Evening star., 1921-11-13

the last of her war bonds to obtain
| this comfort; and it was while she
was reading in the little sitting-room
| outside that a plumply cheerful
| woman in a white cap came in and
asked:
| Il wonder if you would mind add
ing another good deed to your list?'
| And in answer to Helen's questioning
look ship had explained. Mr.. Squirting
| feels dreadfully low sometimes. It's
| really convalesce nce-he'll be sitting
| up in a week. His leg was dread
| fully mangled in the same accident
that killed his wife. He seems to
have almost no friends in New York;
| he's been living in Cuba so long,
| Helen followed the nurse into a
sunny room to see a bulky man OF
forty propped up among the pillows:
One of his legs, Swaddled beyond
i recognition, was hoisted up on an
apparatus, which, feigning an instru-
ment of torture, was doing the work
| of mercy.
| AT first she thought him dull and
unr esponsive, but before she had fin
! ished the. quaint little interview she
| learned how shy he was and how
| alone.
isn't there something 1 can bring
!you?' she had asked before depar-
ture-she had been doing nearly all
| the talking.
| 1eS, ne Salu, anu MS pls ldCe Hao
glowed into a smile. Just bring me
another look at you"
| That was the beginning. Until his
| recovery Helen's attitude had been
| one of kindness and protection. Then
| the situation had reversed. Why they
had come together had been a matter
| as simple and as intricate as the
opening of flowers and the decay OF
| weeds. Crushed under the weight OF
| her own misfortune, she had flown in
| stinctively to his goodness and
strength. She had accepted him as
an elder brother and he had never
taken advantage of that acceptance
During Fred's long illness 1t had been
| a daily comfort to see the big-framed
man limping on his cape as he came
to pay his bashful friendly call. How
little she had told him, yet how much
he understood! Only once had he Of
fered to help her financially.
| X X X X
| GLAZING tonight over the hot stove
in Miss Octavia Turnbulrs kitch-
en-, Helen had in her heart nothing
but a wistful gratitude for the man
who had tapped, so gently upon the
door Of her life. But from the day OF
Fred's release into the world of men
and women Bob Squirting had been no
boon to her. The invalid had display
led a distempered cunning in his treat
ment of her benefactor always gayly
cordial in Spurling's presence, he had
reserved his artful sneers for Helen
as soon as they were alone together
| She had enjoyed a sense of relief
when their physician-undoubte
anxious to be rid of a hopeless case
had ordered his patient to the myth
cal quiet of q southern town.
| But Helen Lef1ley, her hands flying
from bowl to knife in Miss Octavia &
kitchen, felt the grip of fear again
as il a specter had skunk upon her
from behind and seized her by the
hair. Less than q week ago Bob
, Squirting had sent her money! check
for fifteen hundred dollars between
the pages Of q crisply worded note
mentioning repayment in three years
at q regular rate of interest. She had
carried that letter for several days
before pride had yielded to want and
she had made q deposit In a Charlie
Vile bank.
It was az though furies had pursued
her for that wicked deed. She seldom
left Fred alone, but she had stolen
away to the bank at midmorning
while he was still asleep; she had met
Syria, the capable negress, on the
boarding house stairs and besought
her with bribes to stand alert In the
event that Mr.. Lefiey should awake
and ask for her. The egrand had taxi
/! en- longer than she had hoped, and