Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-02-22

fast. One thought obsessed Sidney.
She repeated It over and over. It came
as a cry from the depths Of the girls
new experience.
"She has had 30 little Of life" she
said, owe and over. $50 littlei Just
this Street. She never knew anything
else"
And finally X. took It up.
"After all, Sidney" he said, 1.-THE
Street Is life; the world Is only many
streets. She had Il great deal. She
had love and content. and she had
you"
Anna died a little after midnight, q
quiet passing, so that only Sidney and
the two men knew when she went
away. 1t was Harriet who collapsed.
During all that long evening she had
sat looking back over years of small
u~nkindnesses. The thorn Of Annals in
efficiency had always ranked in her
flesh. She had been hard, uncompro-
missing, thwarted. And now 1t was for
ever too late.
X. had watched Sidney carefully.
Once he thought she was falnting. and
went to her. But she shook her head.
II am all right. Do you think you
could get them all out Of the room
and let. me have her alone for just q
few minutes?"
He cleared the room and took his
vigil outside the door. And, as he
stood there. he thought Of what he had
said to Sidney about the Street. 1t was
n world of It's own. Here In this very
house were death and separation; Har-
riet's starved life; Christine and
Palmer beginning n long and doubtful
future together; himself, Il failure, and
IN impostor.
When he opened the door again, Sid
ney was standing by her mothers bed,
He went to her, and she turned and
put her head against his shoulder like
a tired child.
Take me away. H." she said pitt
fully.
And. with his arm around her, he led
her out of the room.
Outside Of her small immediate
circle Annals death was hardly felt.
The little house went on much as be-
fore. Harriet carried back to her b isl
ness n heaviness Of spirit that made 1t
difficult to bear with the small irrlta.
| ti.ug nr tn,. ,tY- I'm ciI..1-- a,J { -
less measure, OF course, on K.--fell the
real hrunt Of the disaster. Sidney kept
up well until after the funeral, bur
went down the next day with a low
fever.
"Overwork and grief Doctor Ed
said, and sternly forbade the hospital
again until Christmas. Mornin. and
evening X. stopped at her door and
inquired for her, and morning and eve
ming came Sidney's reply:
"Much better. III surely be NJ to-
morrow
But the days dragged on and she did
not get about.
Downstairs, Christine and Palmer
had entered On the round Of ml1winrer
%gayeties. Paiuer's crowd was a
lively one. There were dinners and
dances, weekend excursions to coun-
try houses, The Street grew acc,s.
toned TO seeing automobiles stop be-
fore the little house az all hours of the
night. Johnny Rosenfeid, driving
Palmer's car, took 10 falling asleep at
the wheel in broad daylight, and voiced
his discomfort to his mother.
"fou never know where you are with
them guys he said briefly. "We start
out for half an hours run In the eve
ming, and get home with the milk wag.
ons. And the more some Of them have
had to drink, the more they want to
drive the machine. II l get a chance,
I'm going to beat 1t while the winds
my way,"
But, talk rs he might, In Johnny
Rosenfclds' loyal heart there was no
thought Of dcscrtion. Palmer Ind CIV.
Gu him a mans job. and he would stick
by It, nc matter whit came.
One such night Christine put In
lying wakefully In her bed, while thu
clock on the mantel tolled hour aftel
hour into the night. Palmer did mol
come home at oil. He SAINT Q note from
the Office 10 the mornins:
IL hops you are not worried. dariins
The car broke down near the Countrj
club last night. and there wAs nothing 4
ao but e .osnd shs Seishi th:.s: I wSuii,
say: s ;oa. w Ws "Src % 0 Scu ! s:S e, .o t H:n ~ :
sssr .Snishs and suSsss aftsrwsrdi
j. Christine was learning. She tele
J phoned the Country club that morning
and found that Palmer had not beeI
there. But, although she knew nov
Inst he was deceivlng her. % he al
ways had deceived her. a. probably h
Z always would. she hesitated to cor
{ front him with what she know. Hh
shrank, % many q woman has shrun'
Z before, from confronting him with hi
. re.
but tho second time II happened On
was roused. II was almost Christina
then, and Sidney was well on tho wa
= 70 recovery, thinner and very whit,
= but going slowly UP and down the stall
= case on ks arm. and sitting wit
Harriet and K. ut the dinner tsbl,
= ehe was begging to be back on dut
toe Chf1stinas. and X. felt that b
= would hsvs 70 sivs her ~ sosa.