Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-01-10

she must have stood thus after he had
left her, watching each face in the street
below, hoping against hope that it was
| his
And now that he was beside her. now
that he was longing to pour out tbe
words OF repentance-she did not tI,rn
toward him nor hearken.
lie spoke again. He tried to comfort
her-tried to tell her how he repented
the past-how he would have made
amends mad his life continued. With an
outpouring of passionate words. such AZ
had never come to his mortal Inns he
pleaded for pardon, and essayed to soothe
her sorrow.
Darling, darling, put me out OF your
mind and begin life afresh. You're 40
young, YOU mustn't despair. The world
! IS still yours, and You can still be happy
Forget me, and love some other man who
VIII treat you better than treated
YOU"
No answer. No answer
So he had come too late. them The
words of comfort which bis living lins
should have spoken bore no meaning now
that those lips were dead He eo,,ld
voice them, but they could not tonch
her ears. So all around and every hour
spirits spoke, but the humans did not
hear their speech.
Oh, for a day-one hour.-one minnie
of life Given that, he could take her
IN his arms, those arms where she had
so often lain in mute happiness, and tell
her all he had to tell. He could sob ont
his syllables of repentance, and she--she
would forgive. She would know and ,,,i-
derstand
Remorse! Ha, he knew the meaning
of that word now. In his living DAYS he
had known its meaning acutely enough.
but whilst life remained there was AL
ways the vague knowledge of a possible
expiration. But now, now, hope was
dead, OF what use hope, since he could
achieve naught?
Who was it said of hope that the
damned speak that word in hell?o The
phrase came back to him now, and sud
denly seemed fraught with terrible mean
ing Yes, they spoke that word because
they felt as he felt now
Then, in that supreme moment of illr-
mination, he realized that this was hell.
Not the hell of the theologians with Its
fires and its physical torrents, but the
mere subtle hell wherein the dull, half |
formed remorse of the living world was
magnified into the damning torment
which assailed the dumb and impotent
spirit. To touch the living creature and
receive no answering look, to speak to
the living creature and near no respon-
sivc word, to behold anguish and to be
powerless to comfort, that was the real
hell, aud he--he was in its depths.
The operation was ended They took
back the inert body, with it's head
swathed in hideous bandages, to the
ward and the surgeon who had per-
formed the work whispered to his assist
ant that they might have spared them
selves the trouble.
Still, one has to make the expert |
ment, he said, with shrug of his broad |
shoulders.
Slowly, consciousness came back to |
Manrieve. He realized that what he had
experienced mad been the fabric of
vision, and for i moment the pain THAI /
fingered in his head was as naught to |
the joy of this discovery
He dozed little, and awoke half an
honl later, in that dreamy, semi-delirious
condition which frequently precedes the
end of life. His brain was still filled |
with thoughts of Barbara, and he bab-
bled feebly:
Let me hold your hand, darling" he
murmured. Il shan't be afraid if /
you'll let me hold your hande
The surgeon bent over the bed
Poor chap, he's thinking of some
woman" he muttered His wife, per
haps."
He cast a plying look ct the bandage
hidden face. Naught but the chin was
visible, but the surgeon who was some
thing OF a physiognomist, perceived the |
weakness of it, and wondered whether |
there had been tragedy in the mans life |
and whether that weak chin had helped |
to bring it about.
As he stood beside the bed, Manrieve |
rose wildly and stretched out his hand |
gropingly.
'Babs, Babs," he moaned.
The surgeon looked round the ward |
All the nurses save one were busy, but |
at the far end of the room that one was
bending over some needlework. He APP
preached her and whispered:
You might go and sit beside that man |
in No. ~" he said. Hes nearly gone,
poor chap, and his mind seems upset |
about some woman"
The nurse nodded, and rose instantly. |
She did not belong to the ward, and was I
rarely there. She was comparatively |
new 10 hes work, ana was inclined TO be |
more sympathetic than the average |
nurse. In moment she was beside the |
bed of Manrieve, and was holding his |
hand.
Like the surgeon, she gazed upon the I
bandages, wondering what sort of face
lay beneath. Was the man young or
old? Were his features comedy or ugly ? !
What had been the story of the life |
which was wearing to its end in that |
dim ward?
Mechanically, she glanced at the card
which hung over the bed; but the card !,
did not even reveal the patients name, |
for Manrieve had been brought into the |
hospital efter the accident in an uncon.
scious state and the authorities had had /
no opportunity of aseertaining anything
concerning him.
The grip upon her hand frightened /
Ihen the natient's Inns moved and be- |