The Washington times., 1937-01-16

the customary modicum Of NOR
phine to reduce her active inter
est in the occasion, spread out her
hand alphabetically and signed
that she was too drowSy to offer
it, to which he wordleSSly replied,
by holding up his own, that he
would be unable to touch her,
anyway.
Grace Dexter, whom he had
met briefly an hour earlier, stood
in the doorway at a discreet dis
tance, a bit pale. but entirely self
possessed. Her patrician face
had the general contour OF her
mothers. Had the black hair been
straight, she could have done an
acceptable madonna. Her figure
was slight but shaplely, as the
severely tailored suit. unrelleved
by any touch of color, testified:
DR.. Paige smiled and she answered
the recognition.
Did your father come up?" he
asked.
"YeS-and Just now went DOWN
again. To the telephone, I think.
He will be back in a moment.
Mother seems quite fit, don't you
think?"
Never better!" said Paige con
fidently. Then, leaning over MRS.
Dexter, he whispered something
in her ear which she approved
with a contented sigh and several
reassuring little mods. She closed
her eyes, and the slightly smiling
lips relaxed.
do I know what that was
about?" queried Grace, in the tone
of one asking for a password.
Paige nodded and retraced his
steps into the operating-room, and
through the alcove where the
white-swathed little company
waited.
Presently the door opened and
the chief appeared, quite plainly
upset about something. Paige
watched him anxiously as he re-
Sumed his washing with nervous
haste. His face was flushed and
the muscles of his cheeks twitched.
The silence was taut. Endicott
seemed to sense it with defense
less irritation. Everybody in the
room knew that he had been en-
gagged in an emergency converse
ton with his brokers, and he
knew that they all knew. They
knew that he knew they knew.
He plunged his arms into the sur
gical coat with such force that he
tore it out of Ogilvie's grip and it
fell to the floor. Tweedy came
promptly with another. His exas-
peration was all but out of control.
At length, in spite of his haste, he
was ready. They fled into the
operating room and gathered
about the table.
Lanes thin fingers trembled a
little as he readjusted the mask
more effectively over Mrs. Dex-
'ter'S face. Endicott noticed it and
frowned. He stared CLASSIFY
straight ahead through the high,
bright windows while they waited
for the increasingly labored res
piration to signal the moment for
action. One more shuddering in
halation would do it. Lane slowly
looked up, purSed his lips slightly
and nodded.
A handcrafted Swiss watch
could have had no better under
standing of itself than this close
knit company Of five. Endicott
signed his commands to Paige and
Ogilvie, Ogilvie signed to the
Tweedy and Larimer girls - all
the orders given with deXterous
gestures. Endicott was working
faster than usual.
The hands of the surgeons
opened and whatever, they re-
quired was instantly thrust into
them; the others lowering close,
alert, lynx-eyed. "A Scalpel for
Endicott, the swift use of a
sponge thrust into Paige'S fingers
by Tweedy, a pair of forceps for
Paige, the deft Swipe of a sponge
by Larimer, more forcepS for
Paige furnished by Ogilvie, fresh
SpongeS for Tweedy furnished by
Larimer, more forceps for Paige:
clip, clip, clip, forcepS, forceys, for
Paige, more gauze for Tweedy, a
clamp for Paige, a long-handled
scissors for Endicott - a tense
pause, quiet and still as a tableau.
Larimer stood ready with the
threaded ligator. Ogilvie offered
the handles of secondary
clamp. Endicott shook his head.
That meant he couldn't use it
because there was no room to
apply it. There was a quick,
barely audible, sucking intake
of breath by Ogilvie. Endicott
frowned.
"Iu hold your clamp, DIR.
Paige" he muttered huskily.
you make the tie, please"
Paige realized that the pedicle
had been cut too short for safe
legation. He adjusted the liga.
ture with difficulty and drew it
as tightly as possible.