Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-09
Mary or
Heloise?
Which
Should Win
Unusual Hero?
flap. She pulled IN her horse. &C


trying to see into her heart and had not
listened to her speech. She spurred
forward, and his horse involuntarily
quickened. So they salloped by side
lanes into the town. Lelo was half
length ahead when she threw up her
arm and pulled in sharply, looking back
at him with face of vast relief.
There's DR.. Sales electric" she
said; hes visiting one OF these little
Q looked at her steadily for an in.
stant, then turned slow ironic glance
upon the shining motor and the shabby
house.
Eyes. ma a'am," he said, "we'll 20
Lelo, coming quickly to his side, caught
Why, Q, dear, you can hardly
II feel kind Of f.funny--like my legs
was agoin' to buck"
However, when a small grave girl
opened the door to their ringing, he
took off his hat with a sweeping West
ern gesture and performed the intro
duction CALAMITY.
Miss Mary Grinscoombe," he said,
with one of his sudden candid smiles,
meet Miss Heloise Grinscoombe," and
he stood back and watched them keenly.
For the two girls 1t was moment
Of acute embarrassment. Hcloisc was
scarlet and Mary white, her head up
because she had seen Q's face.
You're hurt - she said
cts cut on his wrist. We-saw
DR.. Sales car" Helolse stammcred.
".Oh, / see. Please come in. Yes,
he is here"
Your father anti mean, mt"
q corrected himself with scared look
at his schoolmarm, sick, is he?"
"Oh, no. It's social visit. DR..
Sales and are playing chess" She
led them in, still with the proud little
lift of her chin, although her eyes were
entirely absorbent Of anxiety. ''Dr.
Sales. please!" she said, my Q--my
scholars here. He's hurt"
DR.. Sales who was bending over
chcssboard, rose stupendously, looming
up In the tiny room. He was a wide,
dusty looking figure of n man, with so
body that he gave the impression of
confined fuidity. His brown smooth
suit. made of fine cloth better suited
to woman, held swinging folds of fat
at rest; the skin of his face was like
the surface Of huddled cream, loose
about a short nose and an easily moved
mouth. His small eyes were bright as
little sparks between puffy lids He
was, for all this softness and flabbiness,
not an unpleasant looking man. He
had an air of easy good humor, n soft,
pliablc, complaisant air and the boyish
expression given by curly hair. His
smile melted in and out of it's creamy
medium. His hands moved softly
| about his person, now in pockets, now
across the broad walstcoat, now with
! stroking motions along his knees-larse.
tender hands, seeking and sliding and
undecided. They, and the temper they
| expressed. had brought him, it would
seem. many easy rewards of search.
His habitually satisfied expression sig
| nailed success without much effort.
He looked, at this moment, however,
like huge vessel empty Of every emo
tion but surprise. From LelO to Mary
he turned the little spark-like eyes.
@ Falls to the Floor
q solved the immediate embarrass-
ment of the occasion by falling at full
| length in complete silence to the floor.
Hes cut an artery and severed a
tendon" was DR.. Sales verdict.
Hell have to be sewed up. Fraction
Of an inch more'n' he'd have lost the
use of his hand-the nerve there. I'd
better take him to the hospital"
Q's dense and cindery eyelashes half
| lifted. There was little steely CLEAN
thin as a knife edge. He spoke in a
slow whisper.
II wouldn't get dragged into that
hospital on rope he said, and
paused.
There was complete stiffness in the
room. I've went through it," con.
tnued the same self possessed whisper {;
they have told me who come down
with blood poisonin'."
and white.
"You fix me up here, doc" @ went
on. He put out hand and took Lelo's
hanging by her side. "I'll lay hold Of
Miss Grinscoombe here; If she don't
go out Of the room, guess I'm safe"
He said this with one Of his small grim
smiles. Heloise stared at DR.. Sales.
The blotches were swallowed up by q
sort Of purple surge.
Hes out of his head" said Heloise.
Can you do 1t here, DR.. Sales?"
The doctor mumbled something about
his surgical case, ready for the little
Delaney boy" and left the room.
While he was gone, no one spoke. He.
oise gazed down at Q, who had closed
his eyes. There were bright spots of
color in her cheeks. Mary said hur.
riedly, "I'll get some water"
When she came back, DR.. Sales was
preparing the little room for an opera
You'd get ether at the hospital, my
friend" he said dryly to his patient,
'nnd here you won't. But suppose
an Indian like you prefers pain to the
ordinary civilized treatment, eh?"
~ won't howl any," said Q. and laid
himself out on the wicker lounge they
had made ready for him. He had let
go of Lelo's hand.
Don't you stay" he said. ut
won't be pretty. And was talkin' for
docs benefit when l said you d hev to
see me through. You gels step outside.
I'll holler when It's over"
Heloise went out to the little porch
and Mary made u pretense of following,
but just outside of the sitting room door
she stopped, where she was hidden from
.. b".. where she could watch the doc
tor's q Vements. Before the operation
was we'll under way, she was called to
help. 1t was a difficult piece of work
and took time. Q lay rigid, twice he re-
laxed silently into uncOnsciousness.
When 1t was over, he drew a deep
sigh.
She can come In now," he snid, and
Mary's eyes filled with tears, sudden,
hot, inexplicable. She ran out of the
room and upstairs. In her bedroom she
locked the door as carefully as though
some one had been in dangerous pur-
suit, walked over to her bureau, and,
resting on her hands. which held tightly
to the edge, she stared unseeingly into
n face that she might not have recog-
nized.
"Oh, Mary" she said rapidly to that