The Omaha morning bee., 1923-12-30
Ru INEZ HAYNES IRWIN
Illustrated bg HUBERT MATHIEU

NOW, MISS Ddocf N.
said. "I'n have to ask you to hold
this tourniquet."
II can't" Patty whispered. u
can't" And then at the look In his
face she broke into whimpers. I
can't. | cant stand the sight OF olooo.
and you know it." And then. =
wont. tell you, won't. | WON'T m
going to faint!
Rut she did not faint. For before
her weakness had melted in a preiim-
mary swaying. DR.. Raeburn reacneo
out and slapped her in the face
Ii was not a gentle slap; II brought
the blood in a purple flooding up 10
his very fingers. But with II came 10
Patty so blood-red. blood-blind sense
of outrage that her mind cleared. IN
stinctively she swung at him. Dr.
Raeburn sidestepped neatly enough
and swung back with blow on the
shoulder that ratified her teeth. he
followed this with another. CHOKING
Patty abandoned technique, struck
wildly His answer vas TO seize her
by the shoulders. and shake her I'LL
hat. veil. hairpins few.
Now. will you hold that tourni-
quet?" he demanded, "or have got
10 kick you?"
When Judge Dade was able finally
to get ungarbled news OF the accident
il was to the effect that hts daughter
had been on the wrecked train. but
that she was uninjured, and had gone
with DR.. Raeburn to the new hospi-
tai in North Belaize. Laurian. VINO
had cried without cessation since the
accident. reverted to flapper and went
to a dance Judge Dale motored to
the hospital. There he was Informed
that Miss Dade. accompa MED by DR..
Raeburn. had just left. Nevertheless.
Judge Dade reached home before his
daughter. He turned on the readingt
lamp: established himself in his COM
Portable leather chair to read Time
passed a flivver turned into the
drive. 1t stopped: emitted a female
figure.
In moment the door TO the library
opened softly. Patty glided in. Her
stained gown hung in tatters. Her
hair was stacked carelessly. Her
manner was as strange as her ap-
pearance, and her movements even
stranger-so strange indeed that they
held Judge Dade crystallized. stand
ing.
She came closer. sat down on a
chair arm and contemplated her
ri Il. Il =. =
she had achieved a starry comeliness-
I'm engaged TO be married. faith
er." she said
Judge Dade looked at her speech
less.
TO Arthur Raeburn.'
And she went on in a tone little
and dreamy. very like her little girl
voice: as though she could not quite
command her speech.
when l was a little girl. Dab Eli
mans dog attacked Fredricka Gar
nett's cat. Il was tearing II to pieces.
There was nobody around but Arthur
Raeburn. He saved tall alone.
could not help him because-because
i could not novel have always
got faint at the sight Of blood. start
ed 10 faint and then he slapped me
in the face. That made me mad and
1 few at him and we had fight
She dropped a little rill Of soft
laughter.
Il always know after that that he
was no sissy or 'fraid-cat. But .
hated him because he had discovered
my sacret-that terror OF blood.
was terribly ashamed Of that-oh. ter
ribly. l used to say dreadful things
about Arthur-I,m responsible for the
way the children treated him.
sWhy. do you know. father, / got
the chance never told you this-to
go 10 France TO nurse. But I would
not accept it-because ! was afraid
of that awful ohsession in regard TO
blood. That's why / worked so hard
here-I felt such a Stacker not going
and how hard I did work, You don't
know. Nobody knows but Arthur.
She started to lose herself in
dreams. Her father cleared his throat
preliminary to speaking. But sud
denly she went on.
There was nobody TO help Arthur
in the accident today but me. Every
body else was injured. And he had 10
have assistance. I refused TO give
it-some OF them were bleeding aw-
fully-they were covered with blood
oh. fa,her-I thought I could not
even look al them. much less touch
them. But he said / must help him.
Then I refused a second time and be
slapped my face Just as he did when
was a child. Then he swung st me
twice. He shook me-sood and hard. .
too-He threatened 10 kick me. And
IL helped him. I was mad as the
mischief. but l was afraid not 70. I
was more afraid OF him than the
blood. ! held tourniqueis and after
he had painted the wounds with TO-
dine. | batherd them with water and
green soap-I held Splints-I kept
one poor creature ether.zed-oh. Il
did things-I saw things But all
the time l watched him work-and
after a while l forgot about them
watching him. fell in love with
him-oh, violently-terrihly-
ly-"
Her father produced a grunt and
then dropped hack into a secondary
s;age Of paralysis.
He was marvellous" Patty went
on in her dreamy thread OF voice. II
have never seen anything like his
tenderness and his skill-his beauti-
ful. heavenly tenderness. his magic
understandable. unimaginahle skill -
Couldn't just couldn't leave him.
went with him and then to the hos
pital / think he saw | had fallen
-. ,,..o .,-gsh him. ANYWAY ha t,rN-