The Washington times., 1937-01-28

| S~~-N
tened a half-dozen Piper nose!
against the window-paneS.
That will do for the present
Mr.. Piper" said Parker. "Pu
that gauze aside. We will wal
now until DR.. Graham feels
little better, and he will do thu
important part Of the bandaging.
In a few minutes the gallant ole
fellow had staggered back to thu
bedside.
That's excellent, Mr.. Parker!'
he approved enthusiastically. 81
believe we've got it now exactly
where we want it." The business
Of applying the rest Of the ban
dages went forward in a workman
ly manner, DR.. Graham still
breathing hard but in good spirits
After they had waited for the
cast to dry sufficiently for the
/ leg to be comfortably laid on a
pillow, the doctor said they would
be off now.
For the first half-mile Of exec
rable road, the old doctor had
nothing to say. but when they
came to smoother going on the
gravel, and the increased speed
stirred an invigorating breeze, he
seemed inclined to talk.
"Mr. Parker" he said respect
fully, "you were a great help to me
out there. More, perhaps. than
you realized" He chuckled to
himself a little as if he had a
private joke. IF this affair was
written up for a medical journal,
none of the city fellows would be-
lieve it. . How you ever managed
to bind up that leg the way you
did, I'm sure I don't know. Did
Piper go to sleep at his post? I
never heard a more blood-curdling
howl than you got out that boy
Jud. But believe we're going TO
have a fairly good leg there,
thanks to your strong hands"
Parker idly dismissed the COM
mendation with a remark that he
had tried only to obey the doctors
orders.
my dear" announced her
grandfather to the rosily excited
Elise, when they were seated at
the table, "thiS young fellow
missed his calling" And when
she begged for an explanation, he
told her, with much merrimenr,
the story Of the mornings adven-
ture. Then, with great serious
ness, he said, "All jeSting aside
I've seen doctors do worse jobs!"
CHAPTER VII
It would have been quite i'm
possible for Nat-She had at
tended promptly to this abridg-
ment-not to have observed, from
the first, that Elise Graham was
warmly interested in him. To a
degree he shared this feeling and
was comforted by a comradeShip
of which he stood vastly in need.
After his many weeks Of aim
less wandering, almost as much a
fugitive as if he were Stealthily
creeping from the scene Of a ma
jor crime, and heart-Sore over the
sudden collapse of a promising
career to which he had given him.
self with full devotion, this charm
ing and talented girls unrestricted
proffer of confidence waS-to say
the least-Soothing. He was
hungry for companionship and
here it was to be had without stint.
1t was the last night OF 1929. He
had just returned from the
Grahams', leaving at ten-thirty
for reasons which he considered
good. Something warned him
against a tete-a-tete celebration of
the New York at midnight, their
close friendship having reached
the stage where it needed only
such a flick Of the whip to send
it galloping in direction which,
he had firmly resolved, it was not
to take.
For nearly a month, Nat Parker
had been seeing Elise almost daily.
Nothing was palmer than that
their relationship would now have
to be repitched in another key,
or he would be obliged to leave
Leeds at once. It would be a very
ungracious thing to run away. The
/ Grahams had taken him into their
confidence almost as a member
of their household and at a time
when he was all but desperate for
congenial friends. He felt himself
under an obligation to Elise and
her gentle-hearted old grand
father. 1t could not be discharged
by his going through the motions
of requiting ElSie'S affection. He
wished there was something tan
gible he might do for her.
A bright idea! He wondered
why it hadn't occurred to him be-
fore. He would try to give Elise
a chance to demonstrate what she
could do with her voice! II all
- at she required was a public ap-
pearance, set up under influential
auspices, he would provide the
necessary funds.
Ito Be COntinued)
Copyright, 1881, by Lloyd c. Douglas.