Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1922-02-04
STARLIGHT
By the Noted Author
IDAH M'GIIONE GIBSON

days at the Kalsey studio. The
last day, however. breathing
pained me SO l could not speak.
That night I fell unconscious in
! my room. When / recovered who
should l find bending over me
but Kitty Dalton!
GOOD Lord, kid, but you
sick" she said "Ria told me that
I you didn I know enough to take
care OF yourself, and l guess she is
! right. How did you get this;
way?"
Kitty's eyes were covered with
dark glasses, but otherwise she
seemed well and strong for she
lifted me by main strength onto
the bed.
you We got to have a doctor. -
asserted Kitty, positively. 'TI
could hear you breathing before II
got to your door"
20, Kitty. 1 can't--I can't have
q doctor"
''oh, 1 know a grand one and
he'll bring you out all right. Il
met him at the hospital"
"But, Kitty. 1 haven't any
money to pay DOCTOR" 1 man
aged to whisper hoarsely.
Money doesn t mean anything
In my young life. Don't you
know I've got $4,000 that Ria
and Herb gave me Just before
they sailed? Say. that was an
easy way to make money wasn't
it?"
Il do not think so, Kitty" n
shuddered. "And II 1t were easy,
you must not spend 1t on me-"
What's 1t for If it isn't tol
spendf" oh, Virgie, let me spend
it on you. II l don t l will blow 1t |
on something that won't be half
as good for me-"
''But IL"
20, Virgie! You do want me
to stay with you, don't you?
You don't feel yourself above me,
do you? II you do, III get out and
let you die gracefully in an atmo-
sphere OF virtue and contentment.
Lord knows I don't want to force
myself on any perfect lady"
''It isn't that, Kitty. You do
not understand how grateful +
am to you. 1t just doesn t seem
right for you to spend your mo-
ney on me, that s all. 1t may be
a long time before you get a job,
you know"
Well, have you got any mo-
ney? 1 won't spend mine ii you
have.
VERY little"
Then I'll spend my own. Now
don't talk any more. for you are
getting hoarser every minute" "
l dom know when Kitty I'M
dressed me. She told me after
ward that l was delirious. ''You
just seemed to hold onto life
when you had hold of my hand, "
she said.
l had feeling that there were
others in the room from time to
time and once 1 heard a man IS ,
voice saying: "Oh, she'll pull {
through, but she must have a
nurse"
And I heard Kitty reply:
I'm nurse her-I"I nurse her, {
doctor. That II be about all 1
am good for, for the next two
or three weeks. 1t would be as
much as my life is worth to look
into a Klieg light for than length !
OF time"
l wasn't sure whether I had
dreamed this or not, but woke
up--nearly a week afterward-I
found Kitty beside my bed, and
l knew that IT was true and that
blessed grill had been taking care ,
of me all that time.
We didn' I talk much about 1t
but was almost despairing for
fear that would never be able
to show Kitty how grateful II
was.
Sometimes l have wondered IL /
we regard all the commandments !
alike.
Poor Kitty had probably shat
tered most of them many times,
but she kept a few very care
fully, am sure. I never heard '
her say an unkind thing about I
anyone, In fact. she had all the
virtues but one, and was kind to '
everyone but herself. When l
put her beside some of the mar I
row-minded people in the town
from which l came, women who
would murder another's reputa-
tion and think nothing of ital I
who were envious and unkind;
narrow and bigoted, and yet whoI y.
prided themselves upon their vir- :
tue and would have drawn their
skirts away from poor Kitty, l =
decided that It wasn't for any
OF us to find fault with anyone 7
else and>the breaking OF one COM q
was Just as sinful as /
another in the sight OF God.
Kitty is now lying in the GEM ]
etery Of Los Angeles. Her story D
shall not be told here. Her Sc
,rets are sacred with me. What c
sver her faults no one could baval "a