Evening star., 1935-05-13
CHAPTER XLIII.
HOMECOMING.

Y AMES ran the entire two miles
from the house at Oak and
North Fifth to the Mansion. To
~ his diSordered imagination 1t
seemed that Jane was just be-
hind him, sort of disembodied Jane,
all staring eyes and clutching, preda-
tory hands.
He was near hysteria when he
reached his old home and pounded
frantically on the front door. Lights
came on, upstairs and down. He heard
Nappy's voice inquiring anxiously who
was there. Me" he called; ''let
me in"
The door opened slowly. James
staggered into the hall and would
have fallen but for Nappy's supporting
arm. Miss Sarah called quaveringly
from above. Who is it Who is it?"
Amt nobody but the General. You
and Aunt Lou go on back to bed. The
General amt feeling so very good.
I'll tend to him"
Miss Sarah. in curl papers and a
shawl. with Aunt Lou at her heels, in
a long white night gown. started down
the stairs. My dear boy. My dear
child. We must get you to bed"
"YeSSum. You go on and get the
bed ready. Me and the General will
be right up"
James had collapsed in a chair: his
head in his hands. I'll telephone the
doctor" Miss Sarah went on. Aunt
Lou. you get the whisky. On my
closet shelf"
Nom, 1 wouldn't telephone for no
doctor. If Aunt Lou was to make
little hot coffee"
Aunt Sarah had now come close
to James. She smelled at last the
stale reek of liquor that was on his
breath. James looked up at her.
You think I'm drunk" he said
thickly. We'll, I'm not. I've run two
miles. I've run away from Jane And
I'm never going back. Do you hear
me? Never. Because don't like her
eyes
Well, intoxicated or not, decided
Miss Sarah. he was still her boy and
Jane undoubtedly was responsible
There, there, dear" she said ten
derly. It's all right. You're home
now. III get the bed ready. When
you've rested little Nappy will help
you upstairs
Nappy brought James long glass
of cold water and James gulped it
thirstily. ''Um-um. you sure musta
had a snoot full Nappy commented
admiringly We'll. it takes the u S.
Army to sniff it out so quick. But
how come you to make such a racket?
If youd d just sneaked along quiet like
'twouldn't nobuddy but you and me
knoWed."
Il didn't expect you to be up I'm
all right now. I'm going on up to
bed
Nappy helped him up the stairs,
helped him undress. inveigled him
into drinking the coffee. into luke
warm bath. In his old room, in
long night shirt that had been his
grandfather's, James slept the sleep
of the just from midnight until some
thing after 10 next morning.
When he wakened there sat by the
window crisp and fresh Aunt Sarah
in a striped lavender dimity with
white collars and cuffs, reading her
Bible
"Auntie, I've come home to stay"
were James first words Please don't
ask me what happened. I can't bear
to talk about it, but I'm never going
away again-if you and Aunt Lou
want me-
Want him? Want him? Miss Sa-
rah bent over James and kissed him
with trembling lips She asked no
questions. Instead she drew his bath
herself, made his bed afresh, and in
sisCed that he get back into it. She
piled pillows high behind him. brought
him a Kansas City morning paper,
pulled up the blinds to just the proper
angle for reading and departed.
The door was left half opened and
an aroma of coffee and bacon was
waited up to hungry nostrils. Aunt
Sarah soon returned with a glass of
iced orange juice on a lace-covered
tray with little bowl of wild sweet
william beside it
The orange juice had hardly van
ished when Aunt Lou called from the
hall, Can come in, honey? There's
hot wafhes," and Aunt LOUIS beaming
Wrinkled face appeared in the door.
Nappy followed carrying another
and larger tray covered with silver
and tinkling china and glass-and
every dish heaped to overf1owing
James ate every crumb of it.
James spent the day at home loung-
ing at his ease in bed reading the
Master of Ballantrae" while Aunt
Sarah or Aunt Lou or Nappy ran up
stairs every quarter of an hour for
fear he might want something and
they not hear his call They had no
callers and they muffied the tele-
phone.
The second morning all of Com
merclal street was electrified. and
halt tho talnIalaaxaac /