The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-06-21

The voice of the Italian murmured
words which they knew were prayers
and though they came from humble
lips they brought relief to all. They
entered deeply into Helen nlingworth's
heart and mingled with her own petit
tions, frantic, fervent, imperative, al
though she offered them to Almighty
God rs from a woman broken. Pres
emily they all fled out of the room,
leaving Helen nlingworth alone with
what was left Of life In the crushed
body Of the man she had never loved
so much before.
In the observation room Vandeventer
told them of the fight for the dam and
how they had reached their maximum
power Of resistance and more, and that
the relief came In the very nick Of
time. Meanwhile the engine driver
had burned up the track going and COM
ing and In less than an hour he was
back with two surgeons and a trained
nurse. Was 1t their skill and care and
watchfulness that finally brought
Meade back TO consciousness, or was 1t
the passionate, consuming intensity Of
will and purpose of the woman who
loved him, who could scarcely be driv-
en- from his side? Well, whatever the
reason, after many days he passed
from death into life and came back
again.
He was conscious of Helen's pres
ence and lay quietly enveloped in her
love before he could talk coherently or
question. Indeed. with Rodney and
Winters, and old Shurtliff, who swOre
to himself that he would never forgive
himself If Meade did not recover, and
the colonel, and Vandeventer, and all
the men Of the force, who used to stroll
over after hours and just sit on the
side Of the track and stare at the car
where the man who had saved them
was fighting for his life as desperately
as they had fought to save the dam,
Meade was surrounded by such an at
mOSphere of admiration and devotion
as might have stayed the hand of death
itself. There came a day when the
physician said he could talk a little.
II saw you," Helen whispered. II
was standing on the high hill watch
ing, looking down upon you just be-
fore"
but I shall look up to you all the
rest Of my life" said the man, as the
woman knelt, as was her wont, by the
side Of the bed. She kissed his hand,
thin, wasted, but white and clean now.
mo, I to you," she murmured, as
she pressed her lips to his fingers.
Look up little higher, then" whis-
pered Meade with some of the old hui
NOR.
"YOu mean?"
The vOicelesS movement of his lips
told her the story. She raised herself
and kissed them lightly.
Il haven't dared to ask that BEFORE"
said the man, closing his eyes. 81
wasn't strong enough to stand that"
But you're going to get strong; you
must. I'd like to kiss you forever"
said the woman with plying tender
ness and great JOY.
'It's heavenly now, but shall have to
so away again when I am able and"
"We are never going to be parted
again."
II cannot let you marry discredited
man, a failure"
"Don't you know" said the woman,
rising, that the whole United States
rings with your exploit, that the splen-
did saving Of the dam has caught the
fancy Of the people rs it deserves and
you are hero everywhere and to ev-
erybody?"
But the International bridge and its
failure?"
UnbeknOwn to the two the colonel
had stood in the doorway.
1--WE know the truth now, my boy"
said the old man, coming into the room.
1T was your fathers fault, not yours"
1t was characteristic of Meade's tenn
per and temperament that his white
lips closed in straight line at this.
"Where's Shurtliff?" he asked, after
a silent communing with himself.
The old man had come In and out of
the room like ghost during his slow
recovery. Colonel Illingworth turned
away and summoned the secretary.
Rodney and Winters came, too.
"Shurtliff," said Meade family but
firmly, "tell them again who is re-
Sponsible for the failure of the Inter-
national"
"Forgive me, Mr.. Meade" said Shurt-
lift, "but it was your brave old fathers
fault"
"YOu see" said the colonel.
1--WE knew it all the time" said Rod
ney.
"But Mr.. Shurtliff bravely gave us
the final proof" said Winters.
"Those papers?" said Meade.
Shurtliff nodded.
"And your fathers own letter that
he wrote the papers before his heart
broke" said Rodney; "I'll read it to
you presently"
"Why did you do it, Shurtliff%
ITO right great wrong, sir. saw
that we were mistaken to try to spare