Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-07-15

when the time for growing old came!
But it was very. very long way. Oh,
and she and Robert had only been
married six short months-they had
years and years of sunny life in front
Of them before
The door opened.
"Mrs. Ainslie," said a trim parlor
maid, and the little lady rose and fol.
lowed her.
And all at once her heart gave that
frightened leap again, but she was
smiling when she entered the great
Doctors room.
Both doctors were standing, and a
queer feeling came over her as she
saw their faces-that they watched her
pitifully-as if-as If she were that
prisoner ut the bar one of them was
just going to put on the black cap.
1t was whimsical idea. Her glance
fell almost involuntarily upon DR..
James gray head, and she smiled
again.
DR.. Bryant leaned against the man
telpiece.
1t struck her that he kept his eyes
averted. She wondered vaguely why
he did so. Possibly he had made some
little mistake in diagnosis and was
rather veXed about it.
"Will you sit down, Mrs. Ainslee?
Dr. James voice broke in upon her
thoughts.
She sat down in the big armchair
where she had sat just now-all those
m1nutes-Or was it hours ago?-when
she had first come into the room today
with DR.. Bryant.
DR.. James seated himself at the table
facing her.
This room was brighter than the
| other where she had waited so long.
The sun came into 1t, and little patches
OF light danced upon the carpet and
upon the table that was strewn with
letters and upon the great mans kind,
quiet face.
Outside the window there was &C.
tually tree. 1t was April, and the
leaves were beginning to grow green
and waved gently to and fro in the
soft spring air.
Her eyes left the dancing leaves out
side and came back to the faces of the
two silent men. She realized that they
were both strangely quiet.
"Well," she said in gay little voice.
what is the verdict? YOU The
words died on her lips. She could not
have said why, only something in DR..
James face gave her q curious sense
Of suffocation
Mrs. Ainslie," he said gently, so
gently that a sudden longing to cry
| assailed her, II am afraid we have not
very good news to give you" He
paused, and the sudden longing to cry
| left her.
Some instinct inherited from her Rev.
dictionary ancestors made her draw
herself up in her chair and look the
| old man squarely in the face.
1t was he, not her, who WINGED lit
tie as she said quietly:
rs it a very serious operation, then?
Don't mind telling me. am not
afraid"
She was dinly conscious that DR..
Bryant turned quickly away from
| where he stood and moved toward the
window and that the silence following
her words seemed weighty with mean
ing.
NO." DR.. James said slowly, 81 am
sure you are not afraid of-of-an
operation. But-there is no operation
that we can do
| Again she was conscious of little
movement on the part of the silent
man by the window, and she watched
with curious sort Of fascination how
the pattern Of the dancing leaves out
side was repeated in dancing sun
beams upon the carpet within.
mo operation?" she asked. But
Then her eyes went back to DR..
| James face.
But" she continued, after that
queer little pause, then it is not seri-
Gus at all, suppose?'
DR.. James lifted his head quickly,
and their eyes met.
So profound pity lay in them that
she drew back trihe. Her own eyes
never faltered, only the hand that held
her handkerchief clutched it so tightly
that it was almost pain.
II have never had harder thing to
do than this, Mrs. Ainslie," DR.. James
said. "You must prepare for a great
shock-a very great shock. We cannot
operate because an operation would be
useless, but-the growth is so serious
q One-that''-
1T will kill me, do you mean?" she
said and tho color flushed ouoe hor