Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-22

repeated, I'VE will find the breakfast
promised you seven eternities ago. For
w'rd to the pigsty!'
We said very little, for the remainder
of that walk. I had almost reached the
limit of endurance; with every step the
broken, ends of the bone grated together.
We found the farmhouse without diff
Guilty, and / remember wondering if l
could hold out to the end Of the old stone
walk that led between hedges. to the
door.
Allah be praised" I said. with all the
voice could muster. Behold the coffee
pot!'' And then I put down the grip and
folded up like jackknife on the porch
floor.
When I came around something hot
was trickling down my neck, and de-
spairing voice was saying, "Oh, 1 don't
seem to be able to pour it into your
mouth. Please open your eyes,.
But don't want it in my eyes," / re-
Piled. dreamily. II haven't any idea
what came over me. 1t was the shoes. l
think the left one is red-hot torture"
! was sitting by that time and looking
across into her face.
Never before or since have I tainted,
but 1 would do 1t joyfully. a dozen times
day, if l could waxen again to the
blissful touch of soft fingers on my face.
the hot ecstasy of coffee spilled by those
thrill in every tone OF her voice that
morning. Before long my loyalty to Nc
knight would step between me and the
girl he loved; lie would develop new
complexities. In those early hours after
the wreck. full of psin as they We're.
there was nothing OF the. suspicion and
distrust that came later Shorn Of our
gauds and baubles, We We're primitive
man and woman. together; our world for
the hour was the deserted farmhouse. the
slope of wheat field that led to the road.
the woodland lot, the pasture.
We breakfssted together across the
homely table. Our cheerfulness. at first
sheer reaction. became less forced as We
ate great slices of bread from the granny
oven back of the house. and drank hot
fluid that smelled like coffee and tasted
like nothing that have ever swallowed.
We found cream in stone jars. sunk deep
In the chill water of the spring house.
And there were eggs, great yellow-brown
ones-a basket of them.
/. So. like two children awakened from a
nightmare. We chartered over our food:
we hunted mutual friends. we laughed
together at my feeble witticisms, but we
put the horror behind us resolutely.
After all. it was the hat with the green
ribbons that brought back the strange
ness of the situation.
All along I had had the impression that
of her mind something that obtruded
now end then. 1t brought with 1t a re-
turn Of the puzzled expression that had
surprised early in the day. before the
wreck. l caught 1t once, when, breakfast
over. she was tightening the sling that
held the broken arm. I had prolonged
the morning meal as much as l could.
but when the wooden clock with the pink
roses on the dial pointed to half after
ten, and the mother with the duplicate
youngsters had not come back. Miss
West made the move had dreaded.
IF we are to get into Baltimore at all
We must start she said. rising. you
ought to sse a doctor as soon as pos
sible.'
Hush" said. warningly. Don't
mention the arm, please: it Is asleep
now. You may rouse it,
IF / only had hat, she reflected.
''It wouldn't need to be much of one,
but" She gave . little cry and darted