Evening star., 1922-01-29

/; Why had she come? Later in the day
he was removed to the operating
| theater, and they reset his jaw. A
long while later he remembered a
! kindly faced man In white overall
| saying. "Well, old chap, who struck
you this blow"
, He bent his ear down to Jim's lips.
! and the latter managed to- reply, "a
stranger"
Isaac came. hurried and concerned,
| and pressed his hand.
! We'll. we'll. I've found you. old
friend. A neighbor told me. They
! say You must not talk. What can
dog'
Jim indicated with his hands that
he wished to write something down.
| Isaac produced An envelope and a
| pencil. and Jim wrote: 'Go and see
my little gal Annie; send her to me;
! keep an eye on her"
| Isaac nodded graveIy and went
away.
THERE appeared an eternity of
- time before the child came. but
/ when she did, all his dark forebod-
] lngs vanished. She came smiling up
| the ward and kissed him. They held
| each others hands for a long time
before she spoke.
They would not tell me where you
| were. 1t was old Mr. Rubens. Oh.
Daddy, are you getting better"
| "Yes; he was getting better. Much
better. During the last two minutes
he had improved enormously. He
! felt that he could speak. He man
| aged to humble, "How are you, my
| love
"All right. Mother has been very
! cross. That horrid man has gone
away. Mr.. Rubens said you hurt your
face. How did it happen. Daddy?"
| &c. slipped on the stairs, my dear,
! and fell."
| Annie's eyes opened very wide, but
| she did net speak. He knew by her
| manner that she did not believe him.
At the back Of her eyes there still
| lurked something Of the horror which
haunted them on the night when she
had discovered "that horrid man" en-
bracing her mother. It was the same
! night that her father slipped on the
stairs" The child was too astute to
dissociate the two incidents. but she
did not want to distress him. II
! shall come every day" she announced.
He smiled gratefully.
From that day the conealescence
| Of Jim Canning, although SLOW, was
assured. Apart from the broken jaw,
| he had suffered a slight concussion,
| owing to striking the back of his
| head against the wall when he fell.
The hospital authorities could not get
out Of him how the accident happened.
Annie and Isaac Rubens were regular
| visitors. but during the seven weeks
he ssmained in the hospital Clara
only visited him twice, and that was
to arrange about money. On the
| day. that he was discharged he had
drawn his last s5 from the bank.
Never mind, never mind" he
thought to himself. We'll soon get
that back"
And within q few days he was again
ItrundHng his, barrow along the
J SLTSSIS, C8klIu& ooe Ala AiS "fASACI hA8A
tremolo voice, ''Old iron! Old front"
With the departure Of Ted Wool
lams, Clara settled down into q list
less prosecution Of her domestic
routine. She seldom spoke to her
! husband except, to nag. him or to
| grumblee about their reduced circum-
| stances. and these for = time were in
. very serious state. Debts had ac-
cummuIated. and various odds and
ends in the house had disappeared
while he had been in the hospital. Clara
was stfif smartly dressed, but Annie'a
| clothes, particularly her boots, were
I in a deplorable condition.
Jim set t6 work, leaving home In
/! the morning at o'clock and often
not returning till q or . at night
Four months the financial position
[ remained precafious-a period oi
hunger and Ill tsnper and sudden
ugly bfawls. But gradually he began
S-At.. ~Of~.< n ,fV&2ars CENTRAL (sfse