The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-02-17
a You Can Win the Prize You Write the Best Final Chapter

in the retreat they had planned for
her, where she could rest and rest
and be won back to health and
strength-above all where she could
be SAFE-it would seem almost like
miracle. His vowiRg to himself
that it MUST be so, met with sicken-
ing waves Of apprehension. 1t was
no more than a mile from the cove
to the village house where Madeline
was to wait for him; but alternating
hope and fear had so necessarily
warred in him that he was weak and
faltered in his walk like an old man
when he at last opened the little gar
den gate and went up to the house.
He painted as he climbed the steps
and a cold sweat broke out over him.
Another moment of the suspense it
seemed impossible to live through.
Then-while he thought this-the
door flew open.
Madeline smiling brilliantly stood
there.
With her finger on her lip and
making vehement signs to him,
KimbalI understood that he was not
to talk. She waved him to a chair
on the porch under a wide window
and then motioned within the room
which it evidently lighted and then
disappeared again.
"It's just a man about the place"
KimbalI heard her say lightly to
some one within, and he smiled to
himself to think how the greatest
longing he had was to be the "n1an
about the place" Still smiling at
the thought, he crept as silently as
he could to the spot she had indi-
Gated. Then he heard her voice,
but with a kindly, sympathetic
tremor running through it that
made it seem foreign to him. Some
how, Just from the sound Of it, he
was convinced she was speaking to
some woman.
"But has there never been ANY
BODY, Mrs. Thayer," the voice
said, "that has been true to you?
That seems incredible. Why, there
have been dozens of people in my
life on whose truth l would stake
my life. There was my daddy-do
you suppose 1 would fuss with this
old formula if / didn't have to be
true to his belief in me? And
those were splendid men out there
in Colorado that l rode with and
climbed mountains with and who
were dads friends. Look at the
loyalty of Mr.. Knowles and Mr..
Henderson - just because their
fathers and my daddy were to-
gether. And-and-I don't know
what I'd do if had to feel as you
do that everybody was selfish and
grasping and would be treacherous
if you didn't watch them. Oh,
wasn't there somebody-your hus-
band-I?"
"MY HUSBAND!" Certainly Kim
ball didn't know THAT voice-not
if it were Mrs. Thsyer's. 1t was
the voice of a real woman sitting
with another sympathetic woman's
hand warmly held in hers. 1t made
Kimball start with utter amaze
ment. And then he kindled with
admiration of his sweetheart who
could have wrought this miracle.
Evidently he didn't know a fraction
of the wonders of her power. "He
was the frst-and WORST. l be-
ieved in people until then. And
since then-nobody has ever been
k-k-kind to MINNIE who hadn't
some selfish purpose in it. One faith
lost after another-one belief after
another. /"
This time the voice was choked
in sobbing.
Madeline's voice-soothing, warm
ly sisterly-Kimball held his breath
in reverence. Then the voices went /;
on again
"But dear, why do you do it"
This was Madeline's voice. What
can it possibly mean to you? What
could pay you for all the danger?
have loyalty to my father to hold
me to it. But you-your heart isn't !
in this. You don't really hate me.
Why not just give it all up. What
can make you-a woman as you
have just now revealed yourself to