The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1917-01-06
CHAPTER XVII.

| Sear. Mafcn was bitterly cOld; even
| April found the roads still frozen and
the Indigenous clustered with ice. But
at midday there was spring in the air.
In the courtyard Of the hospital, con-
valescents sat on the benches and
watched for robins. The fountain,
which had frozen out, was being re-
paired. Here and there on ward Wills
dow stills tulips opened their gaudy
petals to the sun.
| Harriet had gone abroad for flying
trip in March, and came back laden
with new ideas, model gowns, and
fresh enthusiasm. Grace Irving, hav-
ing made good during the white sales,
had been sent to the spring cottons.
She began to walk with her head high
er. The day she sold Sidney material
for Il simple white gown, she was very
happy. On Sidney, on X, and ON
Christine the winter had left it's mark
heavily. Christine, readjusting her
life to new conditions was graver,
more thoughtful. She was alone most
of the time now. Under KS guidance,
she had given up the Duchess" and
was reading real books. She was
thinking real thoughts, too, for the
first time in her life.
| Sidney, as tender as ever, had lost
little of the radiance from her eyes;
her voice had lecpcncu. Where she
had been n pretty girl, She was now
lovely. She was back in the hospital
again, this time in the childrcns ward.
H., going in one day to take Johnny
Rosenfeld basket of fruit, saw her
there with child in her arms, and IL
light in her eyes that he had never
seen before. 1t hurt him, rather
things being as they We're with him.
When he came out he looked straight
ahead.
X. had fallen into the habit, after
his long walks, of dropping into Chris
tines little i,arlOr for chat before he
went upstairs. Those early spring
days found Harriet Kennedy busy late
in the evenings, and, save for Christine
and H., the house was practically de-
serted.
The breach between Palmer and
Christine was stendily widening. She
was too proud to ask him to spend
more Of his evenings with her. On
those occasions when he voluntarily
stayed at home with her, he was SO
discontinued that he drove her almost
to distraction. Although she was con-
WINGED that he was seeing nothing of
the girl who had been with him the
night of the accident she did not trust
him. Not that girl, perhaps, but there
were others. There would always be
others.
Into Christmas little parlor, then,
X. turned, one spring evening She
was reading by the lamp, and the door
into the hall stood open. The little
room always cheered X. Its warmth
and light appealed to his csthetic
sense; after the baroness of his bed
room, it spelled luxury. And perhaps.
to be entirely frank, her evident pleas
ure in his society gratified him. Chris
tines small coquetrics We're not lost on
him. The evenings with her did some
thing to reinstate him in his own self
esteem. 1t was subtle, psychological,
but also it WIS very human.
"Come ana sit down." said Christine.
"Heres Il chair, and here are cigu-
rctteS and there are matches. Now !"
Behind Him, Christine stood watch
ing his head in the light of the desk
lamp. "Wllht Il strong, quiet face it
is" she Thought. Why did she get the
impression of such Il tremendous re-
serve power in this man who was q
clerk, and Il clerk emily? Behind him
she made 81 quick, unconscious gesture
of appeal. both hands out for an in
slant. She dropped them gulltily as
II. turned to her.
81 wonder if you know, H." she said,
be who marrcs you?"
He laughed good-hum"rcdly.
81 wonder how long could hypno-
tie her into thinking that"
I've had time to do a little thihk.
ing lately" she said, without Mttcr,
ness. palmer Is away so much now.
I've been looking back, wondering II l
ever thought that about him. don't
believe ever did. wonder"
She checked herself abruptly and
sat Gown. After n moment: 'Iins II
! aver occurred TO you now terribly
mixed UP things are? Take this
Street, for instance. Can you think OF
anybody on it that-that things have
gone entirely right with?"
TITS a little world of its own, Of
course" said K, land it has plenty
of contact points with life. But whcr-
ever one finds people, many or few,
one finds nll the elements that make
up life-joy and sorrow, birth and
death, and even tragedy. That's rath-
er trite, isn't it?''
Christine was still pursuing her
thoughts.
Men are different" she said. ITO
q certain extent they make their own
fates. But when you think of the
women on the Street-Harret Ken
nedy, Sidney Page, myself, even Mrs.
ROsenfeld back in the alley-solne-