The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1916-04-28

| and toyed with a book. ]. Y. came
and dropped down beside her Well.
| Glenn, he's come back
| Glenn nodded. Are you sure he
doesn't want anything, Uncle John:
He hasn't had a thing to eat since
seven o'clock this morning"
| Alans bell tinkled. Glen started to
her feet and then sat down again
You'd better go" But when j. Y
strobe off she followed.
why is the house so quiet? Is 1t
on account of the captain?" asked
| Alan.
BLESS you. no, The captain sleeps
for week at time The children
have gone over to the lake."
| Il just wanted to tell you that like
their noises-they're new. There's
nothing really the matter with me ex-
| cept that I've got to take things in
turn, and lying still and sweating
comes first. After that. perhaps tomor-
row, I'm going to eat The penuiti-
mate act on my list is a cigarette and
| the ultimate Is to get up in the old bel
fry and yell" He turned over and
sank his head into the pillows.
| "All right, my boy" said ]. Y. smil
ing. There's only Clen and myself
here and We'll go and try to make
noises like the children" He came out
| of the door in time to catch sight of
| Clem's skirt as it whisked around the
| corner of the hall. He followed and
found her already seated at the piano.
Her fingers wandered over the keys
and then her soft. full voice broke out
in enc old song after another. She was
happy because she felt that singing
she was with Alan.
| Alan stirred in his bed and listened
He determined that tomorrow he must
! be well. Robbed of this afternoon, he
was being robbed Of half Of life. He
cursed the fever and then, as he felt
how near Clem's voice brought her to
him, he blessed it.
At night when all the rest of the
household had gone to bed, J. 7. softly
opened Alan's door and looked In.
Alan was awake and nodded. ]. Y.
came in and pottered about the room.
4 LIZ loAiCd q olL VI pdpSA lhtV OH duipLCi
shade and further veiled the night
lamp. The lines in J. Y.'s rugged face
| were softened to lines of sweetness.
He asked If there were nothing he
could do and then turned to leave the
room. With his hand on the door, he
paused and smiled down on Alan. "My
boy, you have been far, far away"
Par away" replied Alan drowsily.
"but have come back
The bracing air of Red Hill and a
long nights sleep enabled Alan to keep
his word with himself. He was up and
out on the day following his arrival.
but he still felt delightfully."- lazy and
pitifuliy weak. Glen took charge of
| him. First she tried to settle him in
a hammock with many pillows. but
| Alan shrank from the hammock. They
! spread rugs instead In nook under
the trees, and Alan stretched himself
out amid a riot of many-colored cush-
ions, while Clem sat close by in low
rocking chair and talked and read and
talked.
Talking or reading. Clem was q
source of unvary1ng delight to Alan.
Was 1T possible that one could live
| twenty years in an old world. rub
elbows with life for twenty years, and
| remain so fresh. so untainted? His
own life rose up before him and
moeked at him. Was 1t possible that
one cou&d I'VE thirty years In this
same world and be so old? He
shrugged a shoulder petulantly. He
| would not think-he refused to think
while he was 50 weak.
| When Glen talked. 1t was like Il
child dreaming aloud; when she was
silent one felt the presence Of woman
hood. wise with the unconscious accu-
mutations of generations and una
| Dashed. When Glen talked Alan was
ut ease, but when she was silent he
was moved-troubled. A SCARED man
may play with n child and no harm
to either. He can detach himself from
| his past as from the child and at a
safe moral distance turn to watch Its
unconscious gambols. But with a
woman 1t Is different Womanhood is
a force; its mission to embrace, to sac
rifice 1t Is unreasonlng. Like funda-
mental man it demands a god and
| worships the god that comes to it's
| need. Alan felt this force lowering in
Clem's silenees aud was troubled.