Grand Forks daily herald and the evening times., 1914-08-26

strangle feeling she found the Ram
bier rose they had planted in the
spring of Little Sons arrival care
anda.
Her eyes were blurred when she ut
ted h latchkey and when she stepped
into the hall she could not look about
for many moments. At last she ven
tured a glance into the living room,
the den, the dining room inc began
to tremble. She turned toward the
stairs blindly. She was at the break
ing point and knew that the ordeal be-
fore her must be faced at once if she
would meet Dick with a shred Of com
posture,
When she had mounted the stairs
she glanced neither to the right nor
to the left. She did not dare! She
walked hurriedly down the hall, paus-
ing before a door at its end There
she wavered, memories sweet and bit
ter crowding her. Not until her
glance falling upon the watch on her
wrist warned her time was flying, did
She stumble into the pink and white
room Dick and she had fitted for the
Little Son." who had been given
them for two wonderful years. Then,
as in the hall below, she could not
look about. A pain that gripped and
wrenched was choking in her throat.
Over again she was living the joy of
possession, the agony Of bereavement.
the torture Of the after months OF
distrust. 1t vas more than she could
bear. She was or the point Of turn
ing, cropping her way down the stairs,
gu Of the house of haunting mem
cries. when her pain-flled ayes lifted
and fell-1rst On an old-fashioned
walnut cradle, Little Sons" and his
fathers before him, and then on a lit
tie red chair.
A cry rose to her lips. She moved
unsteady toward the cradle. Her
hands went out to it in a gesture all
e~nveloping. And when her fingers
trailed up and down its spindles.
where soft little baby hands had
curled and pink little toes had press
ed, suddenly a beautiful peace stole
over her. The bitter feeling against
Dick. which she had Rugged close,
left her. There vas no room for it in
that holy spot breathing Of Little Son.
The separation Of a year, the con-
templated divorce stood out in hide
GUS ~nakedness, appalling her. Little
Son was as much theirs now az when
he had cooed at them from the cradle,
He had gone but a little way from
them. He was waiting for father and
mother. n father and mother were
~dellperately putting away from them
the chance Of that happy reunion.
The pain in her throat was choking
again. She left the cradle and stood
by the shabby little red chair. Dick
had wanted to paint 1t when his moth
er sent 1t, hut she would not have It.
why, Dick, she had exclaimed, ~
can see the marks Of your little teeth
on the arms! ] love to look at them
and think or other little teeth that
perhaps-Dick, Dtck!."g His arms had
closed around her swiftly, inc in
hushed voice they had talked about
the joy coming to them.
She stared at the chair now with
dry. hopeless eyes. Oh, she longed to
cry! To become human for the first
time in months. She was lonely
lonely! She wanted-no. she could
not have her baby yet a while, but the
baby's father. As the thought came
the front door opened creakiiy and
closed.
She looked about wildly. In q mir
0 she caught a glimpse of q pale.
~distraught face-Dfck must not nnd
her an ,unstrung. tortrured woman!
The meeting to, hint was merely a
matter of business-distaHteful bust
ness. She must still the furious Iut-
teffng Of her heart, the trembling Of