Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-05-19
THE BREAKING POINT
BY MARY ROBERTS RINEHART

not vet gone on to the company of heaven,
carried him back to his bed, comforted ana
treasured. 49,,
He was up and about his room early. The
odor of baking mullins and frying ham came
I'D the stair we'll, as did the sound of Mike
vigorously polishing the floor in the nall:
Mixed with the odor of cooking and OF floor
wax was the scent of flowers from Lucys
room and Mrs. Sayre's machine stopped at
the door while the chauffeur delivered great
mass of roses.
David went carefully down the stairs and
into his office and there, at the long deserted
desk, commenced letter to Dick.
He was sitting there when Dick came up
the street
The thought that he was going home had
upheld Dick through the days that folloWeu
Bassetts departure for the west. He knew
that it would be a fight that not easily does
man step out of life and into it again, but
. after his days of inaction he stood ready to
fight. For David, for Lucy. and IL 1t wasn't
too late, for Elizabeth. When Bassetts wire
came from Norada, "All clear, ne SET OUT
for Haverly, more nearly happy than Tor
months. The very rhythm of the train sang:l
Going home, Going home
At the Haverly station the agent stopped
stared at him and then nodded gravely.
There was something restrained In MS
greeting. like the voices in the old house the
night before, and Dick felt chill of appre-
hension. He never thought of Lucy, but
David
The flowers and ribbon at the door were
his first intimation, and still it was David he
thought of. He went cold and bitter, standing
on the freshly washed pavement, staring at
them. 1t was all too late. David! David.
He went into the house slowly, and the
heavy scent Of flowers greeted him. The hall
was empty, and automatically he pushed
open the door to David's office and went in:
David was at the desk writing. David was
alive Thank God and thank God. David was
alive
David" he said brokenly. "Dear old
David" and was suddenly shaken with dry,
terrible sobbing-sobs that could give no re-
lief.
There was great deal to do, and Dick was
grateful for it, But first, like David, he went
in and sat by Lucys bed alone, and talked to
her. Not aloud, as David did, but st1ll with
that same queer conviction that she hear0.
He told her he was free, and that she need
not worry about David, that he was there
now to look after him, and he asked her, ii
she could, to help him with Elizabeth Then
he kissed her and went out.
He met Elizabeth that day. She had come
to the house. and after her custom now went
up, unwarned to Davids room. She found
David there, and Harrison Miller and-it was
moment before she realized it-Dick, by
the mantel. He was greatly changed She saw
that But she had no feeling of pity, not even
of undue surprise. She felt nothing at all. It
gave her a curious, almost hard little sense
of triumph to see that he had gone pale. She
marched up to him and held out her hand
mindful of the eyes on her.
"Im so very sorry, Dick" she said. "You
have "a sad homecoming"
Then she withdrew her hand, still calm,
and turned to David
"Mother sent over some things. I'll give
them to Minnie she said, her voice clear
and steady She went out, and they heard her
descending the stairs.
She was puzzled to find out that her knees
almost gave way on the staircase, for she
felt calm and without any emotion whatever
| And she finished her errand, so collected and
poised that the two or three women who had
come in to help stared after her as she de-
parted.
"Do you suppose she's seen him?"
"She was in Davd's room. She must have"