New Britain herald., 1918-10-17
REVELATIONS
 OF A WIFE
How Madge Met Her Hour and DiclSy Came Back to Her From the
 Shadow of Death.

Shadow of Death.
 Dry-eyed, silent, shrinking from each others soul, yet clinging to each Others hands like frightened children, Edith Fairfax and I waited outside the operating room of the camp hospital for the verdict of the surgeons upon Dicky.
 Little Mrs. Durkee had disappeared with the whispered word she would be back soon. I had asked her to phone Lillian that the news of Dicky's acci- dent might be kept from his mother as long as possible. I guessed, duly, < that my little friend meant to go to my home herself and bring Lillian back with her. But I had no desire either for Lillian's presence or her absence, or, indeed. for anything else < in the world save the word which waited behind the closed door.
 Evon Edith FairfaX's intrusion upon these awful moments-something $ which I would have f1ercely resented < had been even the least bit normal nlsttercd nothing to me. She had < gone in to the hospital by my side, be-. cs use in answer to an officers ques- 5 ton had declared that she was my sister. I think ir tha5 hour I could M have found courage, if the lie had < been necessary, to say that she was D.cKy's wife, 10 give him up to her, so ahased was I before tine consciousness of the horrible injustice had done my husband.
 Atonement-this was the one \ thought that obbessed me. If a mer- ciful heaven would only give Dicky < back to me felt that life itself would # not bes. lon onn,cIo for roou yena tiop
 The minutes slipped away relent- lessly, seemed to stretch into eternity. $ Lillian and Mrs. Durkee came into the room, and I felt my friends strong arms around me, her pitying face above mine.
 Then the door of the operating room opened, and one of the young x surgeons came out.
 Mrs. Graham he said inquiringly, < but I could not speak.
 "Your Husband Will Hve!"
 Lillian indicated me by a gesture. # TT am glad to tell you that your husband will live" he said kindly. "But it will be impossible for any one $ to see him for some time," he added to Lillian. "So if you will take her away at cnce-we have to come out this way" > # followed Lillian obediently, every emotion, every sense fused into one Dean of joy. ....-...-. .....
 Dicky nvedi
 Everything else in the world could wait. t--~ee
 It was Lillian who gathered the < missing threads of the story together 2 from Edith Fairfax and put them into @ my hands in the hours that elapsed B before I was permitted to see my hus- band
 ''Dicky, with that foolish undue < sensitiveness of his, wanted to get his commission before you or I or his friends knew that he was training at the aviation camp" Lillian said. 1T know him we'll enough to realize that it would have simply killed his pride to have failed for his commission if we knew about it''
 "But Edith Fairfax knew" I said duly.
 "She stumbled upon it by accident" Lillian returned. Her cousin from Virginia--you know cousins are the same as brothers down there-was at " the same camp unknown to Dicky x She went up to see her cousin and ac- cidentally saw Dicky, who sorely Aneeded a friend and confidant just about that time, and ever since she has < been in his confidence. But you needn't worry about her and Dicky, child. She's hopelessly in love with him, of course, but from what I have z learned from the girl herself, Dicky has but one thought, and that is you''
 TT know" I said remorsefu1ly, fever x ishly anxious to hear the rest of the # story Lillian hurried on after one comprehending glance at me.
 Dicky Gucsses Madge's Secret.
 "How Grace Draper learned that