Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-08-17
The Gift:
Supreme
BY
George Allan England
Author Of
Darkness and Dawn
1.-THE Alibi." etc.

sGood Lord!" calculated vinton.
aghast. what are you--a human
dynamo?"
mo, Just girl"
'But your health, Miss Alden
how on earth do you stand it2 And
how long have you been at 1t, any
how7 I'm pretty strong. but. such a
racket would finish me In six
month";"
..Wsil, 1t hasn't finished rne YET
she laughed, "and I've been at II
moro than three years. Nothing hurts
me. rm dissustinsly healthy. There's
nothing romantic and willo,vy and
sclinging about mo. We're ali healthy
In. our .family-always have been
Father and mother would probably
have lived to be very, very old: but
they were both drowned about three
and half years ago when the Ed
meta @, was wrecked on Rum Reef"
ytnxon looked his oommiseration
! The best legacy they left rne, and
khe only one. was health. j. don't
lem 20 mind anything. TIA mighty,
luclky 1oot"
e guess health IL anybolYs best
aosat. ! always Try to keep good
balance on the credit side Of my
M ledger. Don't your
YEA yss. But tall me-
Chs glanced at the clock, and In
1eesupted him by rising hastily.
..Ivs got to be going" she said.
You can walk ~ far a. the tunnel
with me, IL you care to"
They paid their checks and depart
"a, vinton felt singular shame at
lstting = woman In his company put
down money for = meal: but he real
ine4 tho utility Of any objection, and
1 he1d his peace. AZ he walled beside
hss. carrying her boolx-laden bag, he
resumed his questioning.
TeU me-. Miss Alden, how about
that mission stunt OF yours? How
n the world do you sver find time or
strength to sing for those lAnentable
wrocksr'
.Oh, I make Il. somehow or other
) Once Q week get off q little early
from the theater."
Yes, but do you really believe in
5 that crude blasphemy?"
She eyed him thoughtf,llly, then
shook her head.
! mo-" She answered. "but L think it
helps them, Just the same. know
4 at least two sailors I've rescued that
way and I've braced UP several 9th
ers. You can sometimes ising de-
/ cency Into q mans heart when you
can't talk = In or punish 1t in. /
came 20 that conolusion during q
few months OF experience as a hos
pital nurse. . little while before my
( father died. Father was always in
terested In helping brokerl mariners
He was q sea captain, you know.
That's one reason why dc, the mis-
sion wo-k-in memory Of him. It's
the only memorial can afford. Well,
here we are again." she added, as
they reached the tunnel station.
Thank you very, very much for
I coming down to see me, and good
3 bye.''
Goodbye" said he, with singular
regret.
Once more he watched her pass
} thru the turnstile and disappear.
Then, more pensive than ever he re-
turned to his own world IN the Back
Hay.
During the month that followed,
Bradford Vinton saw Tho. girl more
and more often: and at each parting
he found his wonder and his admir-
1 alton deepening. Her name, he dis
coysrsd, was Sylvia. Sylvia Alden.
The naine pleased him immeasure-
ably. It seemed to ut Ter with a
fine precision connecting gentleness,
sstet strength. It's syllables reminded
shim rot something sturdy. and right
eops. They seemed to echo from the
past yet to harmonixe with the busy
present wherein she tool: 20 active q
part,
ss Sylvia Alden! Il took strong hold
-ep his imagination. Hal he devised
= name for her, he surely could have
found no better one.
He came 70 have the habit of
spending much time witl, her. time
that his anxious mother thought was
passed In research work for the book
he now planned writing. Two or
three times he revisited the mission,
with her. fma-veling at her calm,
smintstering cheerfulness in that den
OF misery. The spirit Of mother
hood seemed to breathe from Sylvia
notherhood for even the most de-
Graded outcast Of that Fest hole. Her
voice, he saw, wrought as great good
IN the wretches' souls 40 any human
power could work there
He went to see her again at the
sail loft, penetrated the unknown re-
sions Of East Boston. and saw her
At work In her other positions. He
became familiar with the movie the
! ater whore she sold tickets.
More and more he bolyan to feel a
sense OF shame, in his cyvn idle, shell
tered life. . sense Of growing aston
ishmsnt at the amplitude and energy
OF her activities She Was always
working. or else on the way to work;
and wherever she went her short
hand manual and one or two stand
Ard books weighted DOWN her hand
bag.
Sometimes Of q busy afternoon.
when the theater lobby swarmed
with Z mob Of clamorous, disorderly
children, he stood with a kind OF
wondering awe to watch her ''put the
crowd thru" The thought that twice
each day she filled 1900 seats made
his bones ache with Ncarious weari-
ness. She seemed q piece Of finely
adjusted mechanism. 80 swiftly and
smoothly did she deliver tickets and
chanEe. with never amy error, hitch