The Irish standard., 1916-12-02

staring out over the valley that
stretched at their feet.
Don't speak to me for a minute or
two" she said. "1'm thinking over
what You have just said"
Down through the valley ran a shall
low river, making noisy pretcnsions to
both depth and fury. He remembered
just such river in the Tyrol, with this
same Wilson on rock, holding the
hand of pretty Austrian girl, while
he snapped the shutter of Il camera.
lie had that picture somewhere now;
but the girl was dead, and, of the
three, Wilson was the only one who
had met life and vanquished it.
"I've known him all my life," Sid
ney said at last. you're perfectly
right about one thing: I talk about
him and think about him. I'm being
candid, because what's the use of be-
ing friends if we're not frank? 1 ad-
mire him-you'd have to see him in the
hospital, with everyone dcferring to
him and oil that, to understand. And
when you think Of man like that,
who holds life and death in his hands,
of course you rather thrill. IL hon
estly believe that's all there is to it."
IF that's the whole thing, that's
hardly Il mad passion" He tried to
smile; succeeded family.
swell, Of course, there's this, too. I
know he'll never look Mt me. I'll be
one Of forty nurses; indeed, for three
months Ill be only probationer. He'll
probably never even remember I'm in
the hospital Mt ALL"
Il see. Then, If you thought he was
In love with you, things would be diff
ferent?"
IF l thought DIR. Max Wilson was in
love with me-" said Sidney solemnly,
I'D go out of my head with joy"
To hide the shock with which he
realized that she was, unknown to her.
self, already in the throes of roman
tic attachment for Wilson, X. suggest
ed descent to the river. She accept
ell eagerly, and he helped her down.
That was another memory that out
lasted the day-her small warm hand
In his; the time she slipped and he
caught her; the pain in her eyes at
one of his thoughtlcss remarks.
Tin going to be pretty lonely" he
said, when she had paused in the de-
scent and was taking stone out of her
low shoe. Il shall hate to come home
ut night" And then, seeing her vince !:
1--WE been whining all day. For
heavens sake, don't look like that. If
there's one sort of man dctcst more
than another, it's man who is sorry
for himself. Do you suppose your
mother would object If we stayed out
here ut the hotel for supper? I've Or
dcrcd IL moon, orange yellow and extra
size"
II should hate to have anything or
dercd and wasted"
'"Then We'll stay"
"lts fcarfully cxtrlvngant."
I'LL be thrifty as to moons while you
are in the hospital"
So 1t was settled. And, us it hap
pened. Sidney hud to stay, anyhow,
For, having pcrchcd herself out in tho
river on II Sugar-lonf rock, she slid,
slowly but with IL dreadful Inevitable
ity, into the water. X. happened to be
looking in another direction. SO it oc-
cured that ut one moment Sidney sat
on rock, fluffy white from head to
feet, cntrnncingly pretty, and knowing
1t, and the next she was standing neck
deep In water, much too startled to
scream, and trying to be dlgnificd UNI
der the rather trying circumstances. X.
had not looked around. The splash hntl
been Il gentle one
"1f you will be good enough said
Sidney, with her chin we'll UP, "tO give
me your hand or n pole or something
because IL the river rises an inch l
shall drown"
10 his undying credit, X. lie Moyne
did not laugh when he turned and saw
her. He went out on the sugnr-loaf,
and lifted her bodily up it's slippery
sides. He had prodigious strength, in
spite of his lcanncss.
"Well!" said Sidney, when they were
both on the rock, carefully balanced.
| AIc you COlu
"N0t IL bit. But horribly unhappy.
must look sight," Then, remembering
her manners, as tho Street had it, she
said primly:
'"Thank you for saving me-"
"There wasn't any danger, really,
unlcss--unlcss the river had riscn."
And then, suddenly, he burst into de-
lighted laughter, the first, perhaps, for
months. lie shook with 1t, struggled
at the sight Of her injured face to re.
strain 1t, achieved finally degree of
sObrlety by fixing his eyes on the river
bank.
"When you have quite finished" said
Sidney severely, perhaps you will
take me to the hotel. dare say shall
have to be washed and ironed."
He drew her cautiously to her feet.
Her wet skirts chung to her; her shoes
were sodden and heavy. She chung to
him frantically, her eyes on the river
below. With the touch Of her hands
the mans mirth died. He held her very
carefully, very tcndcrly, MS one holds
something infinitely precious.