The Washington herald., 1921-03-20
By FRANK SWINNERTON


thing about about having babiesY-
They were closs together. Ths woman
looked 1T him. and be stood 500 20 that sts
might enter ths house
-weu.- said the stranssr. II ought n
I've bad three.
Thank Godr cried Jsmea
Perhaps I haven't been sufnc,entiy rr.ts
ful But why do you askf s your wife =
upstairs. Nobody near. No doctor.
Nearly a month before shs reckoned shss
very bad. and can't leave her
Instantly the stranger whipped on her hst
and gloves and thick motoring eoat shsvins
stout leeginss and short s,drt
Come along" she sid. - COO, and ese.r>
mined ~ an expert tn fAcs Of troubia -Hsf
water hot water bottles. extra eaankst -
While she was speaking she w.s moving b
the stairs. and an instant later she v.s In
command ITS an right" she comforted
my bike IL you can get II TO 20 and fetch ths
doctor Get him. anyway. shen be an right
with me: but show me vhers thins srs
kept
He showed her: went and brought the
bicycle in. but found it past use, and took
his own bicycle
Has she had a shock,- asked ths strsnssr.
James looked at her sturdy fgure and round
brown face, and honest. humorous gray eyes,
and he felt . fresh leap Of confidence In her.
Il wanted her to 20 into LAwton sooner
than we'd planned. Just for fear Of thia'
The woman nodded Then shs wanted
different name for the baby. wanted Do
borah. She wanted Ruth. It had been set-
tied Deborah-for months Then she had
this sudden fancy. She got worked up
Il see. It didn't take much TO do that
expect Well. hurry. now. Make the doc
tor come at once
James set on in the snow. He could hardly
get his bicycle UP the nrst incline, and Il -
quired all his strength to do 90. The hedges
rose white beside him. and the snow lay
several inches deep along the whole ROAD
Everything else was blottsd out Far BE-
hind the snow he seemed TO know that the
sky was leaden; but he could see and feel
nothing but the soft, relentless pressure of
the thickly falling snow. II was In hs eyss
and mouth. His hands were nipped. and his
all the time about Agatha: but his heart
was lighter.
In the confused turmoil Of his thoughts
he speculated about the motorbicyclist She
must have been riding In TO LAwton, or BE-
yond, must have pushed on In spite Of the
snow; her cycle must have broken down: she
must have seen the lights In the cottae.
sounded her horn. and tramped towards the
house. And he had thought not at all OF that.
but only OF his own desperate need. Wei
he would mend the bicycle for her on the
morrow. and would make It clear that hs
owed everything to her, and that be would
never forget his debt. He would owe to her
the lives OF Agatha and the baby-whethe
it was Ruth or Deborah; John or Ralph.
Suppose in spite Of this help the doctor
came too late? Suppose Agatha were after
all to die? James pedaled feverishly. He
rode so hard that he was perspirins in spite
OF the cold. His hands were frozen; but
the rest Of his body was fiery with heat His
head was throbbtnr; his honest face cray
and set
Slowly the hedges slipped by, 20 much
alike that he could only reckon his progress
by guessing at familiar contours made
strange in this new dressing. He shortly
passed through the silent village Of vsinton.
in which AL were asleep. Then on through
the night and the snow. pedalins Ertmly,
strainins muscle and nerve to add an extr.
fraction to his difocult speed
The snow blew In his face, choking him
although he rode with his head down II
stung his neck and made him shiver with
its cunning power to slip inside his coat
collar at the back II settled upon his
shoulders and his arms and knees. and stsod
like q crown upon his cap And Away,
II came down in gusts and torrents, oe
scurinE the road and the countryside until
every landmark was hidden. and only IL
hedges assured James that he v.s rvtnS n
the right direction
The journey seemed 10 take many hourx
II took him. IN fact more than two hour,
TO reach town. hard was n 20 tr.vsl
through the snow.
Then at last he saw q roof. q light, and
knew that his destination was reached By
this time he was exhausted with the vehe
mence OF his effort and was almost reelins
az he rode The blood was In his head ~
behind his eyes; he was blazing and esss
with excitement, not a sane man but a mss
with an obsession. He no longer thought
He went toward the Doctors house b.