Mexico weekly ledger., 1922-02-23

nour, but before II was up the mothe
came back, and they kept their Wig
together. Fred answered the strange
untimely ringing Of the doorbeI
brought In packages. conferred in tn
halls with the doctors. Midnigh
came, W o'clock, four o'clock.
Suddenly there was panic. Har
riet, by chance In the hall, saw Lindi
and Fred and the doctors together
heard Linda's quick, anguished "Yes ?
and Fred's Anything! !" Her hear
pounded; the nurse ran upstairs. Har
riet fell upon her knees with a sob
bling whisper, "NoL-no-no" and Lin
ia chung to her husband with a CRY
torn from the deeps Of her heart, "Oh
Pip-my WI boyl"
Dawn came slowly and reluctantly
at seven; the village lay bleak and
closed under a sky of unbroken gray
Here and there smoke streamed up,
ward from a chimney, or a window.
pane showed ar oblong Of pale light
Harriet put out the light that was
becoming unnecessary. But her heart
was singing for Joy. and the house
was brimful Of an inner light and
cheer that no winter bleakness could
touch. The girl had been crying until
she was almost blind, but Il wasa cry.
ing mixed with laughter and prayers
Of utter thankfulness.
She met Linda at the door, a weary
Linda, CHASTITY as to face, grayer as
to struggling hair, but with such radi-
ance in her eyes that Harriet, clasped
in her arms, began to cry again.
"Oh, Harrlet-if I can ever thank
God enough" Plp's mother said, be-
ginning on her breakfast with one long
sigh. "0h, my dear--I He's sleeping
like a baby, God bless him, and dear
old Fred is sleeping, too. oh, Harriet,
to go about the house, as / just have,
covering Nanny and the girls, and
feeling that we're all going to be
happy together again, in a few days
my dear, l don't know what I've done
to be so blessed! My boy, who has
never given anyone n moments rare
or trouble since he was born--my dar-
ling, who looked up at me yesterday
with his beautiful eyes"
The floodgntes werc loosed, and
Linda laughed and cried, while she
enjoyed her breakfast with the appe-
tite of Il normal woman released from
cruel strain, whose whole brood lies
safely sleeping under her roof. Nam
my's light illness, Pip's wet feet, Lin
da's unwillingness to believe that 1t
was anything but II cold, every hour
Of the four awful days of danger, she
reviewed them an. And oh, the good
ness of people, the solicitude of nurse
and doctor, the generosity of God!
=
1t was the afternoon of the next day
when Harriet could first speak of her
own affairs. Linda listened, over her
mending, nodded, pursed her lips, or
raised her eyebrows. =
5HaIf Linda might ever have been
worldly minded, she had had her les
son now, and the viewpoint she gave
Harriet was the lofty one Of a wom-
an who has faced q supreme sacrifice
without shrinking and with unwaver-
ing faith.
"You did right, DEAR" she assured
her sister. "You could not stay there,
under the circumstances. Whatever
their code is, yours is' different, yours
has not been vitiated by luxury and
idleness. As for Mr.. Carriers talk Of
marriage, that, of course, Is simply an
INSULT"
"No, l don't think 1t was that" Har-
rlet said, feeling herself revolt inward
ly at this plain speaking.
II don't see what else 1t could be-"
Linda pursued, serenely. "a married
man-you would be no better than his
well, it's not a nice word-but his
mistress! !"
"Not at ALL" Harriet said, trying
hard to hide the irritation that rose
rebellious within her, che 10 legally
free, OF will be soon. and so am II"
II am speaking OF Gods law, not
MANS" Linda said, gently but awfully.
and Harriet was silent. Erred says
that such lei regard these matters
far too lightly" Linda finished. Fred's
name, thus introduced, always had the
effect Of angering Harriet. She had
shared the family ~exaltation wei Pip's
recovery, and had thought more than
once In that fearful night ofhis illness
that even poverty, gray hairs and the
agony Of parenthood, shared with the
man she loved, would have been &C.
stasy to her. But In the slow days
and weeks that followed, her spirit
became exhausted with the struggle
that never ended within her. Her
bridges YER burned behind her; It
was all over. Whatever her emotions
had been in leaving Crownlands, the
Carters' feelings had been quite obvi-
GUS and simple. Old Madame Carter
had wished her well; Ward had writ.
ten from college that he thought It
vas ''rotten." and that she had been
a corger to get Dad to raise his al
lowance for him; Nina had felt her
own wings the stronger for the
change; and Richard had interrupted
hin little apeech Of regret to answer
the telephone. and had given her a
check that placed, 1t seemed to Har-
riet, the obligation permanently with
her. The utter desolation Of spirit
with which she had left them was EVIL
dentiy unshared: the only word she
hea had from that old life had been
from Mary Putnam, and even this cor
dial note Jared Harriet with its frank
revelation Of the change in her posi-
ton.