South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-04-23
Is FATE PLAYING INTO THE
LOVING HANDS OF DIR.
PETIT?

PEIIIIV
Something akin 10 remorse crept
into my heart as 1 heard DR.. Petit
telling me that he had keen eyes
where l was concerned. IL was not
the words that touched me, but the
tone in which they were uttered. II
had a tenseness of emotion / had
heard in his voice before, and it told
me more plainly than ever truth
had tried long 10 disregard-that
the young physicians interest in me
was still something warmer than
friendship.
/ tried 10 acquit myself Of any
blame for this condition of things
tried TO tell myself that the man was
wholly unwarranted in his feeling as
far as any encouragement of mine
was concerned. Then my memory,
always relentlessly accurate, brought
back stray words and glances Of
mine, trivial and harmless enough in
themselves, but which my cOnsci-
ence told me 1 never should have di-
rected toward DIR. Petit when / had
any reason 10 suspect the nature of
his feeling for me.
/ had salved my conscience before
with the excuse that my wholly in
nocuous friendship with the young
physician-if so slight an affair
could be called a friendship - had
been a chapter of accidents. most Of
them caused by Dicky's neglect of
me. Our meeting at the Madison
Square Garden, as an instance, on
the night of the Presidents speech
there, was a direct result of Dicky's
desertion OF me in the crowd in or
der to rescue Edith Fairfax, the
lyoung art student from Virginia,
whom. later. l had had so much
cause TO distrust.
The remembrance OF Edith Fair
fax brought another painful thought
to my mind. Memory painted a
faithful; picture Of the day / found
the little kodak print of her and
Dicky in his chiffonier drawer, and
of the sharp temptation that came
10 me then 10 revenge myself upon
Dicky by entering into a mild firta-
ton with DR.. Petit That my COM
mon sense had prevented me from
yielding % the temptation didn't
save me from flushing shamefacedly
as ! thought of that day.
Forgive me! 1 didn't mean to
cause you embarrassment" I heard
the physician say and the distress
in his voice made me realize that he
thought my painful flush was CAUSED
by this remark. 1 searched my brain
wildly for something to disabuse his
mind
1T wasn't what you said" / STAN
= mered lin fact, you1I pardon me
but / was thinking OF something else
something which worries me-"
IT was the literal truth and II
served its purpose. ! saw him draw
back. offended for the moment al
my fancied inattention, then he bent
toward me again.
You Ask Ne That"
Are you sure it isn't something ]
can help" he said. and there was a
tremor in his voice that told me OF
some emotion -held down with a
hand OF steel
I shook my head: I'm afraid not
Think carefully before you say
that" he returned. Let me tell yor
| something. If there's any slightest
way that / can be OF service TO you
I Will change my plans and stay IL
the city for a while instead of leav
ing it permanently"
I looked up startled and dismayed
You're leaving the city perma
| nently!" / repeated. "Why?"
I regretted the question the mo
ment it left my lips, for his eyes, a.
they met mine held pain in them
and something else besides, some
thing which caused me TO drop m,
own.
why" he repeated. thickly, anC
there was a rOughness in his tone
| which betrayed the momentary un
clenching of the hand Of steel. "Yol
ask me that! Don't you know. can
| YOU guess that I am leaving becausl
| l cannot hear"
What Country"
I interrupted him hastily. fever
| lshly Something within told m
4 that he must not put his feeling int
words. If he did that | never again
would be able 10 keep any casual as
ISOLATION Of ours wholly in my owl
hands. There would always be pres
ent in my mind the memory of tn
| tmpassioned words I knew too wei
were trembling on his lips
4 Please don't tell me anything
more of your reasons for leaving"
said and. tried to divest my owl
voice of any emotion. Tell me in
stead where you are going"
| Tn not going anywhere" ne re
turned. steadily, unless YOU tell m
that there's no possibility of my aid
Ing YOU by staying"
| Truly. there's nothing anyon
can do for me" I returned. But
hope you aren't going far away"