Abilene weekly reflector., 1922-06-29
John Gets His
Last Chance
By wINIFRED DUNBAR

unity "'u NiSuNc WIS SohSSiouS VI al
acute presentiment OF disaster as h
took down the receiver.
"You wife accident :" HI
heard voice saying. Thrown from
the buggy bend In the road
unconscious and grave fears
come home ut once"
Cleave hung the receiver up and sal
staring moodily at the papers upon
his desk. II seemed like fate, this ac
cident, for he had not expected to see
Mary again for months, II ever.
They had been married two years
and had no child. If one had come
things might have been different-they
might not have quarreled SO perpetu-
ally.
How she had loved him before their
marriage, thought Cleave, as he sat at
his desk. Then she had striven at
first to make him happy And he, too
had tried hard to be good to her, for
Mary was very lovable and sweet. But
ut last they had both given up In de
spair. Cleave would always remem
ber the worCs she had said to him that
night. three months before:
II can forgive you, John, and love
you, but the memory of these two un-
happy years must always be with me.
II can never be quite the same again"
And after that everything had
! seemed hoi eless. Things had gone
nd hnx
had decided that Mary should 20 back
to her mother, to spend the summer
with her. There was to tie no scandal
Mary had been on her way to the sta
tion when the accident happened.
Suddenly there swept over him a
fuller realization than had ever be-
fore come to him of his selfishness.
If he could only have one chance
more.
An hours run and he was treading
the streets of the country village in
which he lived. He saw his home; an
automobile was standing before the
door. He rushed in. The doctor and
a nurse, hastily summoned, were In
the hall. When the doctor had finished
speaking, and the nurse had sped UP
the stairs, he turned to him.
"YOur wife has had very serious
accident, Mr.. Cleave,' he said. "She
was thrown out Of the buggy when the
horse swerved, and sustained frac-
ture of the skull. There is no immedi-
ate danger, | am happy to say. She
may recover consciousness at any
time. But we fear some brain in
jury"
All through that afternoon John
Cleave sat at his wife's bedside, star
ing into the wide-open eyes that saw
nothing. She lay In stupor.
1t was not until the third afternoon
that consciousness returned.
It was about three o'clock in the aft
ernoon when she stirred and spoke.
She smiled at him, and the smile was
like that which she had worn upon
their wedding morning.
"Dearest-where am II" she asked.
"At home" said John, thrilling at
the faint clasp of her fingers. "At
home, never to go away again."
"She spoke to you, you say?" In
quired the doctor of John that eve
ming. "She knew you and spoke and
seemed rationale"
absolutely rational" answered John
Cleave, and turned away. He went
into his room and on his knees thanked
God for the chance that was to be
his. His prayer was answered.
'How long have we been married,
JOhnY Mary asked next day. ut
seems such a long time, somehow, and
yet know that it can't really be an
entire year as that calendar on the
wall seems to show"
John looked at the calendar. 1t was
an old one of the preceding year.
"It Is June" said Mary, 'and we
we're married in June Is it whole
year, dearest?'
John dared not tell her that it was
.wo years.
dearest" she whispered. presently.
Put your arms round me and let me
ell you something. Do you know, all
he time / was lying here this morn
ng, have been thinking how unkind
have been to you, and how unhappy
have made you. l want you to for
rive me, John. And | believe you can
orgive me, because the memories OF
his year of our marriage have been
o.dear."
at is you who must forgive me,
earest," said John, humbly.
That night the doctor explained the
ituation to him.
"Your wife," he said, "is on the high
DAD to recovery. Her mind IL as
ound as ii has ever been. The brain
rouble which l anticipated amounts
imply to this: The whole of the past {
ear has slipped out of her memory. ,
[aa she had any great trouble that |
Duid account for this?' ,
"Yes," answered John, humbly, and
he doctor shot a keen glance at him. '
Then that is the explanation" he
lid. "Her mind was troubled; she I
ishes to forget the episode. whatever I
was. 1t is necessary for her to for. q
It it 10 order that she may get well c
re you prepared to let her 60
rough life with no memory Of that h
lie year?" a
Indeed, l am" said Cleave, "espe 7
ally since you think 1t Is for the B
ST." Ct
"you have very charming wife, tC
r. Clesve," he added. Guard her p
ID care for her-and let the past
ry its dead"
And Iohn knaplinp at MarY'a he'd