Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-08
THEHOUSE OBEDIENCE
BY EDWARD F. BENSON.
m@w An .rs~ed
BY EDWARD F. BENSON.

Lily. She applauded Media vigorously and
split glove. But nobody else did. though
she sang divinely."
He got up and chucked his cigarette end
away.
"And she's my WIFE," he said, and the
four words carried tons Of irony:
Maud got up also She hated this, and
she knew 1t all SO well. 1t was only to her
that Thurso talked like that.
"Oh, it is such pity" she said. you
are both such splendid people, you know.
And-and--'
"And l bore her, and she gets on my
nerves." he remarked.
Maud gave little labial sound Of disap-
proval. which is usually written, Tut tut"
Don't say such things" she exclaimed.
1T is pity to say them just because they
are true; If they weren't true 1t wouldn't
particularly signify. But to say true
thing. when that thing is a pity. only makes
You don't do her justice, any more than
she does you justice. You both expect the
other to be like them. What beautiful
grammar! And-Thurso, she isn't happy
any more than you are"
why do you think that? She makes
forty eight hours out Of every day, and
fins them all, while the world. like you and
me- looks on with envious admiration. That
is her ideal. She attains it always. And
Lady Thurso's husband claps his hands,
too"
Maud took him by the shoulder and shook
him gently.
"Id:otv' she said idiot! Think it over.
am going to bed. Thank me for catching
so many beautiful fish"
I'm not sure that l thank you for ask
ing Mr. Cochran to dinner tomorrow, he
said Maud, l do like these quiet evenings
with you. We are not smart. Neither you
nor l."
mo; it's our defect. dear. Besides, I
am. when l choose. l shall be smart at
YOUR ball Goodnight. What a nice day
it has been! No fresh case of typhoid to-
day for the people, and no headache Tor
you. and salmon for me. The luck IS
coming way!
The next day was wholly given up to the
installation of the typhoid patients. Car
pets and curtains had been rolled up ana
beds brought up and down from basement
and attic, so that the utmost accommooa-
tion might be furnished in the large rooms
on the ground floor. DR.. Symes had de-
cided that 1t was better to run little FISK
and move even bad cases up here, 1or the
sake of the more immediate attention ana
the larger supply of fresh air than was pos
sible when they were scattered about In
cottage rooms, and the ambulance, gong
backward and forward all day. brought
grave burdens on it. But by in the after
noon the work of TRANSFORMATION was done,
and the house was full. AfterWard the
doctors went the round OF their patients,
and such risk as might have been run was
well justified by results. Not one apparent
" had suffered for the move, and now0in-
stead of their being in small, ill-ventllated
chambers. they were airily housed, Win
every facility for constant supervision from
the nurses. Most, too, were going on very
we'll. but there was one case, that Of Sandy,
the gillie which was as serious as 1t couid
be- Like many strong men, 1t seemed as II
the fever had appropriated his strength;
yampire-like, for its own nourlsnment. anu
DR. Symes before he left. had given orders
that he should be sent for at once II any
further unfavorable symptoms appeared.
Ducan's wife. 1t is true, had been In no
less perilous a case this very morning, 1t
snatched from the closing jaws of death.
Thurso had been in the house the whole
day feeling 1t conscientiously Impossible
not to be there and when 1t was all over
he went to the room in which he and
Maud lived desperately tired, and intend
ing to get an hours sleep before dinner
But because one has an intention, how
ever innocent or laudable, 1t does not nee
essarily follow that ones best efforts are
able to put 1t into effect, and instead. In
this instance, having composed hlmselr 10
sleep, he felt broadly and staringly awake
AS he lay on the sofa, with his face away
from the light, his eyes shut and his atti-
tude conducive to repose, hundred vivid
pictures crossed his brain. An intermina.
BILE series of stretchers, each with Its still
fever-stricken burden upon 1t, came up the
uncarpeted stairs, and even as he hoped
that their monOtonous procession was the
precursor Of inconsistencies, another
image stole in by the back door, so to
speak. and diverted his attention. Maud
had gone fishing yesterday and had en-
loved good sport, SO the procession Of
stretchers was interrupted only to make
way for the vision Of her landing fish after
fish, till II seemed that this endless repeti-
ton must end In sleep. But the back door
opened again, and reverting to their con-
versation of the night before. Lily stood
at the head of the stairs in Thurso House
receiving kings and queens, and queens
and kings But the drowsness produced
by that ended again not in sumber. but in
something that was very antagonistic to
1t. There was just a little stab-it was
hardly pain-inside his head. as infinites-
imal as the sound of an electric bell in
the basement Then 1t was repeated, but
louder and more insistently as if the bell
were halfway up the kitchen stairs. Then
it was beginning to be pain now-it was
as IL the ringer of the electric bell grew
impatient, and left his finger on it, while