The Washington herald., 1921-04-04
LxxIII-FACING A CRISIS.

LINIif-FAClNG A CRISIS.
For several minutes Nancy sat
quite still. her hands folded quietly
In her lap.
To the passer-by she might have
been merely q smsrtly dressed
young woman debating on the ques-
ton of tea place, for all the signs
of emotion in her face.
So do thoroughbreds meet life's
crises!
Ihwardly her brain was reeling.
She found 1t impossible to think
clearly. or logically-in fact, she
was almost incapable of thought at
all. Across the blackness of her
visisn, there danced in letters as
soaring as dre: "'Gerry il lost to
you forever!"
II didn't occur to her to aues-
ton how or why. She accepted
Comics word as simply as child.
and sat there quietly in the big arm
chair. watching with unseeing eyes
the passing show of smartly
gowned girls with their escorts.
who went their gay laughing way
to a tea dance at the end Of the
corridor.
The music drifted up to her. The
orchestra was playing a selection
which carried her poignantly back
to the last night she had dined
with Gerry before he left for Peru
A vision of him. big and strong
and handsome, immaculate in the
black and white of his dinner coat,
rose up to grip her heart with tor
turing fingers
Like a motion picture 'fade-out
came another unbidden vision
Gerry struggling IN a high rolling
sea! Gerry with strength and life
gone from his splendid body!
She iung her hand across her
eyes to shut out the picture, and
sprang to her feet
Il can't stand thisr she cried
Connie, what can 1 do? Why didn't
YOU tell me in your wire? Why
did you let me go on doing the
ridiculous things I've done today?
Connie. 1 was flirting with Des-
mond while Gerry
Its dreadful" declared Connie
dramatically. Dreadful. Nancy.
You poor childr'
Nancy spread out her hands with
a little helpless gesture.
what shall 1 do now? she asked
pathetically.
Connie considered.
II suppose the best thing TO do
in to call up the steamship company
and fnd out the details. We can
get Desmond to do that for us, or
Curtis, II we can find him. He
haven't your
He apent Sunday at the Lang
velianus ,untry place." Nancy an
svsf echanically. There was
frfrhtfui accident Someone was
injured in a motor accident and died
later. Connie. ] seem to be moving
in the midst of tragedy
There, there. dear" Connie laid
her hand soothingly on Nancy'sJ
arm. You mustn't give way to
nerves. Wen go md Curtis. It's
curious that he didn't see me.
wired him that 1 was coming"
Even in the depths of her despair.
Nancy smiled inwardly when she
realized why Curtis had not met
Connie. She wondered what con-
yivial souls he had run across.
II think, perhaps, Maj. Desmond
can fnd him." she suggested. Let US
go join him."
Connie clutched her arm suddenly.
Nancy, we will have to tell him
the truth-Desmond, I mean. He
will have to know about-about
your not being a widow before"
Nancy uttered a little cry.
Il knew II. Connie; I knew II
all alongi I knew l should be pun
ished for that awful liei But why
mould Gerry be punished, too7 He
had done nothing"
Even as she spoke, there flashed
across her mind the memory of a
cheque indored to -F'leurette ct
Cfe."
She realised with a sense OF COM
plete despair that she had not even
a perfect memory OF Gerry to COM
fort her.
ecopyrisht- fs71, b. wheeler Syndicate. Inc.)