The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-08-21
EVENING STORY
The Light in the Darkness.
BY A. w. PEACH.

rose. From the moment of the ezplo-
sion in the chemical laboratory In
which she had been employed. during
the long days of suffering in the hos
pital. she did not dare to ask if she
1 would be LEFT with a badly SCARED
| face. The question seemed. for the
time being, vain and foolish in her
situation, but now that life was as
sured. she began to wonder II for all
her days she was to meet the plying,
questioning look that the unnamed
| give the manned.
Doctor, how do Iook?" she asked,
smiling as bravely as she could.
The gray-headed surgeon smiled in
! answer, and said in his grave, kind
way: well. little girl, l think you
have a pair of the finest brown eyes I
have ever seen. and your hair"
But I didn't mean that" she said
hurriedly.
Il know, but your question put me
in the old-enough-to-ask class; so 1
wanted to tell you" He looked at her
gently. There is just one bad scar,
the others will fade. 1 am sure. You
might bring Miss Lane a mirror" he
| said to the waiting nurse.
She was weak with suffering, and
| her mind was tortured with questions
| of the future. for her training had
been limited and the simple matter of
| a livelihood was no small item now.
So when she saw in the truthful glass
the Hvid scar that raced it's ugly line
across her forehead, and the blotches
below where the flying acid had
| touched, she moaned in anguish.
| Hello, By-Way!"
The pleasant voice cut thru her
| darkness. and she opened her tear
| filed eyes to see standing above her
the attending physician known to her
as "Dr. Walter During the month
that her eyes had been bandaged, he
had been to her merely a pleasant
voice and gentle fingers. Now she
saw he was tall, tanned as If from
! much time spent out of doors, gray
| eyed and dark-haired. His mild fun
| in calling her 'By-way'' instead of
Lane had pleased her in her child
| ish weakness: now, however, she
| turned to the pillow.
His voice was gentle, for he seemed
to understand. Look here, you must
| not feel that way"
No. but II you-were-to-go thru
life-this way-pitied-by everybody"
| she returned brokenly. Besides, l."
she paused. Besides what?' he
| urged in the same gentle fashion.
She shook her head and waived him
aside. The sight of his strong, pleas
ant manhood, the sound of his voice,
for some reason or other, made her
misery. all the more bitter-just why
she did know.
She did not guess the purpose in
the nurses friendly questioning that
evening, but because there was no one
| in the world to whom she could
| confide some OF her anxiety, she told
the nurse what she refused to tell Doc
tor Walter. And the nurse did not tell
her of that purpose, nor offer any
| suggestion as to how the mutilated
girl might solve the problem she was
facing.
The next morning, Doctor Walter
stopping again. Miss Lane, have
come to make you a formal offer of a
to look after my office; are you
| willing?
She lifted her SCARED face. $50
that was why the nurse asked me so
many questions?" She turned away.
Even you pity me-"
mo, 1 am sincere. really need
some one, and you have had expert
ence with drugs" he said patiently.
The quiet reproof in his voice was
enough. Forgive me. hardly know
what am saying. Yes if L can serve
you. I want to-
IAN right" he said, cheerfully.
Wen consider the matter settled"
| So 1t came about that after a week
she found herself in charge OF the
! doctors pleasant office on the wide
| street where the leading physicians of
the city had seemed to locate them
selves. Her work was simple and not
| laborious; and perhaps that was the
reason for the events that followed.
From the day she had seen her blue
| SCARED face she had not looked into
a. mirror. She combed her hair by
! arranging a small mirror in such a
way that her face was not revealed.
| The plying glances of the patients
| who came in was all the mirror she
| needed. Keener, too, was Walters
| gentleness, and the way his eyes would
rest upon her in moments when she
guessed he did not realize that she
| knew he was looking at her. Every
| thing seemed to combine to make life
become more and more dismal as she
| looked down the slope of the years.
| Worst Of all. and unguessed. she
found herself being drawn more and
more to the tall, handsome physician
His personality seemed to the weak
ened and worried girl a shelter within
which there was kindness and peace
She found herself listening for his step
and looking forward to the hours they
spent together over his correspondence
and records.
The full force of the situation did
not strike her until one momentous
day when a girl came into the office,
/ lovely with the loneliness that is al
ways suggestive of June time and
roses. She was welcomed with mani
Fest pleasure by Walter. and the
stricken girl in her simple gray and
white dress felt the world sink about
her.
II must be brave" she said to her
self. Il must. He just pities me. and
must not trouble him."
4 Two weeks went by The Junetide
girl came and went with Walter: and
his interest in her presence was evil
dent.
Then came the day that bore with 1t
a change of destiny.
The Junetide girl, her face flushed
with joy. hurried from the office. and
Walter, following with as much pleas
ure shining on his. went with her
Doris watched them go. and guess
! ing what had taken place. between
them, felt the room about her grow
gray as with dusk. From her world
the last sunshine went. Thru the
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