Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-09-11
Love and Married Life
BY the Noted Author
Idah McGlone Gibson
The Aftermath.

it!' a shrieking voice exclaimed.
"Of course, you didn't do it
dear, sof course, you didn't do it
1t was a motor accident" sait
Alice, with her arms around me
Was that speaking?" I asked
Alice in surprise.
'Doctor, you must do somethine
for her. The shock has been toe
much"
Quietly disengaged myself
from Alice's arms.
.'Where have they taken John?
I asked
"Both your husband and Miss
MOreland have been taken to
STAIRS Undertaking Establish
ment,' said the doctor.
! laughedl
.sOh, don't let her do that! Don't
lot her do that" exclaimed Alice
For answer, the doctor inserted
a. hypodermic needle in my arm.
l felt the sharp prick of pain and
said, II do not need that, doctor. :"
'.Then you will lie down on this
sofa. Mrs. Gordon, and see if you
can rest"
i did as ne told me, but with
the thought surging through my
brain that even in death fate had
conspired to keep my husband
and Elizabeth MIoreland together.
AS l grew calmer, my thoughts
went back to the afternoon, just
few hours before. Then John had
said, when we move into the
new home, Girl we shall have
that happiness of which we have
dreamed" oh. 1 am SO glad he
said it to me! l am so glad he
meant it, for / know he meant it
And am so glad, that if he knows
anything at all Over There beyond
the wall Of visioning, he knows
that l did not mean it the other
day when l wished---I wished
Oh, no. no, never could have
wished that--John be dead! 1t
is so terriblel l want him back
Mary will never know her father
the new house will mean nothing
unless-as he said--we can 'jog
along together in it,"
Are you sure the baby is all
right 2" | asked Miss Parker sud
denly, as | reused myself from hte
drowsiness of the drug which the
doctor had given me. / looked
into the plying face of Alice and
the professional one Of the doctor.
Eyes. yes" they said almost in
unison. go to sleep. Go to
sleep"
Merciful sleep soon placed her
gentle fingers on my weary eye
lids and it was weeks before Il
again woke to a knowledge of my
surroundings.
THE only thing you seemed to
want to do said Alice to me, '.af-
ter you came out OF that attack
of brain fever, was to write in
that little book which you have
kept SO jealousy from all of us.
The strangest part of it all was,
however, Katherine, that you kept
writing over and over and over
again everything that happened on1
that tragic night, which, of course,
at ths time, we thought you did
not understand. You kept writ
ing it over and over after you
wrote it first in the book and
you called me to you and read it,
asking me il that was just what
happened. Again and again you
wrote it, day after day through
all those weary weeks and again
and again you insisted on readingl
it to me and asking If that was
just what happened.
"Over and over you reiterated
the words i didn't do 1t, / didn't
do 1t, l didn't do it. You know
did not do it, don't your And
then You would say, Poor John
and sit for long time looking in
to vacancy and at last you would
whisper pityingly, Poor Elizabeth
We were all nearly crazy about :
you Alice said. "And l think if
1t hadn't been for Karl we would
nave given up hope many times
and decided you would never come
into your mind again.
From the moment that he
came into the room, Katherine
said Alice, "he seemed to exert a
peculiar calming influence over A
you. although you did not recog-
nize him as Karl Shepard. A pc
euiiar thing about the matter.
however, was that YOU never Il
showed him what you had writ ?
ten and were writing day after "
day. 1 was the only one YOU made Y
confidant of, although you new q
sr seemed to know me by name. =
But whenever Karl would come to y
where YOU Were sitting and hold :,
'ut his hand. YOU would look up .,
nto his face and say. It's all right r,
low. isn't it. it's all right p and NJ
lie would answer, Yes, Katherine. | Il
. is all right.
And you at times would turn "
way but IL l were standing near 81
ou would say You see it's all p
Ight, 1 did, not do it m
You never seemed to get over 9f
that your wish was not y
lther to the deed. But toward ~
lie last. longer intervals would
apse between the times when
IA would write out again the hor- a.,
bic experiences Of that night.
ID even If you did. as YOU handei tn
e written pages ever to me with .ic.
sfyh y0u would say. It's all lbe
sht now. he says it's all right up
All
MoEDAY---Katbeane's Illness. 'ef