The Washington times., 1911-01-17

100 NI1AMbEtNO swallow eO
!" chokingly - then her voice
H came out. 1t strained at
steadiness, yet it halted and
Quavered. Il came with a boy. He
tried to steal my bag-and / caught him.
He told me he had stolen to keep a sick
brother from starving. / came to see
whether his story was true"
The explanation of her presence
hardly reached his mind. There was
fact-she was before him. His body was
chill, fire; his mind was chaos-joy and
fear and the pangs OF love.
The silence continued for several mo-
ments. You have been sick long?" she
asked.
He took control of himself by su-
preme effort. For two weeks. It's
nothing-just the grip"
The boy told me for three months"
That's just an invention of Toms. ''
For a moment there was a touch Of
wondering doubt in her faCe-perhaps
doubt as to who really was the in
Nentor Of the three months and Of
the brother"
Again there was silence. us there
anything at all that | can do for you?"
she asked.
He shook his head. If there was one
person before all others from whom he
could not accept a service, that person
was the woman he loved and who, be-
meath her courteous control, deSpiSed
kind.
He saw that she believed him guilty.
He had always known she believed him
60, yet he had not half foremeasured the
pain the eye-knowledge of it would give
him. He longed to tell her the truth,
as he had often lOnged before, and as
he often would again; but he dared not,
for to tell one person was to endanger,
perhaps destroy, all the good of his act.
Besides, even if he We're to tell. who
would believe him? She? No. She
would believe, as the rest Of the world
would believe. that his statement was
dastardly attempt TO whiten himself by
blaCkening the memory of his own
friend, one of Gods finest spirits.
She regarded him abstractedly for sew
eral minutes, as though her mind was
searching far-away problems and far
away possibilities. Then her eyes wan
dered about the poor room. Her gaze
returned to his thin, fevered face, and
she came from her abstraction with
start You are certain l can do moth
ing?'
Nothing" he said.
She rose. Il must be going. Pardon
me for being insiStent, but" she
hesitated, red with embarrassment, then
forced herself to go on-''the boy said
sure l cannot do some little thing for
you?"
At this moment David forgot that he
was penniless-forgOt that there was no
bed; that probably he could find none:
remembered only how he loved this
woman, and how low he was in her
eyes. .,
he said. we have plenty. There is
nothng-thank you"
His wide, yearning eyes took in every
one of her last motions and expressions.
He did not know when, if ever. he
would see her again.
There was sharp knock at the |
door She held out her hand to him. !
He was not expecting this, but he laid |
his wasted hand tremblingly within it. |
"Goodby," she said.
Impulsively his soul reached out for |
some shred of her regard. I'm trying |
to live honest now!" he burst out, in |
subdued agony.
She regarded him an instant. I'm
glad of It," she said quietly-but there
was no ring of belief in her words.
The sharp knock sounded once more.
"Goodby." she repeated.
Seoodby," he said in a dry whisper.
she turned toward the door, his love
hungry eyes gathering in the last of
her. Yes, he was utterly beyond the
pale.