The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1916-07-21

soprano 10 sing them. As soon az
he heard me h. decided no one car
do Justice to the songs as ! can Ard
he wants me to make the tour. He's
to play the accompaniment himself
The tour starts In two months On
Tom" sho finished IN childllke ap
peal, can't go2 want to so much
Tom Price came around to bis wife
side by the table She had risen. he
! put his arms tenderly around her
as he made answer
] Sweetheart. feel like a brute. 10
refuse you anything IN the world And
/ II It we're really for your happiness
| wouldn't stand in your way for one
moment. But 1t isn't. dear. Tho truly
happy woman is the woman with q
home and husband OF her own. Not
the woman who must knock around
the country on stuffy trains and sleep
in cheap hotels, picking up living
as singer or IN actress"
Just as you say, Tom" she agreed
meekly.
He kissed her good-by and hurried
of for his morning inspection o; the
new building
Laura looked from the window.
watching until he was out OF sight
Then she turned back to her house.
hold duties. She carried heavy heart
all morning, as she realized the hope
she must throw away.
She carried far heavier heart
during the weeks that followed For.
at noon. Tom Price was brought home
TO her on stretcher- senseless, in.
ert. terribly injured The ambulance
surgeon, who escorted the stricken
man, told Laura the story Of the ac
cident
Tom had been standing on an upper.
floor framework, watching the unload.
ing Of an eleyatorful OF brick and nor
tar when the elevator rope broke
A workman who was still In the
elevator had leaped for the scanold.
ing to save himself from a fall. Tom
had sprung forward to catch him The
Torkman's conyulsiyely outfung hands
had dragged Tom from his precarious
balance at the edge OF the elevator
shaft Together, the two men had
fallen to the ground floor
Both had been picked up uncon
scious. Tom had recovered his senses
long enough to whisper demand that
he be taken home instead Of to the
hospital.
The surgeon reported that Prices
right leg had doubled under him in
tho fall. sustaining a compound frac.
tut in two places Also that he was
a mass OF contusions and abrasions
and might perhaps be injured intern
ally, as we'll
Laura installed herself as assistant
TO the two trained nurses the family
doctor brought. Specialists were
called In to determine the extent Of
the internal hurts. And the dreary
routine OF sickroom life began.
The little nest egg in the savings
bank melted as II 1t had been a snow.
ball on a hot stove.
Two months had passed since the
accident Tom, fully dressed at last
fbut with his bandaged leg stuck
straight before him on a bench and
his crutches at his side), sat in the
little living room Of the fiat. 1t was
his first day outside his own room.
And he glanced about him in per
plexty.
This room seems, somehow,
changed sncs | was out here before. %
he said to Laura It's different and
and barer"
She hesitated an instant, then said
very quietly:
Its the absence OF my piano that
makes the room look queer"
Your piano?' he repeated, "That'a
so Where Is IT."
Il sold It. Last week"
sold It? Are you Joking"
III isn't much Of a joke" she replied
"at least, not to me"
But why did you do such a
thing" he demanded why did you
sell It? You were so fond OF It. And
you needed It so, in your practicing." 3"
There won't be any more practic
Ing, Just now" she tod him, "I have
stopped my music sssons."
But don't understand, he STAN
mered. They meant SO much to you
They and your piano.
Dear she said. softly, they
meant nothing 10 me-nothng at all
compared to your precious self Our
money ran out. You had to have the
fright food, the right medicines, the
right nursing. There was only ore
thing left to do So gave up my ex.
pensive music lessons And sold
my expensive piano, When the plano
money Is gone will try 70 figure out
some new way to meet expenses until
you are strong enough to work again
A mist OF tears arose In the eyes OF
the illness-weaksned man
you sacrificed your beloved pianc
for me-" he muttered, brokeny, "Oh
darling, how can ever make up 10
you for that?"
"py not thinking about ii any long
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