Evening star., 1925-12-13

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THE doctor said he could be taken
out for drive today while there
was still sunshine. He needs little
change"
Yes"
Il thought" the nurse hesitated.
Il thought perhaps it would do you
both good. Mrs. Hemple, if you took
him instead of me-
Luella shook her head hastily.
"Oh, no." she said. Il don't feel
able to today"
The nurse looked at her oddly. With
a sudden rush of pity for Charles.
Luella bent down gently and kissed
his cheek. Then. without a word, she
went To her own room, put on her
hat and coat, and with her suitcase
started for the front door.
Immediately she saw that there
was d shadow in the hall. If she
could get past that shadow she was
free If she could go to the right
or left of it, or order it out of her
way. But stubbornly. it refused to
moves and with a little cry, she sank
down into a hall chair.
Il thought you'd gone" she walled.
Il told you TO go away"
I'm going soon." said DR.. Smith
gravely, but | don't want you To
make a terrible mistake"
I'm not making a mistake-I'm
leaving my mistakes behind
You're trying to leave yourself
behind. but YOU can't. The more YOU
try to run away from yourself. the
more you'll have yourself with YOU
But I've got to go away" she in
sisted wildly. out of this house of
death and failure
You haven't failed yet. You've Just
begun"
She stood up.
Let me pass.
No
Abruptly she gave way, as she al
ways did when he talked to her She
covered her face with her hands and
burst into tears.
Go back into that room and tell the
nurse you'll take your husband for
drive" he ordered.
Il can't"
You must"
Once more Luella looked at him,
and knew that she would obey. With
the conviction that her spirit was
broken at last, she took up her suit
hall.
THE nature of the curious influence
that DR.. Smith eXerted upon her
Luella could not guess. But as the
days passed, she found herself doing
things that had been repugnant TO her
before. She stayed at home with
Charles: and when he grew better, she
went out with him sometimes to dim
ner, or the theater, but only when he
expressed such a desire. She visited
the kitchen regularly. and kept care
full eye on the house, at first with a
horror that it would go wrong again.
then from custom. And she felt that
it was all somehow mixed up with
DR.. Smith--it was something he kept
telling her about life. or almost tell
ing her, and yet concealing from her,
las though he We're still afraid to have
her know.
With the resumption of their nor
NAL life, she found that Charles was
less irritable, less nervous. His habit
Of rubbing his face had left him, and
If the world seemed less gay and
happy to her than it had before. she
found a certain peace in it, sometimes,
that she had never known.
Then, late one afternoon, when she
was sitting with DR.. Smith in the liv-
ing room, he told her suddenly that he
was going away.
What do You mean?" she demand
ed with a touch of panic. do you
mean for good?"
For good
For a strange moment she wasn't
| sure whether she was glad or sorry.
You don't need me any more" he
said gravely. You don't realize it
yet, but you've grown up"
He got up and came over, and sit
I ting down on the couch beside her
took her hand.
| Luella sat silent and tense-listen-
ing.
Selfish people are simply over
grown children" he said. I'VE make
an agreement with children that they
can sit in the audience without help
ing to make the play, but if they still
( sit in the audience after they're
; grown, somebody's got to work double
time for them, so that they can enjoy
the light and glitter of the world"
But 1 want the light and glitter"
| she protested. That's all there is in
| life. There can't be anything wrong
in wanting to have things warm"
Things will still be warm"
"How:"
They will warm themselves from
YOU"
Luella sat up.
Prom me?"
It's your turn to he the center, to
give others what was given to you for
so long. You've got to give security
! to young people and peace to your
husband, and sort of kindness to the
old. You've got to let the people who
work for you depend on you. You've
got to cover up a few more troubles
! than you show, and be a little more
| patient than the average person, and
do little more instead of little less
than your share. The light and glitter
Of the world is In your hands"
He broke off suddenly
''Get up" he said, "and go to that
] mirror and tell me what you see."
Obediently Luella got up and went to