Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-02-15

-luuSL De eAteupoF1ZeQy IlQ6eO, at
last, Of odds and ends from the operat-
ing room. X. did the work, his long
fingers deft and skillful-whiIe Mrs.
Rosenfeld knelt by the bed with her
face buried; while Sidney sat, dazed
and bewildered, on her little chair in
side the door; while night nurses tip
tOed along the corridor, and the night
" Gilman stared. ilcreGlIOus from out
side the door.
hn,n lit tWO great rectangles that
We're tie c.:lcTGen>,. ward windows had
Turned from mirrors rejecting the
room to gray rectangles in the morn
ing light. ;, ,..1y Resented opened his
eyes and spoke the first words that
marked his return from the dark val
ley.
Gee, this is the life." he said, and
smiled into ks watchfUl face
When it was clear that the boy
would live. K. rose stif1y from the bed
side and went over to Sidney's chair.
Hes all right now" he said-"as
all right as he can be, poor lad.
''You did it-vou! How strange that
you should know such a thing. How
am l to thank you?"
The internes, talking among them
selves, had wandered down to the din
Ing room for early coffee. Wilson was
giving Il few last Instructions as to the
boys care. Quite unexpectedly, Sid
ney caught ks hand and held it to
her lips The iron repression of the
night Of months indeed, fell away be
fore her simple caress.
My dear, my dear" he said huskily.
Anything / can Go-for yOu-at any
time"
It was after Sidney had crept like
broken think to her room that Carlotta
Harrison and X. came face to face.
Johnny was quite conscious by that
time, a little blue around the lips, but
valiantly cheerful.
More things can happen to fellow
than l ever knew there was" he said
to his mother, and submitted rather
sheeplshly to her tears and caresses.
you were always a good boy, John
ny" she said. Just you get well
enough to come home. I'll take care
of you the rest CT my life. We will get
you wheel-chair when you can be
about, and l can take you out in the
park when l come from work"
I'll be passenger and you'll be
chauffeur, ma
MI lie MOyne Is going to get your
father sent up again. With siXty-fve
cents a day and what l make, We'll get
along"
You bet we Will"
ooh, Johnny, if l could see you com
ing in the door again and yelling
mother and supper in one breath :"
The meeting between Carlotta aud
lie Moyne was very quiet. She had
been making sort OF subconscious inn
preston on the retina of his mind dur
ing all the night. 1t would be difficult
to tell when he actually knew her.
When the preparations for moving
Johnny back to the big ward had been
made, the other nurses left the room,
and Carlotta and the boy were to-
gether. X stopped her on her way
to the door.
"AIiSs Harrison !"
"1es. Doctor EdWardes."
81 am not Doctor Edwardes here;
my name Is lie Moyne."
"Ah!"
4 have not seen you since you left
st. Johns"
No; II rested for q few months"
4 suppose they do not know that
you were-that you have had any pre-
yious hospital experience"
mo Are you going to tell them?
81 shall not tell them, of course"
And thus, by simple mutual consent,
it was arranged that each should re
spect the others confidence.
Carlolta staggered to her room
There had been a time, just before
dawn, when she had had one of those
swift revelations that sometimes come
at the end of a long night. She had
seen herself as She was. The boy was
very low, hardly breathing. Her past
stretched before her, series Of small
revenges and passionate OutbUrSts,
swift Weddings, slow remorse. She
dared not look ahead. She would have
given every hope she had in the world,
just then, for Sidney's stainless past
She hated herself with that deadli-
est loathlng that comes with complete
self-reyelatiOn.
And she carried to her room the
knowledge that the nights struggle
had been in yain-that, although John
ny Rosenfeld would live, she had
gained nothing by what he had suf-
fered. The whole night had shown
her the hopelessnesS of any stratagem
TO win Wilson from his new allegiance.
She had surprised him in the hallway.
watching Sidney's slender figure as she
made her way upstairs to her room.
Never, in all his past overtures to her,
had she seen that look in his eyes.
CHAPTER XVI.
To Harrietkennedy, Sidney sentence
of thirty DAVIS SuSDpnSinn came ~ :,