The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-04-26

you all the time, whether you are fresh
or tired, pleasant or not pleasant, sue
cessful or not"
Fresh or tired, pleasant or not pleas
ant successful or not Then he
laughed a little iarrlngly, she thought.
But what do you know about It, after
all? You never loved like that, did
youw
She looked at him with startled, al
most guilty, eyes, and Hetherlngton
had queer feeling Of having entered
unwittingly into a sanctified presence.
He rose and walked around the room
aimlessly for a few minutes. Then he
said he had some nasty experiments 20
make and maybe she would not want
to stay, although he rather looked as
though he would have liked to have
her.
But she left and then sat at her win
dow watching his shadow move TO and
fro as It fell against the trees Of the
garden. Suddenly she heard n splutter-
ing explosion and a strange cultural
cry. For a CHASTITY second she watched
the fitful leap Of lights on the trees,
but his shadow did not come back.
Then she grabbed her water pitcher,
full, happily, and the heavy rug on the
floor and ran into his room. She flung
the door open upon thin blur Of
fame and nlckering tongues reaching
like dancing imps here and there in
midair and through it all something
like a huddled figure on the floor. Up
went the water ahead of herself and
over herself and then &e rug over the
| figure, and with a strength she hardly
dared to think could be in her tense
muscles she dragged lt out toward the
hall. Then, wrapping her skirts around
herself with quick turn, she tore
down the burning portieres that
screened the laboratory from the den,
and, finding the hose attached to the
| hydrant, she set the spray over herself
and over the room. .p.
By this time the others had come.
But It was really all over. she stag
gered out TO look at Hugh. His eyes
were closed, his face blackened.
"Is he dead? Oh, Is he dead" she
said weakly.
Then, covering her face with her
| burned hands as IL fearing the an.
swer, she sank down In a white heap
beside him.
The next day Hugh, who though
singed and stunned, had been little
hurt, sat beside her and held her band.
aged hands.
He watched the play of her fea,
lures as he talked to her, and II seemed
to him like watching an unfolding
flower. He caught himself wondering
cred charm. What deep, fine eyes
What a singularly sweet and unaf
fected smile! What an intimate gen
tleness in her voice
Mrs. Hetherington said one morning
"Hcw charming you are in that pale
yellow wrapper! You are quite trans
formed" And she passed her hand
tenderly over the girl who had saved
her last child TO her.
Hugh said, "She Is Cinderella, and
the fairy godmother has shaken the
magic tree over her"
And he did not know just yet tina
the magic which was touching he
and him, too, was older even thar
fairy godmothers.
He spent his spare moments now
trying to please her, even as she hat
once tried to please him. He told hel
over and over again that it was hel
wit and her speed and her dear burned
hands that saved his life after his stu
pldlty with the ether and the colo
dion.
"Ah, no." she would say. at was al
inspiration. / am not bit brave o
myself"
"Do you remember" he said one day
"your test Of love-"
She blushed little this time. "Yol
never told me-" he went on, "whethe
you ever loved any one that way o.
not"
She did not answer.
"Do you think that you could?"
He thought he saw smile fit owe
the face bent away from him thougl
It was, and he took her hands tina
were now healed, though still scarce
a little.
She raised her head and looked a
him, and Hetherlngton suddenly knel
down before her and kissed her hands
and then he drew her head down L
him and kissed her on the lips.