Evening star., 1929-01-02

II curious thing in the way of
4 4 surprises that ever was de-
vised. Wallacel"
A stiff. mechanical figure loomed out
of the gloomy portieres of the door
leading to the servants quarters and
stood at attention, waiting for DR..
Benets orders.
This is your mistress, Wallace" said
DR.. Benet. And these little pests are
Julian and Rose, who will plague the
life out of you if you let them."
IT am at your service, madam, and
| the children's," said Wallace, with a
bow that charmed Julian and ravished
Rose. But Mrs. Benet gathered her
children closer to her and tried her
best not to look at Wallace as though
he were Death resurrected and clad in
the stately garb of a butler.
Because the hallway was somewhat
dark and because he was too much
elated with his wife's return-she had
been away for months-Dr. Benet failed
to mark her agitation. Wallace was
as impassive and unruffled as figure
of wood that has just been presented
| to the Sphinx and Pyramids.
| Dinner at 8, sir?" he asked smooth
ly, and departed with his inirnitable
salaam when DR.. Benet nodded.
Come, Anna" said the doctor. HAS
Wallace overawed you or so filled you
with admiration that yo1 just want to
stand and marvel? He is a splendid
domestic. I acquired him through Col.
Topper. The colonel found him In the
war, or in one of the hospitals after
The man is entirely without memory
of the past not shell-shock, the
usual thing, but some defect in the
bones at the base of the SKULL where
a bullet nicked him. I hired him so
I could study him, as well as benefit by
his services"
II understand" said Anna Benet
and the doctor attributed her tired
low-pitched voice to the fatigue Of a
long and tedious journey by train.
But Anna was not tired. Her 1ody
the slim, moldedly graceful body of a
matron who has never forfeited hel
girlh0 Cd, seemed no longer to exist. She
was all spirit, and that spirit was suf-
fering. She sent Julian and Rose away
with Sims, the maid, and went quickly
to her own room. Hat and coat she
threw thoughtlessly on the bed and lay
down beside them. Her temples throb-
bed in unison with every pulse of her
She had lost track of events and livaC
in topsy-turvy world that was shift
ing chaos-but out of the hurly-burly
one thing resolved itself into rigid line:
the tall. sedate I-shaped figure o1
Wallace, the butler; for Wallace was
Anna Carvi1's husband and DR.. Benet-
was just q man, and Julian anC
Rose
1t seemed that her head would burst
with its dizziness. Here was she, Il
minutes before happy wife eager tt
join her husband and bring the little
family circle together; now woman
her world ruined, her life made i'm.
possible by the appearance of a mar
whom she had believed to be dead.
Anna Carvill and Wallace III
was Anton Rise then had me
and married in Paris few weeks be-
fore he was sent to the front. Shortly
after, he was reported killed in actor
and Anna had returned to America tC
find consolation in the love OF DR.: Gene
Benet. A year after Anton's death they
were married. Five years of pure
crowded happiness had followed
years that had brought Julian and Rose
that had shown her the sterling WORTH
of Gene Benet and caused her to forget
the two weeks with Anton Rise. She
had never loved Anton. 1t was a fever
ish impulse, born of the fevered days OF
war that had thrust her into his arms
They had not been happy; it was mad
ness, compared to which the sweet, sant
love she had for DR.. Benet was the wax
ing calm after dream of passion.
She realized that she must prepare
for dinner. She would have to face
Wallace again. Gene had assured hel
that Wallace had no memory of events
but at any time all might come back
to him. And with her, who had beer
his wife, always near What woulc
it mean to Gene, to the children2 WoulC
it destroy everything? Would Antor
claim her? Would Gene want her? Bu