The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1945-09-20

It didn't make sense, it wasn't
true. But all the time she knew it
was true, Arthur was simply not
there and nothing was left but her
self, muffiing screams in the covers
of the bed where they had slept to-
gether.
1t was quite dark when her friend,
Frances, knocked on the door. When
Frances came in from work and the
maid said she had not seen Eliza
beth, Frances came up to her room.
Elizabeth did not hear the knock, so
Frances opened the door, saying,
Elizabeth, are you here?" and
then, "Why, what's the trouble?"
She switched on the light and ran
to the bed.
Elizabeth managed to say, please
leave me alone" Looking around
in establishment, Frances caught
sight of the telegram where it had
blown into a corner. She picked it
up. "Oh, my dear" she gasped.
"Oh my dear" After minute in
which she could not say anything
else, she asked, 'Do you want me
to call your aunt?"
mol" cried Elizabeth. please
60 out. Please just let me alone"
Frances hesitated, but being a
sensible girl she only said, You're
going to catch flu in this cold room, !"
and brought blanket from the clos
ct to throw over Elizabeth's tense
body, and went out.
Elizabeth did not call up anybody
that night, not even her Aunt Grace,
an omission which Aunt Grace nev-
er forgave her. For weeks after
ward Aunt Grace could not think of
this without exclaiming, "But was
just like a mother to the poor girl!
She needed me. And just when she
needed me most, she didn't call
me-" Aunt Grace loved to hover
over people in distress. She could
well believe that her dear niece had
been grieved when she was told of
her husbands death, but she was
always sure this grief would have
been lessened if she herself had only
been around to offer sympathy and
a nice cup of tea.
She told all her friends how in
considerably she had been treated.
And after all she had done, tool
Why, now it was all right to say that
a previous telegram had come for
Elizabeth saying Arthur was miss
ing, and she had read it and torn it
up, and hadn't told a soul except a
few of her most intimate friends, no
use distressing the poor dear girl
when everything might turn out to
have been all right. She had found
it by the merest chance, or perhaps
it would be more reverent to say
Providence had guided her to it, one
day when she dropped in and Eliza
beth was still at the Red Cross.
While she was there a messenger
had delivered the telegram, and
since it might be bad news she just
opened it herself, wanting to break
it gently, but when she found it said
Arthur was missing she went home
and didn't tell Elizabeth at all-now
what could be kinder than that? If
she had only been there to receive
this second message! She would
have told the dear child gradually,
preparing her for the shock, and
then she would have stayed with her
all night, comforting her. But in
spite of such affection, Elizabeth
hadn't even let her know. 1t was
hard. Not that she meant to COM
plain, but it was hard.
Elizabeth had no use for her aunt S
ministrations. She did not think of
wanting anybody. Later, she was
able to appreciate her friends kind
ness in leaving her alone. But that
night she was not capable of appre-
ciating anything but the fact that
she was alone and would remain so.
For the first few hours the pain
stayed with her, blotting out every
thing except an occasional confused
recollection of some minute of her
life with Arthur and then closing
around her again like red-hot shell.
Then, slowly, she began remember
ing everything about him, not mere
ly his strength and humor and gen.
tleness, but the tiniest details of his
appearance, little unimportant
words he had spoken to her, the way
his eyes would catch hers across a
crowded room and make her feel
warm with his love. She remem-
bered his splendid mind, the energy
with which he went to work-why
should the world want to destroy a
man who had no purpose but to con-
tribute to its happiness?-and more
than that, his goodness, his large toll
erance-"Oh, Elizabeth, why get SO
bothered about it? VINO are we to
think anybody different from our
selves is wrong?"-and for herself,
more even than all of these, their
exquisite sense of unity. Elizabeth,
I couldn't say this to anybody but
you, but you'll understand. :"
She had had SO much with him.
And yet she had had so little of it.
Two years ago she had not known
Arthur existed, and now she had lost
him.
Her thoughts went back to the be-