Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-17
THE BREAKING POINT
BY NARY ROBERTS RINEHART

sorg in his shower. or tormented the nurse
with high-spirited nonsense The BOY was
very happy He would marry hil1aHflh
Wheeler, and things would go on-tne lui-
nese of life Young voices in the house-h1s
thoughts wandered on
Decoration day they got David out or
4 \ he'd making a great ceremony OF II,
~ and when he was settled by the VIM
dow in his big chair with a blanket over MS
knees. Dick came in with great DoH' IN
wrapping it disclosed a mass OF paper a4u ="
small box and within that still announcer.
7 "What foI-de-rol is all this? DAVID de-
manded 6ercely, with childish look OF ex-
pectation in his eyes. Give me tn"' ooA:
Some more slippers, probably! -
He worked eagerly, and at last came 10 ohe
small core of the mass. 1t was cigar
n was somewhat later, when the peace OF
good tobacco had relaxed him into SORT On
benignant drowsiness, and wnen DicA + n~%
started for his late afternoon cans 'AsFs
Lucy came into the room IN.
"Elizabeth Wheeer's downstairs she
said AZ told her you wanted TO see heF:
She's brought some chicken jelly too -.
She gathered up the tissue paper thas
surrounded him, and gave the loo t 49,
ical survey She often felt that tne nurse
was not as tidy as she might be- Ihen she
| went over to him and put hand on MS
| shoulder. ~
Il don't want to worry you, David. Nos
now But if he's going to marry ne -
! well why SnOuluu ~
! truculently "a good woman would be one
| more anchor to windward."
She went out of the room, and sent
/ Elizabeth to David.
In her love for Dick Elizabeth now lnz
cluded everything that pertained to him. MS
shabby coats, his rafting car, ana MS peo@
pie. -.
are reversed and I'm the patient ana
you're the doctor. And good medicine you
are, my dear. ~
He looked her over with approval, and
with speculation, too. She was smalI
and fragile vessel on which to embark all
the hopes that, out of his own celibate and
unfulfIled life he had dreamed for Dick. =
She was little shy with him, he SAW
bit fluttered and nervous, and extraor--
dinarily happy When she got up TO go anu
held out her hand he kept it, between DOM
of his. .a-
az haven't been studying symptoms 19r
all these years for nothing, my dear, ne
old "And It seems to me somebody is
very happy"
81 am, Doctor David
He patted her hand.
"NJind YOU" he said II don't know any
thing and I'm not asking any questions:
INT if the board of trade, or the cnleE
of police, had come to me ana salu' w.
is the best wife for-wel, for YOUNG
man who is an important part OF TINS
/ community I'd have said in reply, Ten
tlemen, there is Miss Elizabeth Wneelesf
| who" 50
Suddenly she bent down and kissed him.,
ooh. do you think SOP" she ASKED
breathlessly. 81 love him so much, Doctors
| David. And I feel so unworthy .,'e
$50 YOU are" he said SOS he, so
are all of us when it comes to a great
love- child. That is, we are never QUITE
what the other fellow thinks we are lts
when we don't allow for what the scientist
folk call margin of error. that we come
orr croppers | wonder he watched her
closely, ''if you young people ever allow
for margin of error?"
az only know this" she said steadily. IL
cant imagine ever caring any less, Ives
never thought about myself very mucn, put
do know that You see, think I've cared;
for him long time
Z! When she had gone he sat for a long
time. starting ahead of him and thinking.
Yes She would stick. She had loyalty
loyalty and patience and rare humility
1t was up to the possibility of an opening
door into the past, of crowding memorieS
of confusion and despair and even actusa
danger And out of that, what?"
Habit That was all he had to depend
on The brain was thing of habits, like
the body; right could be habit, and so
could evil. AS man thought, so he was.
For all of his childhood and for the last
ten years, Dicks mental habits had been
right; his environment had been loving
Even if the door opened then, there was
only the evil thinking of two or three
reckless years to combat and the door
might never open. Happiness, Lauler haA
said, would keep it closed, and Dick was
happy. y
j When, at five o'clock the nurse came III
with thermometer, he asleep in his
chair, his mouth slightly open and snoring
Wall in no
she went to the head of the stairs, her
finger to her lips.
~
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