Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-30


ognized that the two children could help
to stab the bitterness of the past to death.
She was their mother. and though for all
these years she had forgotten the JOY. just
as she had forgotten the pains Of mater
nifty, it was not wholly dead. Yet Nillsrs.
Would 1t perhaps be better not to see him.
then? She could hardly do that. She had
promised him her answer, and she neter
shirked a promise Yet, even now. she did
not know what her answer would be. She
was doing no more than adding up her ac-
counts, seeing what she owed TO everybody
all round.
All this passed very quickly she went
upstairs. Then she paused underneath the
electric light at the top and opened the tele-
gram. She looked first at the end OF II. as
is natural in reading a telegram. and ex-
pecting to see Maud's name But 1t was
signed 'Thurso.'
Then she read 1t:
Il am cured, and am perfectly well. 1
humbly entreat your pardon, though your
letter so generously grants IT. Shall come
back, or could you possibly come ont here!
l must see you as soon as possible
'THURSO.'
She read 1t once, she read IT once more.
as IL TO be sure OF the sense of this In
credible thing. Could IL be hoax? II so.
who could have played so grim joke?
She looked at the hour at which II was
Then she read 1t once more, and folded
II up.
But IT is incredible" she said TO her
self. Miracles don't happen"
She passed into the drawing room, looking
consciously round at the tapestries the bro
caded furniture, the warm. mellow light of
the shaded lamps. If to assure herself
that this was not a dream. She opened
letter or two but they were quite ordinary
and commonplace; there was an invitation
or two to dinner. there were a few accept
ances of her invitations, and all were sgned
with familiar names Already, too, a foot
man was laying the cable for tea-he had
drawn two high chairs to the table and had
put plate and an egg cup opposite each
Everything except this telegram indicated
that the world going on in its normal
manner. She had ordered boiled egg, a
treat, for each of the children. There were
the egg cups
The children? Whose? Hers and
Thurso's.
Thurso was cured. so he said He be-
sought her forgiveness. Her children were
coming down to tea with her? She ex-
pected VillarS That was enough to think
about for the few minutes that would
elapse before the children came.
How bourgeois all situations were when
they actually occurredi But how deadly
when It actually occurred. was the struggle
between that old fetch called Morality and
Duty and-and-well. anything else. She
had really no idea what this fetch was
lke-she had been pure because she had
been interrupted. Now the fetch was re-
vealing its face. But all these years she
had been kind; she had been generous:
she had had the instinct for helping what
| or whoever suffered. That, too. helped 10
mold the face of the fetiches that were UNI
yelling themselves
The message that the children were to
come down to tea had not been productive
up above, of immediate rapture. Stratton
aged eleven. had said "Oh. brother!' and
Henry, aged ten. had said Shall we have
to stop long?" Their mother was a radiant
out rather terrifying vision to them. She
was usually doing something else and
mustn't be Interrupted. That summed up
their knowledge of her
But down below there was nervousness
p1lh
cards that had once produced shouts of
laughter, when the children were playing
with their father. They concerned Mr..
Bones the butcher, and other legendary
people. She remembered tie day too a
wet afternoon at the end of July. when
they had played with them. and went to
CUPBOARD IN the drawing room where
cards could usually be found, and discov-
cred these images of joy. The children
were going to have eggs also at their tea.
Ihat was treat too.
Ihey came In soon after rather Sbv ana
very anxious to behave" Bur insensiI,lv
with the instinct of children, they saw that
behavior was really not necessary That
radiant vision begged a spoonful of Henry's
egg, ana asked Stratton If he could not
spare one corner of the delicious toast which
he had buttered for himself
There was good news also. Father was
away-and some nameless dagger pierced
her as she realized that this was the first
they had heard of it-and he had been III
But he was ever so much better, quite
well in fact, and soon he was coming back
nome or else mamma was going out to SEE,
him-yes. to America, miles away What
ocean? Atlantic, of course
Soon there was no thought in the chill
drens minds of how long it was necessary
TO stop. The wonderful cards were pro-
Nuced and they all sat on the hearth-rug
and mamma was too stupid for anything
why, she had the whole suit of Mr. Bones
the butcher in her hand and never declared
it So Henry got Mr.. Bones the butcher,
and with devilish ingenuity retained it, in
stead OF passing 1t on to Stratton, who
might, without thinking. have passed it
back to mamma, who might then have
seen how silly she had been.
The game was deltriously exciting when
an interruption came, and Stratton again
get up from the hearth rug. The children,
however. were told to do so.
Get up, boys" she said. land shake
hands with Count Vilars. But don't let
me see your cards l am going to win.
How are you, Villars? The boys just
home from school. This is Stratton; this is
Henry. Do give yourself some tea. and be
kind, and let us finish our game"
Lily Thurso again proved herself per-
feet idiot. and Henry threw down his cards
with a Shrek.
'All the Ships the tailors,' he cried
'Oh, you little beast!' cried his mother,
land l have all the Bones but one, Now,
go upstairs. darlings. and take the cards
with you, if you like"
And is papa coming homer" asked Strait
II don't know yet. Off you co.
And are We to say goodb-y to him?'
asked Henry in a whisper.
Yes, of course. You must always say
good-by when you leave the room"
There was silence for a moment aftet
the boys had gone Lily broke it.
Il have just had Il telegram from Amer
ica," she said 'ThursO sent ii. He Is bet
ter. He says he is cured. He asks me IL
l will go there. if he shall come back"
She still sitting the hearth rug
where she had played with her sons. But
here she got up
II think L shall go to him. she said, and
she raised her eyes TO his.
And then the Adeplhi melodrama broke
down-it began to be played on utterly un-
conventional lines. He should have been
the villain of the piece. and she the gut
tural heroine But he was not Il villain
any more than she a heroine.
Il think l have always loved you she
said. But l can't be mean-not inten-
tionally, at least. ThurSO appeared TO he
beyond human power. But he says he is
well. He asks my fOrgiveness-he had it
already, but he asks it. So | must go 10
him."
He stirred his tea in perfectly COM
monplace way and drank it.
Say something" she said.
Then he got up.
T1F NE