Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-10
THE EVENING STORY.
REPRIEvED.
By W. A. FREEMAN.

Mr.. Kennedy sat in his motor car. his
face grave. his mind full OF a patient-a
patient whose face had haunted him the
whole day; had kept sleep away the
whole of the previous night She was
dainty, and he at first had fancied her
one Of the many ladies of high degree
who came to him afflicted with nerves
or jaded. Underneath his sympathetic
air he had been slightly contemptuous
and then he had looked straight into
a sad. white, reckless face
'Doctor-rm not afraid
She faced him with a brave smile
of understanding; her eyes caught his,
making his heart beat strangely,
though he regarded her with a grand
athery manner that sat quantity on SO
young a man. And he had to tell her
the truth.
How will it happen?" she asked. Il
can't lie in my bed and be burden
There was a bitter ring In her voice;
but no terror. She flung back her head
defnantly. :,
YOU must not play with your life, :"
he said sternly.
Play with it, she said. and laughed.
1T is. only right that you should
Immediately. Utter rest is your-your
chance"
He hadn't courage enough to say
only
IF 1 don't?''
He had asked for her doctors ad-
dress. meaning to send him warning.
Life-such a life-was too precious a
thing to be flung away at woman 8
within, in the rush of London And she
had said that she had no doctor-she
didn't believe in doctors-wish a quick
laugh and apology for the slip. So ne
looked her earnestly in the face, with a
strain at his heart the while; he had had
to doom SO many but never had it been
so hard-never had it been such one as
this.
You will kill yourself. The least ex-
element, the least oVefeAeruoi-uo you
understand?'
They were both standing-the Judge
and the condemned. His attitude grave
" understandable was putting down
his fee on the table. They shook hands.
and another patient left him. She mad
come like a whost; had gone like a
ghost, and, like ghoSt, she "ouiu haoht
him always.
The car stopped with jerk; DR.. James
Kennedy had reached his dinner parry
The doctor was desperately hungry.
At first he paid as little attention as
he dared to the lady on either side. He
had taken in a title, though he hadn I
the faintest idea what the title was.
Fortunately the title was hungry also:
At last, however, he became aware that
the lady on his right wished for his ap
proval and free attendance at her pet
orphanage. and that she on his left was
fishing for advice on hypothetical case
that night-or might not-be her own.
He looked up from his plate with sign
of comical despair.
1t was a brilliant dinner. Along the
table rippled quick river of conversa-
ton; above it one gay voice, Ike lie
voice of a leader.
How lucky Mrs:V Dam is to have
caught such a brilliant person
He lifted his eyes. They Travelled
across the glitter of silver and glass, and
remained staring-thunderstruc
Good heavens!" he said. and was silent;
A brilliant jest faltered on her lip han
an in slant; the eyes reading his were dark
with something like fear-and then they
grew all defiant: and the smile on her
lips was daring as a smile of pain.
Kennedy sat and watched her. She
was killing herself. He knew. and she
knew.
1t was hard to believe that SO short a