Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-01-11

elutehed at luseAeea. and achieved
safety at last.
TO think." said Sidney. shat you
have really besn across the ocean! ]
never knew but Gne person who had
been abroad. II 10 DR.. Max Wilson"
Back again to Doctor Max! lie
Moyne. unpacklng sandwiches from Q
basket. WAS sroused by a sheer resent
ment to indlseretion.
"YOu like this Wilson chap pretty
well, don't youy"
"What do you mean?"
"YOu talk about him rather Q lot"
This was sheer recklessness, OF
course. He expected fury. annihilation.
He did not look up. but busted him.
self with the luncheon. When the 81
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 Mt 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 a shall
low river, making noisy pretenstons to
both depth and fury. He remembered
just such a river In the Tyrol. with this
same Wilson on a rock, holding the
hand Of a 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 n who
had met life and v%anquished it.
"fve known him all my life" Sid.
ney said ut last. you're perfectly
right about one thing: I talk about
him and l think about him. I'm being
candid, because what's the use Of be-
Ing friends If we're not frank? l ad.
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. IL hon
estly believe that's all there Is to it."
III that's the whole thing. that's
hardly Il mad passion" He tried to
smile; succeeded family.
"Well, Of course, there's this, too.
know he'll look at me. I'll be
one OF forty nurses; indeed, for three
months I'll be only a probationer. Hell
probably never even remember I'm ir
the hospital at ALL"
II see. Then. If you thought he was
in love with you, things would Re diff
%ferent"
IF l thought DR.. Max Wilson was ir
love with me-" said s! lney solemnly
"Td go out of my head with JOY"
To hide the shock with which hi
realized that she was, unknown to her
self, already in the throes of a roman
tic attachment for Wilson, X. suggest
ed n descent to the river. She accept
ed eagerly, and he helped her down
That was another memory that out
lasted the day--her small warm hand
in his; the time she slipped and hi
caught her; the pain in her eyes a
one of his thoughtless remarks.
I'm going to be pretty lonely" he
said, when she had paused In the de
scent and was taking 4 stone out of hel
low shoe. II shall hate to come home
at night" And then, seeing her vince
i've been whining all day. Fol
heavens sake, don't look like that. Il
there's II sort of man l detest NOR.
than another. its a man who Is sorr!
for himself. Do you suppose you
mother would object IL we stayed on,
here at the hotel for supper? I've or
dercd {" moon, oranse.yellow and extri
size"
II should hate to have anything or
dcred and wasted"
Then We'll stay"
ITS fearfully e~xtrayagant."
I'll be thrifty as to moons while 20,
are in the hospital"
So 1t was settled. And, rs it hap
pened, Sidney had to stay, anyhow
For, having perched herself out in tn,
river on q sugarloaf rock, she slid
slowly but with II dreadful Inevitable
itT, into the water. X. happened to b
looking in another direction. So it OF
Cured that at one moment Sidney 50
on a rock, fluffy white from head I
feet, entrancingly pretty, and KNOWN
1t, and the next she was standing nee
, deep in water, much too startled t
scream, and trying to be dignified III
I der the rather trying circumstances. /
!. had not looked around. The splash ha
been a gentle ne.
1 III you will be good enough" sal
}, Sidney, with her chin well up, ito Civ
me your hand or a pole or something
d because II the river rises an inch
s shull drown"
p To his undying credit, X. lie Moyr
did not laugh when he turned and sa
her. lie went out on the sugar.l0a
s and lifted. her bodily up Its slipper
d sides. He had prodlgious strength,
IS spite Of his leanness.
u swell" said Sidney, when they wei
It both on the rock, carefully balanced.
Q "Are you cold2"
Q "NOt u bit. But horribly unhappy.
must look a sight" Then, rcmembcrIr
her manners, rs the Street had 1t, 81
d said primly:
...
Il "Thank YOU for saving me-"
% "Thcre wasn't any danger. reall
unlcss--unIess the river had rlsen.'
d And then, suddenly, he burst into d
+ lighted laughter, the first. perhaps, {,
y months. He shook with 1t, struggl.
Mt the sight OF hcr Injircd face IN r.