~ with some other words that had
Deer swinging in his head before.
1t IS worth any sacrifice; it is worth
any sacrifice,'
He smoothed the check under his
fingers and laughed softly. Worth NV
sacrifice? Why, of course il was. #
was her life. If this man, this arch
aeOlOglst, had known at what a momen
MS cneck would arrive, no doubt ne
would nave suggested that it should be
used to pay the great surgeon, and the
restoration Of the fine Norman church
COULD wait just Il little while.
Again he laughed softly, and patted
the check. 1t felt like some live, warm
thing under his fingers. That strip of
paper meant SO much. Why when he
came to think of tit meant-every-
thing; it meant his Wife's life; his own
happiness. At least. it would have
meant all these things, if the check
had been his OWn-to do what he liked
with-his own
He pushed it away from him. How
ridiculous that such thoughts should
come into his mind at all! Why, he
check was in no sense his. 1t merely
passed through his hands for the re-
storation of the church,; it was no
more his than-the church itself was
his. Absurd, he would endorse it at
and send it to Mr.. Maitland to
pay into the fund, then
But, after all, little delay could make
no real difference. He smoOthed The
check out again, there was actual ten
derness in his touch. Well! suppOsing
he sent the check into his own account
instead of to Mr.. Maitland, the church
warden; ~suppOsing, then, that he wrote
a check himself for the great surgeon
and later Orwell later On-he could
repay the money into the restoration
fund by i~nstallments! 1t would be
a matter of-Of-deferred pay
ment, ali! Of course. that was tide
ferred payment.
Her life lay in his hands, and he low
ed her more, a million times more,
than he loved her sixteen years ego.
He took up his pen, turned the check
over, endorsed it quickly. 1t was all
so Simple-SO extremely simple.
He would post it early TO be paid
into his bank account, h a telegram,
Fix operation for tomorrow could be
dispatched, and the thing would be
done.
On the other hand, if he followed MS
usual line of action with regard to
subscriptions, ne would send the check
with a note directly to his church VA
den Mr.. Maitland, begging him to pay
If into the Restoration Fund account.
If he did that, the telegram to Dr..
Samson must run Operation out OF
question:
It was no use to talk 1t over with
Leonora; without the &1oO the tnlnS
impossible; yet-what was 1t Dr.
Samson has said!
q answer 1OI lue oIlSSdue-ASC
if postponed. 1t is her life-it IS worth
any sacrifice!
Yes-he agreed; TO save her lie was
worth any sacrifice.
He drew a sheet of paper towards
him. Upon it he wrote rapidly.
Little s., April :
"Gentlemen: Will you be KIND
enough to place the enclosed check TO
Yours faithfully,
Noel Dene.'
Yours faithfully" would he be
theirs or ANYBODY else's faithfully
ever again? He laughed harshly. The
sound penetrated TO the room above,
and the sick woman stirred uneas'iE
in her sleep! Pshaw! 1t was rlal-
cuIous: it was really quite simple