Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1932-12-09

n1s-speak to- me-Denn1S!'
1t was a dream-qpening his
eyes he was conscious of a con-
fusion of sky and clouds from
which Barbara's face wet with
tears and white with dread bent
over him.
So he could feel, after all! Paul
inc had been right, and she had a
heart hidden away beneath all her
arti6cialities.
Pauline had said something else
about her, too. What was it? Oh,
yes, with difficulty he sorted the
words from the confusion in his
brain-'She does love someone
fr~igbtfuHy!"
And then his own question:
"Who is the poor devil, them"
Who was the poor devil? In the
midst of all his pain O'Hara was
conscious of a maddening desire to
know the name of the man.
Well, he would ask her! Surely
to ask a simple question like that
would not be wrong?
Barbara, whom he had never
liked-whom he pretended to des-
pise-this woman with the tears
on her white face, bending over
him, bending so low that surely
her lips touched his, cool and fra
grant?
Dennis O'FIara closed his eyes.
He was in pain, in great pain
there was a heavy weight across the
lower part of his body, crushing
him. He wondered what Pauline
would say when she heard-poor
little Pauline! He tried to recall
her face to his fading conscious
ness, but somehow he could only
see Barbara's eyes and the tears or
her white cheeks-only feel the
cool fragrance of her lips on his,
only realize through the sea Of
pain in which he was drowning
that at last he knew the name of
the man she loved.
= -
Pauline was busy arranging
fresh flowers in the drawing room
when the news was brought to her.
She was not feeling very happy.
Barbara's sudden departure had
hurt her and left her puzzled.
Pauline longed to be a perfect
hostess as we'll as a perfect wife.
Her anxious mind explored every
nook and Granny of her household
to find in what particular detail
she had failed in hospitality, and
reluctantly she decided it must
have been her husband.
Dennis was never nice to Bar
bara. 1t was impossible to DIS
guise the fact that he did not like
her, This morning at breakfast.
time, for instance, he had shown
only too plainly hat he objected
to taking Barbara in the car. 1t
was too bad of him.
Pauline carefully arranged the
red roses in a silver bowl-a we'd
ding present. Only six months
ago since she had unpacked it, to-
gether with a host of other lovely
things.
Only six months! 1t seemed a
long time, and yet she knew people
who had been married for sixteen
years-twenty years, thirty years
and even longer.
II expect the time will 90 more
quickly when we're really settled
down and used to being married"
Pauline told herself with a little
feeling of satisfaction. A sharp
thorn from one of the roses gave
Pauline a nasty prick, and it was
while she was busily wiping away
the tiny bead of blood from her
finger that the door bell rang.
1.-The postman!" Pauline thought
as she went to the front door, but
the little letter box was empty and
through the glass panels she could
see the burly outline of a mans
waiting figure.
Pauline opened the door, hen
she caught her breath sharply, for
the man wore an officers uniform.
He looked at Pauline with kind
ly eyes.
Mrs. O'Hara?" he querried
doubtfully.
YES" Pauline was panicky. Did
she owe one of the tradesmen any
thing? She had always been SO
careful about not getting into
debt. She was a thousand miles
from the truth when the man re-
l~uctantly broke the news to her.
II am sorry to say there has been
a bit of an accident. Gentleman
BY name of O'Hara-"