The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-01-23
copyrisat lels. By Dodd. Mead Z, comp.ny
By j. Hartley Manners


and bitterness for her brother Nathan
| iel. her intense dislike and contempt
| for her sister Monica From the time
! she left England she had not written
| to either of them. Could she now?
Something decided her.
| One night O'Connell came back dis
heartened. Try us he would he could
not conceal it He was getting to the
! end of his courage There was insult
|. ticient work at the shop he had been
! working in for several weeks. He had
! been told he need not come again.
/ Angela. lying motionlass and white.
tried to comfort him and give him
| heart
h She made up her mind that night
/ The next day she wrote to her brother
! She could not bring herself to ex-
| press one regret for what she had done
or said On the contrary. she made
many references to her happiness with
the man she loved. She did write of
the hardships they were passing
through. But they were only tempo
rary. O'Conell was so clever. so
brilliant. he must win in the end. Only
! Just now she was i'll. She needed help
! She asked no gift-a loan merely.
They would pay it back when the days
! of plenty came. she would not ask
even this were it not that she was not
only i'll. but the one great. wonderful
thing in the world was to be vouch-
| safed her-motherhood. In the name
| OF her unborn baby she begged him to
| send an immediate response.
She asked ueighbor to post the let
| ter so that O'Connel would not know
of her sacrifice. She waited anxiously
for reply
| Some considerable time afterward-
on the eve of her travail and when
things with O'Comel were at their
wOrst-the answer came by cable.
She WAS alone when il came.
Her heart beat furioHSly as she open
ed it, Even If he only sent little it
would he SO welcome now when they
| We're almost ut the end. If he had
been generous how wonderful it would
be for her to help the man to whom
nothing was too much to give her
The fact that her brother had cahled
strengthened the belief that he had
fastened to come to her rescue.
| She opened the caliie and read it.
Then she fell back on the pillow with a
low. faint moan.
When. hours later. 0'Connell return
ed from a~vain search for work he
found her Senseless with the cable in
her fingers He tried to revive her
without success. He sent neighbnr
for q doetar. As he watrhed the worn.
patient flcr. his teHrt full 10 bursting.
the though; flashed through him what
could have nalpplcd to cause this col.
lapse. llr became conscious of the ca-
bile re n::i tNud tightly rlasped in her
hand. He riEed it up ani read it. II
WAS vp;'r hlit'' Nil it said was:
You have ,uaA yatir bed Lie in it,
NATHANIEL klNGSNORTH
Toward Iaogiin@ the doctor placed n
little mite of humanity in OConnel's
arms. He lnOied down ut it in Stu-
por. 1t ha! "eaiiy cGme to rass-their
:hild- .AnEtl : rnd his. \ little baby
girl. The tiny vail from this child,
born of Invn and in sorrow. seemed to
walen his dan senses He pressed the
mite to him rs the hot fears flowed
down his cheeks. A woman I'm one of
the adjoining flats who had kindly Of
fered to help took the child away from
him. The doctor led hin. to the bed
side. He looked down at his loved one.
A glaze was over .ingela's eyes as she
looked up at him. she tried to smile.
All her suffering was forgotten. She
knew only pride and love. She was at
peace. She raised her hand, thin and
transparent now. to O'Connell. He
pressed it TO his lips.
She whispered:
MY baby. Bring me-my baby"
He took it from the woman and
placed it in Angelas weak arms She
kissed it again and again. The child
walled pitifuly. The effort had been
too much for Angela's failing strength.
Consciousness left her.
Just before sunrise she woke. O'Con-
nell was sitting beside her. He had
never moved. The infant was sleep
ing ON some blankets on the couch,
the woman watching her.
Angela motioned her husband to
bend near to her. Her eyes shone with
unearthly brightness. He put his ear
near her lips. Her voice was very,
very faint.
'aTake = care-of-our-baby, Frank
Fm-Im leaving you. God-help-you
nd-keep-you-and bless you-for
-your-love-of me- She paused to
take breath. Then she whispered her
leave taking. The words never left
O'Connell's memory for all the days of
all the years that followed.
"My-last-words. dear. the-last-
r-speak-to-you. I--I-love--
you = with = all my heart-and-my
soul-husBand. Good -goodby. Frank"
She slipped from his arms and lay,
lips parted eyes open. body still.
The struggle was over She had
gone where there are no petty treach-
cries. no mean brutalities-where all
stand alike before the throne to rem