Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-03
yooNTINUED FROM LAST sunday

VRoAeu uoE 0yc0 bAucy. Wa
Nam came into the room
ost a. no had left the ship.
His hnger-nails were broken and
trimed, his face was streaked with
tweat and dust, his clothes were COW
cred with oil stains and emanated the
odor Of gasoline. and his beard was
three days old. When he saw sanity
In. her glance, he broke down: and
The nurse. fearful that his emotion
might upset the patient, ordered him
from the room.
In little while he begged the nurse
10 let him come back; he promised
he'd make no noise, that he would
hot touch the patient: all he wanted
was to see II he was really recog-
niRed. It was hard for the nurse to
deny this man anything, now that she
knew him.
~Just for g. minute" she said. "She
must have absolute quiet"
william tiptoed to the bed. do
you know me. sister,"
SISTER, He called her that? Had
Y been . dream. then? But Ruth was
too weak and tired to think. She
smiled little and closed her eyes.
A. troubles never come singly,
neither do the good things. The con-
sui general returned from his hunt
ing trip, dispatched documentary evil
denoe SUFFICIENT to establish Williams
right to his letter Of credit, explained
the situation to the management Of
the Rahies', and Williams financial
difficulties became recollections. He
had his trunks and grips brought
down to the room adjacent to Ruth's,
and his only care was to wait upon
her, to share through the nights the
burdens Of the nurse, and to assume
. cheerfulness he was far from feel
ing. Never he failed to call Ruth
sister; never by word or sign did he
refer to the past. When the day
came when she was able to walk
alone he would tell her. It was go
ting to be very, very hard; but he
had frightened up his resolve to q
point where no self-int crest could
weaken 1t. He would tell her the
plain. honest truth,
The slowness Of Ruth's GONZALES
eence rather bafied the doctor. APP
parently this young wife did not care
whether she got v~ll or not: There
was none Of the usual fretting over
staying In bed: she seemed content to
lie there upon her pillows. The doc,
tor. however. did not confide this fact
10 william.
TIVE weeks passed before Ruth was
able TO cit in q chair. They carried
her put to the wide veranda- gallery
whence she could view the lovely
panorama. Of the hArbor. And hour
after. hour she sat there, staring at
the ships as they came in or went
put 10 sea. 20
During the hours Of delirium the
nurse had managed to pick up enough
odds and ends Of the truth to form
p coherent. story. And all her SYM
pathies went out to the man. The
moment he came into the room he
fadieted love. Il beamed from his
eyes. It. was in the touch Of his big,
clumsy, toil-stained hands, 1t was
baanifest In his undergraduates All
bay long he iabored in the heat; but
DO never was too weary to spend half
The night At the bedside. The nurse
wondered what kind of vitality 1t was
fhis man drew upon. since. visibly,
he had no way Of renewing It.
Immediately Ruth regained con-
pciousness, however. the nurse was
keen to note the change in the man.
The love was there. but he hid It,
feprsssed 1t. stined 1t. This part Of
the mystery the nurse could not solve.
One day. whom she was able to
walk about, Ruth asked-in fact, she
had been wanting to ask the question
for some time. but until now could
not push her courage to the point
II she had had any rings ON her
hands when taken i'll.
Yes. believe Mr.. Grogan took
them or for fear you might lose
them" said the nurse. "You flung
your arms about a good deal. You're
. lucky woman, Mrs. GroSsn. How
that man loves you! OF course, you
know that he had no money. He
went out and found work. He'd work
all day and watch at your bed near.
" all night. Sometimes he fell
asleep in the chair. and would not
disturb him until breakfast. For ten
dayA he worked from six in the morn
ing until FIVE in the afternoon, and
the pity OF 1t. 1t wasn't needful. But
he thought he just had to have money.
He didn't know that the doctor and I
understood, or that the doctor had
Quietly informed the ONCE Of the cir
cumstances. We let him work be-