Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-07

NLIII
ID CTH looked auxiously for letter
~ from Jack. She was eager to hear
from him, eager To- have her belief as
TO his motives confirmed, but no letter
came. and after the fourth day she
began To think il strange. She could
not understand why Jack would refuse
to answer her letter If he We're in the
hospital. and she was sure he was The
coincidence otherwise would have been
too strange.
Ruth had told everything TO Helen
and one morning she spoke to Helen
anxiously about it. II really can't
understand 1t at all"
Well, can. " YOU are sure Jack
is there. he simply doesn't want to see
you that's all"
But why shouldn't he want to see
me?"
80. Ruth. he feels al a disadvantage
that's all. No man really likes to have
the girl he loves see him lying Nat
on his back: it's not digniied"
Ruth pondered over this. Jack had
always seemed 50 sensible that she
could not believe he would feel as Helen
said he did, but if that were the reason,
then perhaps she ought not to do any
'''''S ''''t "'o'A II INK " hlSCpNtl
him. Al any rate, he knew now chat
she knew where he was, and he could
do as he liked about it: she could
wait. II wasn't az II she were worried
about his whereabouts. The longer he
put OF writing TO her, the more of n
respite she had ; her time of sacrifice
would he only too soon as It was and
she wanted all the time possible to think
or scott, TO plan how to do without
him all the rest OF her life.
She had posted letter 20 Scott, a
tender little letter it was in spite Of tine
fact that she had deliberately disguised
her feelings in every bit of il. But it
would not take very knowing and
wise person to read between the lines
and 10 see the whole throbbing hear1
OF her in erely sentence. She had sat
down to the letter eagerly She had
written almost before she thought the
words. 30. my dear" and then she had
erased them. and then shc had written
them in again. Jack could not mind
those few words and she was not even
sure that Scott would ever read them.
But Scott did read them he read the
entire letter through. and wrinkled his
hrows in hewildermcnt Then he read
| IL again with a SLOW, dun red creeping
up into his face. Was this from Ruth
ftoN ldHu I ne very same Ruth ROW
! land who had written him the gay, flip
| pant little letters who had told him the
! things that did not matter very much,
| who had looked at him with aversion in
/ her eyes when he had held her close Ia
/ him on that night long ago? Then
/ suspicion stabbed him and he read
| II through third time searching
| for pity. II has been said that
We can generally lind what We deliber-
atele seek. But II this fac, is true, then
Scott failed lamentahly in this one in
I stance, for try as he would he could not
possibly construe anything that Ruth
had written into pity. The letter had
been TOO spontaneous for that. Thhl
night Scott's temperature had risen
again, and all through the long night
/ hours he had been de'ir.ous. once moft
the doctors looked grave. Ever sine,
SCOTS night Of exposure on the battle
field he had lain in hospital battling
for his life. They had desps ired of th'
frightful wound in his back that refused
| to yield To any treatment and whicf
kept him from making proper re-
covery.
But. Of course. Ruth could not know
! all this, Ruth, waiting back home for
letter from France, a letter Scott writer
only TO her, and telling her of every
thing, a letter that she would sgoniz'
over and keep forever. a letter whos'
contents would thriIl her, not ease hel
| conscience as the contents of that othel
letter would do, that letter from Jac'