Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1916-10-21

She ASKED His Opinion OF the Plans.
q trcmor OF q muscle. not slightest
uneasy movement To bctray chat he
was under any strain.
From the nurse Bullard took the
keen. slender scalpei which she hand
ed him ami held it poised for a mo
ment. while with the other hand he
drew the skin taut, Just at the base ot
the neck, above a plexus of arteries
and bloodvessels throbbing under.
meath
In that moment there REQUIRED 60
lis mind sentence he had once used
at a clinical demonstration OF his op-
Grafton.
The inCision must be quick. strG ght
and true as rifle bullet" he had said
The slightest bungling. the least devi-
alton from the line and the result is 4
catastrophe"
And suppose-the unhidd,H cues
ton camc-he should bunglv OF dew
ate now As in a flash he saw al the
,al.-..- 49,. -.-c4MEli4ations in which he was
involved swept away: no bOgie of duty
standing longer in his path, but clear
road To all that his ambition coveted
and to-Sylvia.
Did the dazzle of the vision momen-
tarily obscure his eyesight, or did hhs
hand tremble? He never know. him
self He only knew that-a second la
| ter-he was staring aghast az the re
suit Of his handiwork, while Doctor
Davie thrust him hurriedly aside IN
the fruitless effort to repair his blum
dering.
The next that he knew he found him
self aimlessly wandering through a
| wood about a mile back of the hos
/ initial and he judged he must have
been roaming about long time. for ne
was wet TO the knees from blowing
through successive drifts of the deep
slushv snow. and shivering with the
cold
SLOWLY he awOke to the conscious
ness of what he had done, and in the
deptbs OF his misery there came 10
him nv some trick of association OF
ideas a memory of the highly-equipped
instrument cabinet in his office ana oil
the manner in which il had come 10
| him.
II was in the early days of his prac'
tice. and Esther, hearing him bemoaD
his lack of adequate equipment. had
taken the money which she had pains
takinglv boarded for her winter ward
rohe and bought the cabinet without
letting him know, going shabby all the
season through. yet with never word
of complaint.
That was Esther, he rehected--si
WAYS self-sacrificing, always generous
always thinking of him instead OF her
Golf And how had he requited her de
votion?
Again remorse, black and bitter. en-
quilted him like wave
He started up from where he hao
thrown himself down on the wet and
soggv ground and set of toward town
balf-rupning like a mailman.
And so at last he burst into his OF
eoo ond found Mre. Sands there still
waiting for him. lie had forgotten
that she would probably be there, had
i,deed forgotten all about her. But
non, &c he saw her sitting there IL one
~ his Office chairs carclossly pufing
oioo-otte his eyes dilated and 20
Ir-cbed toward her with something o.
a snarl. .--,s.,
she gave a little shrek and, terrified
o, his wild. disheveled appearance
dashed away 20 cover from him oil
the other side of the table
Billiard stood staring at her WIN OIL
blood-shot heavy eyes.
Co" he croaked hoarsely. com
mandingly.
Then. as she nesitated, held w 10
manic of fear, he half flung up his arm
ae If still more emphaticalIy to repes
his injunction.
put the arm BE- raised stopped hall
,rav and fell helpless 10 mis- side--th
or,n upon whose skill and steadines
he had prided himself. His face twist
cd strangely, and the words hs tr!e.
N sneak became a mere gurgle 10 hi
throat.
! With a stagger, he collapsed INTO
: chair. stricken by sudden para!ysi.
r his brilliant career over and 'ffni'
3 written upon his record of achiev'
> ment-a fitting retribution. perhaps.
But who was really guilty?
END OF FIRST STORY.