Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-02
CHAPTER XXXIN.

IN tho city, too, Mrs. Weed remarked
TO Ruth one afternoon. Ruth, with a
large basket full of groceri es, had stopped
in at the Weeds big house. I'm going
TO write and tell Myra she has to come
home by May"
Its March now, almost April. Ruth
answered What do you hear?"
The other woman caught the note Of
wistfulness in the girls simple question
She was intensely sorry for Ruth the
girl to her, seemed to be putting up a
superhuman fight. She went to her desk
and brought out Myra's last letters.
''Emily's in the sanatarlum still, she
was worse than they thought she said
Myra says shell have to spend the summer
In the mountains, TO recover, and the idea
makes Emily furious. She saws she going
10 Europe for year and get rid OF the
doctors expect it would be good
thing for her
And Myra. what will she do?
We'll, if Emily goes, she'll give up that
place of hers and store her things that $
when III make Myra come back. She
wont have any place then unless she goes
and boards and shes been SO spoiled at
Emily's that she would never put UP with
boarding house.
Ruth went on home none the wiser as TO
the ACTIVITIES Oh her LNo III btiV tA1.f
What was the trouble? Was Tim no
LONGER in love with her? She felt go i'll
At the idea, that she wondered vaguely
how she would feel if her suspicion
became reality.
Il don & think could bear it. she told
herself.
Little things came back to her the more
vividly a. she felt Tim growing stranger
and stranger to her She remembered the
sudden impulsive clasp OF his arms. She
remembered his shoulderwas just the right
heixhth for her TO rest her head against
She remembered his nice voice talking
gently to her as she sat close 10 him,
and the little words and expressions
he used-silly to repeat aloud but 50
dear to remember
She went home feeling that she must
know something definite one way or the
other. Myra's letter limiting that Tim was
In love with her, was always IN her thought
But absence from Myra had taught her
that that young lady was not always to
be relied upon; she was quite apt TO
imagine love affairs where none existed.
And in this way the days passed until
hcr mother and father came back.
II was an entirely different glTi who
met the train-a girl who had matured
during the winter. who looked upon HE
with = seriousness curious IN ore -
young, but who had grown il fnitely more
charming because Of the half hidden
wistf1lness.
But all her parents noted NJ first was
her pale skin and the blush shadows
under her eyes
What selfish people we've been. her
mother exclaimed, moved TO unusual
sympathy for the girls appearance,
Ruth, dear, you've been working your
EeIf 70 death.
"No." Ruth answered. tits been IN
teresting in a way. Anything Is interest
ing if there's money IN It.
Her father glanced up at this cynical
remark "Poor child, he said, pattlng
her hand.
Thsn Ruth was sorTy for even the slight
est hint that she had overwOrked or had
been unhappy For her father looked
much worse than when he left. He was
thin, 20 thin as to seem almost shadowy,
and the huge eyes that always made
his face remarkable, were larger and
deeper set.
at vii be all right" Ruth told them
after they had settled in their room.
The people | have here are nice and
quiet. If they aren't Father. or if they
annoy you, we Il let them go and have the
place 10 ourselves. again
Meantime, I'm feeling fine. her
mother said And | shall do the work
here and give you chance to rest. lou
look As though you needed it.
And she went downstairs and cooked
the dinner thst night, while Ruth and her
father sat talking OF all the nice events
OF MS winter in the south.
But Ruth did not stay with him until
dinner WAS ready She insisted that he lie
down awhile and rest. and when she had
covered him UP on the couch, with the
window half open SO the scented April
wind could come IN, she went of TO her
own room.
Then she sat down st her desk and be
gan a letter-this one to Tim.
You haven't written for so long / N
worried. Have YOU lost that nice position?
You must not overwork rk-because Of me-
Only let me know what YOU are doing
or how you are feeling, I've wondered
whether you are sick.
And that was all, except word that her
parents were back She hestitated over
the signature She wanted so to tell him
how much she still loved hlIn but his last
letter wss without word Of affection
and Ruth was afraid to show her own
feelings Yet Sincerely your" sounded
70 stiff and formal Finally she scrib-
bled "Affectionatelv, and her name and
sealed the envelope
The letter TO Mvra was also brief
We've been worried because VIC
haven't heard What is the trouble,
Myra? Something is worrying YOU.
know that because Of the way YOU We