The Washington herald., 1915-12-17
DAILY SHORT STORY.
ONE MINUTE LATE.
BY IZOLA FORESTER,

All the way up the bay Gregory won.
dered II she was still alive. The wirels 81
brief had reached him two days out from
England. and he had sent back word tina,
ne was already on the way. He had even
haif believed that very thing would serve
10 strengthen her. that he had started
before she had sent for him. He had
teen TOUR months in the prison camps
betore the exchange had been brought
about. Probably she had believed he was
dead. Nearly all the poor devils in his
crowd had died sooner or later: And
he had come out Of il with a smashed
arm that let him OF for awhile from
the game over Wonder.
He wondered how Barbara had found
out ne was sailing on the Tavonia He
mad only told Lester. Yet the messag
had been clear and potent: Come before
1t is too late. Bah"
| There must have been other messages
sent 10 the London address and he had
| missed them. Lester might have sent
them by wireless IL he had thought of II.
The days on shipboard dragged miser-
! ably. His arm panied him constantly.
ana through the long nights he lay in
MS berth trying TO visualize Babs face
and md comfort from it. She had been
such tend'r little woman. after all her
own personal trouble The only kind
thing Kenneth had ever done for her was
10 die. That had been four years ago.
and he and Lester had looked after her
interests since then. They had been part
hers before the war. and he was her
prother. Only Gregory knew how the
Smash had come and how much of Bab's
money had been involved without his
| knowledge. Lester had been drawing /,
for months. telling her he was investing
II IN gold bonds. and had slipped IL into
the crumbling business.
The war had been a relief Al frs,
they had gone over to serve in the Bel
slan commission. Lester had pulled him
sell together and got his grip back driv-
Ing an ambulance there and he himself
had slipped into the FOREIGN LeRicn. Bab
did not know that Il was his share Of all
that was left out Of the wreck that went
back into the bank to repay to her what
Lester had taken. But Il had left him
almost penniless. Her letters. coming at
intervals to him there in the midst OF
horror. had buoyed him up and kept the
nope alive that he might return to her
aEain. sometimes he almost thought that
she had known for years all that meant |
10 him. soDletimes he had fancied he saw
the grace and tenderness in her dear
eyes.
When the train pulled into the express
station at Seventy-second street, he al
most stumbled from the car. Gee. but
everything looked good after those
months in Belgium He wondered II she
would find him very much changed. He
wa thinner. but, except for the arI,,
that Was all and that would get well in
time. lie eros l the street and went to-
ward her home in the big apartment
building on Central Park West. His
fingers were bit unsteady as he found
her bell and pressed it. The door clicked
and he went upstairs. And on the way a
man passed him going down.
2 Gregory noticed him vaguely He was
short and stucky and looked prosperous.
Even to a casual observer he appeared
happy. And as he started past him. the
man stopped short. took another look att
him. and called. Hello there. Greg!"
1t was Stephens. his lawyer. good old
Steve who had stood back Of him over
and over again. about the only friend he .
had had left after the business had gone
10 the merry puppy dogs. Yet all he |.
,ould do was grip his hand and ask il
Sat were still alive.
still alive? What do you mean, old .!
nan? OF course. she's alive. but you're ,,
me minute too late. She's done it,
Done what? Married again.
Lord. no. Go upstairs and find out. .
iod bless you both. Wonderful woman, I
ireG. See You later"
Gregory climbed the last fight and
he opened the door herself. Not
rord did she speak, only held out
Ter arms to him. and somehow he
ound that IL was his head which lay
n her shoulder and he was holding
er to him in dumb joy.
Il met Stephens. He said I was too
ate." he said finally when they were
II her library.
You are. I signed the papers my
elf. Listen and don't scold me. Les
er wrote when you got back to Eng
md and kept me posted. but he said
e thought you'd go back to France II
our arm was we'll enough, and Ill
hink you've done quite enough for
hem already. 1 need a little Of you.
ou know. So I sent the wireless to
cad you on, and. anyway. We needed
ou terribly. You see, I found out
fter you had been captured all about
ester's trouble and why my balance
as safe and yours had gone with
i'm. 1t had been splendid of you to
ack him in all his queer ideas any
ay. so went out one day to Jersey
nd looked over the old factory Just
) you had left IL. The watchman
as ever SO nice to me, and showed
q the great heaps Of scrap copper
I'd all those separate parts for the
achinery. and even took me into the
boratory. You know I studied chem
try with Lester before I was mar
ed. and it all interested me so. So
just took out part Of my money
I'd started in a small way. I told
r. Stephens what I wanted to do.
I'd he helped me. but I said II was
,ur money. Well, I won out. and
gan making copper cylinders just
you had intended. and then last
eek I was called on the phone, and
man offered to buy In the wholly -