South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-09-26
HOW MADGE AND DICKY MET.

DlchN eager eyes looked Up from
his white face into mine His voice,
week but thrilling with the old love
now. repeated my name over and
over as ii he could not say il
enough.
] sank on my knees beside the bed
] in which Dicky lay. / realized in
hay sort Of fashion that the room
must be Harry UnderwoOd's own
bed chamber. but ] spent no time in
conjecture. All my being was fused
in the one joyous certainty that
I Dicky was alive and i'm my arms
and that / had been assured he
would get well. 7 laid my face
( against his cheek, shifted my arms
so that no weight should rest against
I his bandaged left shoulder, which
( at my FIRST glimpse Of it. had caused
me 20 shudder invOluntarily.
/ IF you knew how awful ] felt
about this" Dicky murmured. con
/ tritely, and. as I raised by eyes TO
: look at him his own contracted as
with pain.
IT'S a fine mess I've ought you
I into by my carelessnes.. this sum-
mer, but / swear 1 didn't dean"
I laid my hand on his lips
Don't sweetheart" / pleaded 1T
| is enough for me TO know that you
are safe in my arms. Nothing else
/ in the world matters Just rest and
get well for me-"
He kissed the hand against his
Z lips. than reached up the unband-
aged arm, and with gentle fingers
| pulled mine away
But there is one thing I must
talk about" he said. solemnly,
something you must do for me.
| Madge, for I cannot get up from
/ here TO see 10 it. It's a hard thing
I TO ask You to do. but you are so
brave and true. / know you will un-
derstand. Tell me. is that poor girl
going 20 die"
Come Through Shipwreck
IL don't know, Dicky." / fall
tered salving my conscience with
/ the thought that he must not get
excited with the knowledge of Grace
| Diapers true condition.
Poor girl" he sighed. IT never
dreamed she looked at things in the
light she did. but 1 feel guilty. any
how. responsible She must have
/ the best of care. NIadge. best physi-
/ clans. best nurses. everything.
must meet all expenses, even to the
ones which Will be necessary if she
should die"
He brought out the last words
fearfully Little drops of moisture
stood on his forehead. I saw that
the shock OF the girls terrible act
had unnerved him.
Nerving myself TO be as practical
and matter-of-fact as possible.
wiped the moisture from his brow
with my handkerchief ano patted
his cheek, soothingly.
II viii attend to everything"
promised, Just as if YOU were able
to see to il. But you must do some
thing for me in return; YOU must
promise not 10 talk any more and
try TO go 10 sleep"
MY own precious girl he sigh
ed, happily. and then drowsily-
Kiss me-"
7 pressed my lips to his. His eyes
closed. and with his hand clinging
tightly to mine he slept
How long I knelt there I do not
know. No one came near the room
but through the closed door I could
hear the hushed hurry and move
ment which marks a desperate fight
between life and death
/ felt numbed, bewildered tried
TO visualize what was happening
outside the room. but ] could not
IT felt as if Dicky and I had come
through shipwreck together and had
been cast up on this friendly piece
of shore
DIR. Petit IntcryenPs.
7 knew that later I would have 70
face my own soul i'm a rigid inquisi-
ton as to how far I had been to
blame for this tragedy. ] had been
married less than "A year. and yet my
husband was involved in a horrible
complication like this
But my brain was too exhausted
to follow that line Of thought I was
content TO rest quietly on my knees
by the side of Dicky's bed, with his
hand in mine and my eyes fixed on
his white face with the long lashes
shadowing IT,
At first 7 was perfectly comfort
able then after a while little
tingling pains began TO run through
my back and limbs.
7 dared not change my position
for fear of disturbinc Dicky. so ]
set my teeth and endured the dis
comfort The sharpness of the pain
gradually wore away as the minutes
went by, and was succeeded by a
distressing feeling Of numbness eN-
tending all over my body
Just as 7 was beginning to feel
that the numbness must soon extend
90 my brain. the door opened quietly
land some one came in.
Ny back was 10 the door, and 81
careful were the footsteps crossinG
the room that I could not tell who
the newcomer was until 7 felt a firm
hand gently unclasping my nervous
fingers from Dicky's Then 7 looked
zap into the solicitous face of Or
Petit
How Is IL that YOU have been left
alone here so long?" ne inquired. i'm
dignantly vet keeping his voice 20
the professional low pitch OF sick
room. He put his strong. firm hands
II under nv elbows "a iSad me To my