The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-06-09
CHAPTER FIVE

A S her father seemed to COM
IA municate with her along nom
existent wires. so now some one else
seemed to communicate with her,
seemed to say, Here am /"
II must go, but I'll come back
in less than half an hour"
"You mean it?"
II promise" she told him.
For she couldn't let Phil die. But
also she couldn't leave Dean. From
one horn of the dilemma she leaped
to the other.
But again she seemed to hear
Cynthia's voice saying, Here am 1. F"
Through Cynthia she might es-
cape both horns.
Kneeling beside the bed, she ap-
praised the pitiful figure upon it.
Fear, a desperation close to mad
ness, pain and loss of blood all COM
bined to prejudice him in the eyes
of any impartial observer.
Even to one who was not impair
iidlf CHCIl " LLACdAlO1 AdA4HCAs wiz
was risking in his behalf things be-
yond estimate, he was not an adj
mirable object.
The physical and mental torments
which he endured stole from him
that camou1age which nature gra-
ciously grants to all of us, but which
she strips from us in the moment
that we violate her ordinances.
Unwillingly, unwittingly even, she
compared him to Dean Carey, and
the comparison was Overwhelmingly
to the advantage of her husband.
Dean was not only stronger men
tally, but he possessed spiritual
things beyond the attainment of
Phil Jennings.
She looked at the brown eyes, a
little bloodshot now, noted the
weakly amiable mouth, the obsti-
nate chin and the too straight nose.
This was the man whom she had
loved for four years, and over
whom she lowered now with a
fiercely protective urge.
Bitter regrets fought vainly
against the unwelcome urge. After
all, a real man would not have
waited for a gesture from her four
years ago. Phil should have recog-
nized that she had pride as well as
he and should have known that
pride suffers no real diminution of
stature by bending over.
Tnrg1f1aOrl cans. xr-t,fcraoV~oI
ing that here was one who would
always put her in the wrong no
matter how right she was.
For a moment, as she knelt there,
her expression was almost as pitt
full as that of the man on the bed.
And this quality had the same
source in her that it had in him
They were both sorry for them
selves.
Only-and herein lay the differ
ence between weakness and strength
Phil pitied himself because of
what life had done to him, whereas
Eleanor pitied herself because of
what she would do to life.
NEVERTHELESS she loved him,
IN and always would love him.
And so. regardless of what hurt
might be done to others, even to
herself, she must take action that
would save him.
OF course. there was no possible
action. Honor and sanity spoke to
her, told her that perhaps already
she had worked an irreparable in
jury to Dean. that her life-and
Deans life-already lay in ruins.
and that there remained only the
seantest chance that she could
gather up the wreckage and restore
it to a semblance Of outward re-
pair.
yet. like the still small voice of
hope. she seemed again to hear the
voice Of Cynthia. She seemed to
see the face and figure so nearly
ike her own, and a wild courage
came to her.
She rose. pulled the coverlet high
under Pills chin and, in reply TO
the desperate pleading in his eyes.
bent over and kissed him. His lips
hardly responded. but a light flashed
n bib eyes.