The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1929-02-08

grow old, and die. Particular
when you knew that Death wa
only around the corner, lurking
Wa1ting-.ready to spring, and
choke. John had been spared a
that. He never knew. oh, tn
~blessedness of never knowing!
Six months ago her father wa
SO strong and happy. Robustl
: alive, ford and laughing; and hi
little light mustache bristled an
looked full of life.
Six months had made a frigh
tening change. His eyes-the.
used to be bright and China blue
They were dull now and swim
ming in tears so they made hel
think, with a lump in her throat
of blue bells under water. His
face was drawn and wan. Pair
had left its mark and the horror
Of death. His mustache had
grown white and looked limp and
detected. Sometimes he gnawed
savagely on it's ends.
She remembered what he had
said that afternoon.
Il want to see you happily mar
RED"
1t was the first time he had ever
said it, but, before today, she had
read the desire in his eyes.
Sometimes when they talked of
Tad's marriage; sometimes when
she told him the wedding plans
of other girls; when children came
to visit them or when they talked
together of little houses and gar
dens.
"Daddy'd be so happy" she re-
f1ected, and a warm, lovely feeling
filed her heart. How his dear
eyes would brighteni But
there was John. John. :.
John. His name beat like a drum
in her ears. So that she put her
hands to her temples, to keep him
away. Poor little boy. =
1t was so long, long ago. A SORT
of dream-the way he had loved
her, and the way they had talked
and planned. How he loved her!
"But he wouldn't if he were
alive today" she told herself.
Tile cared so fearfully then be-
cause 1 was young and good, and
he was young and good, too.
There isn't that kind of love when
a girl gets to be % and knows
life. Love at 10 is a beautiful il
lusion."
Sometimes Sybil felt as if she
had died with John Lawrence and
been reincarnated within herself,
and, having died, had gone on liv-
ing. So that there had been two
Sybil Thornes-and one was dead.
Perhaps the girl John loved wan
dered with him in Elysian fields
or slept by his side in a soldiers
grave. And this girl Craig wanted
to marry-she wasn't really the
girl John Lawrence loved. Then
what if she did marry Craig?
And bore him children? John
Lawrence wouldn't care. What do
the dead want with bodies?
crimson lips to kiss and skin to
touch"
Shivering, she turned to Craig.
"You know about my sweetheart"
she told him. John Lawrence,
who was killed in the war. There's
never been anybody else but John
not really. I love John, Craig
love him still"
She put her hand to her heart.
81 mean it's here I love him. And
that's silly and sentimental most
likely. It's a state of mind I sup
pose-that sort of love. It's not
like-like passion. Maybe it's not
so healthy. But there it is.
q love you too, Craig. And
and Of course there's my body,
Craig. Whatever's happened to my
soul, there's still that. Sometimes
| think bodies don't count very
much. But probably they do.
Could you be satisfied, Craig, with
a girl who-whose love was-was-
sort of divided"
Helplessly she paused. It was
hard getting it into words. And
Craig caught her hands that fiut-
tered so futilely, and kissed her
tear-drenched eyes"
q should never" he murmured,
"be jealous of a dead man"
Then" she said, ." will marry
you"
"Oh, my Cod" he cried, and took
her in his arms and smothered her
his ~caresses. when, Sybil?
When?"'
Right away" she told him.
whenever you choose"
And she smiled very sweetly up
him because she was thinking
of her father. But of course Craig
did not know that. He only knew
she looked TRANSPORTED.
1t was dark when they reached
the house. One of those soft, moist
harnesses of early Spring. Pierc-
the dampness - throwing