The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-09-29
b Charles G. Norris.

4 s he climbed up to the
"a cabin, he found himself
wondering what q couple
.of small children would mean
60 Mrs. Grotenberg and him
self. The idea was not I'M
pleasant; he was surprised how
attractive It seemed. T h ere
might be swing In one of the
peppers and there would be child
ish voices about the little cabin
all day. small wants to satisfy,
nlnaIl hurts to comfort, small
hearts to gladden.. Both he and
Mrs Grotenberg were qualified
t0alove and take the right care Of
q couple OF children. Hers was
q sstarved life. he thought life
that had been denied much; she
had had neither husband nor chill
dfen, and she was entitled to
both PAUL. He won
dered IL Constance would consent
TO send him back to him. When
ever he thought Of his son, he In,
variably felt guilty and uncon-
Portable. He had neglected tho
boy, ignored him. allowed him to
grow up hardly knowing his
father by sight. The check each
month did not discharge his
obligations: he had always crit
icized Marjorie for abandoning the
boy. He would point all these
things out to Constance when he
got hack; he would have q long
talk with her. Paul would be q
Big comfort to Mrs. Grotenberg.
and he wanted to. know the boy
batter himself, to do something
really fine for him. When they
.returned from New York. It might
be good idea to introduce Mrs.
Grotenberg 40 his wife, to estab-
lish her In q home In San Fran
cisco. and have Paul come to live
with them; the boy need not know
they were not married.
A good long talk with Mrs.
0rotenbArg would help q great
deal in clearing up the matter in
his own mind.
He strobe up the pebble Path
way, cleared the shallow porch
steps with q single bound and
burst open the front door. The
trunks were nearly packed. the
little room was topsy-turvy, the
gas sang from the Jointed arm
bracket. that protruded from the
wall. The kerosene lamp with its
shade Of orange silk. which usual
b lit up the room, was packed
IN excelsior in one Of the barrels
20 go into storage.
Dead.
Philip shouted. He opened the
bedroom door and stood still upon
the threshold. Mrs. Grotenberg
was In bed. her hands folded
quietly across one another, her
head supported by an extra pill.
low, her body stretched out
straight, the feet together. At
once he knew she was dead. The
conviction came to him with
terrific suddenness. He tiptoed
nearer and bent over, guardedly,
examining her face. He touched
her hands with hesitatinE fingers.
They were clammy cold. Some
dreadful new thing. some hor-
rible. terrifying third presence
obtruded itself. This woman with
whom he had slept last night.
whom he knew 80 Intimately,
whose body had been next to his,
whose lips he had pressed, the
smell of whose hair was familiar
incense to him, she who had
cooked. washed and worked for
him, who had loved him with pas
sion, was-no more. She was
dead-she was gone
She was dead.
A force, a specter, something
supernatural, terrible, interviewed,
Philip felt an unseen hand against
his chest. He started at the
dead woman with straining eye
balls. his world, his life, the order
Of his existence cracking about
his ears. The sunken face was
superbly calm, q cold rightly and
dignity invested the dead features,
m eternal repose had descended
upon the tired body. On the bed
clothes near the folded hands lay