Evening star., 1927-05-20

ha
VE in sorrowful silence. Out
4 4 side the weather was in aC-
cord with her melancholy
mood. The future loomed before her,
lonely, forbidding, hopeless.
Two wears before to a day a steam
boat had gone down on the Atlantic
with all on board. including her hus-
band-big. bluff. jolly Jim Matthews
Ills name was on the steamboats, list
of passengers. Before embarking he
had sent her the letter which she now
held in her hand Tears fell from
her eyes as she read ii for the hun
dredth time.
"Dear Maria: When YOU receive this
/ shall be on my way to South Amer
lea. That last informal quarrel we
had settled it. The way you looked
at me-something you said-weIl. |
made up my mind that we had better
be apart for while. Everything we
own is. now in your name. Good-by
and good luck. I'M
Jims wife was q tiny creature full
of sparkle and life in her girIhood,
but now subdued through trouble and
sorrow, She went over the old ground
again and again in her mind until
. her brain was weary.
"Jim meant TO come home. He
herself fierce1y. why, oh, why--of
all afioat-must the steamer that car
sted Jim be The one to go down."
She acknowledged TO herself that
she had been hard TO live with
eNacting, unreasonable, aggraVating
She had q Caustic tongue Jim had
thought her sharp speeches cute at
first. Perhaps he did not admire
them so much when he, himself be-
came 10 object of them. Brother Tom
had once said 10 her, Maria. you can
say the most cutting things in that
confounded drawl of yours Of any
hody ] ever knew AS for that last
quarrel" it had been like all their
quarrels She could not even re-
member what it was about.
No caustic remark was on the tip
Of her tongue today. The swapping
black eyes were soft and humid.
with dark rings around them caused
bv much weeping. Jims photograph,
in a pretty frame, stood on the table,
She gazed at it lovingly. hungrily.
Suddenly she started to her feet.
A habys voice was calling "Ma-mai
Ma ma" Maria went into the bed
room and. lifting the child in her
arms, came back to her seat. hold
ing him tightly to her bosom. a
beautiful baby boy, rosy from sleep, |
he was health and beauty personified.
He reached out eager hands toward
the portrait, and cooed cunningly:
"Pa-p pa. Papa"
Maria kissed him passionately. |
"Papa would never have gone away
if he had known God was sending
a little Jim to bridge the chasm be- |
tween us" she lamented.
Every one who saw the child de- /
clared him to be the dead image
OF Jim Matthews" Indeed he was |
ridiculously like big Jim. even to the |
mole in the middle of his forehead, |
which on the little face seemed |
ludicrously incongruous. There was |
the same fine head with the ripping |
fair hair, the same fearless blue eyes, /
the same straight nose, square chin |
and mouth with upward curving cor |
ners, always ready for a laugh. The |
elder Jim was impatient; so was lit |
tie Jim.
"Ma-ma-milk,' he commanded i'm
periously. And, Of course. milk was |
Immediately forthcoming. It was |
Saturday afternoon. Saturday night |
supper had always been a festal |
occasion-when good humor hap |
pened to prevail. Maria cooked |
something especially appetiZing. |
and Jim brought home a treat |
which he knew his wife would enjoy. -,
Often it was box of candy, some |
times rare fruit and more often than /
anything at this time of the year q
big California melon, golden and |
luscious. Maria's mind dwelt upon
this now, and like child she began
to pretend. She would have make
believe party.
81 shall go mad if keep on think