Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1906-01-13
CHAPTER XVII.

Isabel found Gwcndoline tender and
compassionate 10 her. She only raised
her eyes to the lady's face with u CRATE
full look. She forgot all about the In
tcrvicw Mt Grnybridge: what could she
remember In that room, except that he
was ill?-in danger, people had told her;
but she could not believe that. The ex-
pcriencc Of her husbands deathbed had
impressed her with an idea that danger.
Gus illness must be accompanied by ter
rible prostration, delirlum, raging fever,
dull stupor. She saw Roland In one Of
his best intervals, reasonable. cheerful,
self. possessed. and she could not be-.
lieve that he was going to die. She
looked ut him and saw that his face
was bloodless. and that his head was
bound by linen bnnda.cs. which con.
cealcd his forehead. \ fall from his
horse! She remembered how she had
unconscious Of her presence, grand and
self.absorbed; but among all her mus
ings she had never imagined any danger
coming to him In that shape. She had
fancied him always rs a dauntless rider,
tanning the widest steed with one light
pressure Of his hand upon the curb.
She never guessed the truth. The med.
ical men who attended Roland Lans.
dell knew that the injuries from which
he was dying had never been caused by
any fall from u horse; and they said
as much to Charles Raymond. who was
unutterably distressed by tho intelli-
gence. But neither he nor the doctors
could obtain any admission from the pa
tient. though Mr.. Raymond most earn.
estly implored him to reveal tho truth.
''Cure me II you can" he said; "noth-
ing that ] can tell you win give yo,,
help In doing that. II i Ia my fancy to
Keep the cause Of my death secret, II
II the within Of dying man, and II ought
to be respected. No living creature upon
this earth, except one man, will ever
know how I came by these injuries. But
] do hope that you gentlemen will he
discreet enough to spare my friends any
useless pain. The gossips are ut work
already, ! dare say, specializing as to
what became Of the horse that threw
NE. For PHYS sake. do your best IT,
stop their talk.
Isabel had lost all count Of time since
the sudden shock Of her husbands death
s"u ouV usu uoS GNcu huOW tuo uuy Oh
the week. She only knew that the
world seemed to have come to an end,
and that II was very hard to be left
alone In q deserted universe.
For long time she knelt by her bed.
side praying that Roland I.ansdell might
live--0nly that he might live. She
would be contented and happy, she
thought. to know that all the world lay
between her and him, II she could only
know that he lived. Childishly. ignor-
antly, a. a child might supplicats for
the life Of Its mother. did this girl pray
for the recovery Of Roland Lansdell.
No thought Of her new freedom. no fore
shadowing Of what might happen II he
could be restored to health, disturbed the
simple fertor Of her prayers. She only
wanted him to live.
The sun sloped westward, and still
shone upon that knselins figure Per-
haps Isabel had vague notion that the
length Of her prayers might prevail.
They were only rambling, unorthodox
petitions. 1t II not every mourner who
can cry. "Thy will be DONE" PitifuI
and weak and foolish are some OF the
lamentations that rise to the Eternal
Throne.
At last. when Isabel had been sons
hows alone and undistubsd IN that sun.