The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-04-07
EVENING STORY
HeIen,s Gift.
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.

BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.
Helen realized when it was far too
late that she had been entirely to
blame in her quarrel with Hillary.
She had been small and selfish and
altogether unworthy the great love she
had deliberately thrown away.
When Hillary had first signified his
intentions of joining up with the Brit
| ish forces before his own country had
gone in to fight, Helen had not even
taken him seriously. Sitting back,
surrounded by every luxury and COM
| fort that a human being could want,
1 il was difficult for Helen to appre-
ciate the fact that thousands of men
were giving their lives that women
such as she might live. 1t was all so
! far away and would 500 be over.
There was no reason on earth why her
Hillary should go over and fling his
| life away for some other country when
he was engaged to her and she loved
him.
But Hillary was not the kind of
man who could sit back while brother
men were bleeding and dying and suf-
fering for civilization and not offer to
| help them. Neither was Re the kind
of man to be guided by the whins of
any woman. even tho he loved her
with all his great big heart.
And the Helen whom she had
seemed to be was well worth any
mans love. She was beautiful from
her exquisitely poised head to the aris-
tocratic arch of her dainty feet. Her
shoulders and neck were famous for
| the exquisite texture of the skin, and
| her arms were just the fairest example
of the Great Sculptor. Helen in eve
ming dress was The envy of all women
| and the unbounde1 admiration of all
men. Hillary often told Helen that
he felF in love with her arms before
| he even looked at her face.
| And now that big love affair of the
social year had been smashed into the
past. Hillary had sailed off to join
the British flying corps, a free man to
the world, but knowing that SO long
| as he lived he would always love
'Helen-always want her.
! All that had been two long years
ago. Much happened to the world
and a great deal to one human atom
that was Helen Travis.
She had been stunned at first by the
| loss of Hillary, but had bravely faced
| the situation and in a way from the
very start blamed herself, altho feel
| ing that she had been very much
abused.
! She had told Hillary that there were
| plenty of men to fight before he need
| go and that life would mean nothing
| to her when he was so far away. But
|
| and SO he had gone with no word be-
| hind him. The engagement was broken
| and Helen had said finally that she
| never wanted to see him again. The
| smart had hurt-hurt terribly.
| When the war came closer and
4 clawed at Americas gates, eating
| deeper into the heart of the country
and taking away the finest of the lads,
| and the finest of the women were
| working with teeth set. Helen began to
see things in another light.
In her heart she knew she could not
| have loved Hillary had he not gone
| even tho he had Joined before America
entered. She knew how that all men
+ should have gone and that the war
| would have been over the sooner and
that less homes would have been
robbed OF their dearest treasures had
more men been made of the fine metal
that nodded Hillary.
Helen had quickly prepared herself
for help among the wounded. She
| wished with all her heart she had
| had spent an idle, useless life and now
she could only sit by and watch other
! women don uniforms and sail off to
fight beside the brave men.
| However. Helen drove her own car
in aid of the hospitals and found much
to employ her ready hands. Fine and
strong she was and capable of long
hours that did not bring her the
/ least atom of forgetfulness. There
| were not many men who compared
with Hillary and Helen found out that
in her own heart there remained a
love far deeper than she ever dreamed
herself capable of.
But Hillary might have gone vest
with other brave men. She had heard
no word from him since the day they
parted. How often, how very. very
often, Helen biuShed with shame at
the small part she had played and
| how she longed to make PREPARATION,
only she herself knew.
She hoped if he had made the great
sacrifice that he had forgiven her and
that he had not suffered. To think
of Hillary suffering, wracked y pain
and tortured by crushed or mutt
lated body. made life unbearable.
She tried by every means at her dis
posal to find out something about him.
1t was difficult, since she knew little
or nothing about the Royal Flying
Corps and lad no idea even as to
which squadron he was attached to.
1t was the saddest and perhaps one
of the happiest days of her life when
| Helen, through a newspaper item, dis
covered that Capt Hillary James was
in hospital in Canada and that only
a miracle in the way of surgery had
saved his life.
He had crashed down in his ma
chine while in combat with a boche
pldHe ne was Dduly DuIHeo dDoul
the face and much skin grating was
necessary.
Helen Travis left no stone unturned.
lost no time in making her way direct
to Montreal and to the hospital where
Hillary lay with bandages over his
dear eyes-eyess that might and might
not see again.
She had had only one brief moment
of terrible anguish when she had seen
the man she loved lying still. but
she rallied and pleaded to be allowed
to give as many inches of skin as were
needed. for Hillary's recovery.
That which Helen did she did in