The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1917-03-20


She Showed the Tel
doctor drawled the words with
strange listlessness, and, sinking into
chair, covered his eyes YEARLY with
his hand, though Gloria babbled faint
ly: !
''Has the mail come yet? Why don't
you give me Dicks letter."
On the following morning Gloria
awoke from her drugged sleep with
feeling OF lowering calamity. Pres
emily realization came. Her lover had
been murdered. She hid her face in
the pillows and moaned: ct can't be
true; it can't be true.''
The day nurse tried to soothe her,
bathing her face and hands, arrang
ing her hair. Then the butler arrived
with telegram for Gloria, who took
it from him with trembling hands
A glad cry escaped the girls lips
as she read it.
arrived safely. Miss you terribly.
Hope you slept we'll and dreamed of
me. Am writing. Devoted love.
DICK
Gloria passed her hand across her
brow in g. daze. She read the tele-
gram again and called to Miss Arm
just entered.
She showed them the telegram, try
ing to hold her fingers over the words
to let them see only ARRIVED safely
and Am writing
Doctor Royce started, but recover
ing himself, expressed great delight.
II told you it was a delirium." Yet
the nurse, glancing from the telegram
to the doctor, noted a puzzled look on
his face that belied his words.
At last the doctor was able to place
the thermometer in Gloria's mouth.
She tried to speak, but he ordered her
to keep silence, and stood in a brown
study. Gloria indicated by crude and
impatient pantomime that she wanted
paper and pencil. She proceeded to
compose a telegram, shifting her posi-
ton that the doctor might not see
what she wrote.
Doctor Royce took the thermome-
ter from her lips, and she went on
writing, without noticing him. He
nodded his head, apparently satisfied,
and the nurse entered the tempera-
ture en- the chart. Then bidding
Gloria good-by, the doctor left the
room, still musing.
! Gloria continued her task, apparent
ly difficult one, and chewed the end
Of her pencil to bits. At last the re-
suit, much UNDERSIGNED and scratched
out, read:
Your angelic telegram received.
1t was terribly welcome. l did not
sleep, but dreamed horrible dream
about you. Overjoyed to know you
are safe. Please take care of your
self and telegraph on receipt of this
that you are still all right Much
love. GLORIA
Dispatching her telegram by SER
want, Gloria gave her attention to the
breakfast tray her nurse placed on the
bed The invalid turned up her little
nose as she uncovered the plate of
Cruel, but ate it greedily, nevertheless,
and then, worn out by her emotions of
the night before, but in a peaceful
frame of mind at last, she settled her
self for a long, refreshing sleep.
A few hours later when she awoke
it was to receive another message.
The telegraph company notified her
that her telegram to Freneau at his
hotel was not delivered: Party not
known there"
Before she could recover from her
bewilderment, close on the heels OF
this message came special delivery
love letter from her lover written on
the hotel paper and postmarked AL
bany.
Gloria was completely dazed, her
brain in a whirl of contradictions
What could she do? Where could
she find her lover? Was he alive or
dead?
At this time, in the boudoir Of her
home, Lois Stafford paced the floor
staring at the photograph of Freneau
which she had stolen from Gloria
Despair tore at her heartstrings. She
sobbed and beat her breast. A knock
at the door brought her to herself and
she called: Who's there?' The