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Show Life Is Wonderful . Young Authoress Writes Homey Story Of A Modern Girl's Dilemma Five thousand dollars is too big a temptation for any person to pass by, and Barbara could not be punished for spending stolen money after she was dead. Many of her dreams were made possible in the next week. With an automobile of her own and the expensive clothes she had always dreamed of having, she was having hav-ing all the fun that the more fortunate for-tunate have; however, she suffered suffer-ed frequent pangs of guilt. What if she was found out before she died? What if the man should come back for the money? Many possibilities came to her mind, but she decided that the fun she was having was worth it. Exactly five weeks after the day she was told that she had two months to live, Barbara was told something that shocked her more than anything else she had ever evperienced. How could this happen hap-pen to her? She looked as if she were stricken dumb and the physician phy-sician repeated: "Did you hear me, Barbara? You aren't going to die! I made a terrible mistake. I don't see how I could have gotten you mixed with Mrs. Thompson, but that's what I must have done." He apologized for his carelessness, careless-ness, and the stricken Barbara left wondering what to do. Should By BETH H. MOWER Two months to live! When a person is first told that, he gets panicky, then he gets used to the idea and wants to accomplish everything that he ever dreamed of doing in the remainder of his life. That's how Barbara felt when Die family physician gently broke the news to her. It was such a shock at first. She had never fully realized how valuable her life was until that moment. She'd die, but everyone else would go on living just the same as if she had never existed. Oh, she wanted to live now! She wanted to be somebody and to i meet some of the millions of people peo-ple that she had never seen. She didn't want to be forgotten. If only something could be done to save her life! but that was impossible. im-possible. Queer, she thought, she wasn't in pain, but most of the pain would be during the last days. Two months, sixty days, perhaps per-haps less. Barbara lived one second sec-ond at a time. For the first time she discovered beauty in her surroundings. sur-roundings. The purple appearance of the far-off mountains blending ith the blue of the sky. The soft babbling of the brook as she walked in the park one day was denly she understood everything. Dear Uncle Richard. Putting her head in the air, she walked away, a new sway to her walk. Life was wonderful! How good it 'was to be alive! she turn herself over to the police? Oh, why had she let temptation get the best of her? Perhaps she had walked for hours. Time was unimportant then, but she discovered that she was walking in the park. It seemed seem-ed like only yesterday that she had walked here last. If only she had done what her conscience had told her to do the day that she was given the money. She had wanted to live then, but how she hated herself and she wasn't going go-ing to die. Once again a hand was gently placed upon her shoulder. Barbara turned with a start. Yes, it was the same person. She glared at him and opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted. "I've decided that I need to explain, although I was told not to. Femember your Uncle Richard Rich-ard Richard Travers?" Barbara nodded, puzzled. "You know, your uncle is a queer old person. He likes everyone every-one to think he's mean and stingy. That's why he sent you the money. He heard of your mother's death and he wanted to help you, his only niece, without you thinking it was he. Well, you know the rest." The man went as quickly as he had appeared, leaving Barbara, who still stood in amazement. Sud- t like merry laughter to her ears. She recalled memories. It was then that she thought of her wealthy Uncle Richard, her mother's mo-ther's only brother, who hadn't even come to his sister's funeral. been stolen. Then she thought of what a good time she could have before her last day with that much money. No, she decided to take it to her apartment and make her decision. Barbara had had to face the empty future, after her mother's death, alone. That all seemed like a dream now. Her's had been a hard life, going from one job to another, an-other, alone. Mid her thought she had a vague idea of how tired she was after working in the stuffy stuf-fy department store all morning. She was aware of a firm hand being placed upon her shoullder, and she looked up into the eyes of a tall, dark-complexioned man. "You're Barbara Travers?" he asked. Barbara was puzzled. She had never see the man before. "Yes," she answered. "The photograph that was given me to identify you by doesn't do you justice." Who was this man and what was this talk about a photograph? "I beg your pardon?" "I was asked to give you this, and not to give any explanations." He handed her a large envelope and was gone. Barbara stood gaping gap-ing after him, her mind filled with questions. Then she thought of the envelope. She ripped open the envelope. There, in her own hands, Barbara rested her eyes upon a whole envelope full of new, crisp, one hundred dollar bills. Her first impulse was to notify the police, for surely this money must have |
