Middletown transcript., 1910-10-08


that no conditions could be worse.
She would force a crisis-letit be
what it may!
1t was not until the next day at
dinner that they met, and then it
was with their usual quiet cour.
tesy. There was nothing in the
attitude of either to recall the in.
cident of the night before.
The following morning while
they were at breakfast, he was
called to the telephone.
Mrs. Kempton is quite ill, he
said as he came back to the table.
Kempton phoned that he would
not be down to the Office.
Oh, I'm SO sorry. She has
been i'll SO much since they moved
here.
Yes, it's partly homesickness,
l am afraid. She seems very
lonely here away from all her
people-and Kempton has had to
be away a good deal. If you
could call there this afternoon, l
think they would appreciate it.
Could / go this morning? I
promised to go driving this after
noon with Mr.. Wharton.
If there was a pause-it was al
most imperceptible.
Yes, this morning will do as
well. And you might take some
flowers or fruit. They know SO
few people here.
And that was all. There had
been no change Of expression or
voice. It was as though Whar-
toms name had not been men.
toned.
Aside from the real sympathy
and liking Alice had for Mrs.
Kempton, she was glad to>call on
her that morning, glad to get
away from the haunting persis.
tency Of her thoughts.
Kempton met her with un-
feigned pleasure and took her up
to his wife's room. She was
very young, very frail and girl
ish. They had been married not
quite a year. The first few
months had been spent at her
home, where they had been most
happy. And then suddenly to
be taken away from her family,
from all the associations that had |
been hers since childhood, and
brought to a strange place where
even her husband had to be much
away, had been for her peculiarly |
hard-the delicacy of her condi-
ton making 1t more so.
Alice spent all the morning
with her, and was finally per-
suaded to stay for lunch. 1t was
served up in Mrs. Kempton's
room so they might be with her.
Propped up in bed in a blue
silk dressing gown, she looked
very sweet and appealing. Her
husbands anxiety and tender
ness vas evident in every glance,
in every tone of his voice.
And Alice could not but won.
der, that having all this-she
could need anything more. How
a strange home, or loneliness or
physical suffering or anything
else could matter-When cne had
the shelter of a great love and
happiness with q greater happi.
ness to come.
When Mr.. Kempton was called !
away aud they were left alone,
something of this Alice tried to ,
put into words-to make this
young wife feel the greatness of :
Ill that she had, and tho trivial.
lty of everything else. (
Oh, | know know, and she
pressed closer Alice's hand as it !
leld hers. But oh, I get SO lone !
.y-and so afraid!
Allthe way home Alice thought /;
# that-So lonely and SO afraid !
Alb, If she might only have what )
hat little woman had-could any !,
hing ever make her lonely or ]
sfraidH
The drive with Wharton that |
afternoon was almost IN silence. /
Alice was absentminded and pre-. a
occupied, and with rare tact he 1
made no effort to change her |
mood. But it was a quiet and '
.estful silence, not conscious or q
'trained-it never was that with I
lin.
When they came back, just as I
hey entered the. hall, her hus-
,and came out Of the library, his s
lat and coat in his hand. He '
'poke to them naturally, pleas ]
nifty, and passed On. t
With an abrupt Good after 9
loon to Wharton, Alice hurried a
L. !