Evening star., 1933-05-04
LUXURY LINER
BY Gina Klaus
COPYRIGHT 1885, xAus)
BY Gina Klaus
COPYRIGHT. 1888. BY GINA xAus)

brain like djinns who have lost their
master. For the third time he saw
Sybil crossing Broadway on Shortwell's s
arm must pull myself together.
I haven't even yet packed my trunk
Then the glass retort crashed on the
floor and Sister Martha screamed
Thomas leaped up with a start.
Sister Martha stood beside the bed, her
hand over her mouth.
God, how you frightened me! How
did you get into my room?"
His brain hummed. How was 1t pos
sible that a room could be lived in half
its occupant? There was not the least
He apologized. Heavily he began get
ting to his feet.
Don't get up" she said, I'm sleep
ing down with Mother Weber"
Thomas felt an almost mad anger
The eternal nurse. No love- no passion,
not even capable of good comradeship.
Last night it had seemed as if her eyes
might glow with enthusiasm, as If her
hand could not only help, but also press
another's in intimate friendship. .
"All right, 60 along"
She went away but two minutes
later she returned. II thought you
might need me-"
Still irritable, he replied, mo, don't
need you"
sister Martha sat down on the edge
Of the bed just exactly as II he had
said the contrary. 1nvoluntarily he
closed his eyes; Sister Martha had
understood that he was an Ill man.
though he had neither fever nor
will you do something for me. Sister
Martha? Have you any profession
clothes? Do put them On!"
ct really haven't any ordinary
clothes; I very rarely go ashore. but
I have very beautiful embroidered
kimono-do you think that will do?"
He nodded his head and she opened
the closet.
An Indian lady gave 1t to me. Poor
thing! She sailed from Europe back
to her home, full of yearning and i'm
patience, and in the middle Of the Red
Sea she died of pneumonia"
Have you no longing for q home
like your little Indian woman?"
It have no home" she said softly.
She had taken off her apron and
her nurses cap.
well, that's how I look" she said
In an embarrassed way.
Il6 Was VI JIlc Dluc VI 6Il
Italian sky; it was densely covered with
embroidered rose-colored cherry bios
| SONS. Between them were tiny little
| birds 1t was like an emanation of
Spring. She sat down again upon the
chair beside the bed. Her stern, goth
ically cool face was flushed. Without
her nurses cap she felt almost naked.
Her hair was of the color of wheat,
lighter than the skin of her cheeks,
cut short and parted in the middle.
In painful disappointment Thomas
closed his eyes. He had expected much
more of Martha in her ordinary dress.
He had been expecting something
miraculous from her He had been
waiting for it all night since the sue
ceSSful Operation-aS a matter of fact
for five days since he had made his
first rounds of the ship. But Martha
was not woman. She might be an
angel, perhaps, but she was not
woman.
A brief pause enSued. Then Sister
Martha said:
"Krieglacher came down to see Mrs.
Weber before dinner. He urged me
very insistently to ask you to join him
in the American West, as his assistant" F"
Thomas looked at her with tired
expression.
Il don't know don't think I can"
Il suppose you have home-people
who won't let you go away for long
time"
Il have no home. have only a
house from which my wife ran away"
A leaden silence followed his con-
fession. Thomas stared at the white
washed ceiling and brooded.
II am at the end of my rope. can
no longer return to the rose-colored
empty house. I can no longer with a
serious face take fees from well-to-do