The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-01-26
family. But, I warn You. II ever hear
of Christine's husband getting an apos-

looking very grand today. But, yot
have grass strains on your white trou
sers. Perhaps Katie can take then
out"
Quite suddenly K. felt that she
thought him too old for such frivolIty
of dress. 1t put him on his mettle.
"How old do you think am, Miss
Sidney"
"Not over forty, I'm sure"
'Pm almost thirty. It is middle age
Of course, butt is not senility."
| Clearly the subject Of his years did
not interest her vitality, for she harked
back to the grass stains.
I'm afraid you're not saving, as you
promised. Those are new clothes, aren't
they?"
mo, indeed. Bought years ago in
England-the coat in London, the
trousers in Bath, on motor tour. Cost
something like twelve shillings. Awful
ly cheap. They wear them for cricket"
That was wrong move, Of course.
Sidney must hear about England; and
she maryeled politely, in view of his
poverty, about his being there. Poor
LIE Moyne f1oundered In a sea Of men,
dacity, rose to a truth here and there,
clutched at luncheon, and achieved
safety at last.
"To think" said Sidney, shat you
have really been across the oceanl I
never knew but one person who had
been abroad. It is DR.. Max Wilson"
Back again to Doctor Max! LIE
Moyne, unpacking sandwiches from a
basket, was aroused by sheer resent
ment to indiscretion.
"You like this Wilson chap pretty
well, don't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"You talk about him rather q lot"
This was sheer recklessness, Of
course. he expected fury, humiliation.
He did not look up, but busted him
self with the luncheon. When the ST.
lence grew oppressive, he ventured to
glance toward her. She was leaning
forward, her chin cupped in her palms,
staring out over the valley that
stretched at their feet.
"Don't speak to me for a minute or
two," she said. 'Tm thinking over
what you have just said"
Down through the valley ran shall
low river, making noisy pretensions to
both depth and fury. He remembered
just such river in the Tyrol, with this
same Wilson on a rock, holding the
hand of pretty Austrian girl, while
he snapped the shutter of a camera.
He had that picture somewhere now;
but the girl was dead, and, Of the
three, Wilson was the only one who
had met life and vanquished it.
"I've known him all my life" Sid
ney said at last. you're perfectly
right about one thing: I talk about
him and think about him. I'm being
candid, because what's the use of be-
ing friends If we're not frank? I adj
mire him-you'd have to see him in the
hospital, with everyone deferring to
him and all that, to understand. And
when you think Of a man like that,
who holds life and death in his hands, |
Of course you rather thrill. II hon.
estly believe that's all there is to it."
eff that's the whole thing, that's
hardly mad passion" He tried to
smile; succeeded family.
swell, Of course, there's this, too. ]
Know he'll never look at me. I'll be
me Of forty nurses; indeed, for three
months I'll be only probationer. He'll
never even remember I'm in
he hospital at all"
II see. Then, If you thought he was
n love with you, things would be diff
erent2"
'If thought DR.. Max Wilson was in
owe with me- said Sidney solemnly,
I'd go out Of my head with JOY"
To hide the shock with which he
called that she was, unknown to her.
elf, already in the throes of a roman
lie attachment for Wilson, K. suggest
d descent to the river. She accept
d eagerly, and he helped her down.
hat was another memory that out
asted the day-her small warm hand ]
1 his; the time she slipped and he
aught her; the pain in her eyes at
ne Of his thoughtless remarks.
'Tm going to be pretty lonely" he {
aid. when she had paused in ue de- s
cent and was taking stone out OF her
wv shoe. II shall hate to come home
t night" And then, seeing her vince: ,
I've been whining all day. For :
eaven's sake, don't look like that. If /,
lere's one sort Of man I detest more :,
ian another, it's man who is sorry
,r himself. Do you suppose your
other would object If we stayed out
ere at the hotel for supper? I've or :
cred moon, orange-yellow and extra :
ze." 8
II should hate to have anything or y
cred and wasted"
"Then we'll stay"
tits fearfully extravagant."
'T'll be thrifty as to moons while you
e in the hospital" ?
So it was settled. And, as 1t hap {
med, Sidney had to stay, anyhow. I
)r, having perched herself out In the I