The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-06-28

she. 'sit down. won't your"
lie tossed his hat on the table.
"Alonef" he asked.
Il niwayr am. Annie is busy al.
most all day. over at the soldier
house. you know"
Il suppose he In up in the hills to-
day."
She knew whom he meant Yes.
Annie tclls.me he goes up every other
day 20 look around. l should think
he would be afraid"
Annie told your doesn't he tell
you what he doesT"
mo. Sometimes IN the evening he
come In for "A moment"
We'll. Of course" he went on. "in
my capacity az Pooh Bah. Major and
doctor. too, I've got TO be part medico
TO take care OF tho poor devils who
blow off their hands or drop things
on their feet, or eat too much cheap
candy at the store. How Ii Sims
knee by this timer"
lie iimps "A little1-t can hear IL
when he walks on the boards. Annie
says that Wild Gardner says that
nmiied. and he laughed with her.
That's flno. And how about
Madam herself. Mrs. Gage7"
She shivored. Il wiah you wouldn't
call me that ft--wcii. don't. please.
Let's not ever Joke"
what shall | call your
Il don't know. what's wrong here,
Doctor" she faced him now.
lie evndod Il was wondering
about your health"
-oh. fm very we'll. Sometimes my
eyes hurt mo little. as tho felt
moro Of the light Subjective. | sup.
pose"
She could not feel him look at her
At length. he spoke. quietly. I've
some news for you. or possible news.
1t has very much to do with YOUR
happiness. Tell me. II II were In my
power To give you back your eyes.
would you tell me to do that7"
My cyeay What do you mean ?
To $40 again"
IF | gave you back your sight. !
would bo giving you back the truth
and that would he very. very crusi."
lie saw the fiuttering OF her throat.
tho ,wltching OF tho hands in her
lap. and no hurried on.
"List~ni There's a chance In n
hundred that your sight can be re.
stored. My old preceptor writes me.
from what I've told him. that there
In about that chance. II 1t did sue.
ce.d--"
Then ia s-~ again-
"Ycs- SO you would be very un.
happy
You say a thing like that"
He WINGED. flushed
You come here now with hopes
that you ought not to offer. and you
qualify oven that Ffne--finel You
think can stand much more than
I hayer-
sun ths trembling Of her hands,
the nut;srinx at her throa. He en-.
durod IL for . tane. but broke out
savaxeiy at last You'd be pers@c,
then---as lovely A. ever any woman
why. you're perfect nowi And yet
without that one flaw where would
you b-f You'd not be married then,
tho you are now
60 onr' she said at length. eoidly.
You don't know ono Of US here
except that girl. Annie. as different
from you IA night In from day. You
don't know about the rest OF us. You
only think about us. imagine us-you
don't SEQ us. don't know us All,
Godi IL you only could BUTT you
did,
The last words broke from him un.
consciously. lie sat chilled with hor.
ror at his own speech. but kncw..be
had TO go on.
Il arm going 10 do what shah leave
US both unhappy ms long as W. live
III give you back your eyes II I
can
Il am heipioss- She spoke simply.
-Ycsi Why. n I oven look at you.
! feel I'm an eavesdropper. I'm steal.
ing. You can't see In my face what
your face puts thcre--you can't sec
my eyes with yours. You can't un-
derr,and how you've made mo know
things | never did know until I saw
you. Why. cruei7 Yeal And now
you're asking me to be stu more
cruel And I'm going to be-
"Don'tr' she broke out "Oh, Cod
DON'T Pleasc--you must not talk.
thought you were different from
this
And yct you have asked me a
dozen times whats wrong here. Why.
everything's wrongi That man loves
you because he can sec you--any
man wouldn't you don't love him,
because you haven't seen him. You're
not a woman to him at all. but an
abstraction He's not a man TO you
at all. but an Imagination. That's
not love Of man and woman But
when you have back your eycs--then
you're I'm shape to compete with the
best women In the world for the best
man In the world. That's Lowell
That's marriage That's right
Nothing else Ia"
lie paused Mortified Her voice
was icy. II asked you what was
wrong here. ! begin to see now. You
spoke the uuth--everything is
wrong"
You'll hate mo all your life and
| hate myself now an I never have
before in my life--despise myself.
What n mockery we've made OF 1t all.
God help those who scc!'
She sat silent for a very long time.
You say I shall be able to SEQ him
my husband?"
Yes. ! think So" he said.
And you also7"
mo! Him. but not me. You never
will. In be an imagination forever.
You'll never see me at ALL.
born?" said Mary Gage simply.
what a probleml"
Good by" he replied Il don't need
to wait"
She held out her hands to him,
gropingly. "Going?"
Yes. I'pr coming back. week after
next, to get you. III not talk this
way ever again Don't forgive mo