El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-27

! AA( Med1Ord prepared Tor the night
w Weary and spent. she felt that
the only relief in store for her was 70
| lose consciousness in sleep. She kent
( telling herself that she must not think
and all the while her thoughts chased
each other discOnnectedly through her
brain. Keenly alive TO every sound in
the house, she tancied she heard the
telephone ring downstairs. but would
not allow herself to pause in the brush
ing Of her hair to listen.
When. a little later, her uncIe's light
tap sounded on her door, she started
violently and her hands trembIed as
she fastened the wrapper which sbe
threw about her before going to re-
ceive his message
Il promised" John Hale said in a
low voice, ito tell you what I heard
from the hospital Dr. Sheffield lust
rang me up to say that there is little
that is new TO report. The patient has
partially recovered consciousness and
seems to be suffering much pain. There
may be, as the doctor has already told
US, some internal injury. Yet the heart
is strong-and the patient may re-
cover"
The door closed and he was gone
without waiting to hear the girls fall
tering Thank your She stood for
long while just where he had left her
She lOnged to rush wildly after him.
to throw herself upon his breast. to
beg him TO tell her If he thought Tom
was going to live Twenty-four hours
ago she could have done this to the
elderly man who. she had believed then,
loved her Now she could not. She
was resentful as she recalled how he
had spoken Of Tom only as the
patient" just as he might have spoken
Of the most casual stranger. What
was the natter What had Tom done2
What had she done TO merit such treat
ment2
She Dashes Water over Her Face.
Going into her dressing-roOm she
dashed cold water over her face and
neck She must try TO cool her brain.
to see matters more clearly She
braided her hair, put on her night
gown, and knelt- as she had ALWAYS
bed to say her prayers. She repeated
the familiar words, but they meant
nothing TO her. At last with sigh
that was almost a sob. she exclaimed
"Oh. LOrdi am too tired 10 prayI
You know that" and rose from her
knees.
Who would dare assert that this
prayer, coming from the heart. did not
reach the Divine ear. and that the Lord
old not know and understand
Throwing herself upon her bed, the
weary girl tried to sleep. But il was
in vain Conjecture. memories, fear
stabbed her to vivid consciousness
whenever sense OF drOWsineSS stole
over her. She knew she had a painful
problem to face and she could not sleep
until she had faced II. Finally. her
eyes staring straight before her. she
whipped her faded mind to the task Of
thinking connectedly, instead Of flying
from one subject to another as it had
been doing for the past hour
The moonlight was so bright now
that she could dimly trace the outline
OF the pattern on the wallpaper on
which her eyes were fixed. Little by
little she reviewed the events Of the
day and evening She recalled every
word OF Edith's insinuations then she
remembered Mr.. Hale's accusing query
just before he opened the front door
for her a while ago.
What did father and daughter sus-
poet? What did they believe of her
and Tom? She had pushed this oues-
ton from her again and again Now
she forced herself TO answer it. Her
uncles query and his ensuing anger
made the matter so plain that she
could not deceive herself about It any
longer. And as she looked at the naked
facts OF his suspicious and OF Edith's
sugg estiOns@placed in her mind. Con-
stance knew, by Ralph-she uttered a
moan OF anguish so poignant as to be /
almost physical
Could anyone who knew her believe /
such things Of herr Hot waves OF !
shame and Of rage engulfed her and F.
she felt as II she were drowning in a ]
a sea Of misery. Only pure-minded, Z
Straightforward woman, whose life had I
been protected from the very shadow ]
of evil, could understand this girls I
suffering.
Fights Her Battle Through Long Hours +
The hours dragged away while she ,
lay fighting her battle alone. And all 1
at once the tempest was succeeded by 4
a strange calm. She was no longer a 4
young and frightened girl. she told .
herself but woman who must meet .
life as il had been forced upon her /
through no fault Of her own She
thought she was calm, yet underneath :
the hot fire OF resentment still burned. {
When at last the birds began 10 I
herald the coming Of the day she had d.