Middletown transcript., 1916-06-03

Glenn sat on the vast window seat
and toyed with a book. ]. Y. came
and dropped down beside her. "WeIl,
Glen, he's come back"
Glen nodded. "Are you sure he
doesn't want anything. Uncle JohnH
He hasn't had a thing to eat since
seven o'clock this morning"
Alan's bell tinkled. Glen started to
her feet and then sat down again.
You'd better CO." But when ]. 7.
strode off she followed.
why is the house SO quiet? Is it
on account Of the captaln?" asked
Alan.
"Bless you, no. The captain sleeps
for a week at a time. The children
have gone over to the lake."
81 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 penulti
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 J. Y, smil
ing. There's only Glen 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 1t 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 cne 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, ]. Y. softly
opened Alan's door and looked in.
Alan was awake and nodded. ]. Y.
came in and, pottered about the room.
He rolled bit Of paper into an ampler
shade and further yelled the night
lamp. The lines in ]. 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"
Far away" replied Alan drowsiIy,
"but l have come back"
The braclng 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
pitifully weak. Glen took charge Of
him. First she tried to settle him in
hammock with many pillows. but
Alan shrank from the hammock. They
spread rugs instead In a 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 unvarying 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
mocked at him. Was 1t possible that
one could live 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 so weak.
When Glen talked, 1t was like a
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
at ease, but when she was silent he
was moved-troubled. A SCARED man
may play with a 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
woman it Is different. Womanhood Is
a force; its mission to embrace, to sac
rifice. 1t is unreasoning. Like funda-
mental man it demands a god and
worships the god that comes to its
need. Alan felt this force lowering in
Clem's silences and was troubled.