The Irish standard., 1916-12-30

fore her frank glance.
Sidney eyed him, half amused, half
hurt.
"What have done, Max? Is it bad
for discipline for us to be good
friends?"
Carlotta was watching them from
the chapel. Something in her eyes
reused the devil of mischief that al
ways slumhered in him.
"My cars been stalled in snow
drift downtown since early this MORN
Ing, and have Eds Peggy in sleigh.
Put on your things and come for a
ride"
He hoped Carlotta could hear what
he said; to be certain of it, he ma
liciously raised his voice Il trine.
"Just Il little rum" he urged. PUT
on Your warmcst things"
Sidney protested. She was to he
free that afternoon until six O'Clock :
but She had promised to go home.
IN. is alone"
'K. can sit with Christine. Ten to
one he's with her now"
The temptation was very strong. She
had been working hard all day. The
heavy odor of the hospital, mingled
with the scent of pine and evergreen
In the chapel, made her dizzy. The
fresh outdoors called her. And, he
sides, if X. were with Christine
cts forbidden, isn't it?"
II believe it is" He smiled ut her.
"And yet, YOU continue to tempt me
and expect me to yicld!"
"One of the most delightful things
about temptation is yielding now and
then"
After all, the situation seemed alb.
surd. Here was her old friend and
ncighbor asking to take her out for a
daylight ride. The swift rebellion of
youth against authority surgcd I'M in
Sidney.
Every we'll; Til CO."
Carlotta had gone by that time
gone with hate in her heart and black
despair. She knew very well what the
issue would be. Sidney would drive
with him, and he would tell her how
lovely she looked With the air on :icr
face and the snow about her. The
jerky motion of the little sleigh would
throw them close together. How we'll
she knew it all He would touch Sid
ney's hand daringly and smile In her
eyes. That was his method: to play ut
love-making like an audacious boy, I'M
til quite suddenly the cloak dropped
and the danger was there.
If she could get Sidney out Of the
hospital, it would simplify things. She
Surmiscd shrewdly that OH the Street
their interests were wide apart. 1t was
here that they met on common ground.
Carlotta gave the fiveo'clock mcdi-
near the door, with the tray in front of
her. There. are certain thoughts that
are at first functions of the brain
after a long time the spinal cord takes
them up and converts them into acts
almost automatically. Perhaps because
for the last month she had done the
thing so often in her mind, its actual
performance was almost without con.
sciOus thought.
Carlotta took a bottle from her
medicine cupboard, and, writing /; new
label for it, pasted it over the old one
Then she exchanged it for one of The
same size on the medicine tray.
Throughout the dining room busy
and competent young women came ant
ate, hastily or leisurrly as their "ppor
tunity was, and went on their way
again. In their hands they held the
keys, not always Of life and death per
hapS, but OF ease from pain, of tender
ness, of smooth pillows. and cups OF
water TO thirsty lips. In their eyes
as in Sidncy's, burned the light of Srrv
Ice. The supper room was filled will
their soft voices, the rustic of thciI
skirts, the CLEAN of their stiff whit,
caps.
When Cnrlotta came in, she greeted
none Of them. They did not like her
and she knew it.
Before her, instead of the tidy sup
per table, she was seeing the medicine
tray as she had left 1t.
II guess I've fixed her." she said tt
herself.
Her very soul was sick with fear Of
what she had done.