Evening star., 1924-05-11
he FELT HER BENDING OVER HIM.


| 1t was then that he noticed for
the first time her flushed cheeks
| and bright eyes.
"A wire came for you today from
a man named O'Hara-"
| From O'Hara! Father isn't
:. :" he stopped
NO" she said, 'rhe isn't dead, but
he's very i'll and-and they think
you had better come"
| Peter stared before him.
"of course. I'll CO." he said, and
| so will YOU"
Yes" said Bobby. TIL go too"
Suddenly she clasped her hands and
! leaned toward him.
"OH. Peter. Peter. if you can
only make him see how fine
you are-how hard you've worked
and how much you can do, I'll be
| willing to have him hate me for
marrying you. Oh. yes, he'll hate me-
l know what he thinks of people like
me doesn't matter in the least, Peter,
just fuf-oh. but what he thinks of
me dosen't matter in the least, Peter,
just SO I can make him think the
world of you"
Dean lay in the room that had been
| his for twenty years He lay with his
eyes open staring before him. He
| had, he believed, chosen a bad time
to be Ill. So many loose ends-still
you got nowhere thinking along that
line. Nowhere at all.
He was all at once very tired and
little sorry for himself. He wished
his wife had lived, or that he had had
daughter. Some one had entered
the room. He could not turn his head
to see, but he knew it was girl
One OF the servants probably. He
half closed his eyes and watched
| through his lashes, pretending sleep.
| She crossed his line of vision. She
limped slightly and was very small.
And as she approached he saw that
she was young and extremely pretty.
| though rather too thin and white he
thought. Who was she? Who was
she?
1t was not until she leaned over
him that he remembered He opened
his eyes with such suddenness that
she started.
Get out Of here" he said. 'tand
| mover come back. / know who you
are"
He could think Of nothing else to
say, so he shut his eyes When he
opened them again, he found she had
seated herself beside the bed.
please don't send me away" she
| was saying. until 1 tell you about
Peter first
She had a very tender note in her
| voice and there were tears in her
eyes-real tears.
"I'll go then If you like. Indeed
| will But you must know about
| him before I do"
"Is he here:" he asked suddenly.
1t was the first time he had dreamed
his son might be at hand. She nodded.
Dean chuckled grimly.
Game around to see me die, eh?
Well, it won't do him any good My
moneys left to the state-all Of it"
That would hold her. He watched
her closely. She did seem so very
much in earnest about something.
You don't understand. Peters
been working, ever since our mar
riage, in a bank"
Know all about it," he snapped,
have had a monthly report on him"
"Oh," she gaspe6, have your
Know all about you, too, and your
kind"
Yes she said, "1 suppose you
do"
Suddenly Dean felt her fingers
close over his. 1t was cold little
hand-nervousness, he guessed.
She spoke
r
"PETER's missed you-oh yes he
has-deadfully. Not at first, |
but little by little as he came to know |
how much you had done for him. 1t
was only because of me that he stayed
away instead of coming home to you.
Do you understand? 1t was all my |
fault"
Yes" said Dean, 81 know that"
you see, I was hurt and 1 had to |
be taken care OF. so he couldn't leave |
me, but now I'm well-almost well. |
and so if you will take him back and |
let him help you and work for you |
I'll just-well-step out. Really. ] |
meant to do it anyway when once |
you two had come together again."
He did not speak, and after a time |
she went on.
Peter has faults, 1 suppose, like