Graham guardian., 1921-11-04

ais aching eyeballs, wishing that he
might cry. q
"She drove here" he heard q mans
voice saying In the silence, "and she
must have lost control OF her car for
q minute. Then--dO you see?-the
wheel slipped on the bank. Once 1t
got this far, no power In Gods
esrth-"
"No power in Gods earth" another
mans voice said Ia solemn coniirma-
tion.
"Peter," Cherry said. "wili you come
TO me MS soon ss you cant shall
need you"
"As soon as can" he answered
absently
The car drove away, and he heard
Martin moan again As II moved.
Joyce" said a mans kind voice
close beside him. lie recognized the
voice rather than the distressed face
Of an old friend and neishbor. "JOyce,
my dear fellow" he urged sfrectionate-
ly. 'tell us what we may do and well
see to 1t. Pull yourself together my
dear chap. Now, shall telephone for
an--an umbulancef You must help US
Just 4 little here and then we'll spare
you everything else"
'Thank you,. Fred" Peter answered
after moment. Thank you. VIII
you help me take--my-wife-home7'
"You wish II that vayf" the other
man said anxiousiy.
'Please," Peter answered simply.
And instantly there was moving and
clearing in the crowd. q rnurmurlng
of whispered directions.
After while they were at the noun
tain cabin, and Kow, with tears rum
ming down his yellow face, was helping
them. Then they went into the old lIv-
ing room, and Alix was lying there,
splendid, sweet. untouched. with her
brave. brown forehead shadowed soft
ly by her brown hair, and her iashes
resting upon her cheeks, and her fin
gers clasped about the stems Of three
great, creamy roses.
There were other flowers all about,
and there were women IN the room.
white draperies fell with sweeping
lines from the mercifui yelling Of the
crushed figure. ana Aiix might have
been only asleep, ana dreaming some
heroic dream that lent that secret
pride and Joy TO her mouth and filled
those closed eyes with triumph they
had never known in life.
I. Peter stood and looked down at her.
and the men and women drew back.
But although the muscles Of his mouth
twitched. he did not weep. He looked
long at her. while an. utter silence
allied the room and while twilight
Into dark over the cabin and
over the mountain above It. Ia
80 that was your way out, AlIxT
Peter said in the depth Of his soul.
THAT was your solution for us all2
You would go out Of life. away from
the" sunshine and the trees and the
hills TINT you loved, 70 that Cherry
and should be savedf i was blind
not to see Ii. have been blind from
the very beginning"
4 Silence. The room was nlling with
shadows. On the mantel was n deep
bowl of roses that he remembered
Watching her cut--was fs yesterday or
ago?
j, IL was wrong" he said. "But
think you would be sorry to have me
face-whnt am facing now. You
were always so forgisinE, AK; you
would be the first to be sorry
He put his hand over the tigerlsh
pain that was beginning to reach his
henrt. His. throat felt thick and
choked, ard still he did not cry.
"An hour ago." ne said; IL II had
been that the least thought Of what
this meant to you might have reached
me an hour ago. Il would not have
been too late. AliS, one look into your
eyes an hour ago might have saved
10 all Fred" Peter said aloud, with
NJ bitter groan, clinching tight the
hands Of the old friend who had crspt
In to stand beside him, Erred, she was
here, In all her health and Joy and
strength only today. And now"
Il knOw---old man" the other man
muttered. He looked anxiously at Pc
tsr's terrible face. In the silence the
dog whimpered family. But when Pc
ter, after an endless Ave minutes,
turned away. 1t was to speak to his
friend In an almost normal voice.
i'I must 80 down and see Cherry,
Fred. She took her husband TO the
old house; they were living there
"Helen will stay here" the odd man
assured him quickly. ''Pll drive you
down and come back here. We thought
perhaps a few Of us could come here
tomorrow afternoon. Peter" he added
timldly, with bis reddened eyes filling
again, ."and talk Of her a little, and
pray for her little, and then take
her toto rest beside the old doc
ter"
t"I hadn't thought about that" Peter
answered, still with the air Of finding
Il hard to link words to thOught. "But
that Is the way she would like 1t.
Thank you-and thank Helen for
me-"
t"0h, Peter. to DO anything" the
woman faltered. "She came to us, you
know, when the baby was so ill-day
after day-my own sister couldn't have