The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-07-21

big and healthy. But L ShouIu
saw that he's-well, overdone him.
self. Fellows like that hit pretty
hard pace sometimes, believing
that because they're husky they
can take it. Then something IKE
this happens"
Sandra rusnes toward them, her
eyes blazing in her excitement:
Doctor, if you're bluftlng III
you're stalling and don't know the
answer to this-you'd better call
a specialist from the city.
The little doctor faced her
calmly. MY dear young woman,
this is a very simple case. Even
simple enough for a poor country
doctor like myself. A young man
has been OVERRIDING himself Tor
possibly years. Under the
influence of alcohol ne dives
against a submerged stump in
ours a conclusion of the brain.
Even a specialist from the city
could do only what l am going
to do" :,
"And what is that" demanded
Sandra.
wait" smiled the doctor.
Make the patient comfortable,
and wait. | hope it will be
possible for me to stay here to-
night"
Under his steady gaze Sandra
was quickly reasonable, and con-
trite. "Please forgive me, doctor.
were all so wrought up. OF
course you may stay here"
THANK YOU" The doctor turn
ed to Helena. 81 want to suggest
that YOU get some sleep, Mrs.
Henderson. Your husband seems
to be resting easily now, and
there is nothing you can do for
the moment
Helena nodded. She let Sandra
guide her to the door of he rroom,
but she felt certain she would be
unable to sleep. Nevertheless, she
lay fully dressed on the bad, and
soon had drifted into a troubled
doze from sheer WEAKNESS.
When she awoke, the first
of dawn painted the sky
beyond her window. Helena lay
there a moment, thinking: It's
been a horrible dream. Peter
wasn't even a wedding" But then
the reality of day crowded in, and
she faced again the truth. She
and Peter Henderson were mar
ried. Last night they were to
have embarked on the night train
for their honeymoon. But a scant
few hours after the ceremony ne
had been hurt, might even now
be be ;.
Helena clamped her damp PAINS
to her head and sat upright. How
could she have slept? Somehow
she dreaded going into that other
room, facing Sandra and the rest.
But nobody was in the big room
except the Leigh girl who stood
by the fireplace in the same
clothes she had worn the night
before. Somehow Helena knew
that Sandra had slept-if she had
slept at all-on the davenport be-
fore the hearth. ,
"How is he?" Helena asked
fearfully. ,
The other tried to smile. "About
the same, / think. Mr.. Courtney
and the doctor are in there now. "
"Oh Then he-then the
lawyer arrived last night?"
Sanrla nodded. "On the mid
night plane. Someone drove them
over from the town." She hesi-
tated, then went on. "You knew
that Leah Frazier came, too?"
Helena did not answer at once,
and Sandra added another ques-
ton. "Peter told you about
Leah?"
A cold fear took hold of
Helena's heart, but she said, eyes.
He asked me to tell Mr.. Courtney
to bring her along"
Sandra looked relieved. "1t's
natural that he should ask that.
You see, he's known Leah all his
life-and I suppose that in his
home town everyone expected
them to marry. You know how
it, is in places like that"
Helena nodded DULY. Why was
Sandra so nervous? What was she
irving to hide? Something-that
was obvious. "She's in one of the
rooms upstairs" Sandra was go,
ing on. "After the plane ride and
the excitement, she was pretty
well done in"
The door opened behind Helena.
Without turning she somehow
knew that it was the doctor and
Courtney who were coming into
the room. And suddenly, horri-
bly,, she knew something else
Unaccountably, she knew. With
a choking sob, she flung herself
into Sandra's arms. "Sandrai Oh
Sandra he's dead. Peters
dead" 1t came to her clearly ir
the midst of her despair that
Peter had realized all along that
he was going. AS gently as he
could he had tried to make her
realize it, too. But she had blind
ed herself with that hope which is
at once the salvation and the
surse of every human being.
Hours later she sat facing
John Courtney, her eyes red with
constand weeping, her lips palt
and sagging. He had been talkins
for several minutes, but Helen:
had not heard him. Since thai
first awful moment she hat
neither heard nor seen anything
And then suddenly something tina
Courtney said struck into her con