The Press., 1915-08-04
Romance of a Broken Nose How a Dream Turned Out
 a Reality
By MARTHA V. MONROE

\ %SSSVSSSssSSSSN NSSNSNSNSVS%VVNSNSNs | Howard Chichester stood at his clut window looking out on a street along
 which now and again some pedestrian was forcing his way against wind and rain. MT. Chichester was depressed
 and the sight from the window did not tend to raise his spirits. His club was supposed to be a home for bachelors but 1t was great stone structure, its interior faced with marble and during the day usually deserted.
 MT. Chichester thought how pleasant
 real home would be on such day as
 this. He pictured himself coming home from business, met at the door by a loving wife with kiss, divesting him self of wet clothing and sitting down
 before a cheerful fire in his library, his wife on the arm of his easy chair listen | ing to a recital of the events of the day.
 A gust of wind changed a woman's l umbrella from eoncave to convex and
 sent a mans hat rolling over the wet pavement. Chichester turned away from the scene contrasting so widely with his dream of a home, and to escape it he went into the billiard room. There was no one there to play
 with, so after knocking the balls about
 for few minutes he started out into
 the storm to go to his room to dress
 for dinner.
 The wind sent the rain almost
 parallel with the sidewalk, so instead
 of holding his umbrella over his head
 he held 1t before his face. Suddenly
 he felt shock and heard a scream.
 Raising his umbrella he saw a girl directly in front of him from whose nose blood was running. It occurred to him that he had drawn that blood with the stick of his umbrella.
 1t was no time to talk, but to act, though Chichester gave vent to two words. Thousand pardons," as he whipped out his handkerchief to sup ply the place of the one used by the girl, which resembled a dolly rather than a blood stancher. She seized the one he offered her greedily and held 1t to her nose.
 A cab was passing, and Chichester hailed 1t. Fortunately 1t was empty, and the driver was ready for a fare. He drew up by the curb. Chichester. opening the door, said to the lady:
 ''I beg of you to permit me to do what l can to atone for my careless ness by taking you home."
 The girl removed the handkerchief from her face, saw that her nose was still bleeding. hesitated, then got into the cab. Chichester asked for her street and number, then, giving 1t to the driver, got in and sat down beside her. On the way he bemoaned having injured her and hoped that there would be no i'll result. The girl said very lit tie and when they reached her home and he handed her out was in no state of mind to thank him for his attention. Nevertheless he followed her to the door and into the house, where she was received by her mother, who natu- rally showed great anxiety to know what had happened.
 Inviting Chichester to a little parlor, the mother went upstairs with her daughter and presently returned with the report that the hemorrhage had ceased. but she had decided to call in a doctor to make sure that all was right. Chichester asked if he might remain to hear the doctors report and was grant ed his request. A telephone message was sent for the family physician, who arrived in due time and went upstairs to the patient.
 yU i,, the cozy room to which he had been shown A cheerful fire was burning on the hearth, and some one had been sitting in an easy chair directly before 1t, for such was the position of the chair. Chichester dropped into it, and his mind became diverted from the damage he had done to his surroundings.
 The room was very tastefully fur nished- Indeed. there was an air of comfort about it which Is in some rooms and not in others, why, it is hard to tell. On the wall were pictures, all works of art. one of which was DOT trait of a young girl evidently about fifteen, which Chichester recognized at once for a likeness of the girl he had injured. though it must have been painted several years before. His at tention was fixed on the nose, which was very shapely. He winced as he thought that he might have made it defacement instead of a thing of beauty.
 Chichester sat musing. He recalled the dream that had come to him while looking out of his window at his club, when he had pictured himself coming In out of the rain received by a wife. her sitting beside him on the arm of his chair and their talking over the events of the day. He now fancied the girl stepping out of the picture and taking the place of the wife of his dream. True, she was but a chit, but be had seen her as a woman, and it was not difficult to realize the two as one and the same person. Would that his fancy could become realI He would shake the dust of his club off his boots.
 There was the tread of a mans step on the stairs, and the doctor entered the room where Chichester sat. He looked grave. Chichester rose and faced him.
 Mrs. Corwith." said the physician, "has asked me to report to you her condition. The vertical septum separating the nasal fossae has been fractured''-
 Great heavens, doctor! You don't mean that her nose has been broken"
 'That's about it, in ordinary par lance"
 And will 1t be deformedY' asked Chichester eagerly.
 ''That 1t is impossible to say. The sur gical problem Is rather difficult one to handle. The septum is very thin, and once put out of its normal posi- don there is no surety of getting it back so exactly as to replace the origi- nal shape of the organ"
 Chichester groaned.
 "Of course," continued the doctor, everything will be done that can be lone to nrevanf diSfiQurpmo0t am