The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-06-29
GO ON WITH THE STORY
FROM HERE
ChaDter -.


(, Chapter ~.
! Sandy leaned against the old newe
post with its bronze dancing girl
balanced on one toe. In her CHILDHOOD
she had regarded this statue a.
! the final note Of elegant distinc
/; ton.
She now cMtched its base, whisper.
| ing hoarsely: Something wrong
with Isabel?"
you'll"
And now?'
1.-The doctor doesn't know. You
better 60 and see her. She's asking
for YOU
Sandy pulled herself up the stairs
her heart whitening.
Mrs. Mcneil had her eyes closed.
She lay in the great walnut bed. its
massive posts reaching u the &c l.
inE. Her hands were clasped and
quiet; her mouth open little, the
breath short and labored.
The sight Of her so brought faint
moan to Sandy's lips. At the sound
a look Of JOY lighted her mothers
features.
Sandy? You-got here-soon
Madeline-phoned? % She spoke in
little, gasps. struggling for the
breath.
"Oh. no! Nobody phoned. just
thought Id saunter over and pay
you q morning call. And here you
arpl ika th;ct"
"Why-l'm all right. A little ex-
hausted. The heat. Be all right"
Its my fault. Isabel! All my
fault. Oh Lord"
mo Crying, Sandy Nonsense
kiss me. I'm glad of the rest"
Sandy put her cheek against her
mothers. She pressed her lips on
her mothers flutterinr eyelids. She
whispered in her mothers car: Its
because you were worried over me.
II anything happens to you, Isabel.
Id just as lief die. won't do any
thing about that. All, ha, it doesn't
matter at all--not at all. / never
would have said all those things. but
| thought you were 90 clipper
Isabel smiled. She said. with child
like eagerness: "You mean that.
Sandy?"
Sandy turned her face. She
answered only: Eyes"
She went down to the kitchen.
where her sisters were gathered. She
said to Alice: what does the
doctor say?'
Alice put down her cup, chin shak-
ing. She raised her eyebrows, un-
able to answer.
Espinosa, who was plump and
blonde and five years older than
Sandy, had her head buried in her
folded arms.
Madeline; just %, the mother of
three children and now expecting
the fourth, held her lips rigid.
Madeline felt she had performed dis
tinctive services to the world in gen.
eral because she had accepted these
rapidly arriving children. Her good
ness in this matter entitled her TO
special consideration on all occa-
sions. 1t also gave her. the right to
be superior and dictatorial to her
sisters.
"He says she has slight chance"
she now answered bitterly, letting
the tears run to her lips. "There's
slight chance our mother may re-
cover"
"You say she collapsed when she
got home last night"
ut was after dinner, Sandy" Alice
now interposed: "She was all right
when she arrived here"
EYES," said Madeline. "She takes
that terrible long walk in the heat
to your place. She was just heart
broken when she read that clipping.
That's what did it! We can thank
you If mamma-"
"Can WEI" asked Alice, miserably.
Maybe it was trotting over to you
in the heat and baking lemon pies.
Very good about shifting .thinga,
aren't you? 1t didn't hurt her to
work like a slave when Dicky was
born, did it? Doing the washing ard
carrying up trays! That didn't hurt
her. did it?''
"Oh." sobbed Espinosa. now rails
ing, her head. I'm sure mammal
be glad to have US quarrelng like
this. Suppose she were to come
down and hear it? Did you leave her
alone, Sandy?
"She fell asleep" Sandy was
standing at the stove. her back to
them. She raked the red embers.