Evening star., 1908-01-12

the midsummer foliage. She took her
watch out of the little watch pocket at
| her waist-nearly II! If he had got the
dispatch at 8, it was surely time for an
answer. Still. so many things might have
F! happened to delay 1t. He might have
| been late in getting to his office; or, for
| that matter, Eddy Minns might be slow
about coming up the hill. Everybody was
| slow in Old Chester.
| The empty read ran down to the foot
| of the HILL no trudging messenger climbed
| its hot slope. Twelve! ''I'll not look at
| the road for five minutes she told her
| self, resolutely. and sat staring at the
watch open in her hand. Five minutes
later she snapped the lid shut and looked
Blazing, unbroken sunshine. 1T ought
| to have been here by this time she
thought. with a tightening of her lips.
Perhaps he was away? Her heart sank
at that; but how absurd! Suppose he
was. What did a few hours waiting
| amount to? She had waited thirteen
years.
For another hour she watched in the
heat and silence of the garden: then
started to hear Sarah, at her elbow, say
ing that dinner was on the table.
Very well,'' she answered. impatiently.
I'll wait another five minutes" she said
to herself. But she waited ten. When
she sat down In the dining room she ate
| almost nothing. Once she asked Sarah If
she knew how long it took for dispatch
Sarah gaped at the question, and said she
didn't know as she'd ever heard.
In the afternoon. with covert glances
out of the window. she kept indoors and
tried to put her mind on practical things
the arrangements with her landlord for
canceling the lease; the packing and
shipping of furniture. At last. on sud-
den impulse, she said to herself that she
would go and meet David as he came
home from school-and call at the tele-
graph office.
In the post Office, where the telegraph
bound Old Chester to the outer world,
Mrs. Minns. looking up from her knit
ting, saw the tense face at the delivery
| window.
mo letters for you. Mrs. Richie" she
said; then she remembered the telegram
that had by this time interested all Old
Chester. and got up and came forward.
sympathetically curious "Welrm, l sup
pose there's good deal of dyin this time
of year?"
Have you a dispatch for me?" Mrs.
Richie said. curtly
Nom said Mrs Minns.
Did Dr. King send telegram for me
this morning." she asked, in a sudden
| panic of alarm.
"Yes'm,' the postmistress said "he sent
! it."
Mrs Richie turned away and began to
| walk about the office; up and down, up
and down. Once she stopped and read
the names on the pigeonholes Of the letter
| rack; once the telegraph instrument
| clicked and she held her breath: rs
| that mine?" .
1T amt" Mrs Minns said. laconically
| Helena went to the open doorway and
gazed blankly out into Main street. She
might as well go home; he wasn't going
to telegraph. She told herself that he
was out of town and had not received her
| dispatch But her explanation was not
| convincing; If he was away. the dispatch
would have been forwarded to him. 1t
| hl haf 6fa r..
urday he had not thought it worth while
| TO telegraph. She wandered aimlessiy
out into the hot street-there was no use
waiting any longer, and as for meeting
| David, he had gone home long ago.
| AS she went up the street DR.. Lavendar
stopped her. He had been told that the
news of the night before did not mean
| affiiction, but DR. Lavendar knew that
he stood ready to offer comfort if it was
/ needed. But apparently 1t was not
wanted, and after minutes pause he be-
| gan to speak OF his own affairs: I've
to me for two or three days in October"
| 3"David?" she repeated. blankly; her
mind was very far away from David.
Il have to go to Philadelphia then
! Dr. Lavendar was really eager, and II
you will let me take him along-I guess
Rose knight will let him off-we would
have fine time!'
| Certainly, DIR. Lavendar." she said
| courteously But she thought quickly
| that she and David would not be in Old
Chester in october. However, she could
not explain that to DR.. Lavendar. It-was
easier to say yes. and be done with it.
| Good evening" she added, impatlently,
for the old gentleman would have kept
her Indefinitely, talking about David.
But as she climbed the hill her mind
went out to the child with the relief of
one who in darkness opens door toward
the light. She found him In the parlor.
curled up in big chair by the window
looking at a picture book. He climbed
down Immediately. and came and took
her hand in his. demonstration of af-
fection so unusual that she caught him
in her arms and might have cuddled him
with the undesired forty kissss.'' If he
had not gently moved his head aside. But
her eyes were so blurred with tears of
fatigue and fright she did not notice the
rebuff.
The next twenty-four hours were tense
with expectation and fear. Helenas mind
veered almost with every breath: He had
not telegraphed because he had not re-